Writing a novel is one of those ‘bucket list’ items that I would guess most people never accomplish. Seeing it all the way through to the end, from initial manuscript to published book, has an ever smaller chance of success. Those of you that are going through this process, or those that have completed it, are nodding right now in agreement. It’s an act akin to conduct an entire orchestra in your head, except not all the instruments are playing at the same point in time, forcing you to stretch backwards and forwards in order to put together a coherent piece of music. Pull it off, though, and you’ll have on your hands something you can genuinely be proud of. There’s only one problem: now you have to sell the damn thing.
I don’t want to say it’s not possible to be successful as a writer, but even a cursory glance through the Amazon or Apple ebookstore will flood you with a torrent of titles. As you scan through them, you’ll likely notice that none of them really appeals to you. At the same time, you have on your hands your own masterpiece that you have now pushed out into the world, and you now realize you’re an author at best, an editor at worst. Never does ‘salesman’ enter into that equation. And yet within that chaotic mess of ebooks, a small number of independent titles rise to the top, not just selling, but selling well. After some time with my book on the market, and having analyzed the way sales move (or don’t), I’ve finally come up with a conclusion. I’ve found the magic bullet that you can use to sell your book. The answer? Be lucky.
Okay, that’s a bit unfair, I know. Then again, we’re constantly reminded that life isn’t fair. The reality is that many, many good books go unread, go unsold, and eventually fade into the aether of the internet. An easy example outside of books is music and the artists that suffer their entire lives for virtually no payoff. One of my favorite bands in the ‘90s was a group called The Mayfield Four. I saw them live as an opener to Everclear, and I was immediately blown away. From that day on I was a supporter of theirs, but I didn’t get to enjoy it for long. The band folded and the members went their separate ways. Now, that example doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t continue writing, it just means that you have to temper your expectations. More importantly: a successful author will make moves to create his or her own luck so that they are in a good position to strike when the opportunity arises.
Here’s where the story of the Mayfield Four gets interesting. One of the members, the lead singer and guitarist, is a man named Myles Kennedy. While the name might not be familiar to some, Kennedy went on to join a new band called Alter Bridge, made up of former members of the band Creed. The band has enjoyed success to this day. Beyond Alter Bridge, though, Myles and his talents have been leveraged in a solo career that includes working with the great Slash of Guns & Roses fame. All in all, Kennedy’s perseverance, maybe even stubbornness, combined with his talent and work ethic, meant that even though he saw several failed ventures, he was eventually able to push through. He was there when the time was right. He was very, very lucky. On the other hand, he worked hard to make something materialize from that luck.
As I like to tell my karate students, the sixth rule of Isshin-ryu karate is this: the time to strike is when the opportunity presents itself. If you got in an elevator tomorrow and Bill Gates was in there with you, how many of you could come out of it at the end with something to show for it? As authors, much of what we are given is at the whim of the universe, but we must always be working to improve our craft, striving to outdo ourselves at each turn, and showcase our progress so that people take up and notice.
Nobody ever sold anything by siting in their office typing. You’re not a salesman. That’s okay. Meet someone. Meet lots of people. Let them get to know you. Some of them may be salesmen and not know it. They’ll read your book and become advocates for it, pushing it forward. Create your brand and forge a following so that when luck does appear, you will be ready to strike. To do otherwise would be an injustice not just to yourself and your work, but to the hundreds, hopefully thousands of people that will miss out on your great work because you weren’t ready when luck came. At the end of the day, all you were was good.
A.C. Harrison
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