Many of my clients and friends know that I sold a book in 2009…and that I then had to write the book per my Byzantine contract with HarperCollins.  What you may not know is that writing a book and learning the business of publishing has given me a huge amount of insight into the other businesses I work with and, by extension, my own.  Here are some highlights from the journey:

If you’re gonna do it, do it right.  Lyrics from a Wham! song?  Yes.  Good advice?  Yes.  When I decided to take the plunge and follow my dream of getting published, I did it the long, hard way.  I researched agents, wrote a killer query letter, and suffered through a failed attempt to sell a similar book before landing this deal.  It took three years, but it was more than worth it.  My book is going to get the audience…and the chance…it deserves.

Know your audience.  One of the first questions I ask my clients is “who’s your audience?”  When they don’t know (or don’t want to bother finding out), I know we’re in trouble.  The same thing applies to writing a book.  Luckily, having a crystal-clear picture of my audience and my ideal reader has been a great organizing principle as I write.  When I get lost, I think of my ideal reader and what she wants to read.  This works equally well in marketing and business.  If you lose sight of your audience, you can’t be surprised when they don’t respond to your message.

Know your limits.  I admit it:  I’m a workaholic.  Adding this project (a massive undertaking that my business partner has started referring to as “Erin’s pregnancy and childbirth”) to the already-huge workload of running a start-up was slightly ridiculous.  I’ve managed to do it, but there have been bumps, primarily three bouts of bronchitis that finally necessitated a solid week of rest without any work whatsoever.  If I could do it again, I’d set stretch deadlines and more realistic ones to keep myself better-paced and better-rested.  I see this tendency in the owners and employees of the companies I work with…people who tend to favor work rather than work-life balance.  Everyone has limits, and that’s okay.  Better to set an attainable goal and reach it than one you can never meet.

The best work is collaborative.  Can I tell you how scary it was to receive my first reads and edits on The Heroine’s Bookshelf? I’m talking white-knuckled, terrified reading as I searched for the worst possible rejection of the work I’d labored over with such love and care.  Though I’ve been a professional writer for years, I really dreaded the editorial process before it began.  But going through the process has reminded me that this book is a team effort.  It wouldn’t have sold without my agent’s hard work or my editor’s championship.  Once it’s complete, I’ll rely on legions of copy editors, designers, typesetters, publicists, sales staff, and others to help make it a success.  The pleasure of the process…of opening yourself up to criticism and change…is profound.  And I find it’s the same for my clients.  It can be scary to bring in a consultant, to stare change in the face and back it up with that checkbook.  But once the process becomes collaborative, you usually have the support and insight you need to keep on going.

What have you learned from the projects you pursue outside of work?

Wanna learn more about my book?  Do it here!

Image courtesy of Library Mistress

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

No related posts.

Comments are closed.