Seth Godin Sunday: Writing a Book in the Internet Age
ANNOUNCEMENT: I have the Seth Godin Sunday listings now listed under categories so you can look at past postings. I recently was discussing with Seth a book I am writing and the best way to achieve this goal (publishing a printed book). His response was short and direct leading to this article he wrote some time ago. The smart thing here is that when ever someone asks him a question (I have started doing this also) he creates a post he can direct them towards.
Advice for authors
Always beware free advice. It is worth what it costs!
That said, I get a fair number of notes from well respected, intelligent people who are embarking on their first non-fiction book project. They tend to ask very similar questions, so I thought I’d go ahead and put down my five big ideas in one place to make it easier for everyone.
I guarantee you that you won’t agree with all of them, but, as they say, your mileage my vary.
1. Please understand that book publishing is an organized hobby, not a business.
The return on equity and return on time for authors and for publishers is horrendous. If you’re doing it for the money, you’re going to be disappointed.
On the other hand, a book gives you leverage to spread an idea and a brand far and wide. There’s a worldview that’s quite common that says that people who write books know what they are talking about and that a book confers some sort of authority.
2. The timeframe for the launch of books has gone from silly to unrealistic.
When the world moved more slowly, waiting more than a year for a book to come out was not great, but tolerable. Today, even though all other media has accelerated rapidly, books still take a year or more. You need to consider what the shelf life of your idea is.
3. There is no such thing as effective book promotion by a book publisher. read more here
