Are Authors Really Scientists?

I attended my son's elementary school science fair this past week and it brought back a flood of memories.  I was not very inventive when it came to crafting a display of the solar system using crumpled up foil as planets (there were 9 back then) or bringing in a volcano made of clay.  My favorite one was when a friend and I burned things and compared how fast they burned and if some things wouldn’t burn at all.  But walking through my fifth-grader’s fair made me think about how authors are like scientists, each putting forth a simple hypothesis:  that you’ll like their book.

Like the fair, authors are in a competition.  These students battled it out to see who’d claim the top prizes.  The authors out there battle for readership and reviewer recognition.

There are many similarities to getting attention for a book or a science fair project.  For instance:

·           The bigger and brighter the display, the more likely you’ll take a long look at the science experiment.  The more spectacular the cover, the more attention a book draws to itself.

·           The cooler the name of the science experiment, the easier it is to adopt.  The more likeable or catchy a book title is the more likely it’ll be embraced.

·           The more useful or entertaining a science experiment seems, the more likely people will cling to it.  

·           The more useful or theatrical a book’s content is, the more likely people will stick with it.

·           The bigger the promise of an experiment, the bigger the crowd it draws. The bigger the boast of a book’s story, the more eyeballs it catches.

·           When the student-turned-scientist acts like a carnival barker to talk up his or her science project, a crowd forms to listen.  When an author uses the media to shout about his or her book, the more likely people will take an interest.

·         Word-of-mouth spreads fast.  When others talked about some of the experiments they’d seen, others flock to them.  When others recommend books, people try them.

So much energy and creativity filled the gymnasium, with scores of students showcasing their projects proudly.  The eager faces of 10 and 11-year-olds had a glow about them.  Authors are no different.  They optimistically pursue their craft in hopes of discovery.  They want people to love their books and to validate them as writers.  Authors may not have invented something but they certainly created something.  Scientists, chefs, authors, artists, musicians and technologists pursue the glory and satisfaction that eludes so many.

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. 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 © 2016