Yesterday in his daily blog Godin commented on self publishing superstar Amanda Hocking, whose books are only available through Kindle and are selling over a hundred thousand downloads each month. It was his assertion that she did not need a publisher to thrive. Today, however, in The New York Times is an article about Hocking being in negotiations with traditional publishers to get a contract.
I wondered what Seth Godin thought about it and was surprised when he answered my email. His comment, "when people with $ can take bigger risks, it's smart business to use that leverage if it's important to you.
Wonderful advice and so true.
Big media operates in its own world and is only open to those who have already proven they either don't need it—like banks only lending money to those who have no need—or who are wanting to leverage their own celebrity to earn maximum money.
So what is a budding author to do?
Just as an actor must first prove her worth by taking any gig that opens up and is willing to sacrifice everything to start up her career, so too do authors. New and emerging authors must be willing to invest in their own writing career by promoting what they have written. There are no shortcuts.
First, write what you know.
Then promote what you write.
How? It depends on your situation and what you have written.
Are you comfortable with the Internet and related technologies? If not, either learn or find someone who can help. We live in a digital world and all communication comes through the Web, Apps or other new media.
Is your topic something others are interested in? This is where many authors make their mistake. Instead of finding a niche audience they try to engage everyone within a broader market. That is something that can only work for the so-called big media conglomerates and well known authors. Instead look for a small audience that few are marketing to. This will allow you to gain a toehold so that you can establish yourself as a key player within that narrow niche. For example, if you are writing a how-to marketing book for small business, concentrate on a tiny sliver of that marketing pie. Something like "How To Market Non-Pasteurized Milk from Your Small Dairy Farm." Once you are able to establish credentials with a very small audience then you can widen your scope to include other areas within your niche (small dairy farms) or to reach others with similar businesses (example, small craft cheese producers or egg farmers marketing organic eggs might be similar markets to the non-pasteurized milk market). Bottom line, if you find a niche where few are concentrating their attention you can more easily own that market in terms of Internet search and ultimately for selling books, ideas or products.
The days are over where people look to stores for new ideas or cutting edge products. Just trying to get established in conventional markets is far too expensive. Instead focus on where the competition is lacking by establishing whole new categories in terms of products, services and intellectual property.
