Beer vs Books

Short of selling cold beer, starting a publishing company has got to be the easiest type of business to set up. All you need is a few bucks of seed money, an internet connection, and the wherewithal to see the thing through.  Come to think of it, you can make do without the seed money and internet connection.

Form an LLC in your state, purchase a few ISBN numbers, format your content correctly, set your price, and boom, you’re making book sales as a publishing company. It takes a little time, a bunch of paperwork, and a few fees, but that’s it.  Here’s the bad news, selling books is a hell of a lot harder than selling cold beer.  Why?

• Cold beer delivers satisfaction quickly, everyone loves it, and there never seems to be enough of it.
• Literature delivers satisfaction slowly, it’s a niche market, and you’ll always be competing against a limitless supply of free inventory.

I won’t lie to you. It’s a hard row to hoe. A lot of so-called professionals in the publication and marketing industries will sell you big promises about runaway success, but don’t you believe it. If you’ve got a book to sell, success requires hard work and some straightforward business sense.

I plan on using this blog to share what I’ve learned about the self-publishing process, writing, and doing business in Colorado. I’ll also share the odd dining, film, and book review.  If you have something you’d like me to review, please contact us any time.

-CT Hutt