Authors are not your competition

I’ve been coming across lot’s of posts on writer’s envy and competition. I was quite surprised when I googled writer’s envy and found there were 400,000 posts on it. WHAT? 400,000 authors envious of other authors and thousands of authors equally commiserating in the comments section of those posts.

Authors are not your competition!

Let me admit; yes I’ve been hit with writer’s envy. That pang of pain is very short lived in my case, roughly thirty minutes and then it’s over. I’ll tell you why.

– Authors Are Not Your Competition, They Are Your Customers

Let’s be honest. Authors are the most voracious readers. I’ve read 102 books already this year and I know I’ll hit two hundred by the end of the year. I will not fall asleep or commute without a book.  Where others see 400,000 green eyed writers, I see 400,000 opportunities to sell books. Just imagine if all those people bought and read your book, what would happen? All of them are readers first and writers second. Focus on your customer, not your competition. The only reason you may think this doesn’t work is if you don’t buy other author’s books or support the publishing business yourself. Please don’t say you’re low on cash. If you’re spending 4 bucks on fancy coffee everyday, you can certainly buy a book a week.

-Authors Are Your A dvertisement

Word of mouth is still the way to go when it comes to advertising books. When I read “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” by Garth Stein, I went on and on and on about the book. I told my friends, my church group, and my family. I spoke about the book everywhere I went . At dinner parties and in crowded elevators, in trains and during potlucks. I told everyone. Authors have huge branding and audiences today. A word here or there can help spread the message about your book. You need their word, you need their mouths.