One of the biggest mistakes I made when I was first starting out was that I used common sense to navigate the publishing landscape. And it didn’t work! At the time I was befuddled and bewildered. The more I followed what made sense to me, the less progress I made in landing a contract. It was so confusing!
Now I know why my first attempts were so unfruitful. Publishing, like any other endeavor, has its own rules that hold true within its community. These rules, the terms used, and the way books are born are not based in common sense. They are rooted in decades, if not centuries, of publishing experience. What makes sense to you and me in everyday life doesn’t work in the self-help book publishing industry. Publishing professionals – agents, editors, publishers, publicists, and sales reps—use a completely different set of rules than you and I do to navigate life. I was naive to think that I could walk right in and get a publishing contract.
Look at it this way. Not far from where I live is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, otherwise called JPL, which is part of NASA. This is where so many of our space exploration missions are designed. Imagine that I showed up there one day trying to pretend to be a scientist. I’d make a fool of myself because I have no idea how to act like one! I’m not a scientist. I’m an outsider and I know it.
It’s obvious to me that I’m not a scientist. But it wasn’t obvious to me that the publishing industry is like the scientific community, or any other group that has its own jargon, values and ways of doing things. I thought if I did what made sense to me, I’d know exactly how to behave within the publishing world. But I didn’t. And so I failed, time and time again. But I've learned my lesson.
I've met so many aspiring authors who have something significant to share with readers, but will never get the chance to get a publishing contract because they’re relying on their own common sense. Since they don’t know how the publishing industry works, they unwittingly shoot themselves in the foot. Then they get hurt and angry and discouraged and give up. It’s such a loss, not only to the would-be author, but to all of the people who could be helped through reading the book.
What is the Lesson Learned?
Don’t rely on common sense to navigate the self-help book publishing industry. Learn everything you can about the industry before you make your big move.