Hook someone on your brand of toothpaste or a certain wine and you’ll get sale after sale. Hook someone on your book and the best you can hope for is that he buys copies for gifts—and that he has lots of friends—or that he talks it up so others will be prompted to buy a copy.

Here is a quote I stole from a recent edition of Shelf Awareness, a great daily newsletter for those interested in bookselling:

Margaret Atwood (Image from Wikipedia.)

“When people say publishing is a business—actually it’s not quite a business. It’s part gambling and part arts and crafts, with a business component. It’s not like any other business, and that’s why when standard businessmen go into publishing and think, ‘Right, I’m going to clean this up, rationalize it and make it work like a real business,’ two years later you find they’re bald because they’ve torn out all their hair. And then you say to them, ‘It’s not like selling beer. It’s not like selling a case of this and a case of that and doing a campaign that works for all of the beer.’ You’re selling one book–not even one author any more. Those days are gone, when you sold, let’s say, ‘Graham Greene’ almost like a brand. You’re selling one book, and each copy of that book has to be bought by one reader and each reading of that book is by one unique individual. It’s very specific.”

                          —Margaret Atwood in an interview with the Globe & Mail

Canadian Margaret Atwood is a poet, novelist, and short story writer. She has been described as a “scintillating wordsmith.”

As challanging as we find the book biz, many publishers—and authors—manage to thrive. My guess is, excellent writing is the best place to start.

 Just a write thought.

So did 16,000 other people.

The traffic into the arena was horrendous. Our seats were in the nosebleed section. Huge TV screens suspended from the ceiling were the only way we could identify who was speaking.

I went knowing that the $2 entry fee guaranteed there would be sales pitches for products of one kind of another.

I also knew I’d be entertained and I was.

Much on the program was applicable to writers’ and publishers’ lives.

Your words are your prophecy.

There was a lot of talk of about optimism as a key to success. Giuliani said great success comes when high ideals, preparation, and optimism meet.

One speaker suggested the old tool of looking at yourself in the mirror every morning and saying something affirming such as, “I am a great ___________.” (Fill in the blank: writer, publisher, husband, tollbooth attendant.)

Another put it: “Your words are your prophecy.”

Don’t believe a positive outlook is important? Try pessimism for a while and see how far that gets you as a writer or publisher.

Don’t stop short of the goal.

Another recurrent theme was stretching for your best.

One of the speakers asked us to raise our right arm as high as we could. When 16,000 people had their arms in the air, he said, “Now raise it higher.” Many people did. They hadn’t raised their arms as high as they could the first time.

I’ve had authors who, when I sent their manuscripts back for revisions asked me, “Isn’t this good enough?” like it was a junior high school paper they would settle for a “B” on.

Unfortunately, in most cases, this attitude prevailed when it came time for them to help market the book and the book’s sales and author’s royalties suffered for it. They weren’t willing to put their arms up as high as they could and were rewarded with meager success.

And now, the football metaphor:

At writers’ conferences, I like to talk about some literal stretching toward the goal that I’ve noticed in NFL games.

Picture one of those pileups that occur when the ball runner has been downed. As the players peel themselves off the pile, the fellow with the ball always reaches out and places it as far forward as he can.

This rarely fools the ref who, 99.99 percent of the time, picks up the ball and replaces it at the yard line where it went down.

However, the player, pro that he is, isn’t deterred. He knows .01 percent of the time a ref will leave the ball where it is. And that extra arm’s length might be the extra distance the team needs for a first down. And that extra first down might be what the team needs for a touchdown. And that extra touchdown might be what the team needs to win the game. And that extra win might be what the team needs to get into the Super Bowl. How much effort is it to extend your arm?

How high is your arm?

 Just a write thought.

I bought two.

 Point being, if you want your writing to sell today, you likely need to consider piecing together a marketing program.

 Just a write thought.