Friday Friday Friday! The work week is moving into the rear view mirror and the weekend is staring us in the face. So we’re starting Fridaywritingtips. To elucidate, illuminate, and inspire. And please feel free to ask questions: about books, publishing, writing, the meaning of life, whatever.
This week is all about The Idea. Here’s an insider’s tip. The greater your idea, the better your chances of getting successfully published. But what makes a great idea? It’s original yet familiar. New fangled but old fashioned. It fulfills a need. Scratches an itch. Solves a problem. Takes us on a wild ride. Makes us laugh or cry or fall in love. Fills a hole in the market. Most of all, it has a big passionate audience.
“’Now it’s time for some self- assessment. Do you really have something new to say? Something only you can put into words?’ Neal Sofman, owner of San Francisco’s BookShop West Portal, says ‘The thing I notice with successful authors is that they have a unique voice that communicates to their audience. They touch you in some way. You know immediately who’s speaking because they’re so distinct.’ Many, many people spend years and years writing and trying to market books that end up as recycled paper precisely because they’ve failed to capture their uniqueness on the page. And those who fail often become bitter and frustrated, sliding sadly into desperate lives of drugs, booze and literary criticism.
Which gets us back to your idea. ‘Is it so compelling that a person will plop down his hard-earned money for a copy of your book?’ asks Jim Levine, founder of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency and author of seven books. ‘Your friends and colleagues will say, “that’s a great idea,” which is different from saying, “that’s such a good idea, I’d pay $25 if you write it” most authors don’t realize the difference here.’ How can you tell the difference? Now is the time to put to good use whatever bits of self-knowledge you possess. Consult your therapist, your inner children, your guru, your webmaster, your e-friends on Facebook and as many other people as possible. And not just your mother and BFF’s who believe that nothing but sunshine pours out of you. The more you know in your heart that you are the perfect author for your book and that your book is salable and/or necessary, the better your chances of convincing someone else. Remember: Every day, another writer nobody ever heard of gets a deal to publish a book. And now, you on’t even have to have a publisher if your idea is great enough and you can get it into the heads, hands and hearts of your large and passionate audience.”
Want to learn more? Go to page 79 of “The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published” by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry.. Buy a copy of the book at your local bookstore or from: http://www.thebookdoctors.com/
Happy writing! See you at the bookstore. The Book Doctors
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