Still, there are certain steps one can take that will increase one’s odds of success: the right combination of bait and tackle or the right look matched with the right song. The same is true of writing a successful book. While there is no guarantee of success, taking certain steps can help make success more likely.

In his candid post “The Author’s Dilemma – Why Most Business Books Suck,” John Greathouse explains why in his opinion most business books aimed at entrepreneurs aren’t very good, or very useful. By “reverse engineering” his reasons why these books fail to achieve their purposes, we can identify the positive traits that a good book should have.

“Why do most business books suck?” Greathouse asks. His answer: “In many cases, the relevant content of business books could be summarized in fewer than five pages.” So thin content is a problem, and a successful book might contain more meat and fewer trimmings.

Greathouse reminds authors that entrepreneurs need “tactical guidance,” not lofty corporate strategy. They don’t have time to read thick tomes, much less the attention span. The takeaway: make sure your content is suited to your audience. “The business world” is a big place where everyone from the owner of a small plumbing company to the CEO of General Electric dwells. Know which one of them is meant to read your book.

Greathouse also bemoans the large numbers of “formula” business books: the parable (for example, Who Moved My Cheese?), the biography (Winning, by former GE CEO Jack Welch), or the historical novel (the marketplace is overloaded with books at the moment about how Wall Street’s excesses precipitated the 2008 recession). Formulas are popular because they work; however, a smart author may look at the marketplace, ascertain what kinds of books are missing from it at the moment, and direct their effort toward filling a niche.

But just having a good book that avoids Greathouse’s pitfalls may not be enough. RainToday.com surveyed 200 authors and found that the number of books sold was directly related to how much help the author received. According to their website,

4,500 Median number of copies sold of the first book that an author wrote where the author did notuse a book publicity or marketing service

5,000  Median number of copies sold of the first book an author wrote where the author did notuse a book agent

10,000  Median number of copies sold of the first book an author wrote where the author did use a book publicity or marketing service

12,000  Median number of copies sold of the first book an author wrote where the author did use a book agent

If you blend these numbers with Greathouse’s ideas, the winning strategy is to write a good book, sold to a publisher by an agent and marketed well by a professional publicity or marketing service. Will this guarantee success? Again, no one truly knows the cosmic forces that align to make the 1969 Mets World Series winners, and the New York Yankees, with baseball’s highest payroll, frequent losers at crunch time. But one thing is certain: doing the right things will increase your odds of success substantially.

Two other examples of these “illuminated texts” include “Tree of Codes,” which dissects “The Street of Crocodiles,” a collection of stories published in 1934 by Bruno Schulz, leaving behind literal holes where text used to be, and the most recent issue of McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, a literary journal which is packaged as a box shaped liked a man’s head. Inside, editor Brian McMullen asks “What would your head look like inside?”

Of course, none of this artistic embellishment is possible in an e-book. But such embellishments aren’t necessarily new, either, nor are they just a response to the “quick and dirty” world of e-publishing. One pop culture example that comes to mind is from the sitcom Seinfeld: Kramer’s coffee table book that was actually a tiny coffee table with fold-out legs.

Still, books like these do cause us to stop and ask a few important questions: just what are authors writing, anyway? Books? Or is a book just a physical container for words, and is what writers are actually creating stories, essays, and novels? The music industry went through a similar problem of semantics when vinyl albums gave way to cassette tapes and then CDs in the 1980s and 1990s. The problem came to head when music went mega-portable in the 21^st century.

For decades, artists released music in “albums,” which was literally an album in the dictionary sense: a folding paperboard book with an artistic cover, literature inside that may have included lyrics or a folded wall poster, and a sleeve that contained the vinyl record itself.

When cassettes and CDs came along, the package was still an album of sorts, albeit a much smaller one. The elaborate and often beautiful cover art was smaller but still present, and there was still room for a tiny folded booklet and lyrics. But it was a far cry from the giant, pizza-box sized packaging of the vinyl LP that was an artistic creation and statement in and of itself.

The final blow was struck with the advent of the iPod and the sale of individual songs for $0.99 each. Gone in all but the most superficial form was the album art, the liner notes, the posters, the ordering of songs and the musical flow that musicians and record producers once created, when playing music was a linear experience defined by placing a needle on a plastic disc and flipping it over after four or five songs. While Beatles fans who first heard Sgt. Peppers on vinyl instinctively know that “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” follows “With a Little Help from My Friends,” today’s music fans may never own an entire release from a current artist, much less listen to it from start to finish. And what to call these new recordings? Albums? Records? Those terms are antiquated and recall a physical, analog era.

No doubt the book publishing industry is experiencing the same growing pains, but 30 years after it began in the music publishing world. Is there room in the future for creative, artistic, hard-copy books like those published by Siglio Press? If history is any guide, the answer is yes. Even while iTunes makes millions on dollar downloads, musicians still produce special editions of their music—multiple-CD boxed collections that contain hefty books, posters and photos, often to commemorate an anniversary or a tour. And with hi-definition TV and home theater systems becoming commonplace, these collections are even taking the form of DVDs: entire concerts in a collector’s edition box, filmed in crystal clear high-definition and recorded in Dolby 7.1 surround sound. These leather-bound, gilded collections of ear candy for die-hard music fans are truly the audio equivalent of the “slow read.” If anything in the music world offers hope for those passionate about the physical printed book, it’s this.

There are obviously pros and cons to the DIY route. True, authors retain complete control of their content, design and marketing, but that may not be a good thing. After all, the employee who designs the cars for Ford probably ought not to be the person scripting the TV commercials or making the sale on the lot. There are different skill sets required for each task necessary to write, publish, market and sell a successful book. That’s not to say some writers can’t do it well. But self-publishing that can compete with traditional publishing may only be realistic for some of the authors the Times article cites, including Seth Godin, Greg Bear, Stephen King and Stephen Covey. These authors have a built-in fan base, instant name recognition, and immediate access to millions of fans that Pete from Omaha doesn’t.

This is just the kind of arrogance that let Netflix, Hulu and others put Blockbuster Video all but out of business.

Still, publishers should take note. The Internet and the digital age have proven time and time again that traditional media players, whether they are television networks, newspapers, magazines, or book publishers, tend to underestimate the power of the ‘net until it’s too late. In the meantime, entrepreneurs and visionaries who don’t have Manhattan rent to pay create affordable business models and leave the old guard in the dust. Neil De Young, executive director of Hachette Book Group’s digital division in New York, is quoted in the Times piece as saying the demise of traditional publishers is “cocktail party sensationalism.” This is just the kind of arrogance that, for example, let Netflix, Hulu and others put Blockbuster Video all but out of business.

Trade Press Services believes that self-publishing and electronic publishing can be successful ways to publish a book, if combined with a healthy, multi-faceted marketing campaign, and if (and this is a big if ) the book is good. With the ability of readers to instantly review a book at the online retailer, post their thoughts on it on Facebook, e-mail their friends, and discuss it on their blog, word gets around quickly which books are worth the price of admission and which aren’t. More than ever, content is king on the Internet, and no amount of flashy PR or marketing is going to persuade the digital public to buy a book that’s only getting two stars from 133 readers on Amazon.com.

In the future, readers, not publishing houses, will determine what sells and what doesn’t.

Books and book authoring aren’t immune from this wave of change that all media are experiencing. While writing a book used to involve drafting a lengthy and complex book proposal that included such components as market research, a  target market description, and a few sample chapters, and only then searching for an agent who would pitch the work to a publisher, book authoring today can be much less complex and much more rewarding, thanks to self-publishing. If you are thinking about writing a book, consider these five reasons to self-publish it:

1. Cost. Self-publishing houses typically allow authors a greater share of the profit from the sales of their book. And often, you can choose to print as few (or as many) copies as the publisher is willing to print.
2. Timing. Because there is no requirement for extensive market research or an agent search, books can go from idea to print in much less time.
3. Content. It’s your book—the publisher prints exactly the words you want to see published.
4. Design. Do you want a specific font or a certain photograph on the cover? When you self-publish, you control the look of your book.
5. Control. The bottom line is that you’re in charge. If you want to retain control of your “baby,” self-publishing may be for you.

Of course, all of this control and flexibility means that the author has a lot more responsibility, as well. If the book is poorly written, if the jacket art is dull and lifeless, or if the layout is hard to read and confusing, there’s only one person to blame – you. And, if the book is in your garage and is not being marketed, you’re not going to get the personal and professional recognition you seek. It doesn’t even matter your book is a good one if no one knows about it. That’s why a strong marketing and media outreach plan is essential.

Fortunately, the professionals at Trade Press Services can help you write a great book and develop a stellar marketing campaign as well. You’ll still retain control, but the experts at TPS will guide and support you along the journey. Get started today—give Trade Press Services a call!

An important step in creating a website for your book is to pick the domain name. Unless you’re a famous author like James Patterson (www.jamespatterson.com) or Nicholas Sparks (www.nicholassparks.com), you probably don’t want to use your own name for the domain name. Rather, use descriptive keywords for your domain name. For example, author Thomas Lawson recently wrote a book titled Carl Jung: Darwin of the Mind. Rather than using his own website to publicize the book (the rather mundane www.ttlawson.com), he chose www.jungdarwinbook.com. This name is ideal because not only is it unique, but it will show up well in many search engines, and automatically lets the viewer know what the site is all about.

What should your website include? Here is a list of features that will interest potential book buyers and encourage them to click “add to cart”:

• Pictures of the front and back covers

• Excerpts from the book

• Blog

• Information about the author
• Reviews and press coverage
• Information on other books you may have written
• Links to order the book, either from your site directly, or from an online bookstore
• Podcasts or videos of you talking about or reading from the book

Your website tells your fans what you’re up to, where you’ll be signing books next, or answers questions from fans and followers. You can discuss the details of your manuscript, your career, new projects and other interesting ideas.

A Facebook presence is a must too and can tie in neatly to your website. It’s just one more way to interest more people in your book.

Remember, the goal is to sell your book! Tell your potential readers why your book is different, new, newsworthy, unique, fun, entertaining and/or informative. Use a theme that sets the mood: if your book is about 18th-century colonial America, think sepia-tone, parchment, calligraphy and quill pens. If it’s a cutting-edge business self-help book, think the colors of business (whites, blacks, blues, greens), bold lines, thick, solid text and successful-looking, smiling faces. A murder mystery? Dark! Blacks, blood reds,  icey blues and bone whites.

While no website can sell very many copies of a so-so book, a great website paired with an engaging read can make the difference between ho-hum sales and a chart topper. Want to learn more? Call or e-mail Trade Press Services today.

It’s a holiday cliche—as we head back to our routines after a hiatus, we all make promises to ourselves for the New Year: stop smoking, lose weight, eat less, exercise more, and so on. The gyms are packed, the last cigarettes crushed out, and for a few days at least, we stick to our brown bagged sliced turkey sandwiches and skip the Golden Arches on our lunch breaks.

But what about the promises you make to your business? It’s a calendar new year for the corporate world, too, and there’s no time like right now to set goals for improving your business practices and your bottom line. Trade Press Services has a few ideas in mind—and we’ll help you keep them!

Get published! As Stuart Smalley said on Saturday Night Live, “You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!” (And remember, this guy is US Senator now.) There’s no better way to show off those smarts than with a series of articles in your industry’s trade publications with your name at the top. Is writing not your strongest skill? Don’t know whom to contact or what to write about? Don’t worry—Trade Press Services does. In no time, you’ll have a list of topics and publications lined up and a seasoned writer working with you to craft your articles, which we’ll submit on your behalf.

Write a white paper. Isn’t most paper white? Yes, but a “white paper” is a defining statement about a technology or methodology. Whether it’s nuclear fusion or just better ways to haul the trash, odds are that your company does it a little differently—even a little better—than the competition. Establish yourself as the thought leader in the field by working with TPS to craft a white paper that will have the other guys wondering how to catch up.

Write that book. And you won’t even have to retreat to that bed and breakfast in Vermont with your IBM Selectric typewriter to find your inner muse and some peace and quiet. You’ve got ideas—after all, you’ve been in this business for a while now, right? And they’re ideas that people ought to hear. Things that you wish you knew when you were starting out. Things that every business in your field—heck, every business, period—ought to be doing to stay competitive and get ahead in this post-recession economy. So what are you waiting for? Trade Press Services will help you organize your thoughts, find the right publisher, and even create a progress schedule to ensure the job gets done. After all, it’s not really a New Year’s resolution if you don’t keep it, right?

Time is wasting and February will be here before you know it. Call or e-mail Trade Press Services today to discuss how TPS can help make all of these projects and more a reality.

In business today, it’s not unusual to hear conversations that start out with “Some day, when I finish my book…” or “You ought to write a book.” In fact, writing a book is on many professionals’ “wish list” and “authors” are filled with excitement and anticipation as they picture themselves on TV, radio or in the news talking about their “best-seller”.

Then reality kicks in. First time authors discover just how much time and energy writing a book takes. It’s easy to go on overload and become overwhelmed by the hours spent writing, re-writing, editing, researching and pitching agents and publishers. What was first thought of straightforward project can easily turn into a nightmare with many sleepless nights, frustration and disappointment.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you have a good idea, you can write a book. How? By working with Trade Press Services. We can help transform your ideas, experiences, wisdom and opinions into a well-crafted work of prose.

First, think about what original or unique perspectives you have. Identify what your compelling life experiences are that can be shared with others. Think about your ideas, beliefs and/or accomplishments that can help others. There’s always room for a new book that teaches, motivates, inspires, guides, and/or entertains.

Once you identify the premise for your book, then consider your audience. Who would benefit from your story or the information you want to share? Believe it or not, just knowing what you want to write about and for whom is half the battle.

Trade Press Services’ skilled, experienced writers can work with you to develop themes, break them down into chapters, and translate your thoughts and ideas into words on the page. We can interview subject matter experts or do original research to add context and credence to your manuscript. Working with a production schedule and set deadlines, Trade Press Services ensures that your project stays on task and on time. We make it easy for you, guiding you every step of the way. We’ll even help identify publishers that will ensure your book is professionally printed and bound. And it costs less than you might expect.

Yes, you can write that book! Start by contacting Trade Press Services today.