Everything I Spend Money On For My Best Selling Book | #BestSeller

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through one, Urgesta AS may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the affiliate disclosure.

Book a free 25-minute call. Tell me where your book is now.

For a best-selling book I pay for four things: keyword research for the title and subtitle (KDSpy), a professional cover, formatting (Atticus) and an email tool (MailerLite). I skip the rest of the thousand tools. I have been through this 230 times, and this post goes through each one, what it costs and why a freebie in your book builds your list.

I have self-published books that have made over 50,000 sales, and the same few steps came up every time.

Why do so many authors feel overwhelmed by tools?

One of my 1-on-1 coaching clients is Gary, from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is writing a series of books and was on his first, trying to get it onto Amazon. He kept hearing different people mention different tools, so he decided to invest in himself, buy them all and test them at the same time. Several covered the same job. For formatting, for example, there is Atticus, plus Microsoft Word, Calibre and others.

The problem was that he felt overwhelmed. Each tool comes with a whole series of training and instructions. I faced the same thing when I started: I listened to fake gurus who told me to buy this tool or that, tried each for a little while, and learned that you only need a small number of tools to get results. I wrote about the same idea in The Only 3 Tools You Need To Write A Best Seller. Here is everything I spend money on.

What do I spend money on first: keyword research?

Yes. Keywords for your title and subtitle are the most important thing. You need a specific niche where some books are already selling, so there is competition, but not too many. I use KDSpy to find the keywords that bring in readers who are already buying those books.

Affiliate link: I earn a small commission if you buy, at no cost to you.

When you’re first starting, few people know who you are, so readers need to find you organically: they type something into Amazon or Google and your book comes up, because you knew they would search for those words. KDSpy is by far the best tool I know for working that out, and it is a one-time payment with no monthly fees, as its own page says. I use it all the time and with all of my coaching clients. Most people don’t understand how to use it, so we work through it together: you look at specific keywords, see how many results there are, and compare that to how many of the top results rank in the top 100,000.

The first thing I do when I look at a book is look at the cover, title and subtitle. I should know immediately what the book is about and who it’s for. If I don’t, we already have a problem.

Do I need to pay for a professional cover?

You need a professional cover, though it’s not really a tool. A 99designs contest is the route I recommend (its four contest packages run from US$299 for about 30 concepts to US$1,199), and Canva is the free route. You don’t have to pay a fortune for a good cover. Whoever you choose, pick a designer with lots of positive ratings and reviews. I also make AI covers for authors, checked against their category, in every format: book covers. If you hire a designer, read how to hire a book cover designer first.

Which formatting tool do I recommend?

Atticus is my top pick today. Its site lists it at $147 as a one-time purchase with future updates included, and it runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook. I used to format my own books in Jutoh, which I no longer recommend. Whatever tool you use, it takes a little time to get up to speed, and once you’ve formatted one book, the next one is ten times easier.

Why do I pay for an email tool as an author?

Because the email list is what lets you contact your readers again, and you may be thinking, what email list? I’m an author, I write books. That is a mistake that leaves money on the table. Almost every marketer will tell you the list is the key to everything you do with your books.

Have a freebie in your book, at the beginning and the end, that readers can get for their email address: a free book, a little pamphlet, a cheat sheet, or something about a character or the world of your story, like a city’s Wikipedia page. That drives readers onto your list, where you can tell them about the next book in your series. Email them once or twice a week. Some top marketers I listen to say two to three times a week is better if you can manage it. For ideas on small daily habits, see 3 60-Second Habits For A Best Selling Book.

I have used MailChimp and Aweber, and today I recommend MailerLite. Its pricing page lists a free plan for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, so you can start without paying, and paid plans from $12 a month. If you buy tools through my links, I appreciate it, because it motivates me to keep producing content. I only vouch for tools I have personally used.

Should I pay a publicist or a book marketing firm?

Writer Beware says there is no guarantee of a return on a publicist, and results are hard to track. It adds that not every book suits a campaign, such as niche books or books that are not widely available, and that a publicist needs hiring well before publication. Look for a verifiable track record, experience with books like yours and samples of their work (Writer Beware on publicists). Its warning signs:

• No information on staff, clients or past work
• Vague fees or tasks
• No contract or letter of agreement
• A one-size-fits-all package built on press releases and bestseller campaigns
• They contact you first
• Promises such as making you a bestseller

My advice: decide what you want the money to do (reviews, readers, a list) before you talk to anyone, and get the plan in writing. With one book, I think the same money usually goes further on the basics above.

Which tool has been most useful on your self-publishing journey? Let me know in the comments. I respond to all of them. If you want the formatting done for you, see book formatting, or book a free 25-minute discovery call and we can look at your book together.

Listen to this episode on Spotify

Free 25-minute self-publishing call with Chris Baird

Tell me where your book is now. You leave the call with a clear next step for publishing it.

Book your free call

Free, 25 minutes on Zoom, no card needed.