Literary Significance & Success

The Quest for Literary Significance & Success

"Want to be successful, watch what unsuccessful people do and...

Don't Do That!"

I still remember a TV motivational speaker once - while flipping channels - who gave that wise advice, but actually used the words “Rich” & "Poor". Success is measured by other means than temporal wealth, at least by people unscathed by shallowness of heart.

An article, once featured in Forbes by Kathy Caprino | Small Business, has some advice for its readers and much is applicable to Indie and Self publishers HERE


               Now... how will you incorporate this into your writing?

- - - Thoughts - - -

 Spending the required amount of research time (many months to years) investigating the various publication avenues available, including the pros & cons of each, blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, writing circles, etc., are only the beginnings before one's written work is normally ready for publication considerations. The process can be like fishing and at times waiting for a bite can be a long wait. But if you love what you're doing - 'fishing' - then there is no real problem.

Agents and the Big-5:
Research to see if these entities are seriously adding NEW authors, or predominately advancing hard cash to already proven successful authors they have under their belt in order to prod a new safe book ensuring sales. How long will a book that isn’t jumping off of the store bookshelf be on the shelf? And much more...

eBooks:
Do you have a background in computer programming? HTML? If not, you may not be self-sufficient enough to do your own formatting and find it necessary to hire that process out.

Paperbacks:   Can you easily incorporate your text into a template offered by self-publishing agencies (free of charge) and format, edit, edit, edit, and proof that text?

ISBN numbers:
Do you have the means in your country to obtain your own ISBN numbers? Does who owns your book correlate with who owns your ISBN number? Some countries (like the USA - Bowker) charge for the ISBN while other countries offer them free of charge.

Target audience(s)
Do you have a clear focus on who you are writing for? Maybe your target audience is very narrow for one work and very large for another. Maybe your readership overlaps many age groups.

Genre
Familiarize yourself with the category of literature you are composing and decide if you will play it safe and up-to-date, or attempt to expand the literary horizon of that particular genre. Being a pioneer can be an exciting experience whether you succeed or fail.
Why write?
Are you writing for commercial success, artistic expression, a project, combinations of these, other reasons? Multiple reasons?

Are you following writing/publishing blogs long term?
A vital tool with your research. Sift through the info to gain core tips you can use and apply to yourself.

Following info on the traditional market?
Watching agents quitting their profession? Major bookstores closing doors? Traditional authors contemplating self-publishing? Statistics?

Book format & layout:
What is your country's standard? Is that standard really what you want, or?

Focus:
Can you focus on your project(s) and not be distracted by others’ desires for you to help them? Do you have a resource or two to pass on to the folks who nag you for free help?
Remember… Bill Gates - "Never do anything for free."


And there is so much more to consider...