At a recent author panel,
panel members were asked
how they achieved their breakout hit.
No one knew.
Yes, they wrote a great book
but they thought previous books
were as well written.
Yes, they sent it to the right publisher
but these publishers published previous books.
They couldn’t point to any one thing
and say THAT was why the book broke out.
Marketers often say the same thing
about marketing going viral.
Previous campaigns had the same ingredients
but not the same results.
This unpredictability is good and bad.
It is good
because the next book, the next ad
might breakout.
There is hope.
It is bad
because we can’t control
this breakout.
And it might never happen.
Plan for a slow build.
Hope for the breakout.