Should We Question A Writer’s Motive?

 

When I speak to a lot of authors about marketing their books, many of them question aloud: “Do people even read books anymore?”

It is an odd question to be coming from one who wrote a book and is looking to sell it, but it is very revealing about the mind of an author. If you believe or fear that people do not read books, why would you create something that you think has no marketplace?

Is there a company that would manufacture a product or offer a service that it believes would yield few sales? Unlikely, and yet many authors are doing just that. Why?

Many writers craft their books mainly out of selfish needs and egotistical desires.  This does not mean that they don’t feel they wrote a bad book or that it won’t help or entertain others, but it indicates that they have their priorities wrong. Too many writers are coming at this from a self-serving way, not from one of serving others.

A book should be written if it will either serve society, fill a void or need, educate others, inspire someone, enlighten a reader, or entertain them. Should it just be written because the writer simply wants to have a book?

Writers generally write what they like to read, what means something to them, what reflects on their life experiences, and to share their opinions and advice. It is their therapeutic outlet and their form of expression. It is art, if for no one else but themselves. It may be no more than a doodle made public. But is that a good enough reason to unleash your book on others?

I guess it does not matter why one writes, or at least it should not matter to the reader. Consumers want good content, regardless of a writer’s motive. Now, if the writer lies or manipulates the facts to create an inauthentic book, even if well-intentioned, the reader should be alarmed. But otherwise, the end product trumps author intentionality.

We should question an author’s motive only to the extent we want to verify the reading experience that we just had. If we read a book passed off as a memoir, we want to know if everything really happened as portrayed, wondering if the author took some liberty in the retelling of a story. Did details get embellished, misunderstood, or misremembered by the writer?

A great book should stand on its own, without even knowing who wrote it, why, or under what circumstances. You don’t need to know one’s origin story to value what is written and published. So, no matter your good intentions, deepest desires, hungriest goals, or barriers overcome to pen your book, the actual book better speak for itself. Everything else is a sideshow.

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your 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

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,800,000 page views. With 5,500+ posts over the past 14 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.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

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. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum