There are many, many reasons to write a book, and making money from book sales is just one of them. For example, many books are published to promote the authors professionally to enhance their credibility in their field. Other books are published as personal projects, which will become treasured keepsakes for their families in the future. As an independent publisher at http://RedPenguinBooks.com, I can tell you that our goal  for all of our authors is to benefit from book publication, which is why we offer publishing services to those whose profits will come in ways other than book sales. 

There are many books that do make money in book sales, and as a general rule, those books were “written to market.” In other words, the author saw a need/desire for a book about a particular subject, they had an established audience who were interested in that subject area, and they wrote a book to fulfill that need. When we are evaluating book queries to present publishing options, these are the types of factors that we consider, and this would pertain as much to fiction as to non-fiction. However, the reality is that many prospective authors write about subjects which interest themselves—whether they are memoirs about their own life or romance novels—and don’t consider the needs and desires of the market. There are niches in the book market that are ready to accomodate quality writers, as well as markets which are already flooded. If a prospective author is serious about book sales as a goal, they would be best to consider the following:

• First – research the types of books that are selling and growing niches in the market. Spending time looking at Amazon rankings—along with the number of selections already available—is a way to begin this research. Serious authors who wish to “write to market” are very well informed regarding the book publishing landscape.
• Next – build an audience in your chosen area. This can take time, and involve such promotions as free giveaways and other email address list building techniques.
• Finally – write books, and lots of them. Book sets, backlist books and rapid book release techniques are all different ways to capitalize on many books which work where one book isn’t enough. A new author can’t reasonably expect to make money on their first release, but over time with a buildup of books and audience, money can be made.

If you are an author with such a following who has written books to fulfill an established need and are looking for a publisher, please visit http://redpenguinbooks.com/redpenguinbookstore, and we would be happy to explore publishing possibilities together. We are always looking for quality authors in growing fields who would like to partner with us in bringing such books to market. And if you are just getting started—or are writing for reasons other than book sales—we have publishing services that can help get your book off your computer and into the hands of your readers.