Most people who fill out my contact form are passionate about something they want to share with the world: an idea, a system for healing, wisdom, insights, new research, new perspectives, humor to share, a way of having a positive impact.
But sometimes, I get an oddball submission like this one:
“Isn’t it TRUE. Most publishing houses in London are staffed by female millennials? All they care about is to make money. Quality does not matter. It could be the most badly written prose ever, it doesn’t matter. If the person is a celebrity they’ll offer an advance!
Regarding novellas. You have no chance!”
In answer to the question, “Please let us know more about the help you need,” this person answered, “Why Should I?”
Why Should You Bother (when the cards are stacked against you)?
And here is my response to that question:
Not a should. Please, no.
But an invitation.
I invite you to believe in your own agency.
Know that you are not reliant on any gatekeepers, authorities or corporations
in order to reach readers.
Nowadays, there are so many ways
to reach readers—online, offline, in person—a gazillion platforms and models.
You wrote a novella, fella.
The hardest part, in many ways.
And now, the only thing left?
To find a way to share it.
Whatever your idea of how it must be done,
you have infinite choices—including uncharted territory that you may uncover.
There are no rules.
Not being published by a traditional house
may turn out to be the most liberating step
on your path!
Quiet your mind.
What does your heart ask for?
About Liberation from Limitation
I’m guessing that none of my readers are quite as victimized by their beliefs about “the system” as this aspiring author. And yet, we all have our limiting beliefs, don’t we? I have many of my own.
As someone who finds social media mostly fatiguing, I have felt victimized by the belief that most books hit it big because of social media and therefore…well, you can guess where that thinking takes me. I also hit some snags with Amazon. I raged against the machine. How far did that get me? I’m sure you can guess at that as well.
But the truth is, the challenges with selling on Amazon led me to think creatively about other ways to reach large numbers of readers. One of the best ways to reach many readers is bulk sales—when an institution purchases many copies for team members, donors, employees, customers or other constituents.
When I saw the opportunity that the first five 2024 Women in Business Stevie Award finalists to respond could purchase, for a quite modest fee, a “literature drop” (brochure or flier) for participants at November 8’s Awards Banquet for the Stevie Awards, I asked if my book, finalist for “Book of the Year,” could be given as part of the literature drop.
“Yes,” was the response. “Please bring 400 copies.”
Envisioning a Greater Opportunity
Having attended the Stevie Awards banquet in the past, I recall sitting at a table with women executives from IBM, solopreneurs and small business owners on different occasions. What if several of them received my book and realized what a great tool it is for fostering creativity within teams? I envisioned reaching many more people than Amazon might send my way. Hmm. How to make the possibilities clear that this book could help with any creative tasks, writing or otherwise? And that I could help these teams with creative problem-solving,
I emailed the awards folks again. “May I include a postcard tucked into the book?”
“Of course,” came the reply.
I could share many stories of book publishing and marketing challenges that turned into opportunities.
How My First Book Almost Died in Infancy
A couple of decades ago, my first book, Good and Mad: Transform Anger Using Mind, Body, Soul and Humor, co-authored with Peaco Todd and Jane Middelton-Moz, seemed destined to fail. Our publisher did nothing to publicize our book (back when they worked harder to promote books and had done a great job for Jane’s past books (think Oprah and Montel).
We got together, and the three of us hired our own publicist, who got us book reviews in the Chicago Tribune and 22 Chicago-area newspapers. Yet, when I called a Chicago Barnes & Noble to suggest they carry the book to prepare for what I was sure would be an onslaught of customers, they said they could only purchase one book, which would not be restocked. “I have a ‘do not replenish’ here in the system.” Some sleuth work revealed that the book’s dimensions were a no-no for bookstores (the days before the days before Amazon ruled the roost).
Somehow, Jane convinced our publisher to republish in new dimensions (which required a new title and new ISBN), and Good and Mad, together with The Ultimate Guide to Transforming Anger, sold somewhere upwards of 20,000 books (including both paperback and digital copies of both titles).
Find Opportunities
If we had taken the tact of the novella writer mentioned earlier, we would have cursed out our publisher and felt like victims. But collectively, we saw an opportunity to take matters into our own hands (hire our own publicist) and see the publisher as a collaborator, open to possibility. In the end, with its new title, I believe our book reached a large audience and made an impact.
I had not anticipated many gifts and opportunities along the way. I would never have become a book coach if it weren’t for that book. I would never have been invited to teach at Harvard Medical School’s CME Publishing course for over a dozen years had I not worked with Rusty Shelton when we hired our publicist, which only happened because our publisher dropped the ball on publicity because bookstores weren’t ordering our book due to its dimensions.
What’s Your Story?
Often, the story of our success only reveals itself in hindsight when we see how the most demanding challenges result in the greatest transformations and outcomes.
Writing, publishing and marketing a book are demanding activities that require resilience, flexibility, fortitude and grit.
I’ve seen time and again how cultivating these qualities through the writing, editing, publishing and marketing phases opens unexpected doors for me and my clients.
Here’s some homework for you (feel free to comment below!):
Here’s some homework for you (feel free to comment below!):Part I: Take some time to journal about these questions:
- What are the limiting beliefs you may hold about becoming an author? Where do you get stuck in your thinking, believing and dreaming? (For example, do you question whether you have anything fresh to say? Do you tell yourself you’re not a good enough writer? Or do you think publishing is an insider’s game end you have no chance of getting published or reaching readers with your message?).
- Make a list of one or two questions to ask your muse, such as, “How can I [overcome x issue]?” Or “How can I change my thinking about x?” or “Please help me break through self doubt and limited thinking. What do you want me to know or do in this moment to shift my mindset and beliefs?”
- Now, get in a comfortable space where you can close your eyes and take a little journey to your creative muse. Listen to the following guided visualization to lead you to get outside of that limited thinking and see the possibilities before you.
What’s possible when you open up to new perspectives, ideas and strategies for meeting those challenges that inevitably arise during the author’s journey? Share your insights as a comment below.
Thanks for your insights.
I have been self publishing on Amazon for several years. The issue is being seen.
I feel as if readers don’t really see me among the millions of books there.
Any suggestions?