Ironman Triathlon Training Book

by Ray Fauteux
(Calgary, Alberta Calgary)

Ironstruck:The Triathlon World's Best Kept Secret

Ironstruck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey began with a website that is still struggling to mature and reach it's full potential.

Ironstruck the book however is gaining acceptance by triathletes in many countries around the world. It is not "thousands" of athletes because as is quite common with self-publishing a book, your market exposure is pretty much nil without a publisher who has a pipe-line to all the major big-box book retailers.

The interest in my book comes by word of mouth. I have met many athletes from overseas countries during my book-signings at Ironman races and many have taken signed copies of my book home with them and found that Ironstruck was on the mark and they have told their friends and training buddies.

Sure you can put a self-published book into Amazon and other online sites, but none of it really matters unless you learn how to market your book.

When I do local book signings at some of the big Chapters and Indigo stores I have the opportunity to talk to store staff and many of them have said the same thing........

"You can have the best self-published book in the world but it will collect dust on the shelf if you are not willing to do the leg-work and market it".

It has taken me over three years to get the word on Ironstruck the book out there and it's encouraging to see my online sales increasing as time passes and not decreasing and disappearing altogether as is the case with most self-published books.

The biggest lesson I have learned through this experience of being an author is that you have to leave your vanity at the door. There is a reason they also call self-publishing "vanity publishing". Sure vanity publishers will be glad to publish your book at your expense. It doesn't matter to them if the book is good or not. They just want you to buy a hundred or so for your family and friends.

However if you go into the book-signing trenches prepare to be humbled. It's not unusual to sell no books or one book at a five hour signing. I've been there, but I've persevered and never judged a successful book signing by how many books I sold, but rather how many people I inter-acted with about my book and the sport of triathlon in general.

I give out book marks with my website on them and I give out business cards. I have submitted my book to newspapers and had reviews done. I donated books to the library system in libraries across the country. I have big "Ironstruck" banners for my signings and ever so slowly, but steadily I have gotten the word out.

Yes I have had many zero or one book days at book signings but now I have four books and in the three days leading up to Xmas sold 50 books at one location and in total, over 200 at four locations in the city.

So my best advice for the newly self-published author...

Never give up on yourself. Believe in your book and market it any way you can think of. Avoid judging your book by how many copies you sell in the beginning.

Stephen King was rejected over and over again and look at him now.

Rawlings was rejected several times and I think she did okay with Harry Potter.

Above all, keep writing. Where there is one book, there is most likely six more.

Visit Ray's Ironman Triathlon site.