No matter what subjects I cover in this blog over these last nearly 8 years, we always come back to a couple of things. And many of you choose to ignore both of them. One is the importance of studying the publishing industry before getting involved and other is the subject of book promotion—marketing.
Every one of you will sooner or later do one of two things with regard to my posts on these topics. You will either realize how important they are and acquiesce, or you will continue to ignore them. Do you know how I can tell who makes which of these choices? By whether your book is a success or not.
It’s true. If you go ahead and write your book without considering your audience, decide not to spend the money on an editor, turn it over to the first company who agrees to produce it for you and then sit back and wait for customers to discover it and buy it by the truckloads, you will most likely fail.
If, on the other hand, you write the right book for the right audience, you study the publishing industry so that you understand your responsibilities as a published author, your options and how to make the best choices on behalf of your book, you are more likely to succeed.
Does this make sense to you or not? This week, I’d like you to look around your community or within your circle of coworkers, friends, acquaintances. Choose one or two who have achieved some measure of success in a particular field or interest. Consider how they arrived where they are. Did they spend time studying the field (go to college, trade school, work their way up in a company)? Did they do a lot of practicing to acquire the skill or technique needed in order to excel? Where there is an exceptional student, employee, sportsman, business owner or author, you’ll generally find someone who is focused, who knows what they want and how to achieve it, who understands their field/sport/hobby/product and who gives his or her all to their area of interest.
The hard facts for MOST authors who wish to be successful are:
• You must gain an understanding of the publishing industry. I so believe in this truth that I took over a year out of my life to produce a book on every aspect of the industry for new and struggling authors. It’s “Publish Your Book,” by Patricia Fry
• You must hire a qualified book editor. You will be surprised at the things you have missed in your book.
• You must prepare early and work constantly at promoting your book. You’ll learn volumes in “Publish Your Book” about book promotion (as well as how to write a book proposal, distribution, choosing the right publisher, etc.). But I recommend that you also purchase “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author,” by Patricia Fry.
Both of these books are available at http://www.matilijapress.com And at amazon.com as well as most other online and downtown bookstores. Yes, they are on Kindle, Nook and other ereaders.
Download your FREE copy of “50 Ways to Prepare for Publishing Success” at http://www.patriciafry.com