Scarcity is an interesting trap. If somebody makes something
\n"scarce", it can appear more valuable than it actually is. Your
\nattention becomes riveted on the "scarcity" rather than looking for available alternatives.<\/p>\n
(This was written a few years ago and it is even more true today. With
\nthe current state of the Internet, the barriers to self-publishing or
\nstarting a business are significantly reduced.) <\/p>\n
When there is the prospect of getting your CD or book published, an artificially created scarcity can keep one fixated on
\nsomething that is unlikely to happen. There are saner ways to proceed.<\/p>\n
Look at the role of scarcity in maintaining control of
\ntraditional publishing. There are millions of people who write and only
\na handful of publishers who have figured out the keys to getting their
\nbooks in bookstores. <\/p>\n
Well, traditional publishers used to be the only real outlets for a writer, but that is no longer the case. There is no shortage of publishers who can print an excellent quality book and ship it to customers on demand.<\/em><\/p>\n With a little work, you can see your work in print and on Bookstores are another example of scarcity. There is only so much If you sell online and offer free shipping, why would anyone need to find your book in a bookstore?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Today there are tens of thousands of writers who write well enough I’ve been following the literary efforts of some dear and talented There are some incredibly persuasive reasons to look outside the 1. When you 2. Blogging is the first step in becoming a self-publisher. The You can use this 3. There is nothing so psychologically destructive as inviting Applying for a job when the company cannot pay If 4. THERE IS NO SCARCITY OF OUTLETS FOR YOUR WORK! <\/p>\n Get over the idea Traditional If you were As a self-publisher, you can publish your work in small quantities as I did, or you can There is unbelievable satisfaction in having people say, "I heard about your new book!"<\/p>\n Sometimes they even say, "Where can I get one?"<\/p>\n If you really want people to read your work, please take a hard look This article applies to almost every form of publishing including music on CDs or MP3 files and artistic works of all kinds. You can reach customers all over the world if you use the Internet wisely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scarcity is an interesting trap. If somebody makes something "scarce", it can appear more valuable than it actually is. Your attention becomes riveted on the "scarcity" rather than looking for available alternatives. (This was written a few years ago and … Continue reading
\nAmazon.com. You can generate sales without having to rely on
\ntraditional publishers or bookstores.<\/p>\n
\nroom and they must stock what their customers will buy. As an unknown,
\nyour books will only appear in a bookstore if you or your friends bring
\nbooks to the store. <\/p>\n\n
\nto command a following of readers. The vast majority of them seem to be
\ncaught up in the maddening hamster wheel activity of writing,
\nsubmission, and rejection by companies that have no way of profitably
\npublishing their work.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nfriends for some time and have wanted to whack them gently alongside
\ntheir heads to get them to wake up and see the possibilities they are
\nignoring. Some are online, some are not, but they all are transfixed by
\nthe traditional dream of being "published".<\/p>\n
\nresource-limited world of traditional publishing, if your writing is
\nmore interesting and thought-provoking than most of the material you
\nread in "mainstream" publications:<\/p>\n\n
\npublish your own work, you gain an immense amount of real experience as
\nto what your market is. You also get honest feedback that helps you
\ndetermine what to do to get more people reading your work.<\/p>\n
\nfeedback you get in your comments and from watching website visitor
\nlogs is instant and brutally or refreshingly honest. <\/p>\n
\nto good advantage in developing a public awareness of your work and a
\ncommunity of people who are interested in seeing that you succeed. They
\nwill buy your book and, more importantly, they will tell others about
\nyour writing because it is interesting information that they are the
\nfirst to hear about.<\/p>\n
\nunnecessary rejection.<\/p>\n
\nwhat you are worth is ludicrous. Submitting manuscripts to companies
\nthat are frantically searching for a viable business model is worse.<\/p>\n
\na publisher is doing well, it is because it has found a
\ncustomer base for whatever it is currently publishing. The only works
\nthat will interest them are clones of what they are already publishing.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
\nthat your piece is only valuable if it appears in a traditional
\nmagazine, collection or whatever. The only value of appearing in a well-known
\npublication is the immediate visibility. Once it is published, it becomes old
\nnews by next month. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\npublishing is a zero-sum game (If someone else gets published, you don’t get published). If a known author with a track record of
\nsales has something to release, a traditional publishing house would be
\ncrazy to publish something by an unknown instead. <\/p>\n
\npublishing, you would do the same. With limited production capability, you would choose the popular "brand" to sell, not the "unknown" brand.<\/p>\n
\nuse a POD publisher. Either way, your work will be available for people
\nto buy it and you will do the same promotional actions as if you had
\npublished through a main-stream publishing house. There are unlimited
\noutlets for your writing, all you have to do is use them.<\/p>\n
\nat self-publishing. You owe it to yourself to do so. There is no
\njustification for a good piece of writing to remain unpublished. I have also proved to my own satisfaction that self-publishing caused a
\ntraditional publisher to license my work after I proved that a market
\nexisted for it.<\/p>\n