A glut of books? Is there hope for yours?

Last night, I was thinking about an interview I had listened to several months ago featuring Mark Tauber, Senior Vice-President and Publisher at HarperOne. Mr. Tauber had lots of interesting things to say, as he provided tips to prospective authors who hope to publish with HarperOne (or with any other publisher).



He talked a lot about the need to make your book stand out from others and how difficult that is to do. He pointed to the huge changes in the publishing industry--leading to trends such as the growing need for an author to have a "platform" (i.e., a media presence, a speaking career, some area in which he/she is well-known), the 90-day winndow to make a book sell well (i.e., you only have three months to get decent sales before you are overtaken by other books, and the huge increase in books being published. Mr. Tauber mentioned that over 176,000 books were published in the US alone last year. I'm not sure if he meant non-fiction books or all books.



I could just imagine the what was going through the heads of many prospective authors who heard that interview. "If the competition is that high, what chance do I have?"



I have a firm belief that every good book can find its readers IF a) the author has a passion for the topic and deep knowledge about it; b) the author has the courage to write the book with a strong voice; and c) the author seeks out good advice about the creation of the content.



Mr. Tauber said one particularly wonderful thing--that there are always going to be people who have original things to say, an interesting perspective to present, a way of imparting wisdom in a fresh way that can capture the attention of publishers and readers.



So, instead of worrying about the "book glut", focus on your own content, what you love about it, what you are passionate about, what words of yours you want to meet the world, and then tell that story with conviction, love, and commitment to do what it takes to get it done.



The pathway to a successful book is, as Mr. Tauber said, not a walk in the park. But it IS do-able. Don't be one of the discouraged. Instead, be one of the encouraged.....and go for it!



You don't have to do it all alone. There are publishing industry professionals such as myself, and others out there, who can help you uncover your greatest publishing asset--your own writer's voice that speaks your own wisdom.