Do Writers Belong In The Museum Of Failure?

 

All writers, if they are to be successful, need to fail, perhaps many times, before they succeed. Why? Because if they don’t try hard enough or often enough to push the limits - and fail - then they are merely turning out something safe, likely just a copy or spin-off of what’s familiarly and commercially viable. They need to reach far in order to go far. That means failure, disappointment, and loss. Those are the growing pains of authors. 

 

Looking for inspiration? Visit www.museumoffailure.com. It shows authors that they are in good company. There are plenty of ideas that bombed - in all fields, from science and medicine to business and politics. Innovation does not require perfection. It demands creativity persistence, luck, resiliency, and a driving passion to break through. 

 

“Learning is the only way to turn failure to success,” says the museum. Indeed, it provides unique insight into the treacherous business of new product development. 

 

“Museum of Failure is a collection of failed products and success from around the world,” it says. “The museum has over 200 items, and new artifacts are added every year. Innovation needs failure. All progress, not only technological progress, is built on learning from past failures and mistakes. The museum aims to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire us to take meaningful risks.” 

 

When writing - and/or promoting - a book, do you go beyond what feels safe, convenient, or comfortable? Will you try a little longer, a little harder, with a bit of experimentation, in order to position yourself for great success- and increase your chances for an abysmal failure?

 

There are authors who have written generation- changing books that get read generations later, but perhaps they feel like failures for not having won the Nobel Prize for Literature, That is a different kind of failure. These authors are wildly successful by all measures - critical acclaim, copies sold by the millions, and having their words quoted many decades beyond when they were written - and yet, no Nobel Prize. This shows one can “fail” at something and still be big-league successes. By the way, such failures include George Orwell, Leo Tolstoy, HG Wells, Jack Kerouac, Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, James Joyce, Henry James, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  

 

Not only should you literally visit the Museum of Failure, you should embrace its spirit. Through failing, you may find a path to great fame, fortune, and books!

 

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 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 3.9 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, BookCAMP, 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.