How I Sold 1 Million Ebooks In 5 Months

There has to be a better way to sell a million books

I found HOW I SOLD 1 MILLION EBOOKS IN 5 MONTHS to be a deeply cynical book. Locke states that in order to succeed, a writer must spend more time marketing than writing. His role model is McDonalds, where the business plan is vastly more important than the food. He has absolutely no desire to improve his craft, any more than fast food places want to improve the quality of what they serve. Now, I’m not saying every writer needs to write world-class literature. Some of my favorite books are novels that the literati look down upon. But Locke’s advice (produce slap-dash, cheap novels and market the hell out of them) is exactly the kind of thing that gives self-published writers a bad name.

Locke starts the book with reasonable advice: don’t try traditional book marketing, blog effectively, have a website, use social media, and above all, write more books. It’s good advice and I can see why people are swayed. Come on, the guy sold a million books!

Then we come to Locke’s big idea, something he calls “loyalty transfer.” It goes like this: find a popular celebrity that you admire. Craft a blog post that somehow ties you to that celebrity, no matter how fragile the connection. Make sure your post drips with emotion, too. The idea is that some of the celebrity’s glamour will rub off on you and people will therefore buy your books. He includes an especially cringe-worthy example involving himself, his mom, and Joe Paterno. The insincerity practically oozes through the computer.

The next step, Locke says, is to go on Twitter and tell people to read your post. Not just the people who have chosen to follow you on Twitter, either. Using a keyword or hashtag search, you must seek out people who’ve never heard of you and tell them to read your post, too. (I blame Locke for most of the book spam that fills my Twitter feed.) Worse, Locke cozies up to people on social media not because he likes them or thinks they’re interesting, but because he think they’ll sell his book for him.

In Locke’s own words: “If you’re only interested in forming wonderful friendships, you can do that with Twitter by taking an active interest in what your friends are doing. But from a marketing standpoint, it is almost NO BENEFIT to have 10,000 Twitter pals if you don’t get some of them OFF Twitter and onto your promotional team.”

It’s so completely the opposite of the way I use Twitter, I had to read that part twice, just to make sure Locke said what I thought he said. Making wonderful friendships is the whole point of Twitter for me. And yes, I take an active interest in what my friends are doing, whether or not they buy my books. I sincerely hope that none of the great people I’ve connected with on social media think I’m using them as a means to a sale.

I refuse to put out crap books, suck up to celebrities, spam social networks and treat everyone I encounter as a wallet instead of a person. That probably means I won’t sell a million books. Or maybe I will. When I do, it will not be because of anything I learned from John Locke.

Yes read it!

I read this quick and then turn and recommended to to a writer friend of mine. I learned so much reading this book. A lot of what Locke said made sense. I am keeping this book where I know where it is for reference. I look forward to putting to use what he talked about in the book.

Wow! A must read!

What a great book and a great author. I couldn't put it down until I'd finished the whole thing. Trouble was, he had so many great ideas that I had an urge to keep zipping off to do the things he suggested. This book kept me up until all hours. I started reading it and kept going until 5.00am then slept a few hours and then finished it. It was great to find someone who finally got me, even though he's never met me, or ever heard of me. John Locke understands self-published authors and knows what we've been though to get our books published. He knows the mountains we've climbed and obstacles we've faced along the way. I'm now a big fan of John Locke and I can't wait to read his other books. Some of the things John suggests in this book, I've already tried, but being an author of children's books I found eBooks harder to sell than paperbacks. Though now I've read this book, I have a new plan and I'm sure my sales will increase. I can't wait to get started. I'm an odd-bod and write about odd things, but it's nice to know that I was heading in the right direction with my strange children's stories and odd blog posts. I now see that I was going about the marketing all wrong. Thank you so much John Locke. You rock! And I can't thank you enough. I highly recommend this book to all authors and bloggers.

Perhaps a good marketing tool for writers?

I haven't read this author's fiction, so I won't judge. I've heard of John Locke, and was intersted in this book as I'm always impressed with indie authors, especially those who sell well. He seems to understand how to sell a book, and must be well written stories for him to have the success he's had. Not a bad buy if you're an author (which I'm not), though some things seemed rather introductory. If you want to write for a living, I'd add this to your list of books to read.

Perfect for Self Publish Authors

John Locke created a system that helped him sell over 1 million ebooks and counting.
So I don't understand some of the 1 star reviews stating that buying the book is not worth the money. His system is simple and easy to follow. But maybe the problem is that its too simple for some. There's really no frills to it and if you're picking up this book expecting fireworks, this isn't the book for you. But if you want to learn a no/low cost way to market your book, build relationships with your fans, and are willing to put in the time and effort, this book is for you.

To listen to my podcast review of John Locke's book, please visit cinch.fm/joyfarrington/294871

Must read for any author!

His strategy is genius, his personal story is fascinating and his success is well-deserved. This eBook is easy to digest and contains practical advice that I hope more self-published authors pay attention to. I'm waiting for his next eBook on just how he can finish a new book at such a lightning pace. Kudos to Mr. Locke

As a writer I found this book very helpful!

As an independent author I can highly reccommend this read. It is a jungle out there when you are getting started. This book gives you advice to help you reach your readers so that they may enjoy your talent.

Not for the experienced

Although the author includes information that will be useful to newcomers, I was disappointed. There was very little here that I haven't heard many times, for free, through Romance Writers of America and from other authors online. I hoped Locke had something new and unusual, but although I admire his can-do attitude and I'm sure he writes his thrillers well-why else would he have so many readers?-I was sorry I spent my money on it.

Here's Your Chance to Learn From a Pro. Do Not Miss It!

John has already proven he's got a system that works. Now, he's offering this invaluable information for a very reasonable price. I read the whole book through, unable to put it down until the last page. I'll likely read it over and over again, buy the paperback, and mark it all up with red lines and highlighter, until I achieve the results I want with my own book sales. Not that this system is hard or anything. I believe it will take effort but it is achievable and honest.

If you are an independent author, you simply must buy this book! If you know an author, you buy them this book! Believe me, if you miss out, you will regret it later. If you buy it, you will understand how simple this business plan can be, and how you can use this plan to increase your own sales.

Five stars all the way! And, I'm going to recommmend this book for everyone in my local writer's group.

Indie Authors must read this book.

Let me start by saying I am the audience for this book. I am a self-pubbed author. I am looking to increase sales and build a following.

I loved this book. Some things I was already doing, others not so much. John puts everything togeher in a common sense way that I really enjoyed. Some may say 'I already do that, this is worthless.' That's fine. But the truth is, this guy sold a million books. Truth is, if he told me to dress like a kangaroo and give out free carwashes, I'd at least consider it.

I am going to put some effort into a) writing more books b) finding my niche and c) using the system. I may revise my review at that time, but for now, it's a win.

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