The 18 Absolutes of Book Publishing and Marketing
November 25, 2009 by Sophfronia Scott · 2 Comments
Recently I spoke at Advantage Media Group’s Author Marketing Summit and had the pleasure of meeting fellow speaker Pat Williams, senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. Pat is the author of 55 books, the most recent being Lincoln Speaks to Leaders: 20 Powerful Lessons for Today’s Leaders from America’s 16th President. He’s such a prolific author that when Pat declared he was going to speak on “The 18 Absolutes of Book Publishing and Marketing”, you bet I was sitting up straight, pen at the ready to take notes! I’ll share his list with you here as well as a brief interview with Pat in my latest segment of The Writing Life (see sidebar column) where Pat tells which point is most important to him.
1.) Read for your life (see video for details).
2.) Find the empty hook first. Meaning you should find a need for certain subject matter and write a book to fill it.
3.) Save your stories. Note everything that happens to you. Everything is fodder for the mill!
4.) You can’t sell books one at a time. Find cheerleaders and get an army working for you.
5.) Bookstores are the worst places in the world to sell a book.
6.) Write for the right reasons. (What is your specialty? Where are you gifted?)
7.) Practice “stick-to-it-ivity”. Refuse to yield, write everyday and fight through discouragement.
8.) You are researching everyday.
9.) When one book takes off, the next one should be in line to move up on the runway. Keep lots of projects in the pipeline.
10.) Keep your day job.
11.) Strive for perfection.
12.) Work hard.
13.) Do not count on your traditional publisher to do anything after your book comes out.
14.) Live in the bookstores. Befriend the managers there.
15.) Nobody cares but you.
16.) Develop your speaking skills.
17.) The Advantage Media Method (self-publishing) is the wave of the future.
18.) You are an author, not a writer.
That’s Pat’s list! Questions? Comments? Would love to hear them!
"Sophfronia, you were instrumental in bringing my book from my head onto actual paper. I will never forget that. I couldn't have written the book without you! Thanks for hanging in there when the ideas were stuck in mud and I was resistant. You rock!"--Pamela Slim, author, 
"Sophfronia Scott was a lifesaver. Without her guidance my book would never have been published. She edited my book with the expert eye of a real pro who knew how important my book was for building my business. The media is excited about my book and Don't Ever Call Me Ma'am is helping me get speaking engagements, and is building a buzz around my workshops and seminars. These days having a book is a business essential."--Linda Franklin, author, 
"I was ecstatic when I found out I could hire Sophfronia to help me write my first book. Knowing her hard work ethic, creative thought process and structured approach, I knew this was the company I should partner with in this effort. I am very pleased with the results!"--Steve Gavatorta, author, 
What a fabulous list! I am an author of more than six books and although writing is my number one passion, I do confess, I take pleasure also in the marketing aspect. These days marketing has become even more challenging.
My main problem is although my platform is journaling, I write in more than one genre, which makes marketing even more challenging. For my last book of poetry I hired an independent publicist who does alot of online marketing. I am not convinced that it helped book sales.
I still need some more innovative marketing ideas and would love to hear some.
Cheers,
Diana
Hi Diana,
I have a question for you: I know you said you write in more than one genre, but who is your reader? Is it the same across genres, or different in each one?
Cheers,
Sophfronia