by Elaina Lyons

Before we get angry at the people who said they’d support us and didn’t, let’s look at some of the reasons this might have happened:

1. It’s not their cup of tea. Maybe you wrote the absolute best horror book ever written and your sister/cousin/friend said they’d buy it. Well, turns out they actually hate horror. It gives them nightmares. But they didn’t want to ruin your happiness and pride in the moment by telling you this, so they said they’d buy it, hoping you’d have enough sales that you wouldn’t notice if they didn’t follow through.
2. They don’t have the money. Maybe they had every intention of buying your book when you told them about it, but now that it’s out they realize they have more important things to spend their money on. Life things.
3. They’re not really big readers. Tons of people say they’ll do something they’re not really into and then, when the time comes, they realize just how much they don’t want to do it. It’s hard to get people who don’t like to read to pick up a book, even if it’s for someone they care about.
4. They forgot/haven’t had time. Life gets busy. They might fully intend to buy your book, but they’re swamped with work and family responsibilities and simply haven’t gotten to it.

Of course, there are tons of less well-meaning reasons, but we won’t focus on those.

Yes, it would be awesome if everyone followed through on their promise to buy your book. And yes, it certainly hurts when they don’t. But here’s the thing: At the end of the day, you can focus on the books you don’t sell or you can focus on the ones you do.

There will always be people who support you and there will always be people who don’t.

Focus on the ones who do.

Grab your copy of “The Love You Know” here.

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