Think I’ve finally figured out what will work for authors.
My inability to express it in plain english might mess it up – However, please do try to understand the direction.
The two sentence version -
Provide as much value as you can to readers while making sure that they understand that you are the value.
Make it easy for readers to provide value back in a way that aligns with their self-interest.
Where do we start?
Provide as much value as you can
Your aim becomes to maximize value that you add to people’s lives -
- How many people are reading your books.
- How much are they enjoying your books.
- Any other dimension along which you can maximize value.
Quick Note on Reciprocation
The reason the next section on ‘make sure people know its you’ is crucial is that we tend to be thankful to people who help us and we do things for them in return.
Reciprocation means that if people know you provided them value they will figure out a way to give back value.
This might mean good reviews or them buying your book or some other way in which people will pay you back.
Make Sure people know its You
Any company that provides a pipeline will try to create the illusion that they provide the value. Make sure they do not pull off the magic trick of seeming to provide more value than you do.
Basically, you have to make it extremely clear that You provide the book and Company X provides the platform and that the platform is not more powerful than your pen.
It’s brutal and some authors are going to shirk away from standing up and saying - I am responsible for you having a great reading experience.
Stay away from people who steal value
This is really important since your fear (of obscurity, of failure, of success) and greed (for undeserved profit and fame) can and will be used against you.
- An ethical company will sell you on being able to connect with your customers.
- An unethical company will sell you on how you can work for them – the more noble and altruistic their message the higher the chance they are making a fool out of you.
With the Internet you do not need any pipeline company – you can and should create your own direct channel to customers.
Understand that you are depending on reciprocation
It’s crucial to ensure people know you are providing value and to stay away from people who try to create the perception that they are providing more value than you are because the whole system revolves around reciprocation.
People will take a three-step decision -
- How much value did I get?
- Who provided this value?
- How do I give value back?
Be OK with reciprocation – Choose to be read AND to profit from it
If you really do not want to make money – make a conscious decision and write it down publicly and privately.
However, you should not make the losers choice between being read and making money from your books.
It’s completely OK to profit from your writing. If you are providing value then its OK to expect value back.
Most importantly – if you are creating value and providing value, someone is going to make money from it. Might as well be you.
Quick Interlude
If you have played your cards right to this point, you will have -
- Provided a ton of value to a ton of people.
- Made it painfully clear to them that you were responsible for 50% or more of the value they received.
- Freed up your mind from all the nonsense middle men are feeding you.
- Become congruent with the idea that you can and should profit from your work.
You now have people who realize they got value, that you provided it to them, and they want to give back value.
Now comes the genius part.
Make it super easy for people to reciprocate
Let people buy your books. Let people buy merchandise and other products.
It’s worth striking a balance between -
- Giving books away to increase the number of people you can provide value to.
- Having books for sale so that people can pay you back for value you provide.
First book free is one great way. Remember that you have to tie-in reciprocation with reader self-interest.
25% of people who loved your work will reciprocate without the carrot of a new book. With the new book over 50% will.
What if People begin to think Books provide no Value?
This is impossible. Any one who loves to read values books.
- Disregard pipeline companies trying to trick you and readers into thinking that your work is worthless and the platform is the real value.
- Disregard the portion of people who can trick their conscience and will not reciprocate back.
Most people understand that the author is putting in their sweat and blood.
As long as you and your readers believe and understand that you are providing the real value you are almost set.
Provide readers an easy way to reciprocate, while catering to their self-interest, and then you really are set.
Filed under: Reality | Tagged: reality for authors
