29 | 7 Strategies to Keep Writing When Nobody's Buying Your Books

Your last book launch was a disappointment. Sales are practically non-existent, and now you're staring at a blank page wondering if you should even bother writing another word.

The voice in your head whispers "Maybe I'm not cut out for this" every time you sit down to write. But what if the problem isn't you but that nobody taught you how to keep going when the results don't match the effort?

In this intensely practical episode, you'll learn 7 specific, actionable strategies that will reignite your writing motivation so that you can build a sustainable author business that honors both God and your family's financial needs. No fluff, no theory—just proven methods that work when you're ready to quit.

You'll discover:

• The Reader Magnet System that gets your books into the right hands
• How to find and work with an accountability partner who actually gets the struggle
• The Small Wins Journal that rewires your brain for progress over perfection
• Why a Strategic Creative Detox might be exactly what your creativity needs
• How to build a Beta Reader Pipeline that crushes imposter syndrome
• The Two-Project System that keeps hope alive when one book feels cursed
• The Weekly Strategy Review that turns prayer into practical business wisdom

Perfect for Christian authors who are:

• Struggling to stay motivated after disappointing book launches
• Feeling stuck between faithfulness to their calling and financial reality
• Ready for concrete steps instead of just spiritual encouragement
• Wanting to serve God while also serving their family's needs

Note: If you're dealing with deep discouragement or spiritual doubt about your calling, listen to Episode 19 (Discouraged Writer, God's Still Writing Your Story) and Episode 20 (Feeling Stuck in Your Author Business? What to Do When You're Not Seeing Success Yet) first. Those episodes provide the spiritual foundation for today's practical strategies.

Connect with me:

• Join our private Facebook group @AnointedScribeTribe (link in the show notes!)
• Send me a message about which strategy you're implementing first

Your calling hasn't changed just because your sales have been slow. Sometimes you just need the right strategies to turn faithfulness into fruitfulness.

Transcript

Picture this.

You're staring at your laptop screen cursor blinking on a blank page for what feels like the hundredth time this week.

Your eye glimpses your KDP dashboard. Your last book.

Three months since launch. And maybe, maybe you've sold 50 copies.

Friends and family ask how the writing's going and you force a smile while your stomach knots up.

You know God called you to write. You feel it in your spirit, clear as day. But right now,

right now, you are wondering if you misheard him entirely.

Because faithful obedience is supposed to bear fruit, isn't it?

So why does it feel like you are shouting into an empty bookstore?

Friend, here's what's really eating at you.

You've got another book idea. Maybe you've even started writing it. It's burning in your heart, but that voice in your head keeps whispering, why bother? The last one was a flop.

Maybe you're just not cut out for this.

And every day you don't write, that voice gets louder.

So friend, if that's you right now, if you are caught between the calling to write and the crushing reality of slow or no sales,

then you need to hear this.

Your calling hasn't changed just because your sales haven't soared.

But I also know that paying bills with purpose alone doesn't work.

You need both faithfulness and practical strategies that actually move the needle forward. Right?

And that's exactly what we are diving into today.

I'm going to give you seven specific actionable strategies that will not only reignite your motivation to keep writing,

but will also help you build the sustainable author business. God has called you to one that honours him while also honoring your need to provide for your family.

So grab your coffee,

settle in, maybe pull up a notebook and let's turn that stuck feeling into unstoppable momentum so you can thrive in your kingdom calling.

This is episode 29.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning Christian fiction author.

When I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, I had no idea it would spark a spiritual journey that would redefine my calling. But you know what, friend?

Self publishing wasn't easy. I got caught in the hustle, chasing rankings and sales while desperately trying to stay rooted in Christ.

Now, by God's grace, I'm building my author business his way. And now he's called me to help you do the same.

Welcome to the Anointed Scribe Podcast where faith meets business for Christian writers. Let's write, publish and grow our author business God's way. Are you ready? Well, then, let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome back to the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

Thank you so much for being here today. I know your time is precious, and the fact that you chose to spend some of it with me, honestly, it just fills my heart and lights me up.

So whether you're listening while folding laundry, walking the dog, or stealing a quiet moment with your coffee, I'm truly so grateful we get to share this space together every week.

And if this is your first time here, well, then let me personally welcome you to the Anointed Scribe Tribe.

I pray you'll find today's episode helpful and encouraging. And I thank God for helping you find your way here, friend, because I'm a firm believer that everything in life, big or small,

happens exactly as God predestined it to. And so, yes, I know he brought you here for a reason today.

And to all my regular listeners and subscribers,

thank you for choosing to hang out with me again this week. If you're listening from the sidelines, though, and not yet a subscriber, but find value in what we talk about here every week,

I'd love for you to hit that follow button so you don't miss any of our future conversations.

You know, I've been getting so many emails and messages from you all about the specific struggles you're facing,

and it just reminds me why I love this community and author life so much.

As a fellow author walking this same path,

I can share what I've learned from my own journey,

but I'm also still learning along the way. Right?

So knowing where you're at helps me too, in so many ways.

So please do keep those messages coming. I love hearing from you.

There's a Send me a message link. It says Send a message link in the show notes, which, by the way, is anonymous. Unless you leave your name and email for me to respond, I can't see who it's from or have an email or a message way to respond or a text message to respond to.

So just send it. If you don't want to leave your name, that's absolutely fine.

Because honestly, I get it. Being a writer who puts God first in a world driven by worldly strategies isn't easy. But I'm here for you, and I hope that sharing my experiences through this show and these episodes helps you grow not only your business,

but also your faith and relationship with God.

Oh, and just as a side note, if you've been trying to find the Anointed Scribe page on Facebook and couldn't. That's because I was hacked and my profile was stolen.

So there's that.

I'm trying to sort it out. But if you've ever tried contacting Facebook,

you'll know the nightmare it is.

So you will still be able to find the Anointed Scribe Tribe private group. So if you want to connect with me and other unwanted scribes in the community, there's a link in the show notes for the private Facebook group.

Okay,

so before we jump in, let me quickly say this. If right now you are dealing with deep discouragement or struggling with impatience in your author journey, I want you to go back and listen to episodes 19 and 20 after this one.

Those episodes will fill the spiritual and emotional gaps that, together with today's episode, will give you a complete holistic approach to to this struggle we face when our books aren't selling like we hoped it would and when your motivation feels impossible to find.

Those episodes provide the spiritual foundation for what we're building, whereas in today's episode, we are getting intensely practical.

Because here's the truth.

You can have all the spiritual encouragement in the world,

but if you don't have concrete steps to take action when you are stuck,

you'll stay stuck.

And staying stuck doesn't serve God. And it certainly doesn't serve your family's financial needs either.

So let's jump straight into the seven strategies I've put together for you today so that you can go from stuck to unstuck and reignite your writing motivation. Are you ready?

Grab your notebook. Here we go.

Strategy number one is the reader magnet system.

No surprise there.

When your book isn't selling, the first question should never be, what's wrong with my book?

That's just the enemy trying to create doubt.

Because if you were obedient to writing what God put on your heart,

making him part of your writing, and if you've used a professional editor and got a professional book cover and did all the essentials right, as I've been teaching you along the way,

then there should be no doubt in your mind that your book isn't good enough. Right?

So what you should be asking yourself instead is who exactly am I trying to reach? And where are those readers right now?

See, here's what most Christian authors get wrong,

or any author for that matter. We write for everyone who needs to hear this message,

but everyone is not no one.

You need to get laser focused on your one reader.

Who exactly are you writing for?

When I started out, I fell into this Writing for Everyone Trap until I realized that I was actually writing for my mother.

Sounds weird, but it's the truth.

And what's more is that my mother and I shared the exact same book preferences. Still do to this day.

We enjoy the same books and the same authors and we have similar personalities.

The only difference is our age and our location. Our physical demographics.

Which is why you should never only look at these factors. The physical demographics when you are trying to figure out who your target reader is.

So here's how you do go about finding your ideal reader.

You create what I call a reader avatar.

Really get into the minds of your ideal reader,

not just demographics like age, gender or location.

Get specific about their reader preferences.

What keeps your ideal reader awake at 2am?

What are they Googling at midnight?

What specific problem does your book solve for them?

Think about possible hobbies they might have, clothes they might wear that will determine where and how they shop.

Read similar authors reviews. You'll be surprised how much you learn about a reader through their reviews.

Then go where they are already.

If you're writing for overwhelmed Christian moms, they're probably in Facebook groups about parenting Moms and Tots or Moms and Tots playgroups, not necessarily in author groups. If you're writing Christian business content, they're in entrepreneurship forums, not just book clubs.

And if you're a fiction writer, your romance readers might be in bookstagram communities or romance Facebook groups, or enjoy specific movie channels.

Your mystery readers could be in True Crime podcast comment sections, and your historical fiction readers might be following history accounts on social media.

Strictly speaking,

if you're writing books that you yourself enjoy,

your ideal reader likely hangs out in the same forums and groups you do.

If you're new to writing and don't already do this, though, you could also consider using platforms like Book Funnel to participate in group promotions with authors who write for similar readers.

This lets you tap into established reader pools who are already looking for books like yours. It's like borrowing someone else's audience who's already perfectly matched to what you offer now.

In most cases,

this would require you to have a reader magnet or some sort of an email list.

So consider writing a novella or a short story to your series to use a reader magnet.

It might feel overwhelming to create a reader magnet and set up an email sequence and market it, and so on. But don't overthink it.

Start small,

create the magnet, write the first email, and set up delivery one step at a time.

This single system can serve your author business for years and Here's a pro tip,

for lack of better phrase I have at least two reader magnets for each book.

You can never have enough friend. They go in my back matter.

They go in my sales descriptions. I have at least two reader magnets for every single book I write, and I'll continue to do that because readers are pulled to different things at different times.

So really get to know what your readers like. See what brings them value.

That's the issue just as long as you focus. Your focus is always to provide value before ever mentioning or selling your book.

Answer their questions. Share encouragement. Give them tools that will help them become genuinely helpful so that when you do mention your book, it feels like a natural extension of of the help you've already provided.

The Biblical principle here is from Proverbs 27:14 that says the one who blesses others is abundantly blessed. Those who help others are helped when your focus or when you focus on serving your reader first,

sales become a natural byproduct of genuine service.

All right, onto the second strategy that's often overlooked but just as powerful.

The Accountability partner system.

This one's a game changer, especially if writing always falls to the bottom of your to do list.

Having someone to check in with regularly helps you stay consistent,

focused and encouraged when life gets chaotic.

We all know that being an author is already a pretty solitary profession. Hours spent alone with your thoughts, your characters, or your ideas.

But writing when sales are slow?

That takes the loneliness to a whole different level. Right?

It feels isolating and honestly, sometimes depressingly pointless.

This is where an accountability partner becomes your lifeline. Not just for productivity, but for perspective.

And bonus points, if your partner is a Christ follower who can pray with you and for you.

And for the record, your accountability partner does not necessarily have to be a writer.

In my case, my husband is my accountability partner. But if you prefer it to be another author,

here's exactly how to find and work with one.

Start by looking in Christian author Facebook groups, local writers groups at libraries, or even put out a call in your church newsletter. Look for someone who's also building their author business,

not someone who's already wildly successful. You need someone who understands the struggle.

If you're an acfw, that's American Christian Fiction Writers member,

you can join the Novel Track Writing email group, which I've done several times, and it's a great way to keep you motivated. The people in there are absolutely awesome.

Another way to use this strategy is to connect with a potential partner.

Set up a weekly 20 minute video call where for perhaps the first five minutes, you share your wins from the week, even tiny ones.

The next 10 minutes, share your specific goals for the coming week and any obstacles you're facing. And then for the last five minutes, you might want to pray together.

Now, if you're struggling to reach out to another author,

I am more than happy for you to reach out to the authors in this community through our private Facebook group.

There's a link for the Unwanted Scribe tribe in the show notes, so please it's there for you to use and connect with other Kingdom authors. But here's the key.

Make it about faithfulness to the calling, not just sales numbers. And don't be competitive either. We are there to encourage and uplift and motivate each other. You know,

celebrate finishing a chapter, sending newsletter emails, or showing up to write even when you don't feel like it.

These faithful actions matter to God and they compound over time.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

When you, your accountability partner and God are all invested in your success,

you've got strength that can weather any slow season.

Okay, strategy number three is to start a small wins journal or someplace where you write down your small wins.

You know when book sales are disappointing, your brain starts telling you that nothing you do matters. It's a default and the enemy loves to exploit this lie to where you spiral if you don't physically see results.

This is where you keep track of your small wins and where they become crucial for your mental and spiritual health every single day. Write down three things you did to move your author business forward.

Not just big things.

Small things count.

Send one email to a potential reviewer. Write it down.

Edited two pages. Write it down.

Posted one encouraging comment in an author group. Write it down.

And here's why this works.

Your brain needs evidence that you are making progress.

When sales are slow, you lose that evidence.

But faithful daily action?

That's evidence you can control and celebrate.

At the end of each week, review your track sheet. You'll be amazed at how much you actually accomplished when you were feeling like you weren't doing anything.

The biblical foundation Here is Luke 16:10 which says whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.

God sees and honours your faithfulness in the small things,

even when the big results aren't visible yet.

Strategy number four the Strategic Creative Detox Sometimes the reason you can't write is because you are drowning in marketing stress.

When every waking moment is consumed with book promotion that's not working or you worried about where your next sale is going to come from or that you might be missing the mark and all the doubt that creeps in your creativity dies.

So here's your prescription.

Take a strategic creative detox for two weeks. Step away from all book marketing.

No social media promotion.

No checking sales numbers. No agonizing over Amazon rankings.

Quiet the noise.

Instead, pull all that energy back into your craft. Read books in your genre.

Binge a TV series or movie to stir the visual creativity.

Go on fellowship weekends where your mind and spirit are heavenly focused instead of self focused.

I call these my fill my well exercises.

Write for the pure joy of writing.

Remember why you fell in love with words in the first place. Remember why God called you.

Remember your big why.

But and this is crucial.

Don't use this time to escape responsibility.

Use it to reconnect with your calling and your passion.

Spend extra time in prayer asking God what He wants to say through your next book journal about the stories he's placed on your heart.

During this detox, you're likely to have breakthrough moments about your target audience,

your book's unique angle, or marketing approaches that actually align with your personality and values.

Matthew 11:28 29 says come to me all you are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

Sometimes, friend rest is exactly what your creativity needs to flourish. Again,

Strategy number five the Beta Reader Pipeline Imposter Syndrome thrives in isolation.

When you are not getting reader feedback, your mind fills in the blanks with worst case scenarios.

A Beta reader pipeline gives you real data instead of destructive assumptions.

Now here's how to build it. Recruit five to seven people who represent your target audience. And when I say recruit, I don't mean you pay for them.

Not just family and friends who'll say nice things either.

You could even offer to beta read for other authors in exchange for them beta reading for you?

Ask one or two of your loyal readers, maybe ideally the most critical ones.

Then create a simple feedback form with specific questions like what was your favourite part? What confused you?

What felt slow?

Would you recommend this to a friend? And why?

What didn't you like?

Ask the hard questions.

But here's the crucial part. Don't wait until your book is perfect to get feedback. Get it at 50% done or at 75% done and then again when it's complete.

This way you're making improvements throughout your process, not just hoping for the best at the end because going back to rewrite a book or rewrite it's awful.

It just derails you.

When beta readers give positive feedback,

it's ammunition against imposter syndrome friend.

When they give constructive criticism, it's data to make your book better,

but both outcomes serve your success.

And then please do not take it personally and take offence. You want them to be honest because you want to deliver your best, right?

Proverbs 27:17 tells us as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Your beta readers aren't just helping you improve your book, they are helping you grow as a writer.

The two Project System Nothing kills writing motivation faster than staring at a manuscript that feels cursed because your last book didn't sell well.

The two project system gives you hope and options.

So here's how this strategy works.

Always have two projects in motion. Your main project that gets 80% of your writing time, and then a backup project that gets 20% of your time. When your main project feels stuck or emotionally heavy, you can pivot to the backup without losing momentum.

Your backup project should be different enough though to give your brain a break.

If your main project is a serious non fiction book, maybe your backup is a collection of devotionals.

Or if your main project is a novel, maybe your backup project is a short story or a blog post on writing or topic you are passionate about.

Or write a series of automated emails maybe that nurture your current subscribers.

Whatever it is, it isn't about being more productive. It's about being strategic while maintaining hope and momentum.

When one project feels dead in the water, you've got another one that feels alive and exciting,

one that still moves the needle forward in your business.

If your main book doesn't sell as expected,

you're not starting from zero on your next project. You already have momentum on something else.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 says I love this verse. Sow your seed in the morning and at the evening let your hands not be idle,

for you do not know which will succeed,

whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.

Having multiple projects in motion is biblical wisdom for uncertain times, friend.

And this brings us to our final strategy, which is the Weekly Strategy Review.

Now, most Christian authors pray about their writing,

but they don't pray strategically about their author business.

The Weekly Strategy Review changes that every week. Pick one day and spend 30 minutes in prayer and planning.

It's that business meeting with God I keep going on about.

Mine is set for every Saturday morning. For example,

ask God three specific what worked this week that I should do more of Lord what didn't work? That I should stop doing what's wasting my time?

What's one new thing I should try next week?

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you and to reveal these answers to you.

Remember to have a journal or a notebook handy too so you can write down what God reveals to you during this time.

Then look at your numbers not obsessively but strategically.

Website traffic, Email subscribers, social media engagement, book sales.

Look for patterns.

What content resonated, what fell flat, what timing worked best,

and then plan your next week based on what you learned.

If Thursday blog posts got more engagement than Tuesday posts on social media,

schedule them for Thursday.

If personal stories resonated more than teaching content,

plan more personal stories.

If the Holy Spirit reveals you should rewrite the last three chapters because you took it in the wrong direction,

then do it.

Be obedient in God's guidance even if it feels like you are going back before you can go forward because this weekly rhythm prevents you from wandering aimlessly or repeating the same ineffective strategies month after month.

You are being intentional and responsive to what God is showing you through the data and his word.

James 1:5 promises if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

God wants to give you wisdom about your author business, but you have to ask specific questions,

listen for specific answers and then action them.

Friend, here's what I want you to remember.

Every successful Christian author you admire went through seasons where some sales was slow and motivation was low.

The difference between those who made it and those who gave up wasn't talent or luck.

It was having practical systems to keep moving forward when feelings failed them.

These seven strategies aren't just productivity hacks,

they're faithfulness multipliers. They help you steward your calling well while building a sustainable business that honors both God and and your family's needs.

Start with just one strategy this week. Don't try to implement all seven at once.

Pick the one that resonated most with you and commit to it for the next 30 days.

Remember, your obedience to God's call to write matters more than your sales numbers.

But that doesn't mean sales don't or your sales numbers don't matter.

Stewardship is includes paying attention to the fruit of your labour.

When you align your writing and business goals with your God given purpose,

you'll stay motivated and grounded.

God cares about your financial well being too.

He's given you both the wisdom and the ability to build something meaningful and profitable for his glory and your good.

Philippians 4:19 reminds us that God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

He's not just concerned with your spiritual growth.

He wants to provide for you abundantly as you faithfully steward the gifts and calling he's placed on your life.

He's not going to lead you then leave you.

Do your part and he will do his.

Keep writing,

keep believing,

and keep taking faithful action.

Your breakthrough might be just one strategy away Friend thank you so much for listening to today's episode of the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

I would love, love, love to know what resonated most with you today. So do let me know by leaving a review in the show description please.

And if you want more biblical strategies and spirit led wisdom on how to build your author business God's way,

make sure you like or subscribe to the show so you can get regular updates of all the new episodes the moment they drop.

Then head on over to anointed scribe.com for today's show notes and a link to sign up to my newsletter, which will also give you free access to all the resources I personally use to help me in my writing life.

If you want to continue discussions on today's episode or just want to connect with me directly, I love if you join the Anointed Scribe tribe, you'll find the link to my private Facebook group in the show description.

So friend, I hope that you are leaving feeling inspired,

encouraged and on fire to step boldly into your calling as a writer chosen and set apart to fulfill a unique purpose in God's plan. I look forward to our next episode together and remember for such a time as this,

you have been called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe.