What you’ll hear on this episode of the Self Publishing Formula is nothing short of empowering. Tony Garrett is a new and very successful author, (writing as ‘T.J.Garrett’), pulling in over $30K per month in book sales. But in order to get to that point he’s had to overcome a degenerative disease that makes it almost impossible for him to see. When Tony discovered that technology could enable him to read again, new doors of possibility were opened for him. On this episode, you can hear Tony’s story from his own lips, how technology and the help of friends and family made all the difference, and how resilience and determination enabled him to teach himself how to successfully market his books and generate sales.
Self-publishing changed his life forever – and that’s no overstatement.
Tony was entirely supported by public assistance due to his degenerative eye disease when he discovered that his electronic tablet could place white text on a black background and increase the font size – which in turn allowed him to be able to read for the first time since he finished his schooling. Halfway through reading “The Hobbit” Tony felt inspired to write. His success has been truly amazing. He’s been able to get off public assistance, finance his kids’ education, and live a lifestyle he never thought possible. He details how he worked to improve his writing, get it published on Amazon and promote it successfully.
How did a self-published, blind author promote his books so effectively ($30K/mo in sales)?
After Tony overcame the odds and successfully published his first book, the real work began. He knew that the only way his books would sell and be a financial success that could support his family was if more and more people became aware of his books. That’s when he took to promotions, Facebook Ads, building an email list, and much more in an effort to get his book in front of as many sets of eyes as possible. The result is a highly successful career as a self-published author. You can hear more of Tony’s tips for successful book marketing on this episode.
Outline of This Episode
- [1:11] Introduction to this episode by James and Mark.
- [2:00] What’s going to be inside the Self Publishing 101 Course?
- [7:18] How you can join the FB groups SPF offers.
- [8:05] Who is T.J. Garrett?
- [10:49] The difficulties Tony had reading, much less writing and how things changed.
- [12:43] Steps Tony has taken to improve his writing.
- [14:51] Tony’s first published book, summer of 2015 – 10 books since!
- [15:50] How Tony built his audience and marketing channels.
- [18:30] The emotional impact of Tony’s writing success.
- [21:07] Tony’s recommendations for new authors.
- [22:45] The kind of help Tony has found in various places.
- [25:21] The role Kindle Unlimited has played in Tony’s success.
- [26:40] The encouragement Tony gives to those with disabilities.