The New Jobs of an Aspiring Author
Anyone who wishes to become an author today has a new job unlike that
of career writers twenty years ago. Authors generally knew their work
was to come up with new ideas and communicate them well. Today that is
only one part of the job.
The work of an author has three parts, each of which takes different skills, interests and aptitudes:
1. Author as introverted deep thinker. The job: To write a great
book. An author should have original ideas, even if the book is about
an old topic - a new take, or a new way to present information. The
author must then challenge her concepts so she is certain that she's
thought them through thoroughly and has created the best book possible.
2. Author as business person. The job: To find a way to get that
book profitably into the mainstream, where it can be found by its
natural audience. The book must be published, one way or another, or
the ideas in the author's head will never become tangible products for
the readers. The author must find a way to get her book out profitably
or her career as an author will be short (or will continue as a
nonprofit venture).
3. Author as extroverted salesperson. The job: To get herself
and her book known so as to drive interest to the book and increase the
natural audience. Eastern redfinch bird enthusiasts will probably
always buy another book on that subject - the trick is to get a much
wider audience of consumers to relate to your ideas on a broader level.
It is no mystery why sex, diet, and money books are the most popular -
they address subjects of interest to large numbers of people.
When an aspiring author writes a book proposal (a business plan for the
book, directed at publishers as investors), she must have proof that
she understands and has mastered all three roles.
Some ideas on showing you've got what it takes:
1. Prove you can do the thinking (and writing) it takes to be an author
by producing at least two well-crafted chapters (not including the
first chapter). This is not a rough draft, so treat this as seriously
as if you were paying to send these chapters to the printer.
2. Prove that you understand the business realities of publishing by
creating other products, such as audio tapes and seminars, and
producing and selling them profitably. This will let the publisher know
that you have tested your ideas and that they can be sold.
3. Prove that you can sell and promote yourself and your products by
giving a publisher real numbers: you speak to large groups several
times per year, you sell your workbooks or audio CDs to associations in
bulk, or to individual customers, in the thousands. Get great
testimonials for your work from well-known names who can help sell your
books.
Analogous to getting accepted to an Ivy League college, getting a book
published by a mainstream publisher does happen easily for a handful of
authors. For most authors, however, getting a book published by a
mainstream publisher is a matter of doing your homework and preparing
thoroughly.
Rehearse now for all the roles you need to play as a successful author.
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