Sell a Million Copies – In Your Dreams

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Deep down, wouldn’t we all love to sell a million copies of our book. That is certainly a dream I have for my self-published book, Frankenstein’s Science Project. Once my book was published through Lulu Press in January 2018, it was time to focus on marketing and selling this masterpiece.

Publishers and successful authors recommend starting your marketing campaign 6-9 months before publishing. I had done some marketing activities prior to publishing the book, like creating an author website at www.normanmarcotte.com and an author page on Facebook. Unfortunately, I ran out of time for marketing activities as I really wanted to publish my book early in 2018 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the writing of the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

When I was ready to sell my book, I decided to follow the DREAMS Cycle ™ process. The start of the DREAMS Cycle ™ is D for “Dreams and Desires” as mentioned in a previous blog. This step allows you to determine what are your dreams and desires, what you really want, what makes you happy.

The difference between dreams and desires in the DREAMS Cycle ™ is that dreams are the things you would really like to achieve if you had all the money, time, energy, talent, opportunity and support you needed. For example, a dream for me is to sell a million copies of my book. Desires, on the other hand, are things you wished were different. For example, I wish a publisher would pick up my book. The difference is subtle, and in the end, it does not matter that much as long as you identify what you want that will make you happy.

To identify your Dreams and Desires, you need to be in the right frame of mind and the right setting. A calm soothing environment is more conducive to letting your mind wander and to dream. This could be lying on a hammock by the sea. It could be in a quiet reclining chair in a family room. For me, it was sitting at the kitchen table at the cottage.

While pondering your dreams, the distractions of everyday life must be kept to a minimum. Your mind must be free of work concerns; family obligations must be put aside; paying bills must be postponed. Early mornings or late night can often work better for people. You will need to find yourself about 30 minutes, two or three times over the course of a week. In my case, obligations are lessened at the cottage once the children have gone to bed. I pour myself a soothing drink, sometimes a soft drink, sometimes a sparkling juice, on the rare occasions, a cooler.

Not only do you need to think of your dreams and desires, you need to record them as you will need to reflect on them further on. Any piece of paper would do, but I prefer a notepad. If you have the right technology, you could use a computer or a tablet with an app. For example, you could use OneNote or Evernote.

Once you have your ideal location and some quiet time, simply close your eyes or stare into space and let your mind wander. Ask yourself: what do I really want out of selling my book? What would really make me happy? What would excite me so much that I would dance spontaneously? There are no bad dreams or desires. Dreams can be as outlandish as you want; there are no dreams too silly to consider. Dreams don’t have to be realistic; that will come later when you set your goals. Remember, these are your dreams and you most likely will never share these with another human soul, lest you be put away or laughed out of this world. Capture every idea that pops into your head, even if it repeats itself in a different shape. This is brainstorming at its crudest. Don’t analyze and determine if your dreams are feasible or not; just write them down.

I initially thought about what I wanted out of selling my Frankenstein’s Science Project book while driving, but this was not conducive to capturing the dreams. I could have used a recording device I suppose, but it was not very handy. Instead, I used one lunch period to write some dreams down. I also used an evening at the cottage as the children were in bed and my spouse was reading the latest David Baldacci novel.

Although I normally recommend that your Dreams and Desires list no be shared, my list below is not too embarrassing so I am willing to share:

  • ·         Sell a million copies of my book.
  • ·         Become a famous author.
  • ·         Do a book tour across the world.
  • ·         Get reviewed by newspapers and magazines.
  • ·         Get on the New York Times bestseller list.
  • ·         Become an Amazon Best Seller.
  • ·         Become rich and famous.
  • ·         Be interviewed by Oprah.
  • ·         Become a bestselling author.
  • ·         Get my book transformed into a movie.
  • ·         Sign autographs of my book.
  • ·         Getting on the cover of a magazine.


As you can see from the list, some dreams are directly related to the selling of the book, while others are an outcome of being a bestselling author.

In the next post, we will explore the dreams and desires to determine the reasons you want to sell your self-published book.

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