When Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen authored their little general interest book, they approached dozens of publishers, all of whom refused to touch it. The book broke all the rules, with no niche market. So, the two determined from the beginning never to leave the fate of Chicken Soup for the Soul in the hands of a publisher or the bookshops.
Instead, Hansen and Canfield started to seek all kinds of advice on making their book a success.
They went to an expert, Ron Scolastico, who told them “if you go to a large tree every day and take five swings at it with a very sharp axe, eventually, no matter how huge that tree is, it’ll fall.”
They interviewed successful authors, asking, “What would you do today to sell a million books as fast as possible?” Writing down the responses, they had 1,094 different activities for promoting a book. Overwhelmed by the list, they broke it down and decided to do things in rotation, just five things a day.
But, five things every day.
So, these two men set about the task of doing at least five promotional activities every day. Interviews, radio talk shows, trade shows, TV appearances, book signings, press releases, book fairs, seminars… you name it, they went out and did it. Day after day, year after year. They didn’t get tired of what they were doing, either. Nor bored.
Through their actions and incredible persistence, they turned their little book into a worldwide bestseller. And a major brand. Once, it seemed every person on earth knew about it.
And think about this – what if you were that consistent?
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
– Robert Collier, author of The Secret of the Ages.