We talk about the publishing industry being highly competitive. There are a couple of reasons why we use that term and they might not be what you think.
Definitions of “competition” include “opposition,” “rivalry,” “contest,” “war.” And this isn’t exactly the tone I intend portraying to new authors. I don’t actually see authors fighting with one another for a chance to succeed. In my mind, it isn’t a matter of authors dueling it out in order to become the winner.
I use the term “competition” inferring that an author who doesn’t educate him/herself, who doesn’t enter publishing armed with knowledge and a valid project won’t make it—won’t have a chance at success—won’t be able to compete. Sure, there may only be room for a couple of titles on your book’s topic on Random House’s list in 2014 and you may be vying for a contract against several other authors. In this case, you are competing for a publishing contract. And your book may have to compete with other books for space in bookstores. And there may be competition involved where readers/consumers are concerned—which book will they buy on this subject, yours or the other guy’s?
But when I talk about competition in publishing, I am trying to get you to realize how important it is that you take steps to put yourself in the running. There are beyond numerous opportunities for authors. Every book written in 2013 has a chance to be published. And every one of them could become a success. But they all won’t. Most will not. And it has more to do with whether the book meets a standard, not whether it is better than the others. It has to do with whether the author is savvy, not whether he is more savvy than others.
In my mind, competition, for authors, is about meeting publishing standards. What does this entail?
• Understanding the industry and what consumers want.
• Producing a valid product at the right time.
• Being knowledgeable about the market for your book and being willing to take responsibility for promoting it.
Competition in publishing doesn’t necessarily mean being better than others. It means being the best that you can be and producing a book that best fills a particular need or niche.
Now that the pressure is off and you don’t have to go out and try to do better than someone else, here’s a thought: Forget about competing with others and focus on how you can best yourself. Here are two tips for doing just that: Educate yourself about the publishing industry and the process of publishing and, in order to evaluate your book project and prepare for presenting it to the world, write a book proposal.
To learn more about publishing and book promotion, order my book trio: Publish Your Book, Promote Your Book and Talk Up Your Book. They’re all available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio. Or order them in print here: http://www.matilijapress.com.