In one of our other blog posts, I said that it was important for every author to understand why they want to have their book published. But why is that the case? Why is it so important that you know the reason? Very simply, it’s important because you need to have realistic expectations. When you know your reasons, you will have a clearer picture of what goals might be achievable.
When I first meet with an author, I always ask the question, “Why do you want to have your book published?” I hear all kinds of different responses—“It’s always been a dream of mine,” “I love to write,” “I experienced a tragedy and want to help others who may be going through the same thing,” “I want it for my family—I want my kids, my grandchildren, to know about their grandfather.”
Sometimes, I hear, “I hope to make money,” although usually, I hear something else first. In fact, most of the time, it’s one of those other reasons, followed by something like, “Of course, if I happen to make a lot of money with this, that’s okay too!” or “I really want to help people, AND I just hope I can at least make my investment in this project back.” Even if I don’t hear money being mentioned, I always introduce the topic myself because, let’s face it, regardless of how generous you may be or whether or not you consider money to be of primary importance in your life—one way or another—most of us must think about the financial implications with something like having a book published.
The publishing business is just that — a business — and as an author looking to be “signed” by a publisher, having a clear understanding of why you want to have your book published will help you have appropriate expectations about what to expect. Ultimately, in the book-selling business—as is true with any business—there are significant differences between spending money, investing money, and making money. Successful publishers—and successful authors—understand the differences. Having clarity or purpose, realistic expectations, and a willingness to execute a well-designed plan of action is the foundation of success for both the publisher and author.
In some of our other posts, we dive deeper into all of this, where we discuss things like the various pathways authors can take to have their books published—the traditional route, self-publishing, subsidy, or hybrid publishing—along with topics like marketing, publicity, editing, and many others.
I hope knowing your why will help you have realistic expectations about your book and what you hope to accomplish in having it published. As always, if you have questions, please be sure to connect with us through this website or by calling us directly at (925) 837-7303. We are always happy to help.