How To Get Rid Of Your Boxes

If you are a writer who self-publishes or is with a collaborative publisher, you will have boxes. Lots and lots of boxes containing your books. You may have a love hate relationship with them. When they first arrive and you see them being unloaded from a pallet, you are giddy with joy. Your words, actually printed, in a real book, for all to see! You send out the pre-orders, you see them in bookshops, people get in touch asking for a copy. It’s all absolutely marvellous. However, at some point, the gush dies away to a trickle and you realise that you and your boxes have entered into a long-term relationship. As with any liaison, you need to lay down some rules and boundaries if this thing is going to work. 

My boxes lived in the hall at first and soon became a useful surface on which to place clean folded laundry. The cat spent a lot of time sleeping on them. After a month or so, they moved into the dining room under the window sill along with the boxes of envelopes and merch. They joined the chair as a fantastic place to put clean folded laundry and for the cat to sleep. When I sold a book, I would hoof the cat off, take a pile of towels and move them to the dining room table and ferret about for all the bits and pieces. It wasn’t ideal. Other authors have shared stories of their boxes being pressed into service as occasional tables, foot stools and day beds. 

What we all really want is to empty our boxes, recycle them and order some more so that we can enter into the whole delightful business again. Here are my Top Tips for emptying yours while selling lots of books.

1.    Create a buzz. While you are writing your book, tell lots of people about it. You can do this at church, at the school gates, in the shop, amongst your friends and family. You can spread the good news on social media. In your mind’s eye, visualise a long queue of eager readers snaking from your front door and down the street. They are all clutching crisp tenners and debit cards and they simply cannot wait to get their hands on your book. Sounds a bit silly, I know, but honestly, do this every day and let the belief that people want to read your words soak into your soul and you will find those boxes start to empty.

2  Get out there. If people don’t know about your book, they can’t buy it. If possible, find some platforms. You could ask for a slot to speak at during the morning service, or talk to your local Post Office or shop and see if they’ll stock it. Think outside the box (see what I did there?) Ideally, what you want is to have other people selling your book for you while you carry on promoting it yourself. Look at where you live, where you shop, where you socialise. There will be opportunities, I promise.

3.    Identify your audience. Your book is a resource. There are groups of people out there who need it, who will benefit from it, who are desperate to get their hands on it. Spend some time working out who they are and where they are and go and have a chat. For example, I’ve been in touch with all my local high school librarians offering my services. I’m a resource. The education system is stretched as tight as a drum and for someone to offer their services, for free, is a gift. My books have no bad language or inappropriate content so they’re ideal for teenagers. World Book Day sold me quite a few books after I addressed 200 Year 7 and Year 8s in the library. They follow me on social media too which is excellent.

4.    Think about going on the road (I appreciate that this isn’t possible for everyone). This year, I took the plunge and booked myself on to craft fairs around Suffolk and Essex. I’ve done two so far, sold sixteen books and made some excellent new friendships and gathered up lots more followers on the socials. You, the writer, have brought a beautiful new product into the world. People are always looking for gifts or something wonderful to read. Believe in yourself. It might be terrifying at first, but as with anything, the more you do it, the more confident you become. Every time you sell a book, you’re sending your words out into the world and giving the reader a chance to share. If they like it (and of course they will), they’ll tell others. They’re doing your marketing for you.

5.    Make it super easy for people to buy your book. This might sound really obvious, but it’s a key strategy in emptying those boxes. Have you got a website? Check the links to make sure they work. Is there a link in your bio on your social media platforms? If you’re appearing at events, is there a list of them on your socials? I have a box with my books, merch and my card reader in the back of my car at all times. On Saturday morning, I went into the new shop in the village to say hello, met four delightful ladies and sold them each a book. Be prepared. 

I’m planning out a series of workshops this year, which can be bought online or enjoyed in the cosy surroundings of my Palace of Creativity (in which my boxes are currently nestling). One of them will be on how to get rid of your boxes. I’ll be expanding on the points above and adding in some new ones. 

For everyone out there tripping over their boxes, believe in yourselves. You’ve written something beautiful, something which needs to be out there in the world. There are lots of ways to increase your reach and to publicise your book. You’ll have to devote a good deal of time and energy to doing it, but isn’t your book worth it? 

I think so.

Images by Pixabay

Ruth is a novelist and freelance writer. She is married with three children, one husband, assorted poultry and a cat. She is the author of “The Diary of Isabella M Smugge”, “The Trials of Isabella M Smugge” and is currently writing “The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge”. She writes for a number of small businesses and charities, reviews books for Reading Between the Lines and blogs at ruthleighwrites.co.uk. Ruth has abnormally narrow sinuses and a morbid fear of raw tomatoes, but has decided not to let this get in the way of a meaningful life. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok at @ruthleighwrites and at her website, www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk.