Q1: Why won’t you represent my book? I know it’s great!

Answer: Frankly, because we don’t think we can sell it to any publisher of our acquaintance. Literary agents work on commission. If we deem your project to not be sellable, it is worth nothing to us.  That’s harsh, but that’s business. 99% of the time, the reason we reject something is NOT because it isn’t a good idea or it is badly written. It’s because you as an author do not have the kind of significant marketing presence, called a “platform”, to sell enough copies to lure a publisher into offering you a contract.  To learn more about how to build a platform, click here. 

 

Q2: OK, I’ll just go self-publish and you won’t make a dime! What do you think about that?

Answer: Self-publishing is the exactly right option for a lot of people! The people who should self-publish are non-famous people who are writing memoirs, people who really don’t care if it sells only a few copies (the average self-published book sells fewer than 150 copies in its entire lifetime!), and people who are writing dark, cruel, mean-spirited content meant to hurt other people.  Everyone else, HEAR THIS:  If you self-publish and still don’t have a platform (see Q1 above) then the chances are EXTREMELY high that your book will “fail” by publishing standards.  That means it won’t sell very many copies.  When your first book has “proven” that you don’t know anything about marketing or book promotion, then your chances of getting a publisher to invest in the future in your “losing business proposition” is, of course, microscopic (or smaller!)  How do you overcome this dilemma? LEARN HOW TO BUILD YOUR PLATFORM and then TAKE ACTION.  

 

Q3. I just want to use a book to grow my speaking, consulting or coaching business.  How can I best do that?

Answer:  NOW you’re on to something!  This is one of the best goals to have when you set out to write a book. OF COURSE you also want to serve mankind, make the world a better place, etc.  That’s the extrinsic reason most people write books. But to make your business grow, there really is no better marketing tool that a book. People often say, “A book is just a calling card.”  Actually, think about that silly statement. If you had a box of business cards in a drawer in your desk and your business wasn’t growing, you couldn’t blame the “calling cards”, could you?  Just like every author, it comes down to how much hustle you’ll put in spreading the word about your book, which will reverberate into greater interest in your speaking, workshops, coaching or consulting (or accounting firm, tire shop, or catering business).  THAT is our sweet spot as an agency. THAT is what drives people to do the work to build a platform.  We have lots of ways you can get help achieving your worthy dream – from private consulting with Wendy to taking one of our online workshops or reading Wendy’s latest book.  Start on this page and decide from there what your next best step will be. 

 

 

Not finding the answer to your question on this page? No worries! Just write to our team at Help@KellerMedia.com or fill out the contact form (above) and we’ll be happy to assist you.