If you aren’t reading Seth Godin on a regular basis, you’re really missing out. Seth is the quintessential guru. He has a personal blog, and writes over at The Domino Project, where every day he offers pithy insights on writing, art, marketing, and eBooks.
Seth likes to subvert conventional wisdom–like the belief that giving your product away is a bad move–which helps you to see the world through a new lens. His thoughts on “tribes”, the pricing of eBooks, and viral marketing are truly paradigmatic. The best way to understand Seth is this: while some writers think outside the box, Seth asks, “what box?”
Today, he turns that whimsical worldview to publishing. His article titled “Advice for Authors” is interesting in and of itself, but it’s especially helpful if you’re thinking about writing a book. The self-publishing revolution is making that easier every day so take heed:
“I get a fair number of notes from well respected, intelligent people who are embarking on their first non-fiction book project. They tend to ask very similar questions, so I thought I’d go ahead and put down my five big ideas in one place to make it easier for everyone.
I guarantee you that you won’t agree with all of them, but, as they say, your mileage my vary.
1. Please understand that book publishing is an organized hobby, not a business.
The return on equity and return on time for authors and for publishers is horrendous. If you’re doing it for the money, you’re going to be disappointed.On the other hand, a book gives you leverage to spread an idea and a brand far and wide. There’s a worldview that’s quite common that says that people who write books know what they are talking about and that a book confers some sort of authority.
2. The timeframe for the launch of books has gone from silly to unrealistic.
When the world moved more slowly, waiting more than a year for a book to come out was not great, but tolerable. Today, even though all other media has accelerated rapidly, books still take a year or more. You need to consider what the shelf life of your idea is.”
And be sure to check out Seth’s blog and his Domino Project.