This is the second post in a regular series of posts where we try and get to the bottom of what writers need to do to be a success in an internet driven world. In Are You a Proactive Writer I suggested that a Proactive Writer shows four traits :
- They produce remarkable work,
- They have an active and persistent online presence,
- They embrace technology,
- They participate.
So what do I mean by remarkable work?
The answer is simply work worthy of remark. This does not necessarily mean a Proactive Writer is producing work so far up the literary ladder that it is worthy of winning prizes, though this is an example of remarkable work. It means that a Proactive Writer is producing work that creates remark or more precisely conversation.
Examples of remarkable work could simply be a novel that redefines a genre such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance-now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!, or a book that unites an interested community such as Guinness World Records or a novel that has strong and lasting appeal such as The Lord of the Rings.
I don’t want people to mis-interpret this point. Not all remarkable books are best sellers but ALL best sellers are remarkable books.
A Proactive Writer will write a book that is remarkable in its own right. It may be that the cover is something special or the book’s writing birth has been blogged or that the subject matter is differently different enough to appeal. The remarkable factor may not be earth shatteringly huge but a Proactive Writer’s work will contain something worthy of remark. The point is that if the Proactive Writer is to have any chance of selling enough copies to make it all worthwhile the book must be remarkable.
But why?
Why must a book be remarkable? Surely there are enough examples of very mediocre books produced by writers who make a reasonable living from their work. And this is true but these are not Proactive Writers. These are not writers who have the desire and potential for bigger and better things.
The simple reason a book must be remarkable is word-of-mouth. The development of the internet and social media has lifted word-of-mouth into the single most important aspect of a book’s marketing. We are all looking for topics to blog about and subjects for our next tweet. A remarkable book creates debate and gives us all something to write about. (If you doubt this point just do a google search on ‘Twilight’.) However, perhaps even more importantly it’s human nature. When we experience something great we want to share. We want to tell our friends about the great film we watched or the excellent book we just finished reading. A Proactive Writer understands this and makes it as easy as possible for their readers to spread the word about their book.
Any thoughts…
