Someone emailed me after my presentation Tuesday night to tell me that he’d heard me speak before and that he got more out of my talk this time than he did the last time. He figured it was either that I had more to share now or that he was at a place where he was ready to follow my suggestions.
How astute of him. It is so true; when an author is not ready to hear some of the hard truths of book promotion, for example, he or she will tune out any words of wisdom whether they are spoken or written. If it is a concept they are not ready to face, they will discount it. We’ve probably all done that with regard to many things over our lifetimes.
How often have you made a suggestion to a friend who was struggling? The friend may disregard your ideas and comments until one day, she comes to you and says, “I’ve decided I’m going to do such and such,” which is exactly what you’ve been suggesting all along. Only your friend believes this is a brand new idea that she came up with all on her own. We’ve all experienced this scenario. She could not even acknowledge the idea until she was mentally, psychologically and/or emotionally ready.
I see this type of a scenario played out with some of the authors I meet. They will not open up to the reality of what it takes to promote a book. They go out and listen to professionals talk on the topic. They purchase and read books and articles by experts in the field. They consult with people in the know. But they believe what they want to believe until they are finally ready to take in the truth of it. And sometimes authors don’t truly understand the magnitude and importance of book promotion until after they’ve produced a book and are faced with the hard realities.
If you plan to produce a book, I urge you to open your mind to the business of publishing. Put at least as much effort into understanding the publishing industry—including what it takes to promote a book—as you have the writing of the book. The more you understand about your publishing options and book promotion, the more apt you are to make good decisions on behalf of your book and the more successful you will be.
Disregard the concepts that make you feel uncomfortable before truly understanding the impact they’ll have on your success, and you could easily be one of the nearly 78 percent of authors who fail.
A good place to start understanding the publishing industry is by reading my book, “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” It’s at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio as well as at many other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com