How Authors Are Like Musicians – What Actually Works

By Kyle McNeil - Jan 03 , 2011

For 3 years, I spent time in the music industry. Have you noticed how experiences from other industries translate to new ones? Personally, the similarities of bands and artists in music to authors is immense. Here’s a quick anecdote about the music industry…

With my management skills and marketing knack/interest, a number of artists wanted my services. Their desire was that I’d take them from relatively unknown to national touring band. And often they’d propose a revenue sharing model, which meant I’d get paid nothing, until we “hit the jackpot”. Cool as it was to be associated with the music industry, there are some major realities at play. In Canada alone, there are thousands upon thousands of artists vying for the attention and dollars of music fans. And in the USA it’s even more, with an estimated 8 million bands!

The reality for authors is very similar!

THE FACTS about books in 2009—

a) There were 760,000 books published.

b) On average, these books sold 300 copies per title.

c) Remove the hottest selling 20,000 books, and the remaining 740,000 titles, sold an average of 100 copies.

With these facts known, what distinguishes a hopeful author from the 759,999 other published authors in a year? Playing the card of “it’s a great idea”, or “I’ve got something special that people need”, just isn’t good enough (even though it’s a great start).

It all comes down to your marketing platform, building it out, serving your tribe, and monetizing your creation.

Here are 5 systematic steps to work though towards this goal:

1. As Michael Drew suggests, check your ego. The reality is, most writers in your position are just hoping to beat the odds and get published. According to Laura Backes of Write4Kids.com, mid- to large-sized publishing houses get as many as 5,000 unsolicited submissions each year, 95% of which are rejected right off the bat. Add your general anonymity to those odds and you quickly realize how hard you’re going to have to work to gain attention and win respect. My advice – swallow your pride, take good direction when it’s offered, and do what you need to do.
2. Millions of people are logging on the internet every hour. How are you casting your fishing net into this stream?
3. Watch Michael’s video – The 7 Myths of Book Publishing (access this on right side of your screen), to understand what many of the realities are.
4. Who are you writing for? If you’re writing for you, it’s going to be a LONG road to hoe. Write to your audience though, and you’re off to the races!
5. Be selective about who you work with because many idealistic marketers have not gone from dream to reality, and their old strategies are wasteful, inefficient, and will only waste your marketing dollars. We hear it all to often.

Starting in reality is the most responsible way to build an effective marketing platform. Just like an artist’s asset of music, your book and concept matter as an author, but even more important is your marketing platform.

What’s your plan to ensure you’re selling thousands of copies of your book, and not 100-300?