Why
Aren't You Already a Successfully Published
Author?
There is always intense interest in becoming a published
author. People often say, "I've always thought
about writing this book". Almost everyone has at
least one book idea in them.
Maybe you think the biggest reason more people aren't successfully
published authors is that they assume they will be rejected by
publishers, so they never begin.
Not true. The most common reason that holds them back is their own fear. This is a good thing because without proper
consideration and planning the odds are the worst case scenarios will
all come true.
There are many scary realities about writing a book and having it
published that keep people from writing and learning about how to get
published successfully. Consider these how you would feel if these
things happened and then instead plan to create success:
1. You wrote a book and got it published and
then your best ideas were ridiculed by experts in your field and the
public.
On the Up Side: It might mean your ideas are before their time. Many
now-famous people (like Charles Darwin and Galileo) were laughed at and
persecuted for ideas that we now consider commonplace. Book writing is
not for the faint of heart.
On the Down Side: It might mean that your ideas weren't well thought
out and not ready to be presented.
Prevent that disaster by getting a peer review and write many articles
and do a lot of public speaking before you embark on publishing a book
to get lots of feedback.
2. Your book proposal has been rejected by
all the major publishers.
On the Up Side: You got some free feedback before you spent too much
money or time on the project. And there are hundreds of examples of
where the major publishers were wrong, such as the Chicken Soup Series
of books whose authors were rejected many, many times before they found
the publisher who believed in them.
On the Down Side: This is where your persistence is tested. How
important is this book to you? Are you willing to keep trying no matter
what? Will you consider publishing this work yourself?
Prevent this by getting great publishing advice up front and having
your book proposal to be at least professionally reviewed if not
professionally written. Your book proposal is like a business plan to
be presented to publishers, who are the investors in this new business.
3. You were published by a major publisher
but the book didn't sell anywhere close to expectations.
On the Up Side: You proven that you know you have what it takes to get
a book deal and write a book.
On the Down Side: Public opinion is hard to gauge and no matter how
great your ideas, they may not have connected with a significant
audience. Or perhaps you were naive about what it
really takes to market your own book - the publisher isn't going to do
it for you. No book tours, no reviews in the New York Times, no
interviews on the morning talk shows unless you hit the pavement and
create the buzz.
Prevent this by creating interest in the year prior to publishing the
book. Make connections and get testimonials for you and your work from
famous people. Get the foreword for your book written by a
publicly-recognized individual. Create presales by sending out galley
copies to reviewers and by getting associations, organizations or
companies interested in buying quantities of your book for their
employees, sponsors, or as client gifts. Find ways to tie current
events into your book and put great stories in the book that will
always tug at the heart-strings and make a human connection.
4. You decided to self-publish, spent a lot
of time and money and ended up with a garage full of books.
On the Up Side: You just completed your R&D for your next book
or next business. There are many now successful authors who weren't
successful the first time, just as there are many successful business
people whose first, second and third businesses never made it.
On the Down Side: You've spent a lot of your savings and can't take the
same approach to your next entrepreneurial venture, your 2nd book.
Prevent this by getting educated first about the publishing industry
and getting great advice about writing a marketable book before you get
any printed.
The bottom line: Allow your fear to help you plan for success. Your
fears are reasonable and acknowledging them and working them through
will allow you to see if you are ready to do what it takes to become a
successfully published author. When you see your name on that book
cover, you will know if was worth the effort.
Let Us Help! eWomenPublishingNetwork is the #1 resource to
help women create and promote successful nonfiction books.
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