Every published author gets requests on a constant basis from authors. These are invariably first-time authors. The person wants the established author to do one of four things:
1. Review his manuscript
2. Help him find a publisher for his manuscript
3. Write a blurb for his self-published book
4. Write a positive book review
Before you do this to any published author, check your files to see if you did the following.
1. Contacted him for advice before you started researching
2. Took his advice before you started writing
3. Contacted him a second time before you started writing
4. Took his advice after you started writing
5. Asked him what the best approach was with the completed manuscript
This way, you send a signal.
1. You want advice, not confirmation.
2. You take advice or have a good reason not to.
3. You value this person's advice.
4. The person knows you value his advice.
5. He knows you are asking for free advice.
6. You know the only reason someone gives free advice is as a favor.
7. You let him know that his free advice is producing positive change.
8. You let him know that his advice is valuable.
I have never had anyone do this.
There are reasons for this.
1. They want confirmation, not advice.
2. They want to do things their way, not someone else's way.
3. They want success on their terms, not someone else's terms.
4. They believe their insights are significant.
5. They assume that the published author will share their self-evaluation.
6. They assume that there will be a high payoff for the author in reading their book.
7. They assume that high payoff will more than compensate the author for his time.
This has to do with being an author. An author thinks he has something important to say. This colors everything he does. A new author hates editors. (This rarely changes.) It even colors his view of other authors who might try to serve as free editors. Authors don't want any editors, free or not.
So, the new author waits until (1) he has finished his manuscript, and now asks a published author how to get it published, or (2) he has self-published his book, and wants a free promotional, or (3) got a publisher to publish it, and wants a free promotional. The third is very rare. That is because publishers reject about 99% of the finished manuscripts sent to them. Any author who sends a completed manuscript is so inexperienced that he thinks that publishers read completed manuscripts, rather than a proposal: an outline, one sample chapter, and a suggested market for the book.
A skilled author has an agent. The agent is looking for a large advance on royalties. He rejects all manuscripts that he thinks are not worth an advance on royalties. The publishers rely on agents to screen out manuscripts that are not promising. The bad agents starve and go into a different line of work.
But first-time authors are unaware of these things.
This is why I have written several free articles on GaryNorth.com on how to get published. To access them use the search engine. Search for a phrase: "your first book."
But new authors do not do this. They write the manuscript first. Or, even worse, they self-publish first. Then they want a positive blurb.
I was once a first-time author. That was in 1968. I had an unpaid agent: R. J. Rushdoony. He intervened and recommended the manuscript to his publisher. He had done this with Morris and Whitcomb's book, The Genesis Flood. The book became the publisher's first best-seller. He trusted Rushdoony's judgment. Sadly, my book did not become a best-seller: Marx's Religion of Revolution (1968). He did sell all copies at retail, so he lost no money. My second book, An Introduction to Christian Economics (1973) went into several printings. The publisher never lost money on my books.
I never sent out copies for review. I never expected published authors to spend the time to read my books and write positive reviews. I knew early that it would make no difference. Blurbs do not sell books. Ads do. Word of mouth does. So does word of mouse. That's why few books go into a second printing.
So, if you have written a book, spend time designing an online marketing campaign. Don't send out free copies for review. You only waste money this way. The review copy goes out. Money does not flow back in.
Trust me on this. I have been in publishing ever since 1977. I have learned the hard way.
[Note: what is true of writing books is true in every field. Don't seek confirmation. Ask for advice. Then take it before asking for more.]
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