What do statistics mean to you? If I told you that more people are buying books and that fewer people are producing them, would you quickly publish a book?
What if I tell you that the opposite is true—that fewer people are buying books and that way more books are being published? Would this dissuade you from producing yours?
Well, check this out:
• In 2007, traditional publisher produced 284,370 books and there were 127,052 self-published books produced. (411,422 total)
• In 2008, traditional publisher produced 275,232 books and there were 285,394 self-published books produced. (560,626 total)
• In 2009, the number of traditionally published books reached 288,355 and we published a whopping 764,448 self-published books. (1,052,803)
Do you still doubt it when we tell you that publishing is a highly competitive business? And reports are that people are reading fewer books—they are, reportedly, spending their time at social media sites instead.
I wonder how many authors will be swayed not to write that book upon seeing these daunting figures. I’m guessing, not many. Those who were iffy to start with—who had little confidence in their ideas in the first place—may make the right decision and stop production on their books. But most of us will find ways to justify publishing our amazing books despite the odds against us. And we each have our reasons.
My concern is that way too many authors go into publishing ill-prepared and naïve. Anyone can arrange to get a book produced. There are numbers of individuals and companies eager to take your money in exchange for editorial, design and publishing services and goods. But your focus should not be on finding someone who will participate in producing your book in the physical. Instead, you should concentrate on educating yourself about the industry and establishing your platform. That’s precisely why I wrote The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
Once you understand more about the publishing industry and you start writing your book’s business plan (book proposal), you will begin to see beyond your desire to be a published author. You’ll become aware of the serious contributions you will need to make in order to realize your publishing goals. Successful authorship takes more than what you perceive as a great book idea. You must test the idea and examine it from all angles—in particular from your target audience’s point of view. Is this truly something they want or do you view it as something they need? Will they likely trust you enough to read your book? Have you taken the time and initiative to position yourself as an expert in your field? If you are writing fiction, have you created a following by submitting stories to the publications your audience reads, for example? What is going to cause anyone to purchase a book written by you? And how do you plan to get word out about your book? Remember, yours isn’t the only book to choose from. It will be one of many that is vying for your readers’ attention. What’s going to make them buy your book? And how will they even know about your book?
As you can see, there is a whole lot more to think about when considering a book project than “How am I going to look with a book in my hands?” or “Wait until my former classmates see me on Facebook with my book.”
You learned it in grammar school and it still applies to many things you wish to attempt today—especially book publishing in this fiercely competitive publishing climate: Stop, Look and Listen! Stop what you are doing now. Look at what you are facing. Listen to the experts. And proceed with caution.
For more insight into publishing, for a rundown on all of your options and to learn exactly what your responsibility is as a published author, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html.
Sign up for one or more of my on-line, on-demand courses for authors. http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm
If you’re wondering who in the heck is Patricia Fry and what does she know about publishing, be sure to visit my new website, http://www.patriciafry.com