The Naked Truth About Your Novel

Woe is me! I only have one book!

Down at the bottom of this post you can hear my thoughts in the MP3 file instead of reading them! I absolutely have to give props to Online-Convert.com for charging me nothing to convert my .ga file to an .mp3 file.

So here's what I said, not verbatim but close:

When you, as an author, write a book and market that book, you are not offering a book. You are offering a service--the service of entertainment or knowledge.

Your book is not a product.

Yes, you can hold a book in your hands, you can hold an e-reader in your hands, you can even see the book on your computer. But while your book is tangible, it is not tangible as well.

Because while your words and feelings in the book can be read, it's your thoughts within that book that come out. That is the service that you give to the reader. Your offering that service of knowledge or entertainment. That's not a tangible thing. 

You're giving them a service of thought.

So the next time you go to market your book stop thinking about it as a product and start thinking about it as a service. When you think of it like that, my model for writing is the best possible option. While one book can reach thousands of people you still have a consumable service. Write more books! Frick, you're a writer. Write.

Action Item: Write good books. <--- PLURAL on purpose.

Hey look! I talk too! Push the button! Push it! Push!

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