Why the Book?

Someone will have to answer this question for me. From a business standpoint: Why the book?

It seems to me the book should be the final stage of any literary campaign-- the culmination-- not its beginning.

In the first months of World War II, the "jewels of the fleet" in navies around the world were the battleships. They turned out to be obsolete in that role, in that they were lumbering, expensive, and needed supporting infrastructure in the form of protection. They were shown to be extremely vulnerable to small, quick-strike planes launched from land or by aircraft carriers.

The ULA was successful when it attacked established literature's weak points, not its strengths.

One thing the publishing industry can still do is put out there millions of books with a huge supporting infrastructure.

Writers, however, are wedded to the idea of the book.

Ballyhoo Works!

Lady Gaga is the perfect example. A few years ago in high school she was a mousey nobody. When she decided on a music career she brought along the hype. The rest is pop music history.

If I could find a few young writers as hungry as singers, I'd topple today's literary industry. With the right plan it'd be easy.

More Branding

Branding IS the Ballgame.
Look at what ING Direct, the cafe/bank, has done with the use of the color orange. Masterful-- associating the color with their name. Instant association.

My new plan, if I implement it, will focus on branding.

Efficiency

The biggest argument for participants in a project being in one geographic location is simple efficiency. I've learned you can write only so many words in a week, so it's best not to waste them on emails, explanations, and debates. Face-to-face meetings are morale strengthening and at one shot can cover large amounts of territory.

Going Forward

The key to success for literature is not just to recognize it needs a better product. It's to see that the literary slice of the cultural pie can be much larger-- that there are methods to achieve this.