Anecdotal evidence suggests that as few as 15% of the books published each year sell more than 5000 copies!
Publishers know this and have adjusted their business model accordingly. Instead of expecting all books to sell well, they rely on the few bestsellers that emerge to make the bulk of their profit. However, these bestsellers are impossible to predict, locking publishers into an inefficient system
This is bad news for published writers who, looking at the figures, have just a 15% chance of selling enough books to make their time investment in writing a novel financially worthwhile.
This is the route of the Proactive Writer.
It is now possible for writers to make a living from publishing books (or dare I say the C word – content) online. This is far more than self-publishing.
Here’s the idea…
- A writer sets up a website and links to their three or four social media channels,
- The writer populates these channels adding value to any followers they pick up,
- Followers get value out of following the writer and become fans,
- Writer produces content and directs fans to blog/website,
- Repeat until writer has enough fans/followers that they are able to sell their content,
- Option: use fan base and sales to leverage a bestseller book deal with traditional publisher.
I didn’t invent this model, its being going full steam for the past few years. Here’s some examples of Proactive Writers who have built a career using this system:
Scott Sigler
Sigler released his novel EarthCore as a free podcast and built such a fan base that he was able to sell a paid version via iTunes. This led to a book deal and a string of bestsellers.
J.C. Hutchins
Hutchins ‘podcasted’ his Sci Fi trilogy 7th Son ending up with “over 40,000 listeners worldwide and over 2,000,000 downloads.” This led to a traditional book deal.
Chris Brogan
Brogan is social media evangelist. He spent years building an online platform to voice his ideas and promote his business ventures. He leveraged this platform in 2009 to make his co-written book Trust Agents into an international bestseller.
37Signals
37signals is a technology company who sell online applications to help businesses collaborate. They have promoted themselves by building a popular blog that talks about their unique way of doing business. Regular guest appearances on podcasts and high profile writing has established them a respected platform. They leveraged this platform for make their recent book Getting Real a huge success. Not only was this book sold in traditional paper format, but also digitally off their site, together with a complete full copy that can be read online for free.
Thoughts? Is this really more than self-publishing done well?
