When you are writing a book, one of your greatest challenges is not just writing something that is relevant now, but writing for a period of time in the future. The tricky part is you don't necessarily want to create the future, you just want to be ready for it when it arrives. A publisher would put it this way: "We don't publish books for markets that don't exist."
What does this mean to you and me? Believe it or not, if your book is to be successful, you need competition. Competition creates awareness. You don't want to have to create the market for your book. You want to show up at that marketplace with something that is newer, better, and different from the books that people are already considering. You just need the right product that is available at the right time.
Finding The Next Middle
The next middle is the pond you are dropping your bait into – your book. It is where your market will be fishing 3, 6, or even 12 months into the future, depending upon whether you will be self-publishing or using a traditional publisher. The traditional publishers know that finding the next middle is exceedingly difficult, especially when your book is on a topic that is rapidly evolving, such as social media marketing, which of course is the topic of my book.
BookSurge and CreateSpace are two entities that have recently merged, and will soon operate exclusively under the CreateSpace name. In all likelihood, this is how I will be publishing my book, because it is a means of getting to that middle before it vanishes. Another key benefit of working with CreateSpace is it is owned by Amazon. Selling through Amazon is not necessarily a picnic because they take a big piece of the action. However, it is still financially more lucrative than going the traditional publishing route where you may completely miss the market.
Keeping The Game Real
There is a downside to getting into bed with Amazon. If you really believe you can be a New York Times bestseller, than you need distribution through Barnes and Noble, which isn't going to happen with this arrangement because the two are rivals. This is a big gamble for nothing more than bragging rights. Unless you are a celebrity, you are most likely better off to forgo this dream and just put the extra profits into your pocket – and books into the hands of your market – your customers.
Yes, it really is a game. Who is my market? How many are they? Will they be interested in my book as much now as they will a year from now? My bet is on the short term. This economy demands solutions now. If you have a good one, you need to seize the day. If you are an entrepreneur you understand this. My market is entrepreneurs and small business owners, so my decision is uncomplicated.
The End Around
Entrepreneurs are dreamers, and yes, some of us wonder if we can become the big fish – the solution that everyone is searching for. No problem, you can always sell out to the major publishers. Everybody likes a sure thing. It has happened many times. The One Minute Manager, The Celestine Prophecy, and The Fred Factor, which was published by my friend Mark Sanborn, are just a few examples of successful books that were initially self-published. They were successful enough to attract the attention of traditional publishers who were more than willing to help carry the load.
When the lifting get too heavy, let someone else lend a hand. Move on to the next book. You are an entrepreneur first, and an author second. Your work is complete. Now you can just enjoy the ride and get started finding the next middle. It's down that road that is right ahead of you.
Photo Credit: Aikiway
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