Authors: Don’t Accept Anything But A “Yes”

 

“Maybe.”
“I will consider it.”
“We will take a look.”
“I am not sure.”
“We can check into it.”

When you ask for something and hear these words, you have hope and optimism. You think you are getting somewhere and feel good it was not a hard rejection.

You are just fooling yourself.

The spectrum of responses to your pursuits and questions is yes or not yes. Nothing else. No answer is satisfactory other than YES.

When you ask these questions, you want to hear yes:

Will you buy my book?
Can you leave a review for my book?
Will you have me speak at your bookstore?
Shall you interview me for your podcast?

When you receive a commitment to a non-committal answer — or a definite maybe — or wishy-washy responses, you are in essence being told NO. If it ain’t a yes it is a no. You have zero additional options. Face the facts.

Sure, sometimes, though rarely, people honestly could not commit at that moment and then come through with a yes. But it does not happen often enough. You need to get a yes from them or else just understand you were told no, however politely, nicely, and delicately. Most people smile while they screw you over.

Remember as a kid asking your parent for a toy or something? Ever recall a maybe turning into a yes to your moonshot requests? See my point?

So, what does this mean for you? It means you need to try harder and it means you should not retreat when you hear a maybe. You need to believe you are deserving of a yes, as if it is your right. Don’t tolerate bullshit answers or a no. Come back with another attempt to win them over.

Don’t play their game. Do not let them off the hook. Don’t go down without a fight.

 

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This blog, with over 4,000 posts over the past decade, was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.