Although I’m with numerous publishers,
only one of my publishers is upfront
about what genres and plots sell well.
The others don’t share this information,
because knowledge of what sells
is viewed as a strategic advantage.
Sure, if no one else
has access to this knowledge.
The major book reselling sites, however,
all have bestseller listings.
With one click of a button,
I can see what sells.
So their competitors have
their rough sales information.
By keeping what sells and doesn’t sell
a secret from their authors,
the publishers force their bestselling authors
to spend time redoing research they already have,
time these authors can use
to write more stories with the plots
and in the genres that earn these publishers cash.
When I worked for a beverage manufacturer,
a newbie to the organization was aghast
because everyone from the cleaning lady to the CEO
knew what our top selling juices were.
When he commented upon
this sharing of ‘strategic’ information,
the VP of sales pointed out
that market research companies gave competitors
that information in a neat, convenient list.
Why should the competitor know more
about the company
than employees did?
Are you keeping information
your competitors know from your employees?
Why?