Recently Adam Singolda, CEO of Taboola, shared some tips for video marketers and it struck me that they are valuable for writers as well. His overall theme was “It’s all about ‘do,’ run a small pilot, get some data, fail multiple times, and get better.”
Singolda mentions “the beauty of failing.” His point is that typically we learn more from failing than from succeeding. This is a view that sounds great, but feels terrible. I think we have to get over the feeling (I’m working on it…) before we can embrace this perspective.
On a practical level, one thing it means is to leave behind the old school idea that we approach one publisher (or one producer, or one potential buyer or service provider of any kind) at a time. That was the “ladies and gentlemen” school of getting published.
It’s over.
When your project is ready, get it out there to a batch of potential buyers (or agents).
You won’t hear back from most of them. Rude? Yes, by my standards, but standards have changed.
But what if more than one agent wants to represent you? Or what if more than one publisher wants to publish your book? You should be so lucky. Then you go with the one who offers you the best deal.
Will the ‘loser’ be mad at you?
They’ll get over it.
(More tomorrow--and if you're wondering where to find creative and inexpensive ways to market book or other product or service, get a copy of "Do Something Different," published by Virgin Books, with a foreword by Sir Richard Branson.)
