The Enabler

by Angelyn Miller

The Enabler: When Helping Hurts the Ones You Love by Angelyn Miller is about co-dependency—of which enabling is a major dynamic—and how it can and does exist in families where there is no active chemical dependency.

It’s one of the best and most popular books on the subject. Originally published by Hunter House, Inc., in 1988, it was picked up by Ballantine Books in 1990. In 2001, thirteen years after the book was first published, the author chose to publish the newest edition of The Enabler with Wheatmark.

Since then Wheatmark’s edition of the The Enabler has sold over 15,000 copies. What did the author know that made her decide to keep her book in print for so many years after its initial publication? That the life cycle of a good nonfiction book is radically different than it used to be. Before online bookstores and Internet marketing existed, the history of a typical nonfiction book was:

*  Frontlist - book is in brick-and-mortar bookstores for about six months, lots of marketing activity to move inventory off the shelves, sales are good
*  Backlist - book is considered “old,” no longer carried in many brick-and-mortar bookstores, little or no marketing activity, sales dwindle
*  Out of print - book is no longer available

Now it can be:

*  Infancy - book is recently released, lots of marketing activity, not many online reviews or blog comments, low search engine and Amazon rankings, little presence on the Web, sales are minimal
*  Adolescence - book develops a following, lots of marketing activity, more online reviews and blog comments, higher search engine and Amazon rankings, greater presence on the Web, growing sales
*  Adulthood - book has a strong following, little or lots of marketing activity, reviews and comments about the book are all over the Web, high search engine and Amazon rankings, strong Web presence has snowball effect, consistent sales

The lesson for the independent author: consistent marketing and planning for the long-term will help the success of your book. Keep marketing your book!