Archive for January, 2009

Posted on January 12, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
Digital or not, your book content still has to be good

Publishing experts, book coaches, and editors are frantically trying to “read the market”. We all want to figure out where the industry is going and what’s going to happen to books.

One trend that’s being flagged are the indicators coming from various publishers that they will be getting more and more involved with producing books in “digital” format. Digital reading tools such as Kindle are becoming quite popular and enable book lovers to acquire almost all genres of books at considerly lower prices than the traditional bookstore price.

Some people are also predicting that E-books sold by authors directy off websites will be making a comeback. E-books were popular for a while, then seemed to peak and lose some steam, largely because of their sheer numbers. Many of them were of poor quality, often with glaring spelling and grammar errors (which looks unprofessional).  As a result of the increase in e-books and the quality issues, e-books lost ground in credibility for awhile and many authors who wanted to create a quality book reverted to the traditional physical book.

Now it seems that e-books are rebounding, because authors realize that trade publishers are reducing the number of books they will acquire. So for an author with a great book idea and a limited budget, the e-book option looks attractive again.

But no matter in what format your book is published, one thing remains crystal clear. Your content has to be good. It doesn’t matter if your book is a Kindle book, a digital download from a publisher’s site, an e-book you sell off your own site, a self-published physical book, or a POD book–the standard of your writing needs to match the publishable standard of trade publishers.

If the digital world is going to explode in book publishing, as is predicted, the lower costs of producing such books is going to lead to thousands of more books all vying for readers’ attention. The only way to stand out from such a crowded field is to have great content and to write it well.

If you’re a prospective author with a book in mind, focus first on your content, on what it is you have to say that will be valuable to your readers. Make that content as strong and interesting as possible. Make it uniquely your voice. Convince your readers that your book deserves to be read.

Digital or not, it has to be good.

And as a post-script to this posting, I have to say that in my view no matter how “digital” the book industry becomes, there is always going to be room in readers’ hearts for physical books, and publishers are going to continue to publish physical books. Indeed, the ability to get a publisher to publish your book will become even more of a gold standard than it is right now. If you can get a trade publisher to publish your book in an economy where publishers are reluctant to take a risk on new authors, then you have distinguished yourself from your competition by that fact alone.

Posted on January 5, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
Loving what you write

I want to talk a bit about why you are writing a book.  In the non-fiction industry, particularly the part of the industry that deals with empowerment, success, self-improvement, and motivation, I hear too many prospective authors saying that the major reason they’re writing a book is that it will help their business, help them recruit new clients, position them as an expert, etc.

All these are valid reasons for writing a non-fiction book. But if the love the author has for his or her subject matter doesn’t come through in the book, the book will be dry and uninspiring. Do you love the topic you’re communicating about? Are you committed to it? Are you passionate about it? Are you full of enthusiasm about sharing it with others?

Writing a really good book is always an act of love. If your motivation is cynical or if your passion for your topic is not readily evident, your readers will in turn greet your book with cynicism. Readers are intelligent and can tell when a book is merely lukewarm. Your book is part of your service to the world.  Your readers want to be inspired, informed, enthralled. They want to feel that you’ve been where they are, that you understand their mind and heart. They want to feel that you love what you do and that you love what you write about.

Your book and your life purpose are connected.  Don’t separate the two. If you love what you write, and you write it well, you will have a successful book.

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