Don't Get In The Way Of Harry Potter

My publicist was talking to a Border's Express store manager in Klamath Falls, Oregon, recently. She was working on setting up a book signing for our new book.

The store manager was anxious to pick a date but he told her not to waste time trying to do anything the second half of July. Why? Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Even in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Harry Potter is king of the book stores. Don't get in the way of that marketing tornado.

A lot of self-publishers point to J.K. Rowling when dreaming about how they could write the next genius book or set of characters that captivate a large chunk of the world. I think I've read in self-publishing blogs and lists that she was turned down by everybody in the publishing world, etc., etc.

Well, that's not quite true. The second agent she approached took her on. She had a book deal a year later. Certainly it wasn't easy for her but she wrote the first book relatively fast and got a book deal faster than almost all first-time fiction writers. Why? Because she did something brilliant.

She came out of no where and changed the world. Unfortunately, the rules say only one person a generation can do that. Or there abouts. Or you have to make a deal with the devil.

I think if your goal is to be the next J.K. Rowling or you're going to do Harry Potter for adults or some other crazy thing like that you're already lost your chance. I think genius work can only come from what a person truly believes in. Almost none of us are going to create anything approaching Harry Potter but we can all write what we truly believe in. That should be the goal.

Michael LaLumiere
www.staggerleebooks.com