Authors, specialization, and referrals
If you want me to coach you or edit or ghostwrite your book, here’s what I look for, in order:
- It’s the kind of book I’m expert in: big idea books, trends books, or advice books.
- The book is worth publishing — the world will be better off if it exists.
- It can be improved with editing — the problems it has are fixable.
- You’re willing to listen to my suggestions.
- You’re eager to learn from my suggestions.
- I will be proud to say I was involved with you and your book.
- The pay is fair.
No matter how much it pays, I’m not interested in working on lame books that don’t matter. On the other hand, even if it’s an important book, you’ll still have to pay me; I don’t work for free.
My referral network brings me these kind of books and authors
I don’t put much effort into marketing (beyond this blog, that is). Even so, I tend to get referrals on exactly these kinds of books.
Why?
Because the folks who write these kinds of books tend to know each other. They speak in the same places; they ask each others’ advice. If you wrote this kind of book, your friends who want to write this kind of book are going to ask your advice. And if I helped you write your book, you’re going to recommend me.
This is very efficient for me. I don’t have to sort through a lot of inappropriate requests. I’d estimate that half of the projects referred to me end up with a contract.
The advantages of specialization
I could increase my hours and work on more books. I could even hire people to learn from me and expand my business.
I won’t do that.
It would require me to expand the kind of books I work on, and my value on those other types of books is lower. I’d have to charge less or do a worse job (or both). That doesn’t sound like a good way forward for me.
This is my version of retirement: working only on the things that matter most to me at a fair rate of compensation.
If you’re freelancing, have you specialized? If you’re hooked into the right network, it’s a good way to become the go-to resource for the people in that network.
And it’s a lot more efficient than sorting through hundreds of poorly qualified leads for projects that pay too little and make your miserable.