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About MeJoe Gregory is a marketer, publisher and author. In 2003 he co-wrote "The Gorillas Want Bananas: The Lean Marketing Bible for Small Expert Businesses" and has also co-authored 11 other marketing and publishing books including, "The Amazon Bestseller Plan" and "The Wealthy Author". He runs the non-fiction publisher www.BookShaker.com and is the co-founder of The Publishing Academy
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Unless you’re in the textbook or academic field (where there’s a need for very specific, academically accurate and impartial information) then you shouldn’t just write about what you know – you should find a way to write about it in a way the reader will want.
Following trends – or “trend surfing” (which instantly means I’ve got my metaphors mixed!) as it’s now called – is a proven way to make money. It’s also the number one “creative” model used by the majority of mainstream publishers. Whether this is a worthy artistic approach or not – is for another discussion. But as commercial approaches to writing a book go it’s worth trying out. So, how do you benefit from trends – even if the thought of joining the “me-too” brigade makes you sick? Here are two approaches…
This is the “creative” model used by most big publishers. Their researchers and analysts look at what’s selling well and encourage the publisher to cash-in on the trend while it’s still hot!
The good thing about jumping on a Bandwagon is that readers usually have an insatiable appetite for their chosen subject. If they’ve read all the Stephenie Meyer books they’ll be hungry for more – so your vampire book – if pitched well can find its way in. You can bet if readers devour one book on a subject they’ll want more – just fit in and get ready for sales.
Just look at any mainstream publisher’s lists and you’ll see the same sort of stuff – the more of it there is – the more they’re making money from it.
Again, you can use the “Go Against The Grain” approach (see earlier about mis-matching) with trends too – a book entitled “The Danger of Low GI Diets!” or “It’s Not A Secret Stupid!” or “The Law of Attraction Requires Action” are all ways to tap into an audience who is sick of the mainstream pulp and popular books while also getting the “true believers” interested enough in reading it too.
Copy Cat Books Abound - pic by -Sel
An example of a direct Parody of a popular series in its own right would be the “Barry Trotter” books by Michael Gerber (and not the guy who wrote The E-Myth – an excellent book – I might add). Plus, the best-selling book of all time – “The Bible” – was parodied (to much commercial success) by Richard Dawkins – with “The God Delusion”.
This approach is the best way to come up with “How To” book ideas. I’d suggest using Brainstorming and Mind Mapping (see earlier) to generate ideas using the “Big Problem” as your central theme. Make sure it’s a problem people really want solving though else you’ll have a book that won’t sell. Here are the steps…
No need for examples here – they’re all over the place!
Most humans share many good and amazing traits – and on the whole I like humans – well I am one too!
However, there is also a dark side (although it’s just human nature) known as “The Human Condition” – which is a powerful place to dig for universal themes to base your book idea on. While not applicable to everyone, all of the time, we can all relate to many of the following:
Pic by practicalowl
Making a book that appeals to one (or preferable many) of these human conditions is bound to get a good response, cause some buzz and provide you with a book people will want. Just think how popular Get Rich Quick Schemes are? Most of us know they’re rubbish but they continue to sell because they appeal to the greed, laziness and self-interest in all of us.
I could go on but I think you get the point!
This uses elements of matching and mis-matching as well as big picture and detail to produce lots of ideas and content to bring out a full range of creative flexibility you may not have thought you had. What you do with the resulting content is up to you but it’s likely that inspiration for the following elements of your book can all be covered…
There are three main ways we sort data in our minds. They are:
This is useful to know because, what most people describe as creativity is really a form of chunking up and chunking laterally – and when you’re not feeling creative it’s almost always because the details are bogging you down.
So here’s what you’re going to do…
Here’s an example of a completed Creativity Matrix…
Now, if you’re more analytical and prefer to work to a proven formula then here are some other useful tools to spark your imagination to come up with potentially profitable and definitely brilliant book ideas…
Some people are more motivated by what they don’t want than by what they do. You’ll likely have a tendency to one extreme or another and this tendency can leave blind spots in your creative thinking. So follow these steps and see what comes up…
Despite widespread denial from the majority of traditional bookstores, publishers and authors, the publishing game has been changing at an increasingly rapid pace since the emergence of the world wide web. The real tipping point, however, is only just being reached as Print On Demand (POD) technology, Ebooks and Social Networking finally reach mainstream status. Joe Gregory, an independent publisher who co-founded The Publishing Academy shares just one way the new rules are affecting the way authors, publishers and bookstores are sharing the risk and rewards.
Traditionally, the publishing pecking order went (and still goes in many cases) something like this…
The bookstore (via the wholesaler) is the main link to the customer (and therefore the money) for a geographically defined area and so the bookstore lays down the law to the publisher. Bookstore Law includes: crippling discounts (55% and up), stretched-out payment terms (90 days+), paying bribes to guarantee visibility (read this article from The Times if you don’t believe me http://su.pr/2Y14b3) the option to return in any condition/destroy/remainder any unsold books – for a full refund.
The publisher (sometimes in cahoots with the agent) is the main link to the bookstores and so they lay down the law to the authors. Publisher Law includes: not accepting submissions unless through a recognised agent, paying pitiful royalties (typically 7-10% of whatever’s left once the bookstore has been paid – of which a percentage will have to go to their agent too), preventing the author from taking other book deals elsewhere, paying the author once per year – assuming they’ve made more money than they got paid as an advance.
The poor author (who, don’t forget, is the only one providing the raw talent) is at the bottom of the pile and lays down the law to nobody. This pecking order also translates into a pretty unfair divvying up of the risks and rewards.
The following charts illustrate a typical risk (based on effort, opportunity cost and financial exposure) – reward (based on retail price of book) split for the old publishing model…
It hardly seems fair that the stakeholder who risks the least should be rewarded the most but – when there was no internet, no social networks and no other way to reach your target market other than by getting your book on the bookshelves – they had a monopoly on the vital asset – customers and got paid accordingly.
With the new rules in effect the pecking order looks quite different…
The bookstore (via the wholesaler) is one link to the customer (and therefore the money) along with international online bookstores (like Amazon and many smaller specialist stores), ebook retailers (using mobile technology and the internet), mail-order bookstores and Print On Demand book vending machines (such as The Espresso Book Machine). Traditional bookstores can no longer lay down the law because they no longer have exclusive access to customers. This means crippling discounts (55% and up) are no longer tolerated, stretched-out payment terms (90 days+) are no longer acceptable, wasteful returns policies are no longer viable. Added to this, the highstreet bookstore (with shelves and carpets) has the highest overheads of all the retail channels.
The publisher is one link to the bookstores (via the wholesaler) but the author now has the option to cost-effectively self-publish (with distribution built-in). Old-style Publishers can no longer lay down their law because they no longer have exclusive access to the retail channel. This means agents are no longer tolerated by authors, the pitiful royalties look bad compared to what the author could make by going it alone, the author will expect more control over their content in the various formats enabled such as ebooks and audio.
The empowered author (who can finally see a way to be paid fairly for providing the raw talent) is now in a position to choose their own publishing route. This new level of choice for the author and the new routes available means the distribution of risk and reward is shifting to a much more balanced picture.
The following charts illustrate a typical risk (based on effort, opportunity cost and financial exposure) – reward (based on retail price of book) split for the Publishing 2.0 model…
The result is that publishers playing by the new rules and their authors can decide to tolerate traditional bookstores but they no longer have to give in to their demands.
Most traditional bookstores have had it their own way for too long and until they adjust their terms or shrink their overheads, something they’re still very much resisting, in light of the new rules, many of them will lose the new game and go the same way of the myriad record stores who were casualties of the same recent shake-up in the music industry.
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Publishing Academy is giving Free 30 Day Insider Access to anyone who buys one of their growing list of official guidebooks: http://www.publishingacademy.com/buy/guidebooks
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WORDCOUNT 898
NOTES FOR EDITORS/JOURNALISTS
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IMAGES
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Author photos & Images attached. For higher resolution images contact us:
http://www.leanmarketingpress.com/contact
WEBSITE LINKS
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Article: Why Bricks & Mortar Bookstores Are No Longer The Best Place For Auathors & Publishers To Sell Their Books
http://su.pr/5RgUO4
Discussion: The New Rules of The Publishing Game
http://su.pr/2Eqr78
Publishing Academy Website
http://www.publishingacademy.com
The Wealthy Author on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1905430698
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1905430698/ref=nosim
ARTICLES
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The Publishing Academy faculty comprises experienced speakers, writers, authors and publishing professionals with a wealth of experience publishing, writing and selling books. We are always happy to provide free content in return for a “plug” for www.PublishingAcademy.com, http://www.leanmarketingpress.com/contact
JOE GREGORY
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Along with Debbie Jenkins, Joe Gregory has run the independent non-fiction publisher Book Shaker (http://www.bookshaker.com) – famous for paying unprecedented royalties – since 2003, is the co-founder of The Publishing Academy ( http://www.publishingacademy.com) and co-author of ‘The Wealthy Author: The Fast Profit Method To Write, Publish & Sell Your Non-Fiction Book.’ http://www.publishingacademy.com/102-6-1-7.html
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