
Can you imagine a company like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream deciding to sell a new flavor without tasting the concoction first? It would never happen! Before they even begin to create a new flavor, the company often canvasses ice cream lovers for flavor suggestions. A lot of research and development goes into a new flavor before it goes to market. The company mixes and tastes, mixes and tastes, mixes and tastes, until they are completely satisfied with the test batches. Then they come up with a name and packaging for the new flavor that will excite discerning palates and make customers want to scream for the new ice cream.
If you are a self publishing author or independent publisher, the same kind of consideration needs to go into your book. Talk with those whom you think would be your prospective readers and get a feel for whether your book would be saleable or not. Research how many books have been published on the subject you want to write about. Think about who your market would be (main and ancillary). What would your strategy for reaching those markets be? Would you sell the book on-line? Do you know the most economical and quickest way to ship and how to keep track of the business end of shipping? What title and book cover would grab the attention of your reader? These are all details you would need to think about.
The most successful independent publisher has crafted not only their manuscript carefully but they have designed a complete plan for their publication from concept to market. They know their strengths and limitations and seek help for the parts of the plan they know little about.
No, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream would not think of selling a new product without taste testing. A writer would not think of placing their book on the shelf without editing either.
It is all in the details!
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