I’ve been thinking about how much of self-publishing happens after the book is finished. Writing the book is one thing, but getting the right people to actually discover it is a completely different challenge. For those of you who have already published, what’s one thing you learned about marketing, visibility, reviews, Amazon, social media, or getting readers that you wish you had known before launching? I’d be interested to hear what actually worked for you and what turned out to be a waste of time or money.

Editing, design, ads, coaching, all of it together. Hoping this might be helpful to set expectations for new authors who join. If there was anything you wish you didn't spend money on or that you should have, feel free to mention that in the comments!

Hi everyone! I'm Tommy, founder of Rayol Ops. My agency offers AI book trailers and audio versions for authors, and I also love writing, so this feels like the right place to be. I'm here to learn from people who are doing the hard work of getting their books out. For those of you who have already published, what's been the hardest part of getting your book in front of readers?

There was a great post from an author that spent $44,000 on a book launch and what worked and didn't work, and she shared that influencer marketing was maybe not the best investment. That story combined with an audit of our Amazon Ads performance over the last five years inspired me to share this video. Have you paid an influencer for book promotion? How'd it go?

Here's the real story: