A
recently published book, Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions That Matter the
Most by Steven Johnson, is a good book by a best-selling author on the big,
life-threatening decisions that are really important to us. It can also be used to make decisions about
which book to write, who to publish with, and how to best market your book.
Authors often make choices based on:
·
Emotions: fear, ego, passion, jealousy
·
Financial
needs
·
Time
constraints
·
Limited
knowledge
·
Rumors
·
Trends
·
Past
performance
·
Dreams,
goals, and needs
Johnson says that complex decisions:
·
Require
full-spectrum analysis
·
Force
us to predict the future
·
Involve
varied levels of uncertainty
·
Involve
conflicting objectives
·
Harbor
undiscovered options
·
Need
to confront doubt and uncertainty
·
Require
anticipating objections and obstacles
Johnson
writes: “When we look back at the
trajectory of our lives, and of history itself, I think most of us would agree
that the decisions that ultimately matter the most do not – or at least should
not – rely heavily on, instincts and intuition to do their calculations. They’re decisions that require slow thinking,
not fast. While they are no doubt
influenced by the emotional shortcuts of our gut reactions, they rely on
deliberate thought, not instant responses.
We take time in making them, precisely because they involve complex
problems with multiple variables.”
Authors
have to make some big decisions, even when they don’t realize the enormity of
their choices or in certain cases, that they are actually making a decision by
not doing something.
Their
first choice is: What should I write
about? Usually they can answer that
based on why they write. Obviously they
won’t write about something unless they have a passion for the subject matter
or feel inspired by their experiences or those they have met. Other times, writers simply point their pen
towards money. They will write for hire
or write about something they feel will be profitable.
Their
second choice is: How will my book be
published? This is a choice that authors
usually have made for them. Many try to get published by a big traditional
publisher. Once the rejections pile up –
from literary agents or publishers – they decide to consider other options. Plan B can be to self-publish, go
print-on-demand or e-book only, hybrid publishing, or pursuing a small, indie
press or a university press.
Their
third choice is: Production. How will the book cover and interior be
designed? Which editing changes can I
live with? What should the book’s title,
sub-title, page count and price be?
Their
fourth choice is: Marketing. How will I market this book? What is my publicity plan, social media plan,
advertising, speaking appearances, and approach to special sales and distribution?
Each
step of the way, authors need to know what their options are before making a
decision – and they need to know the potential rewards and pitfalls of each
option. A big factor in all
decision-making moments for the author is timing. Some decisions get made simply based on where
you are at on the publishing timeline spectrum.
Others get ruled by your pocketbook.
That’s inevitable.
But
all decisions should emanate from your core vision for your book – your needs,
goals, and desires. Figure out what you
want to accomplish, draw a map and the small steps needed to turn a dream into
a reality and focus your mind, body, spirit or resources towards the key
choices you must make.
Ben
Franklin took an approach to making tough decisions by using what he called
“moral algebra," where a numerical value could be assigned to every option
considered, where one can generate a resulting decision by placing a value on
it.
Johnson
said of this method: “I suspect many of
us will find this kind of calculation to be too reductive, taking a complex,
emotional decision and compressing it down to a complex, emotional decision and
compressing it down to a mathematical formula.
But of course, the whole process is dependent on the many steps that
have preceded it: mapping the decision,
in imaging scenarios, conducting premortems, and holding charrettes. The weights and grades only work if they’ve
calculated at the end of a full-spectrum investigation of the choice at hand –
Still, the same frame work can be applied without actually doing the math: list
your core values, think about their relative importance to you, sketch out how
each scenario might impact those values, and, based on that more narrative
exercise, make your decision.”
Authors,
in the end, need to be well-informed and goal-oriented in order to make strong
decisions. The key is not to let fear or
greed shape your thinking process. Let
your book lead you into making the choices that will best serve you.
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