Sell What They Want, It’s Easier
by Bob Schwarztrauber
Yesterday, my daughter and I struggled over what to have for dinner.
It’s Lent season. No Meat on Fridays for us. My daughter loves meat.
As we’re out driving we pass a McDonald’s. She say’s, “Can I get some fries?”
I say, “Fries aren’t dinner. Try the fish sandwich and I’ll get you some fries.”
We have a deal.
So I order two “Filet-o-Fish” sandwiches, no cheese. Why they put cheese on a fish sandwich is beyond me.
Let me say for the record, I think McDonald’s has the worst fish sandwich. That’s just my opinion, but it’s true none the less. They put cheese as standard, but no lettuce? Come on!
Anyway, I digress. Oh yeah, Burger King has the best fish sandwich. Not great, but the best of the big three. They used to have a great fish sandwich when it really was a Big Fish sandwich. Huge, it was like 700 calories with enough sodium to stop your heart dead, but it was so good with their special tartar sauce, with a hint of lemon zest and crispy shredded lettuce. Yum!
OK. Back on target. We got the fish, she saw there was tartar sauce. She said, “Yuk! I don’t like tartar sauce.” Ug, there’s no accounting for taste.
And that’s my point here. There is no accounting for taste.
You might like McDonald’s standard fish sandwich, a small piece of fairly tasteless fish with tartar sauce and cheese. They are pretty smart so I’d bet they tested it, then backed decades of continued sales with proven test results.
I’ll bet Burger King did the same. Wendy’s too.
Nobody is offering WHAT I THINK would be a great fish sandwich…A nice piece of grilled salmon with that creamy Bloomin’ Onion dipping sauce from the Outback, topped with crispy fresh lettuce on a big toasted sesame seed bun. Now that would be delicious!
But nobody cares what I think. They sell, and continue to sell, and have sold MILLIONS of fried, filet of white fish sandwiches. Have for well over 30 years, and no signs of slowing down. Just slightly different versions.
And that’s how you should write your book to succeed.
Write what sells. Different versions. Write what they buy already.
People will always buy a different version of things they like.
I have 100’s of books. Scores on marketing and selling. And I have lots of books on how to be a better photographer. I just keep buying a different version. I have none on fishing though. I just keep buying MORE of what I like.
As all people do. (And people who don’t normally buy books. don’t buy books, so don’t try to get them to.)
Write your VERSION of the current or past best seller. Write in the category your know best, are expert at, or just have a different take, maybe a contrary version. Human nature doesn’t change. How many diet books are there? Plenty. Room for more? You bet!
Trying to blaze a new path through the weeds is hard. Many die trying.
Follow the well worn path. But travel it to the beat of your own drum. Write about it from your own perspective, your own experience.
That’s how you write a book that can succeed.
Write like a Big Fish.
