| Let's say you're a writer who has written a | | | | congratulate yourself that you have succeeded |
| few things that you've tried to get | | | | in getting past:- New York Editors. |
| published. Let's say you've even had some | | | | |
| success. You've submitted your novels, short | | | | - New York Agents. |
| story and poem collections, or magazine | | | | |
| articles to New York publishers.After | | | | - The US Postal Service (since you didn't |
| receiving enough reject slips to cover the | | | | have to mail your manuscript out 500 times). |
| walls of your two bedroom condominium you | | | | |
| finally managed to place something in an | | | | - Your attic trunk (where you've been |
| obscure publication located 500 miles away | | | | depositing your unsold manuscripts). |
| from New York.Don't break out the champagne | | | | |
| yet. It may or may not be a start. It all | | | | - Your garage, which is not filled with 5000 |
| depends on:- how well it sells | | | | unsold copies of your book.And your |
| | | | manuscript is now "in front of the public" |
| - what your next "masterpiece" may be | | | | who are eager to pay for it, download it and |
| | | | read it. Or is it?Oops...we forgot a few |
| - how well the editor thinks that it will | | | | things.- How are they going to find it? |
| sell.You may soon discover that your first | | | | |
| piece didn't sell well and the editor spent | | | | - How are they going to pay for it? |
| so much money on it she's not interested in | | | | |
| buying another one from you.And you still | | | | - How can they get it into their hands to be |
| haven't "cracked" New York.Your initial | | | | able to read it?Once again, not to belabor |
| elation at having "finally published" drops | | | | the point, but we writers want to be read. |
| rapidly into the psychological gutter, and | | | | Not being read is like having ...uh... |
| you find that you really haven't "left the | | | | without ...uh...Ok, forget that analogy.To be |
| gate" at all. You're almost worse off now | | | | read, will you give them what they want?But |
| than if you had never published in the first | | | | there's one other thing I forgot to mention. |
| place. Other editors may shy away from you | | | | Does the public want to read what you want to |
| because you are not writing "salable" | | | | write about? If they don't, then you are |
| material.Before you raise a disdainful | | | | back to you where you were with the New York |
| eyebrow at this scenario, let me assure you. | | | | editors...trying to sell somebody something |
| This has indeed happened to more than one | | | | they don't want to read or aren't interested |
| writer.If only I had one"Hah!" you say. Or | | | | in.This is the hardest thing we writers have |
| maybe it is "Ah hah!" That's the reaction of | | | | to get through our heads. Just because the |
| discovery. For scientists it's the word | | | | Muse strikes, she doesn't always strike with |
| "Eureka!"You elicited this reaction when you | | | | something somebody else wants to read. |
| discover that real, published authors all | | | | Somehow, we have to "find the secret" of |
| have literary agents, and that nobody in New | | | | doing both: writing what we want to write |
| York seriously considers a book that is not | | | | about, and slanting it in a way that will |
| presented by one.You have also made the | | | | appeal to the public.We have to give them |
| depressing discovery that the creations you | | | | what they want to read, or we won't be read. |
| sent to publishers like Harper and Row | | | | It's that simple.Somewhere in the Swamp, the |
| weren't rejected by the top editors of Harper | | | | Revelation Strikes (Good Thing It Wasn't a |
| and Row, but by an 18 year old high school | | | | Hungry Crocodile)By now the revelation should |
| graduate sitting in a small cubicle. Her | | | | have struck. If you are going to write, |
| desk is surrounded by stacks of manuscripts | | | | bypass the middle man, and get your cherished |
| mailed to her by hopeful writers. The stacks | | | | work to the public you are going to have to |
| nearly reach the ceiling.After finishing | | | | be able to do the "whole thing" -- the whole |
| reading your manuscript, putting a canned | | | | shillelagh.You are going to have to be:- The |
| reject note in the SASE you provided, and | | | | Market Researcher. You will have to find out |
| tossing it on top of the other stamped manila | | | | what the public wants to read. |
| envelopes overflowing an outgoing bin, she | | | | |
| climbs up on a stool to reach the next | | | | - The Writer. You are already that, but you |
| manuscript, located on top of the nearest | | | | need to be a flexible writer. You are going |
| stack. Three months ago, yours was at the | | | | to have to slant what you want to write so |
| bottom of that stack.That's why it took so | | | | they will want to read it. |
| long to get your reject slip.To get your | | | | |
| manuscript past this girl and to one of the | | | | - The Editor. You're going to have to |
| top editors, you realize you need a literary | | | | ruthlessly edit your own stuff to make it as |
| agent. So, after submitting your manuscript | | | | clear and easy to read as possible with no |
| to several prominent New York agents you | | | | typos and misspellings. |
| discover -They only take already published, | | | | |
| famous authors. Ever read the novel | | | | - Design and Layout. You are going to design |
| Catch-22?Guess what? I've got bad news, which | | | | your book to make it as attractive as |
| for you, probably isn't news at all...The | | | | possible. |
| Self Publishing Non-SolutionMaybe, just | | | | |
| maybe, you can self publish. There are all | | | | - The Publisher. You will price the book |
| kinds of "Vanity Publishers" out there, and | | | | and put it in a format that can be downloaded |
| some do it on a "print on demand" basis, | | | | and read on people's computers. |
| receiving their orders over the web. Maybe | | | | |
| you are foolish enough to have gone this | | | | - The Distributor. You will have to set up |
| route, in which case you now have:1. A garage | | | | your site so that your customers can pay for |
| full of unsold books you must distribute | | | | it and download it. |
| yourself. | | | | |
| | | | - The Copywriter. You will have to write |
| 2. A "published" book just waiting to be | | | | advertising copy that will sell your book. |
| printed as soon as somebody requests it. | | | | |
| | | | - Store owner. You have to set up your own |
| 3. Reviewers who won't take you | | | | bookstore where your readership will come to |
| seriously.While option #2 is more desirable | | | | buy it. You have to sell it to them and |
| than option #1 (since you didn't have to | | | | collect their money. |
| spend $10,000 for the first run of 2000 | | | | |
| copies) waiting for somebody to discover your | | | | - Promotion. You will have to promote your |
| book so they will request a printed copy | | | | book so that people will want to find your |
| isn't exactly your idea of "writing | | | | store and buy it. |
| fulfillment".And, with option #3, there | | | | |
| "ain't no hope" of getting your book | | | | - Customer Service. You will have to handle |
| recognized by magazine reviewers and getting | | | | returns and customer complaints. |
| publicity that way.Sadly, nobody takes a | | | | |
| self-published author seriously.The | | | | - The CEO and CFO of your own business. You |
| By-passable Middle ManAnother "Ah hah" (or is | | | | will have to take care of finances, taxes, |
| it "Eureka"?)You spend a few weeks in | | | | and the law.That's not too hard, is it?Deeper |
| frustration, with or without "writer's | | | | Into the SwampBy now the will-o'-the-wisp has |
| block", as you contemplate the madness and | | | | appeared. That's the apparition of big time |
| unfairness of the publishing world, hereafter | | | | profits resulting from big time sales (the |
| referred to as the "information marketing | | | | legendary 6 Figure Income).To follow the |
| world".We just renamed it ... because the "AH | | | | wisp, if we want to write and market our own |
| HAH" reaction came when -You discovered you | | | | books, we are going to have to carefully |
| could publish on the Internet!Dancing around | | | | place our feet on each of the stones that |
| your computer with joy, you realize that the | | | | lead to the goal. No missteps and no |
| Internet allows you to dump all New York | | | | skipping.The ghost precedes us, keeping just |
| editors and agents. They no longer control | | | | out of reach, leading us deeper and deeper |
| your destiny. Whether or not your book sells | | | | into the swamp, and we soon realize the task |
| and is read is now ENTIRELY UP TO YOU.You can | | | | is a lot bigger than we thought it was.And we |
| go directly to the public.For copywriters ... | | | | also see that we need a guide -- somebody to |
| people who write advertising copy ... it | | | | show how to build an entire business that |
| means you can "write copy without a client". | | | | will be a one person show.The Teachers and |
| You don't have to "cold call" 300 direct | | | | the ProductsThere are teachers out there who |
| marketing advertising companies in the hope | | | | have products designed to help you understand |
| of finding somebody who will let you write | | | | and accomplish each goal, but none of them |
| your copy "on speculation".This term means to | | | | put it all together. You might say, there's |
| write it, send it to them, and hope they like | | | | a specialist at each stage, but none of them |
| it well enough to buy it. And sometimes it | | | | seem to be a guide that will take you from |
| results in the discovery that not only did | | | | start to finish.(Note: There are mentors, |
| they reject it ... they stole it.You can | | | | and maybe you will want to connect with one |
| write salable copy and put it directly in | | | | of them. But for the most part they are very |
| front of the public, who will then buy what | | | | expensive.)That's why I put up my website, |
| you have to sell.Or can you?Still Stumbling | | | | to identify each of the tasks you must master |
| Through the Info Marketing SwampStill high on | | | | to become an Informational Marketer and to |
| elated euphoria, you try to learn as much as | | | | serve as a map "through the swamp".For each |
| you can about putting up a website, only to | | | | of these tasks there is a book or a software |
| find that the web is a daunting, confusing | | | | program designed to show you what to do or |
| place full of unexplained and esoteric | | | | provide you with the resources you need at |
| terminology.You soon discover that as well as | | | | that stage.The goal, of course, is to have a |
| being a writer, you may have to become a | | | | monetizing website where you actually sell |
| programmer ... you are going to have to learn | | | | your new book as fast as you can ... and |
| something about the mysteries of "domains", | | | | finally grasp the elusive goal of true |
| "hosting", and "search engine | | | | publication.And the satisfaction that comes |
| optimization"... along with an alphabet soup | | | | with it.© John Young All Rights |
| of technologies: cgi, php, html, asp, etc. | | | | ReservedJohn Young is a 62 year old writer |
| and etc.After managing to find your way | | | | with a programming and scientific background. |
| through some of this, you are elated to be | | | | He has an affiliate website designed to |
| able to set up a web site to display your | | | | help Informational Marketers find the |
| book, which you transferred from your attic | | | | products and software they need to grow their |
| trunk to the web.Wonderful.It's now in front | | | | business. |
| of the public, just like you'd hoped. You | | | | |