Being the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King might be all well and good. But such huge audiences are freaks of nature. Both of them were accidents. Who knew that they were going to be adored by millions. They certainly didn’t. Trying to tool your work into the next big thing is a terrible strategy, because most of the time all that just means copying the above.
Filling a niche is a more reliable method. where people buy lot’s a t-shirts that make no sense to anyone else. The thing is: you can’t fill a niche that you don’t occupy. Do you think Stephanie Meyer would be so popular amongst stay at home Moms desperate for attention without being one herself? (The whole Tween thing is just a creepy accident. Or ::gulp:: a vision into the future.)
I’m suddenly reminded of an old boss who wanted to make his millions by making personalized newsletters for newborns. It was…God awful, but really want do you suspect of someone that doesn’t even have a vagina? I saw the most stunning example of filling a niche in Columbus this weekend.
A transcript (paraphrased).
Man: I’m a relative of (famous general from war of 1812).
Woman: Incredible! I’ve always been an admirer of him! Do you know just how important he was to the War of 1812? This is amazing! I want to have your historical babies!
Actually she said, “I want to put you on the front page of the Gazette.” Same difference, but we all know he filled the niche that night (that’s what she said).
