Thursday, March 19, 2020

Opportunities For Authors Arise During These Challenging Times


                      Business Plan: Defining Your Opportunity

In such a short period of time we went from being a strong economy to one under the threat of a great recession. We went from being a nation where its biggest health risks come from the things we do to ourselves – obesity, addiction, smoking, suicide – to one that is challenged by a new virus that could kill untold numbers. The news seems terrible today and easily worse tomorrow. But could we possibly take some positives from all of this – and apply it to our lives and ability to promote our books?

Most definitely.

Every generation has had to confront a challenge, either one familiar to others or something seemingly new and uncharted. We always come away stronger, rebounding and thriving. The pain and loss suffered were real and seem insurmountable or unrealistic at this time. But with some distancing, we came back from the depths of despair, destitution, and destruction to rebuild something that was bigger and stronger.

America overcame slavery, a civil war, two world wars, dozens of recessions/depressions, a terrorist attack, and the upheavals of presidential assassinations and civil unrest. Today we are taxed with a moment that will define who we are now – and who we will become.

I know how the story ends. There will be economic bloodshed. There may be mass casualties of life lost. But we will somehow, with great introspection, resilience, and grit come out of this. And we’ll be forever changed by it.

I hope and pray we keep the suffering to a minimum, in our physical, mental, and economic health. We know it’s a worldwide phenomena. This pandemic will impact everyone, though some will feel it more than others. But we have to, as we soon begin to confront the worst, have a vision of life psot-Coronavirus-19. If we can somehow see past what has not yet fully arrived, we might be able to better understand what is to soon happen.

We are undergoing a new normal that can last indefinitely. We await a vaccine, more testing, and a way to effectively treat or mitigate the damages of the virus to our bodies. The timetable of those medical developments will dictate not only our ability to save lives, but to get us close to being able to reboot our lives and the economy.

So, in the meantime, what can we do to ensure our writing continues, that we position our brands to survive to a recovery, and that we market our books and promote our messages?

Rule 1: Don’t give up hope – and don’t stop promoting yourself.

Rule 2: Seek to insert yourself into the current news cycle and find a way to bend your message to what is in the news today.

Rule 3: Adapt to how people are sharing information. Our digital world seems to have doubled overnight. With voluntary quarantines and mandatory isolation, we are in public less often and not gathering at big events. We now will communicate online, whether we like to or not.

Rule 4: Use this time not to think of what you can’t do, but what you can do. We don’t just lose something without gaining in another area. There’s opportunity, even in loss or change.

Rule 5: Write more. Use this time to create more books, develop online courses, beef up social media, and to position yourself to re-emerge from this calamity with some new ideas and products.

One thing is certain. More people are spending more time at home and circulating short distances within small circles. They will have more time to read books. Authors will finally have less competition that movies, plays, sports, and concerts used to generate. For the moment, books can provide nourishment to the minds and souls of a worried, exhausted, and isolated public. You can fill a void.

Authors should also, whether writing fiction or non-fiction, children’s books or poetry, give thought as to what type of books will soon be in demand – both to weather our troubled waters and for the recovery period that will surely come. You have to think about what people will need, want, or desire. Just as a generation of authors weaved in plot lines of terrorism to their books post 9/11, what will we see put into books in the 2020’s and 2030’s?

This is one of those generational moments of a before and after. We all will see life differently the longer this pandemic panic goes on for. How could we not be changed by something that threatens our well-being and economic security?

The story lines right now resemble fiction, things we never fully prepared for or thought imaginable. And as we live through them, we will write new fiction and non-fiction that reflects who we have become, individually and as a society.

Life from just a few months ago seems so quaint. “Remember when we used to do (blank) and think that (blank).” Fill in the blanks. A new world is coming. We never wished for it, but we will need to embrace it if we are to get beyond it.


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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.

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