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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 28

Writing Craft

Would You Buy Your Own Book?

By Steve Laubeon May 6, 2019
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While teaching about writing and publishing I have, on occasion, asked the question, “Would you buy your own book if you saw it on a shelf but didn’t know who you were?” I’m met with a variety of reactions. Laughter. Pensiveness. Surprise. And even a few scowls.

The question is meant to provoke you into describing why your book idea is unique. Why it will stand out among the noise of the competition.

It is unfair to ask the author this question, of course. I assume you would buy your own book. There is no one who knows your book better than you. But that isn’t what I’m asking.

It is not a question of whether your book is important or valuable or even well written. Don’t hear it that way. It is actually a question of commercial viability.

The greatest problem of today’s writer is obscurity. The industry uses the word discoverability to describe how a book can be discovered. You may have heard that ebook piracy can be a problem for writers. But if no one knows about your book no one will steal it–and no one will buy it either!

This is why the competitive analysis portion of your book proposal is so important. Help the agent help the publisher create space on the physical or virtual shelf. Help them position your book, so it rises from obscurity into viability. With thousands of new books appearing online every day, there must be something that makes yours interesting.

Imagine you are standing in a physical bookstore. (I know it’s hard to imagine, but play along.) Go to your favorite section of the store. Now lightly run your finger along the spine of the various books shelved there. What makes you stop and pull that one down to look at it. The author? The title? The color? The binding? What magic is in that moment for you as the consumer. Then ask, “Why did I just do that?”

Would you buy your book if it wasn’t written by you?

This can be as “simple” as a dynamite title. Or it could be a strong platform that stands out in the crowd. Or the skill in the writing is so amazing that the book creates word-of-mouth buzz that spreads throughout the world.

You know the question is coming, so prepare your answer. Would you buy your own book if it was on the “shelf” next to an über-famous author on the same topic or in the same genre?

 

[An earlier version of this post ran in November 2011.]

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, Platform, The Publishing Life, Writing CraftTag: Marketing, Pitching, Proposals

Even the Best Get Rejected

By Steve Laubeon April 15, 2019
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I've written about rejection before and yet it is a topic that continues to fascinate.

Recently Adrienne Crezo did an article on famous authors and their worst rejection letters. I thought you might enjoy reading a couple highlights of that article and some additional stories I have collected over the years.

George Orwell's Animal Farm was rejected by Alfred Knopf saying it …

Read moreEven the Best Get Rejected
Category: Career, Get Published, Rejection, Writing CraftTag: Rejection, Writing Craft

Details Are Great Except When They’re Not

By Bob Hostetleron April 10, 2019
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One attribute of good writers is an eye for detail. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, relating relevant and memorable details can make your writing sing like a soprano at the opera. Like Nero Wolfe’s love for the Phalaenopsis Aphrodite orchid or Wendell Berry’s onomatopoeic depiction of the “good, good, good” sound of men drinking from a moonshine whiskey jug in Jayber Crow. But …

Read moreDetails Are Great Except When They’re Not
Category: Craft, Writing Craft

Break the Rules…On Purpose

By Bob Hostetleron April 3, 2019
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As a rule, writers should have a good grasp of the rules. Rules of grammar. Style. Usage. And the fundamental rule that you never walk the out man. Oh, wait, that’s baseball. It’s a good rule, though. As a writer and an editor, I like the rules. Most of the time, they make perfect sense because they make things easier and clearer for the reader, which is one of the keys to good style. For example, …

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Category: Craft, Grammar, Writing Craft

Write for Narcissists

By Bob Hostetleron March 27, 2019
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Every reader is a narcissist. Hold on, there. Don’t get all mad and sassy yet. Let me explain I often tell developing writers, “No one reads about other people; we read only about ourselves.” Go ahead and quote me, just be sure to give me credit and send me the royalties it produces. Seriously, I think it’s true. For example, I read several memoirs every year. And many of them are about writers …

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Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

A Plea for Preciser Language

By Bob Hostetleron March 20, 2019
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Not everyone is a grammar nazi and spelling tyrant as I am. And some people write so brilliantly that spelling and grammar mistakes are more easily overlooked. I don’t know any of those people, but I’m told they exist. The vast majority of writers will do themselves a huge favor if they do their best to use precise language, grammar, and punctuation in everything they produce. Below are a few …

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Category: Craft, Grammar

Who Gets Paid in Publishing?

By Steve Laubeon March 18, 2019
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The economics of publishing is a bit of a mystery if you are just coming into the business. With all the talk about indie publishing vs. traditional publishing and the talk about how writers can get rich if they follow a certain plan, I got to thinking. Maybe we should do a quick look at the economics of publishing to see if anyone is making off like a bandit. Sorry for you non-numbers people, but …

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Category: Book Business, Get Published, Money, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Contracts, Get Published, Money, Writing Craft

Loving Ideology

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 7, 2019
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Since we all experience life, we tend to gravitate toward those causes that have impacted us. Or you may feel affected by the idea of wanting to stop an injustice because your heart is moved. Stopping harmful behavior is a worthy goal. And since Jesus told stories, many authors want to tell stories to encourage readers from destructive activity. However, the parables Jesus told were meant to teach …

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Category: Craft

The Book as Therapy

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 28, 2019
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Have you ever read a novel and wondered if the author was working out issues in her own life? Fiction can be therapeutic for both the author and the reader. However, the therapy portion can’t be too visible. At least, that rule applies 99.9% of the time. For instance, let’s say your boss unjustly fired you from your day job. You’re feeling unvarnished emotion and rightly so. Now that you have …

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Category: Craft

Negative Feelings

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 21, 2019
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I wish everyone I came into contact with loved me without reservation. Unfortunately, I was forced into contact with someone for many years who didn’t love me at all. This person would pick fights with me, harass me, bully me, and cause much unnecessary conflict. Though this person called themselves a “Christ follower,” this person rejected all the rudimentary doctrines of the faith. When this …

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Category: Craft
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