Working side-by-side with authors everyday, it is not unusual to have someone ask, "What's the best shortcut to success?" or "What's the secret to making my book a bestseller?"
The answer to these questions is simple - there isn't one.
If there was a fool-proof secret or a short-cut to success, everyone would take it.
The reality of the book industry is that while lightning can strike once in a while, success as an author comes from one simple thing...one simple factor seems to play a role over and over in the authors that are the most successful at Tate Publishing...what is that one thing?
Hard work. And lots of it.
No one is going to hand you anything in the book industry. Authors must work, scrape, scratch, and claw their way to success. There are failures, and there are small victories. Sometimes the victory is finding out what doesn't work for selling your book and determining that you won't follow down the same road again.
I've been reviewing today the marketing practices of other publishers, and I am confident that Tate Publishing does far more far longer for authors than any publisher in the world. We work unending with authors to pursue opportunities and make additional contacts. We have publicists and staff making calls daily and sending press for every Tate author. And we never tire of doing more.
Too many authors (and publishers, for that matter) make the mistake of giving up too soon. When instant name recognition, fame, or fat royalty checks don't come quickly, they give up and throw in the towel. Resistance comes, and they begin to realize how cold and difficult this industry can be, so they quit.
Writing and selling a new book is like starting a small business. Small businesses do not tend to take off and experience overnight success. It takes dedication, diligence, and time. The same is true for authors and their "small business."
Authors that persevere, put their heads down and keep plowing - those are the authors that find success as they team with us and follow our plan. They realize the timeless, Biblical truth that God rewards hard work and diligence. They reap what they sow. But like the farmer, the crop doesn't come up overnight.
They must work to see the results.
