Your Book Is Great! But Does It Suck?

Let’s face it.  Ego has blinded millions of wannabe authors.  They write a book and are convinced it is destined for greatness.  Unfortunately, few others share that opinion.  Why is there such a disconnect between what writers think of their work – and what readers believe?

1.      Some authors are passionate about their writing to the point they are blind to any constructive criticism.  They find fault with anyone offering advice.

2.      Most people don’t give candid feedback, so even close friends and family members don’t open their mouths to help a writer correct course.

3.      Many writers don’t expose themselves to competitors’ books so they mistakenly believe no one else has produced a book like theirs – or as good a book, anyway.

4.      We are all driven by the lure of fame and fortune and many writers desperately seek approval from an adoring public, and thus, only see the possible outpouring of love in response to their book and not the likely response of rejection or casual indifference.

5.      Many authors don’t edit themselves well and often overrule the editors they hire.  Or worse, they didn’t hire an editor or get a good one.

6.      The writer may have intended something with his or her book but that vision didn’t translate onto paper when it came to penning the book.

7.      Many writers imitate what’s already been done, and thus, don’t offer anything new.

8.      Some writers feel like they are on a mission to change the world and that sense of righteousness and conviction can push them into overvaluing their written contribution to humanity.

9.      Writers can misread the marketplace as to what readers truly need or want.  Too much of something or too little of another can make for a bad book recipe.

10.  When a book fails to sell, though the issue may involve one’s ability to market, promote, and sell, it could be due to the fact the book isn’t very good.  Once an author takes an honest look at himself he will then start to see what others do. 

On the other hand, many books struggle to find their readership not because they are lousy books but simply because the market is saturated with books and other forms of content – a lot of which is free.  Today’s author can’t just produce a great book – no easy feat – but he or she has to market it well and often.  Once your grassroots effort to find readers gets your book into the hands of at least 1,000 people, you will have a chance to see it grow by word of mouth – or die from a lack of it.

Market your book as if it’s great, but think twice about publishing it if it’s no better than mediocre.  Being as good as others is not the bar – you must be better.  You can’t just believe you’re better – others will be the judge of that.   Listen to them.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014