By Patrick Donnelly
Account Manager for AlphaGraphics St. Louis
Introductions often serve different purposes for different authors. For some, it is a means of relaying the direction of the book; outlining a map, of sorts, that the reader will follow to completion. For others, introductions act as a sort of resume, allowing the author to show his or her audience (or in many cases, justify) just why that person picked up the author’s book in the first place. While not limited to these two examples, most books will employ these devices to accomplish the author’s end.
My introduction will, in a way, take pieces from both aspects. If you are reading this, it is because you are looking for guidance about getting that book off the screen of your MacBook Pro and into the hands of an audience who is compelled to read it. It is every author’s dream: for something that the author has painstakingly slaved over for countless late nights to be realized in the form of ink on paper wrapped in thicker paper draped in ink to make a lasting and personal impact on the reader. It is why we stay up until the wee hours of the morning, strained eyes comforted by the cool blue glow of a computer screen, sleeping only when the coffee pot is as depleted as our proverbial gas tanks, the faint flickering of a computer cursor acting as a lighthouse guiding us into the harbor of our imaginations and creativity.
There is a common belief, or misconception, that writing a book is only successful if one ends up on the shelf of Barnes and Noble, or atop the New York Times’ famous list. I am here to tell you that most books fail not because of content, but rather because of strategy and implementation of a plan. The common belief perpetuated by quick printers and small scale publishers of the late 90’s and early 2000’s is that an author should print as many books as possible for as cheap as possible, and then to push the author out into the elements. This harsh idea is not only impractical, but more importantly it is impersonal. Nowadays authors must approach their book not as a hobby, but as an extension of their business, of their professional selves. The minute you have a book, its success is directly tied into how well you promote it and follow a strategic plan. I propose a new way to approach your book: treat it not as just a book, but rather as a new Small Business Venture. Your book should have a detailed marketing plan, a focused budget, a clear, concise vision and goals, and most importantly it should have the respect of time and effort that any business venture in one’s life can possibly spare.
AlphaGraphics has been serving the St. Louis area and, really, the entire nation for years with accomplishing the points detailed above. Book publishing and marketing is a perfect synergy of the services the company has provided its clients and customers for years, and most importantly AlphaGraphics has a track record and history of success in taking an author’s labor of love and turning it into a living, breathing business that in some cases provides an additional revenue stream, and in others serves as a means of establishing the author as a subject matter expert in their respective fields of choice.
Understand this: writing a book is one thing, writing a successful book is another thing entirely. An author must be willing to devote the time, effort, and dedication into making their book successful otherwise the book, the labor of love, the product of blue glows and coffee, will sit dormant in dusty boxes in the garage, or stacked listlessly in a workout room. It doesn’t have to be daunting, and it doesn’t have to be done alone!
This blog series will serve as a means of providing insight into the process of successful book publishing and marketing, and more importantly offer encouragement that it is not a one person venture; a solo mission. Over the next several weeks, we will be detailing the process we go through with our clients to assist with changing the idea behind small book publishing efforts from an input/output methodology to one of organic growth and development.
You already have the book, whether in a word document or rattling around in your head. It’s time to make that book a reality (a profitable, successful reality), and we do just that.
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Interested in having a free copy of the
Take Your Book to Market program referenced above?
Click Here or on the book below to request a copy!
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If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, leave them in the space below or send us an email! AlphaGraphics is a Marketing and Printing Solutions company in St. Louis, MO that has provided the St. Louis business community with quality service for 16+ years. Visit us at
www.stlprint.com to learn more!