Why Doesn’t My Book (or Online course or whatever) Sell Better?

How often have you read a book (or attended a workshop or retreat) and thought to yourself, “Hmm, my content is just as good as this! Why doesn’t mine sell like this one does?”

My dad used to walk through museums, mostly modern art, and say, “Well, I could do that!” But of course, he hadn’t done it, he isn’t doing it, and he won’t do it.

Yep, in the video, there are two restaurants that are right next to each other offering more or less the same thing and yet one is crazy popular and the other isn’t. Is the Focaccia bread truly that much better? The ham that much tastier? I doubt it. So what is it?

HINT: it’s often not just one thing but a combination of many smaller things but I’m going to go out on a limb here and summarize what I think could be an important factor:

1.) Passion

2.) Perseverance

3.) Patience

1.) Passion Are you truly doing it because it’s what you want to do? Because you love it? Because you would do it even if you didn’t have to? Good. See #2.

2.) Perseverance If you don’t have #1, this #2 is going to be a lot harder. A LOT harder. Have you ever noticed how time flies when you’re having fun? When you’re doing something you’re passionate about? If you have #1 and you have #2, #3 is going to also be that much easier.

3.) Patience If #2 means to keep going (even when the going is rough) then Patience is passive, it’s really waiting. What we’re mostly doing here is, to put it bluntly, outlasting the competition. If you look at most businesses that succeed, and I realize the is a bit of a trick question, kind of like when the professor in front of the classroom asks the students, “Raise your hand if you’re not here today.”, they are the ones who have stuck it out. I’m an author, for example. I’ve written, as of today anyway, 31 books. I’m going to keep writing more and more books because I love doing it.

But I’m also persistent and patient.

Again, simply speaking, I’m going to outlast my competition. Are you passionate? Do you have what it takes to persevere? Finally, are you patient to wait for the right moment to pounce when the timing is right? It might be a while. Maybe that sandwich shop with no customers will grow frustrated and close next month. Maybe they stick around and outlast the currently popular one and then, by definition, they are the one that made it and then at that time, that other formerly popular place, doest’ even exist anymore.

Now, about those sandwiches …