Momentum Builds—Even When You Can’t See It
I published my debut novel, Love at First Flight: The Story of Sophie and Daniel, earlier this year, but sales have been slow. And that’s fine. I know from extensive research, from talking to other authors and writers, and from the hundreds of Facebook posts in author groups asking “how come no one is buying my book”… that writing/ editing/ publishing that book is only 50% (or less) of the game.
You also have to market it.
There is no magic bullet that—in world where 6,000 books are published per day—people will suddenly stumble upon and want to spend money on your book, especially if you’re an indie author and you are a completely unknown entity.
So, around the time I published my debut, I started two social media accounts—one for Instagram (bookstagram) and one for TikTok (booktok/authortok). I also automatically shared posts to Threads and Facebook. I wanted potential readers to get to know me and to follow my account, and I started to post daily.
Yup. Every. Single Day.
As a new author, I have ZERO budget, so I needed to find marketing options that fit my $0 budget. In addition to social media, I also:
Joined free giveaways and other events
I gave free copies of my book (in electronic version) to beta and ARC readers I found via social media to hopefully gain some traction and snag some honest reviews—btw, reviews are super important for indie and unknown authors.
I even signed up for an author signing event (they’re free!) at my local Indigo store to do as much as possible to promote my book (the author event will take place in September).
So I’ve been showing up as much as I can, just steady little steps, and after months… it honestly didn’t feel like much was happening. But over the past few days, suddenly, I can feel that something has shifted.
I started seeing genuine reviews pop up on Amazon and Goodreads. Real readers, complete strangers, writing their honest thoughts about Sophie and Daniel’s story. Some people even tagged me on social media, sharing that they laughed or smiled or “found it cute”.
One wonderful ARC reader even documented her journey through the book in three TikTok stories—and gently pointed out two mistakes that I immediately fixed (thank you!).
It’s surreal. It’s exciting. And honestly, it’s a huge relief.
Momentum Happens Quietly
There were days—lots of them—when I felt like nothing I was doing mattered. I’d post to socials every day, announce another giveaway, and then… crickets. Some of my posts generated less than 100 views. Sometimes I felt a bit defeated.
I often thought about giving up. Sometimes, when I was grasping for something to post, I often questioned myself: “Will anyone even notice if I don’t post today?”
But then I would think about the mysterious ways of the TikTok algorithms and how the general advice was to post every day or the algorithms would forget you.
So I continued to post. Every single day. And after posting, I would spend another 10 to 15 minutes on the platforms, liking posts, commenting, and sharing and following other authors/ booktokers/ bookstagrammers, etc… Apparently, the algorithms reward engagement… so I engaged.
And finally, after months, I can finally believe it:
Momentum builds, even when you can’t see it.
You might not feel it happening at first, but it’s there, gathering and gaining beneath the surface. Each little step forward—every post, every interaction, every small event—matters more than you think.
If I could tell other authors just one thing right now, it would be this: Keep going. Keep writing. Keep showing up.
Because the key is consistency. Consistency makes a difference. It’s not glamorous or flashy—but it works. And when the momentum finally breaks through, it feels worth every quiet, doubtful day.
I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I’m writing this post today because I for the first time, I feel hopeful. I feel like the investment of time, of learning what to post, of taking time to research free marketing ideas and trying them each out one by one, and not giving up on my marketing journey… that it just might be paying off… maybe.
Regardless of what may happen tomorrow, today I’m celebrating those first reviews, the kindness of readers who take time to share their thoughts, and even the little mistakes I got to quickly correct. It all makes this journey feel real.
So if you’re at the start—or somewhere in the middle—and you’re feeling stuck, don’t be discouraged.
Momentum is building, even if you can’t see it yet. Every word, every post, every moment spent working on your dream counts.
Keep going.
And most importantly, let’s keep supporting each other! It’s a tough world out there for indie authors, and I’m right here with you, cheering you on.
—Tracy
www.tracywrightbooks.com