There's only one real reason for professonal knowledge merchants to write books. After all, you are not likely to make a lot of money from a book - you're lucky to break even on the cost of production and printing. You are unlikely to enjoy the kudos of having a multi-mega hit best seller that dominates the market - it can happen, but even overnight success takes at least 2-3 years. No the real reason we do this is to help position our expertise in our specific area of specialty. From there we can increase our fees as consultants, coaches, speakers... and if we can sell a few books from the back of the room, that's even better.
One other thing - we do this because it's part of establishing our brand. This is the most important reason of all. A book that clearly reflects our knowledge, brand positoin and all the great things we can share from our knowlege bank is a brilliant brand building tool. It's a point of difference, that is worth something to someone who want's to use our skills, talent, expertise.
So if you do a book - do it well! And for all the best reasons!!!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The unique book in an oversupplied market
There are many books of all different shapes, sizes and topics... so many every year are launched and you'd wonder how there are never accidentally two the same. Hundreds of thousands of titles some of which never sell more than a handful, and a small handful that sell hundreds of thousands of copies.
Someone asked me today if their (potentiel) book was unique enough to be possibly successful. While my job is mostly about managing authors' expecations, it is delightful to see such enthusiasm in the eyes of someone who has not yet made the journey from writer to published author. I replied that there were some things about her book that was in fact likely to be of interest to her target market, but that this was still going to be a big gamble, and that there are no guarantees of success in thsi industry.
The truth is - there is no way of knowing what books of the many thousands will in fact be a winner and if so, how long it may take to make it to the top of any charts, lists or become an acknowledged success.
If you are starting out on your author's journey - make the goal to be success on your terms, not what everyone else says is good. Your book can be as unique and distinguished as any other - but the key is simply to remember that you must be a better marketer of it than a writer of it.
That's the trick!
Someone asked me today if their (potentiel) book was unique enough to be possibly successful. While my job is mostly about managing authors' expecations, it is delightful to see such enthusiasm in the eyes of someone who has not yet made the journey from writer to published author. I replied that there were some things about her book that was in fact likely to be of interest to her target market, but that this was still going to be a big gamble, and that there are no guarantees of success in thsi industry.
The truth is - there is no way of knowing what books of the many thousands will in fact be a winner and if so, how long it may take to make it to the top of any charts, lists or become an acknowledged success.
If you are starting out on your author's journey - make the goal to be success on your terms, not what everyone else says is good. Your book can be as unique and distinguished as any other - but the key is simply to remember that you must be a better marketer of it than a writer of it.
That's the trick!
Monday, April 6, 2009
I've lost count of the times I'm asked how does a book become a best seller. The short answer is simply that there are many answers! Sometimes it's based on copies sold, or printed copies available; number of copies sold via a selected group of book stores and waht special lists it ends up on.
You do have to sell thousands of copies to make it onto any list and what country you are in also has variances. Instead of worrying about having your book become a 'best seller' why not aim for it to become an award winner, or best talked about, most promoted or people's choice... because all of these titles are just as important on your author's CV.
You do have to sell thousands of copies to make it onto any list and what country you are in also has variances. Instead of worrying about having your book become a 'best seller' why not aim for it to become an award winner, or best talked about, most promoted or people's choice... because all of these titles are just as important on your author's CV.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Finding the Time to Write
HI and Happy New Year... As I write this I'm sitting under a coconut tree (well there's one only a few metres from me, but it's apparently quite a risk to sit under them) writing on my lap top from the sunny Cook Islands. It's occured to me since I arrived 2 weeks ago that the biggest challenge to any writer is not the getting published part, but the finding the time to write and be creative. So, I'm spending a big chunk of my holidays catching up on finishing a couple of books I've been 'playing with' for ages, and updating a whole lot of ideas for new material. I have to say, it's such a treat to have time every day without the phones ringing and the temptation of coffee with a friend to take me away from my intentions to be more productive as a writer.
These good intentions are wonderful things, but designed to make you feel very bad about your self when you miss your own self imposed deadlines. So - my new resolution is to set GOALs not just make plans to find time to write.
I Learned a great trick from Richard Webster - bountiful author of nearly 100 books on delightful esoteric subjects such as Soul Mates, Angels, and FengShui - who said he heard of an author he greatly admired as being a regular writer of 2000 words a day. He modeled his own career on this and only later found out that in fact this other author had committed to 1000 words a day. This made Richard so much more (doubly) productive that he's stuck to it ever since.
I also strive to write a minimum 2000 words at a time, but alas it's not every day that I manage to do this, but I do set a minimum of this amount for myself as a regular goal and won't sit to write unless I'm sure of having enough time to achieve it. I also coach a lot of authors now and recommend they commit to a minimum of 1000 words per sitting which seems to be quite manageable.
So, as this is the New Year and time for making new promises, goal setting for dreamers, the time of renewed good intentions, I plan to commit to 2 sessions every week where I shall write a minimum of 2000 words. I expect this will help me to produce two new books this year and I challenge every other author reading this to do the same.
The other thing I've realised over the years is that telling someone your intention, much like writing the goal down a number of times, is far more likely to help it become reality due to the accountability factor. So please, feel free to hold me to this personal challenge and ask me how it's going in June.
Happy writing everyone!
Maria
These good intentions are wonderful things, but designed to make you feel very bad about your self when you miss your own self imposed deadlines. So - my new resolution is to set GOALs not just make plans to find time to write.
I Learned a great trick from Richard Webster - bountiful author of nearly 100 books on delightful esoteric subjects such as Soul Mates, Angels, and FengShui - who said he heard of an author he greatly admired as being a regular writer of 2000 words a day. He modeled his own career on this and only later found out that in fact this other author had committed to 1000 words a day. This made Richard so much more (doubly) productive that he's stuck to it ever since.
I also strive to write a minimum 2000 words at a time, but alas it's not every day that I manage to do this, but I do set a minimum of this amount for myself as a regular goal and won't sit to write unless I'm sure of having enough time to achieve it. I also coach a lot of authors now and recommend they commit to a minimum of 1000 words per sitting which seems to be quite manageable.
So, as this is the New Year and time for making new promises, goal setting for dreamers, the time of renewed good intentions, I plan to commit to 2 sessions every week where I shall write a minimum of 2000 words. I expect this will help me to produce two new books this year and I challenge every other author reading this to do the same.
The other thing I've realised over the years is that telling someone your intention, much like writing the goal down a number of times, is far more likely to help it become reality due to the accountability factor. So please, feel free to hold me to this personal challenge and ask me how it's going in June.
Happy writing everyone!
Maria
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Book Industry - Wow it's big!
I've just returned from the Frankfurt International Book Fair - and let me tell you, it's enormous! 9 halls, all gigantic, 27,000+ exhibitors, and millions of books on display. My company was exhibiting books with the aim of selling foreign rights to international publishers. The biggest thing about being part of Frankfurt is the reality of being part of such a huge industry, and meeting so many positive people. There may be a recession on globally, but the book industry is apparently booming and everyone was so positive about everything.
Did you know - there are over 600,000 books created in the USA every year? And that the top 500 make up 22% of the sales? And that 10% of them make up 64% of sales? Kinda makes it hard to imagine how anyone could possibly beleive their book could become successful. However, people keep writing, and people keep buying and reading them, so take hope writers, your book just could be successful, despite the odds feeling a bit like a lottery.
It seems that books are still the most popular passtime in the world for most of the populations everywhere...
If you feel a little overwhelmed by these figures and there are a huge number of books that don't make it - remember this; if your book is targeted towards the people you want to read it, and you create a good quality book,then your market will find it, and chances are enough people will buy it to justify your writing it.
Who's to say your book won't end up being a best seller?
Go on - write it! Publish it, and don't die with a book still inside you, cos then you'll never actually know how successful it may have been.
Happy writing,
Maria
PS - please take a moment to resond to the survey here - we'd love to get a better feel for the popularity of E-Books.
Did you know - there are over 600,000 books created in the USA every year? And that the top 500 make up 22% of the sales? And that 10% of them make up 64% of sales? Kinda makes it hard to imagine how anyone could possibly beleive their book could become successful. However, people keep writing, and people keep buying and reading them, so take hope writers, your book just could be successful, despite the odds feeling a bit like a lottery.
It seems that books are still the most popular passtime in the world for most of the populations everywhere...
If you feel a little overwhelmed by these figures and there are a huge number of books that don't make it - remember this; if your book is targeted towards the people you want to read it, and you create a good quality book,then your market will find it, and chances are enough people will buy it to justify your writing it.
Who's to say your book won't end up being a best seller?
Go on - write it! Publish it, and don't die with a book still inside you, cos then you'll never actually know how successful it may have been.
Happy writing,
Maria
PS - please take a moment to resond to the survey here - we'd love to get a better feel for the popularity of E-Books.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Writing for the international markets
If you want to get your book into an international market, there are some things you truly must consider. First, don’t make your book too parochial. Ok, the slang and the spelling are one thing, but if you want to be read by an international audience, then you have to also have international case studies and applicable information to share.
If you need to consider writing more than one version of your book to cover various markets, then planning for that during the writing is a good idea. And it may be that you launch into one market first and then evaluate the needs of other markets you wish to launch into and even go so far as to ask for input in case studies from people there.
The internet is a great tool for writers in this way – and a blog or survey targeting obtaining input from other people in far off lands you wish to market to is relatively easy to do. If you ask for input/information for a book you are writing, you’ll be amazed at the number of responses you may get.
It’s also very important to research your market by either going there and seeing what it selling in the book stores you want your book to be in, or at least spending some quality time on Amazon and some other local book sellers websites to get a feel for what material your book may be up against.
This is worth doing even in your local market of course, but critically important for offshore planning too.
Happy Writing,
Maria
If you need to consider writing more than one version of your book to cover various markets, then planning for that during the writing is a good idea. And it may be that you launch into one market first and then evaluate the needs of other markets you wish to launch into and even go so far as to ask for input in case studies from people there.
The internet is a great tool for writers in this way – and a blog or survey targeting obtaining input from other people in far off lands you wish to market to is relatively easy to do. If you ask for input/information for a book you are writing, you’ll be amazed at the number of responses you may get.
It’s also very important to research your market by either going there and seeing what it selling in the book stores you want your book to be in, or at least spending some quality time on Amazon and some other local book sellers websites to get a feel for what material your book may be up against.
This is worth doing even in your local market of course, but critically important for offshore planning too.
Happy Writing,
Maria
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Frankfurt Book Fair
Off to the Frankfurt book fair today. It’s been a busy time getting ready to go to the largest international book fair on the world calendar, and today I am off to Germany. It will take me 28 hours of flying time to get there and then a couple of days to get over some jet lag, before I launch into 6 full days of networking, selling and promoting our books and walking the enormous halls seeking new potential business partners.
I attended this event last year and so at least I’ll know what to expect this time – and I have to tell you, it’s an amazing event. Everything is so big, and there are SOOO many different books on display, from thousands of exhibitors just like me. (Most are actually much bigger).
The key to success for me this year lies in making as many appointments as I can ahead of getting there and then pitching the right books to the right publishers in the hope that by the time I get to see each one, they are not so overwhelmed by a great selection already seen that they’ll love some of our books and want to take foreign rights to publish a few.
This means selling a lot more via their means than we can do in our local market, simply because the size of most markets we target is significantly better populated – and in books, it’s all about the numbers!
Once a book is published internationally, for the author, as well as the chance to possibly sell truckloads more than via NZ and Australia, they get to promote themselves as being truly international, and that increases their overall saleability as professional knowledge merchants.
Well, time for some more of that great airline food… will write more from Frankfurt.
I attended this event last year and so at least I’ll know what to expect this time – and I have to tell you, it’s an amazing event. Everything is so big, and there are SOOO many different books on display, from thousands of exhibitors just like me. (Most are actually much bigger).
The key to success for me this year lies in making as many appointments as I can ahead of getting there and then pitching the right books to the right publishers in the hope that by the time I get to see each one, they are not so overwhelmed by a great selection already seen that they’ll love some of our books and want to take foreign rights to publish a few.
This means selling a lot more via their means than we can do in our local market, simply because the size of most markets we target is significantly better populated – and in books, it’s all about the numbers!
Once a book is published internationally, for the author, as well as the chance to possibly sell truckloads more than via NZ and Australia, they get to promote themselves as being truly international, and that increases their overall saleability as professional knowledge merchants.
Well, time for some more of that great airline food… will write more from Frankfurt.
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