Booknolia

It’s a common, romantic dream. However, like most romantic dreams, reality isn’t as pretty and perfect as the rosy dream.

Myth: You just need to write a great book. Budding authors believe that the cliché “build it and they will come” also applies to writing books. In other words, they believe that if you write a great book, people will buy it.

Not so.

Everyday someone, somewhere in the world, is finishing up an amazing, seminal book. However, that book won’t hit the bestseller lists while dozens of less interesting books will.

Why?

Cynics might conclude think that it’s because Americans are uncultured and stupid. They think we all enjoy trashy books. Although some do, smart and profound books make it to the best seller list often (consider Freakonomics, The Third Chimpanzee, and The World Without Us).

Therefore, if writing a great book doesn’t guarantee success, what does?

Marketing.

Reality: You just need outstanding marketing. Amazing marketing is what separates the bestsellers from the unknowns. Obviously, writing a breakthrough book helps, but what really makes a difference is killer marketing. It’s the common DNA in nearly all contemporary bestsellers.

Therefore, if you want to be an author when you grow up, remember that there’s more to it than just sitting on the beach in Bali and writing a great book.

As an author, you’ll have to hustle and promote your book nonstop. That means writing articles, getting others to write articles about you, getting others to review your book, and getting on radio and TV. That’s hard enough, but now imagine doing all that when you have no budget (which is what most publishers give you). Not so romantic anymore, eh?

At Booknolia, we’re helping budding authors to market their books. Unleash the power of social networking at a site that is exclusively devoted to book lovers. Join today!