With today’s dynamic publishing landscape and tight economic times, writers are increasingly expected to take on more of the marketing aspects by publishers for their books that make it to market. One subtle effect of this shift is that agents and publishers are looking at more than just the text of the book when deciding whether or not to sign the author. Yes, the author has to have written something great, but agents and publishers are also looking to see how well the author can help market the book.
For example, consider a book that is being proposed–the text is flawless and the book tells a compelling, interesting, and sellable story. Now, consider two hypothetical authors of that book. The first author is a housewife in Prairieville, Kansas, who tends to her house and family but otherwise has no community or online presence. The second author is a woman who is the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company, has a regular segment on NPR, and frequently is asked to keynote important industry conferences.
Both women write equally well, but hardly anyone knows the first author, while the second author is well-known across the country and perhaps in other parts of the world.
Suppose an agent or publisher loved the book and now has to decide which author to sign–the first author or the second author? Hopefully you can see why the agent or publisher would sign the second author–she is a widely known figure and her book would likely sell just because she is so well known.
This is the dilemma facing authors today. Yes, you have to write a great book, but there are things you need to be doing now in order to increase the likelihood that an agent or publisher will sign you once you finish writing your book.
What should an author be doing, in addition to writing the best book they can?
In Every Writer’s Dream, Jeff Goins details three important tools all authors should be using in order to increase the chances that an agent or publisher will accept a manuscript. These tools are called platform, brand, and connection. In this short, focused book, Goins explains what these tools are, why they are important, and how to get started using them. In fact, if an author uses these tools well, agents and publishers may come calling on the author instead of the author having to pitch to the agents and publishers.
Get Every Writer’s Dream and Before Your First Book using this link to Jeff Goins’ website.
As a bonus, Jeff is also including his short guide Before Your First Book, which includes motivations and tips to help get an author to stop waiting and start writing, right now.
For the next week, you can use the promo code “stopstalling” for $2 off.