Sooner or later in your publishing career–especially if that career includes publishing books–you will inevitably be faced with this (well-intentioned, yet absolutely maddening) question: “Why don’t you publish only bestsellers?”
Now, of course, any person who’s asking is probably at least dimly aware that there is virtually no other area of human endeavor where it would seem sensible to pose that question. Which insultingly implies that anything other than total success–every time!–is simply a lack of will or imagination on your part. Movies? Music? Electoral politics? Nope, in every one of those fields the occasional dud is just to be expected. Everybody knows that.
I can’t tell you why outsiders tend to think that publishing is the only game governed by entirely different rules–but the truth is that most folks do. Perhaps it’s because publishing itself remains a relatively small field, so you experts out there are actually a pretty rare breed.
How to respond is dictated entirely by your personality and by your relationship with the questioner:
- Snappy comeback? “Gosh, why didn’t I think of that.”
- Naive amazement? “Wow, now there’s an idea!”
- Modest admission, slightly confessional? “Now that you mention it, I’ll get right on it!”
- Resignation, mixed with sorrow? “I understand–I must try to do better.”
However you respond, don’t put a lot of time or effort into what you say. Because you can rest assured that no matter what “explanation” you offer, it will never, ever be either believed or remembered.
Simply keep in mind: We all have our crosses to bear. This is one of yours. It goes with the territory.