Publishing, Product Creation…
Ever have that incredible idea that you must get out to the public. You break out your favorite word processor or just your favorite writing instrument at 11:00 PM and just start writing. You know, people will love this. Publishing houses will be knocking on your door. You are 50,000 words away from fame and fortune (and everything that goes with it…. I know you heard that too …)
In you furious attempt to accomplish the daunting task of writing your first novel, or how-to guide, or memoire, or whatever it is that you’re trying to accomplish you come to the realization that maybe nobody would be interested, should you have planned it out? At least a little?
I think it’s great to have 100% inspiration and be completely motivated to complete a project, but not all projects are created equal. Some are definitely worth your time, others aren’t. So, how can you possibly determine which of these categories your project falls into without having completes and tested it?
Well here are the five most basic steps you can take to see if your new idea is somewhat worthwhile. You will answer these five questions (yes, some will require a little thought and research) but believe me it’s worth it. Plus I know that you already know these five questions: Who, What, Where, When & How.
Ok enough said let’s begin.
Who – The first thing you have to ask yourself is who is my target audience? Plus, make sure that you have an audience. Searching online to see if there products like yours already being sold, contrary to popular belief, is actually a good thing. It means that there is a market for your product.
What– The next thing to ask is what void is my product going to fill in the lives of my target audience? Are you designing a how-do product that show people how-to accomplish something (Is it a book, videos audios or a combination), is it a trashy romance novel to allow people to fantasize about what life could be like? This should be outlined upfront so you have a clear vision of what you’re trying to accomplish.
Where – Next, figure out where you plan on marketing your product. Market exclusively online, try to get into book stores, try to get your product in store, or both online and offline, direct mail. Knowing these things upfront will help you design the product for your target medium, whether a digital product or a physical product.
When – Next, Set a deadline for your project. If you write a date in large print and tape somewhere you see it everyday, your brain will automatically figure a way to finish on time. (Like those days in high school where you put off a project until the last weekend and you somehow got it done by that Monday morning, you didn’t how but you knew it would get done.)
Lastly, is How – How are you planning on publishing your product? You can self publish or try to through a publishing company. Each has there own advantages and disadvantages. Self publishing is great if you have a large target market to sell you product to, where as a publisher can get your product exposure to places that might be very difficult on your own. With self publishing you have the ultimate freedom to produce whatever type of product you what, whereas going to a publisher has a whole ‘nother set of format requirements.
Good luck and congratulations on taking on this monumental task that lies ahead. The fact that you decided to achieve this a great feat in itself, but now answer the five basic questions to give yourself the best chance to succeed.
Motivation and inspiration combined are a force to reckoned with, couple those with a well thought out plan and they become a ballistic warhead that can’t be easily stopped.
~Scott
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