1000 books in your garage does no one any good

I talk to so many people that have a good story, a good song, a good idea. There's a lot of talented people out there that no one has heard of. Many people feel their talent alone will carry the day. It's like the phrase, "If you build it, they will come." But, unfortunately, the end result of this philosophy is 1000 books sitting in your garage.

But if you're serious about publishing your book or recording a music CD and connecting it to people, you have to realize one thing: you're starting a business. And the product you're selling is—YOU!

This makes certain people uncomfortable, especially creative people. It's really easy to sit behind your computer and write a novel or hide in the studio and record an album. But when it comes time to share it with the public, it gets difficult. You have to face criticism, you have to face rejection. You have to stick yourself out there and take a risk. But marketing yourself is essential to a project's success, whether you're JK Rowling or Bob Smith. If you're not willing to market yourself, why should your publisher or record label take the risk? And with any risk, there's the opportunity to succeed.

At Tate Publishing, marketing is key. We employee some of the best editors and graphic designers in the world, because you have to have a good product to sell. But nothing can touch our marketing department's ability to partner with an author and create an impact in a over-crowded marketplace. And nothing can touch an artist that's willing to sell themselves.