I once thought of promoting my book this way almost 20 years ago, except it would only have one book forever.
You could rent a space that was extremely small and narrow, and it would have just one book forever. It's not such a weird idea. In India, there's a guy who makes omelettes, and he only makes one type of omelette. Last I heard, he was making hundreds of one type of omelette per day.
This is what I found on Google: Omelette Man of Jodhpur. Operating near the clock tower in Rajasthan, India, he has been featured in guidebooks worldwide and reportedly goes through around 1,000 eggs a day
Over its 50+ year history, the family estimates they have cracked open roughly 20 million eggs.
Sean! Good to see you here. You've taught me a lot over the years by how you live and think, and I am happy/embarrassed to say that fifteen years later, some of the lessons are sinking in. ;0)
Also, this reminds me of the Wu-Tang Clan's album where they released a single copy in 2015 and treated it as a piece of fine art. In my mind, this is the way books are headed: more scarce artifacts instead of mega bestsellers, something specific for a niche audience that gets it. In fact, this seems to be the original intention for the book. Only recently did we try to turn it into a piece of popular culture.
Hey Jeff, I was just thinking of you the other day :)
Yes, we do the same thing we've always done. I guess we're like the Omelette guy, in a way.
I do think that you can always work with a niche audience. I wrote "Suddenly Talented" for example, and we sold a limited number of copies. And now I'm writing "Teacher vs Preacher" and that too will be limited. But an audience that knows and likes your work has always existed. In fact, it's all the nonsensical "big launches" that drive everyone crazy. Plus there's the myth of 1000 true fans. If you've been in business long enough, you know that's also a nice concept, but doesn't work in real life.
You can do well with a small number of people. I have a friend who has only ever had 30 clients and that keeps him very well fed. Too well fed, I'd say, based on his round tummy. :)
Haha. Indeed. If you don't know his work, check out Craig Mod. He creates limited edition, custom-printed collector's books with beautiful photos and prose in them. I highly recommend Things Become Other Things (the fine art edition). It's a work of art, in every respect. Kissa by Kissa is cool too. https://shop.specialprojects.jp/
It would also get an ongoing wave of publicity as it made its way through the rest of the planet. For instance, one of the books that I've written, which I mentioned to Jeff above, is called "Suddenly Talented", and it is about how to overcome the struggle of learning. Now, once you have a bookstore that only does that one thing, you can actually have exercises and workshops and do a lot of unexpected activities and not just be there to sell a book and then be done with it.
I find that book authors have become remarkably snobbish these days. You can write to an author, and all you hear from them is, "I get a deluge of email, and I cannot deal with your email. Maybe I will read your email and respond to you if I have the time." It's a pure lottery system, which is rubbish because if they went through the email and it came from Malcolm Gladwell or Oprah or somebody important, they would write back to that person immediately, assuming that they didn't think it was fake. Just having an outlet where you can, as an author, deal with your readers is extremely crucial.
By the way, this behaviour with a lot of authors is just extremely in poor taste. I have written to David Attenborough twice, and both times he has responded. Not just written the address and the details in the letter, but sent it all the way back to New Zealand from the UK. If David Attenborough can do it, then pretty much anybody can do it. Plus, let's not forget that he's a hundred years old.
Anyway, I digress, but yes, a small bookstore with one book would be a good idea.
Pardon me, but I absolutely effing love this post. WELL DONE!. SO MUCH MORE with COMES FROM LESS. I am obsessed with helping people escape the specific hell of "I offer many good options, but NOTHING is selling well"...... to arrive at "I solve one CODE RED problem insanely well for _____ , who is STRUGGLING MIGHTILY." It must be something that customer KNOWS is a problem and will invest in eliminating it PRONTO. Better still? I help them distill their solution in a manner the buyer sees and says: "OH WOW! I cannot believe THIS exists -- and I'm not going to get it ANYWHERE else. Take my money!" This approach puts utility, relevant novelty, mastery, and urgency on the front burners of their "stove" and cranks the heat up to BOIL.
This is well said and what I try to tell clients: "Don't try to write a great book. Write a book that works." As you said, it is better to find the right word—or phrase or idea—than it is to find a good one.
I once thought of promoting my book this way almost 20 years ago, except it would only have one book forever.
You could rent a space that was extremely small and narrow, and it would have just one book forever. It's not such a weird idea. In India, there's a guy who makes omelettes, and he only makes one type of omelette. Last I heard, he was making hundreds of one type of omelette per day.
This is what I found on Google: Omelette Man of Jodhpur. Operating near the clock tower in Rajasthan, India, he has been featured in guidebooks worldwide and reportedly goes through around 1,000 eggs a day
Over its 50+ year history, the family estimates they have cracked open roughly 20 million eggs.
Sean! Good to see you here. You've taught me a lot over the years by how you live and think, and I am happy/embarrassed to say that fifteen years later, some of the lessons are sinking in. ;0)
Also, this reminds me of the Wu-Tang Clan's album where they released a single copy in 2015 and treated it as a piece of fine art. In my mind, this is the way books are headed: more scarce artifacts instead of mega bestsellers, something specific for a niche audience that gets it. In fact, this seems to be the original intention for the book. Only recently did we try to turn it into a piece of popular culture.
Hey Jeff, I was just thinking of you the other day :)
Yes, we do the same thing we've always done. I guess we're like the Omelette guy, in a way.
I do think that you can always work with a niche audience. I wrote "Suddenly Talented" for example, and we sold a limited number of copies. And now I'm writing "Teacher vs Preacher" and that too will be limited. But an audience that knows and likes your work has always existed. In fact, it's all the nonsensical "big launches" that drive everyone crazy. Plus there's the myth of 1000 true fans. If you've been in business long enough, you know that's also a nice concept, but doesn't work in real life.
You can do well with a small number of people. I have a friend who has only ever had 30 clients and that keeps him very well fed. Too well fed, I'd say, based on his round tummy. :)
Haha. Indeed. If you don't know his work, check out Craig Mod. He creates limited edition, custom-printed collector's books with beautiful photos and prose in them. I highly recommend Things Become Other Things (the fine art edition). It's a work of art, in every respect. Kissa by Kissa is cool too. https://shop.specialprojects.jp/
By the way, you still need to visit New Zealand so that we can catch up on some “real” sushi.
A one-book-forever bookstore is a great idea!
It would also get an ongoing wave of publicity as it made its way through the rest of the planet. For instance, one of the books that I've written, which I mentioned to Jeff above, is called "Suddenly Talented", and it is about how to overcome the struggle of learning. Now, once you have a bookstore that only does that one thing, you can actually have exercises and workshops and do a lot of unexpected activities and not just be there to sell a book and then be done with it.
I find that book authors have become remarkably snobbish these days. You can write to an author, and all you hear from them is, "I get a deluge of email, and I cannot deal with your email. Maybe I will read your email and respond to you if I have the time." It's a pure lottery system, which is rubbish because if they went through the email and it came from Malcolm Gladwell or Oprah or somebody important, they would write back to that person immediately, assuming that they didn't think it was fake. Just having an outlet where you can, as an author, deal with your readers is extremely crucial.
By the way, this behaviour with a lot of authors is just extremely in poor taste. I have written to David Attenborough twice, and both times he has responded. Not just written the address and the details in the letter, but sent it all the way back to New Zealand from the UK. If David Attenborough can do it, then pretty much anybody can do it. Plus, let's not forget that he's a hundred years old.
Anyway, I digress, but yes, a small bookstore with one book would be a good idea.
Attenborough always sounds like such a mensch.
Pardon me, but I absolutely effing love this post. WELL DONE!. SO MUCH MORE with COMES FROM LESS. I am obsessed with helping people escape the specific hell of "I offer many good options, but NOTHING is selling well"...... to arrive at "I solve one CODE RED problem insanely well for _____ , who is STRUGGLING MIGHTILY." It must be something that customer KNOWS is a problem and will invest in eliminating it PRONTO. Better still? I help them distill their solution in a manner the buyer sees and says: "OH WOW! I cannot believe THIS exists -- and I'm not going to get it ANYWHERE else. Take my money!" This approach puts utility, relevant novelty, mastery, and urgency on the front burners of their "stove" and cranks the heat up to BOIL.
Glad this resonated, Amy!
This is well said and what I try to tell clients: "Don't try to write a great book. Write a book that works." As you said, it is better to find the right word—or phrase or idea—than it is to find a good one.
Good point, Jeff!