Do Authors Need Tough Love?

                               

Delivering tough love is when you speak candidly, even when not invited to, saying things that need to be said. You tell a friend, family member, or someone whom you want to sincerely assist, and offer helpful advice and not just level nasty criticism at. You then hope that this person takes it to heart and makes the necessary changes. Keep it positive, constructive, and direct. You are there to lift them up, not shove them down.

Well, today I feel compelled to dole out some tough love to all of the authors out there who feel they are failing to thrive, blaming it on one thing or person or other. I say to you: get off your pity, whine and complaint soapbox.

I know it is tough to hear, but I say it out of love — and three decades of experience in talking to and working with thousands of published writers and wannabe authors. Market conditions and publishing industry norms will always pose obstacles and opportunities. You just need to take ownership of your writing career, see obstacles as opportunities, and to never give up believing in yourself.

Authors need a lot of things to succeed, including: time, money, skills, luck, a great book, and knowledge. But the foundation for success first starts with your attitude. A bad one sinks you; a good one at least keeps you afloat, and a great one permits breakthroughs to happen.

You need to take risks, work hard, and really put yourself out there. Nothing sells itself initially. You need to create the discovery of your book — and then hope that positive word-of-mouth follows if your books are as good as you think they are.

How did celebrities and famous people get to where they need to be? They all have publicists. They all worked hard to get somewhere, even harder to remain there.

Authors, I implore you, change how you view things. If how you see things is not getting you where you want to be, alter the lens by which you consume things.

Maybe you just are not as good as you think. Believe in yourself, but don’t think that you can just rest on that. Use it to propel you forward.

Perhaps you spend too much time hoping and dreaming and wanting and not enough doing, strategizing, and experimenting.

Are you complaining that life is unfair or the book discovery ecosystem is broken? Get over it. Will you be satisfied to live in the complaint center — or are you ready to risk getting out of your comfort zone?

Every author needs some tough love. We are all humans with raw emotional needs, self-imposed psychological restraints, and physical challenges. Each of us needs a boost and a strong dose of tough love. Now get out there and pursue your destiny!

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, 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 over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.8 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it 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 www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions 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, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, 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. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.