Let’s have an honest conversation about something many authors struggle with – that complicated feeling when you say you wrote your book “just for yourself,” but deep down, you’re disappointed by the lack of sales.
The Creative Contradiction
You told everyone (and yourself) that you were publishing this book purely for personal satisfaction. “I don’t care if it sells,” you said. “I just wanted to tell my story. I just want to hold my book in my hands.”
And you meant it – at least, part of you did.
But now your book is out there, and the silence is deafening. The sales report shows single-digit numbers, and suddenly, those “I’m just doing this for me” declarations feel a bit hollow. You find yourself checking your sales dashboard multiple times a day, hoping to see some movement. You’re feeling frustrated, maybe even a little hurt, and you’re probably wondering why.
If you secretly thought that just putting your book on Amazon was going to be enough and now you are disappointed and feel betrayed, we did a whole article about that right here.
Why We Tell Ourselves the “Just for Me” Story
Let’s be real – saying we’re writing “just for ourselves” is often a protective mechanism. It’s safer than admitting we hope others will read and love our work. After all, if we claim we don’t care about sales or readers, we can’t be disappointed when they don’t materialize, right?
But here’s the thing: if you truly wrote the book just for yourself, you wouldn’t have published it. You would have saved it in a private folder on your computer or printed a single copy for your bookshelf. The act of publishing inherently implies a desire to be read.
The Truth About Wanting Readers
There’s nothing wrong with wanting people to read your work. In fact, it’s completely natural. Writing is, at its core, an act of communication. When we write something, we’re trying to share a story, an idea, or an experience with others. Wanting that connection doesn’t make you less authentic or more commercial – it makes you human.
Bridging the Gap
So how do you reconcile your artistic integrity with your desire for readers? Start by being honest with yourself:
If you genuinely want to share your work with others, acknowledge that. It doesn’t diminish the personal value of your writing. You can write something deeply personal and meaningful to you while also making it accessible and appealing to others.
Consider this: some of the most beloved books in history were deeply personal to their authors, but they were also crafted with readers in mind. The personal and the commercial aren’t mutually exclusive.
Moving Forward
If you find yourself in this situation, you have two honest paths forward:
- Embrace the truly personal nature of your work. Accept that it might not have commercial appeal, and be genuinely okay with that. There’s nothing wrong with creating art purely for yourself.
- If you want readers, acknowledge that desire and learn what it takes to reach them. This might mean studying your genre, understanding reader expectations, and yes, learning about book marketing.
Finding Your Balance
Remember, there’s no shame in either choice. What matters is being honest with yourself about what you want. If you decide you do want readers, that doesn’t mean compromising your artistic vision – it means learning how to bridge the gap between your creative expression and your readers’ needs.
And if you truly did write your book just for you? That’s wonderful too. Just make sure you’re not hiding behind that statement to protect yourself from potential disappointment.
The Path Forward
Whatever you decide, own your choice. If you want readers, start learning about your target audience. Study successful books in your genre. Join writing communities. Learn about marketing. Put in the work to reach the readers you want to connect with.
If you genuinely prefer to keep your writing personal, celebrate that choice too. Not every creative endeavor needs to be monetized or widely shared to be valuable.
Just remember: there’s no wrong choice here. The only mistake is not being honest with yourself about what you really want.
Your work matters, whether it reaches one reader or one million. The key is aligning your actions with your true goals, whatever they may be.
