Every publisher wants to sell books. That goes for self-publishers every bit as much as for legacy publishers. Publishers invest in authors. They spend money to cover the cost of publishing. They spend money on marketing and distribution. That goes for self-publishers every bit as much as for legacy » Read More
Tag: Making Money
The Memorable Story of Ulysses Grant’s Memoirs
Ulysses Grant’s personal memoirs are a classic. Historian Ron Chernow described them as “The foremost military memoir in the English language.” I read the memoirs several years ago and I’ve dipped into them from time to time since. But it was only recently that I learned the story of how they came to be » Read More
What are the odds of writing a bestseller?
“Can you help me write a bestseller?” Not every prospective client asks me that out loud. But anyone who writes a book wants it to be a bestseller. What are the odds? Not very good. Depending on who’s counting there are 600,000 to 1,000,000 books published in the US in a year. Only a vanishingly small fraction makes » Read More
The staying power of a great product
I love “The Shawshank Redemption,” and so do a lot of other people. It’s number one on IMDB’s list of the top 250 films. But as much as I love that movie, the studios and the actors love it even more. The product that keeps on giving Shawshank is still paying residuals to the performers, after more » Read More
What’s a niche?
I own a Volvo. When it’s time for service, where will I take my car? I can take it to any number of service shops. Some are generalists. Others specialize in “foreign” cars. And a few specialize in Volvos. If I can, I want to take the car to a Volvo expert. That Volvo expert has a niche. The expert knows » Read More