" Well, I Could Have Done That!"

“Well, I Could Have Done That!”

In every business, every person eventually hears those words. Typically, from a customer that doesn’t appreciate someone else’s tools, skills, service, and availability.

I come from a family of carpenters. Most of them have built homes, cabinets, home additions, home repairs, bathroom remodels, you name it. To the Lowes shopper who looks at pre-fabricated cabinets to screw into the wall of their garage, they may not appreciate a cabinet-maker’s craft.

If you don’t require your cabinets to fit tightly into a corner, sit perfectly level on the floor, get rave reviews from all your neighbors and home shoppers, stained to reveal the intrinsic beauty of the wood; you don’t need a cabinet-maker.

Maybe it’s your neighbor that outfitted his garage with beautiful pre-fab cabinetry that didn’t even require painting. All for the bargain price of $499, and now you have ideas!

You want to replace your current bathroom vanity with a new cabinet, beautifully stained, fitted wall-to-wall, with a unique marble counter top, etc. But shucks, the HomeSuper Market doesn’t specialize in those. You have to take what they have, in gleaming white, in a small selection of sizes, and their choice of counters. If that were good enough, you’re in luck! But if your expectations are higher, you need a different solution. It calls for a craftsman that can build and deliver precisely what you need and want.

The price estimate comes in, and it’s just a wee bit more than $499. In fact, its $3,499!Are they crooks? No. They are delivering a crafted, custom-fitted product with upscale services and material. Special skills and tools are required. They asked what you want, took measurements, and take great care to deliver what you need. They have a track record. Their reputation is on the line. Your cabinet will look amazing, sit level, and with no water leaks.

Could you have done that? No.

So it is with book publishing. I’ll put it right out there, I recommend low cost options without hesitation. Some writers simply want a book in their hands. Having it up on Amazon is necessary, but that’s no big deal really.

But if you want a book that will benefit from the spotlight of a marketing and public relations campaign, something more is required. If you expect to be accepted into a national sales and distribution program, the “little things” have to matter.Someone has to guide this process and challenge assumptions that in reality are snake pits. Without an investment of capital, expertise, and systems your book may be available. But will it actually be pitched to the buyers that guard the shelves of bookstores and libraries?

Listen carefully to what you are told. There are massive differences between traditional and self publishing, and even between all us “hybrids.” But the marketplace places the same demands on all of us.

Successful outcomes are defined in the light of expectations, product quality, author’s writing ability, and plenty more. Fitting Words may not be the solution for every writer, but I believe there is a “fitting solution” for every writer. We hope you find it.

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