by Lorilyn Roberts.
In the future, I predict publishing books will take on the business
model of commercially produced products: The public will buy the books they like
regardless of how they are published. As a popular commercial sums it up, it’s
not complicated.
While many rules have changed, others are nonnegotiable. You
better write a good book, hire a top-notch editor, and grace the front of your book
with an outstanding cover. You will need a rocket full of energy to launch it and
not enough hours in the day to promote it. Otherwise, your book may end up in the slush
pile of broken dreams.
In spite of the challenges, the new norm is a win-win for
both the producer and the consumer (the author and the reader). But for the
uninformed, it has also created a void that needs to be filled. The biggest problem
with this new norm is the lack of training for self-published authors. As the founder
of a network of authors (John 3:16 Marketing Network), many of whom are frustrated,
the lack of training in what it takes to market and the unrealistic
expectations of what can be achieved is legend. I could give you many stories,
including my own. While consumers will slap down a debit card for a Starbucks
latte without a second thought (including me), ask someone to spend 99 cents on
a book from you, an unknown author, and you will feel the parting of the Red
Sea. You wonder if you have B.O. or bad breath.
As a self-published author, I have made my share of
mistakes. One of my books had an amateurish book cover and a well-known author
told me so. I quickly learned that I can’t sacrifice quality to save money. I
grew up a lot that day—people notice the good, the bad and the ugly in books. If
I am in this for the long haul, I better not be looking for a quick buck or I
will be disappointed.
To that end, I would encourage writers and hopeful authors
to think of writing as a business endeavor—approach it with that attitude. It’s
not a hobby, it’s a job. Talent and willingness to learn will serve the serious
writer well, along with some good business savvy.
The goal should be to build a platform and seek out readers who
will fall in love with your book this year and come back and read future books—and
share your books with friends and family. That mindset will serve those authors
well who are serious about writing and marketing. It’s a business. The industry
deserves that kind of quality.
Despite the challenges, I am glad the publishing world of
the future won’t be controlled by a few highly successful companies. In the
past, those publishers held a monopoly on the market. If I were a betting
woman, I’d say they missed some real gems. What other answer is there for why some
authors had so many rejections for excellent books? No wonder many writers gave
up. The world will never know what books they didn’t get to enjoy. Not every wannabe
author has the gumption to keep knocking on closed doors.
I can tell you that traditional publishers have never looked
twice at me. I am too old for them to invest their cash in but too young (or stupid)
to believe I can’t start another career. When I crawl into bed at 4 a.m. or 5
a.m. in the morning, after writing a few words on the computer following
several hours of broadcast captioning, I sometimes wonder if I am insane. Still,
I wouldn't trade what I’ve learned for any contract from any publisher.
Why? Because knowledge is power. While some information just
doesn’t stick in this old brain of mine like I wish, that doesn’t mean I am
going to give up. After all, we live in a world of information overload. I
sometimes tell my daughters the C-drive in my brain is full. I need to delete
something before I can take in any more information.
But with that power come opportunities. Today is a readers’
world in spite of television and computers and smartphones and tablets. In
fact, it’s because of the plethora of these gadgets that more people are
reading. Perhaps we make our hopes and dreams too small—too many rejection
slips have convinced some they can’t make it at all. The journey is what it’s
all about. And for me at least, I know the outcome is in God’s hands.
***
Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian author who writes children's
picture books, adult nonfiction, memoirs, and a young adult Christian fantasy
series, Seventh Dimension. The first in the series, The Door, was just
published (October 2012).
Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama,
which included international study in Israel and England. She received her
Masters in Creative Writing from Perelandra College and is a graduate of the
Institute of Children's Literature.
Lorilyn is the founder of the John 316 Marketing Network, a
network of Christian authors who are passionate about promoting books with a
Christian worldview.
To learn more about Lorilyn, please visit her website at http://lorilynroberts.com or blog at http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com. You can follow her on
twitter at http://twitter.com/lorilynroberts. To connect with her personally,
you can contact her by email at llwroberts@cox.net.
