I hear it all the time: The newspaper industry is dying. And yet, people’s appetite for news (and commentary that gets labelled news) seems more insatiable than ever. What happened? Newspaper companies simply didn’t adapt fast enough. People are still watching movies—they’re just not renting them from Blockbuster anymore. General Motors still makes cars—but more and more of them are electric!
We all face change. The question is, how well and how quickly do we adapt to it? How good are you at recognizing the difference between a fad and a trend or a market-shift and a culture-shift?
For years people have been predicting the demise of book publishing. I’m happy to say that book publishing is thriving like never before. It’s thriving in part because authors and publishers have been quicker to adapt their messages to be conveyed in the format that readers what to receive it.
If you have a message that others need to hear, I would encourage you to consider all the ways that you can present that message. Don’t assume that your audience only wants to digest what you have to say in the way that YOU want to present it.
Here are TEN ways to present your message…
1-Print books – Whether hardback or paperback, there is still demand for a thoughtful message that people can hold in their hands.
2-Ebooks – If people can’t read your book on their phone, iPad, or Kindle, how many people will you miss?
3-Audiobooks – At the gym, in the car, while biking, make sure people can digest your message through their in-ear headphones!
4-Magazine articles – I dated my wife before I was convinced I wanted to marry her. Let people sample your message in an abbreviated form that makes them hungry to know more.
5-Blogs – Maybe your message is like an M&M. I don’t know about you, but I can’t each just one handful. I always go back for a second. Introduce me to your message in your weekly blog and then follow it up with a second installment next week, and then a third…
6-Podcasts – What would happen if a blog married an audio book? They’d make a podcast! The most popular podcasts are built around a common theme or message, but they introduce us to multiple authors and experts who can speak on that topic.
7-Mini-books – I tell authors all the time, that “short is the new long”. Don’t tell people everything you know about a subject, tell them just enough to make them hungry for more.
8-Webinars/Teleseminars – Is your content best presented in a multi-media format where people can both see and hear you? Yet you have an audience that is not specific to just the location where you live?
9-Online courses – This is the opposite of what I just said about mini-books. Don’t try to wrap up everything you know into one book if the information is better received through a series of videos, online questions and/or coaching sessions
10-Master Classes – Maybe your content is best absorbed in a more interactive environment where people can exchange ideas and experiences guided by your expertise.
