Seeing Your Book through Rose-Colored Glasses

By Michael Drew - May 21 , 2008

We all see our children as the cutest and brightest to ever have been born.

“Look at you,” we coo in our ridiculously silly, makeshift baby voices. “You’re just the sweetest little thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. And you’re smart, too. Yes, you are. Tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle…”

Authors are the same way with their books. They expend so much time and energy getting ready for publication that by the time it finally happens, they are so deep inside the book it is impossible to have an objective opinion of where it stands compared to other books vying for the same shelf space.

The reality is, just as people outside your biological family look at your child as just another kid, people outside your book family look at your book as just another publication. No matter how great it is, outsiders simply will not recognize the value of the creativity or the enormity of the accomplishment.

In this sense, the deck is stacked against the author. But with an honest perspective, a good support system, and the right timing, you can still end up being the one raking the pile to your side of the table.

The key is making the transition from author to marketing manager. It’s not an easy transition to make. In fact, it’s a little like transitioning from parent to employer. You have to be able to take off your rose-colored glasses and recognize the book’s shortcomings. Is your marketing platform really big enough to generate a significant number of sales? Are you truly recognized as an authority figure in your given field?

f not, be careful about launching a book onto the national scene before its ready. A disappointing start as an author often has a lasting effect on a writing career.

We see it all the time with kids being pushed to the next level of athletic competition. It’s one thing to be a five-star athlete in a five-block town. But it’s a whole new ballgame when your kid is competing against a league filled with five-star athletes. All of a sudden, the playing field is leveled. Your little “ -baller” doesn’t stand out anymore. If he or she doesn’t have a team of supporters around to provide highlight reels and other endorsements, that elusive scholarship could end up going to someone else.

So be as honest as you can about your place in the ranks, and wait patiently until it’s time to unleash your book on the world. ‘D-List’ authors with marketing platforms consisting mainly of friends and family should keep working to build a following that will help make their book successful down the road. ‘C-List’ authors with modest consulting or speaking practices should quietly use their books as tools to establish a name and reputation within a niche market, rather than prematurely pushing it on bookstores. Those authors that have climbed their way to the ‘B-List’ should surround themselves with a good team and spend a year focusing on promotion. And those that are lucky enough to run with the ‘A’ crowd should just do as they please–the author’s name alone will make the book successful.

You might very well be writing the best book that will ever be written. Do yourself a favor – give it, and yourself, an honest look, and wait until you build a big audience that respects you so much they think it’s every bit as special as you do.

Time to run. Gotta go pick up my daughter from school. She’s a Pre-K honor roll student, you know. What …you mean you really don’t care?

Questions about where you stand as an author may be directed to Michael R. Drew at the Austin, Texas, headquarters of Promote A Book: 512-858-0040. You can also contact Michael via email at michael@promoteabook.com.

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