I believe it was the crime writer Barry Eisler* who made the comparison between a writer looking for a literary agent, and a self-employed entrepreneur looking for a venture capitalist, who will be willing to invest in their product and their business. i.e. You. The writer.
- Why should this venture capitalist invest their time and money in you as opposed to the 1000s of other writers out there?
- Which publisher IS going to buy this book?
- Who IS going to hand over their hard earned cash to buy this book you have create? What are the target demographics? How does it compare to other books already on the market?
- Why should they take a risk with YOUR book? What have YOU got to offer them which is unique = and commercial? In marketing terms - What is your Unique Selling Point?
I personally find this a useful analogy. Even if it does offend the 'artistes', but then again, I WANT to be published and my work read and enjoyed by other folk.
- I am the writer as entrepreneur. Self-employed. On my own.
- I have created a ‘protype' if you will, of my work.
- Now I have to convince another person that, if they take the risk and invest in my work, then I will give them a return on their investment.
So. What answers do we have to these questions?
Over the next few days I will be working on the synopsis for my crime thriller and attempting to condense this into a compelling premise, which can be used to pitch to a literary agent.
Wish me luck - I am going in. Gulp.
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