As most people know, William Paul Young recently self-published a book for his kids called, “The Shack.” But, no one expected that this book would set records as the most successful self-published book in history. As of today, “The Shack” has sold over 6,100,000 copies! If you haven’t read it yet, get your head out of the sand and buy a copy – it’s worth it. For details, click here to watch the author’s interview on Good Morning America earlier today:
This book is fascinating to me, not only for incredible spiritual content offered, but how this book turned the publishing world upside down. I’m amazed by how many publishers turned down the manuscript and continue to poo-poo the book today. It’s obvious that the “industry” isn’t in-sync with the desires of many book readers.
In addition, I think “The Shack” represents a look at the future of publishing in America. For example, new authors who write great books can succeed without a traditional publisher (this idea used to be considered heresy). Sure, it’s a rare occurrence, but not as crazy as once believed.
Plus, “The Shack” represents a book that can be purchased without walking into a bookstore and buying a book. Case in point: You can now purchase the book as an “app” and read it on your I-Phone (see picture below):
We live in an incredible time of change for America and the publishing industry. Ideas that were considered impossible are now a reality. Keep in mind, however, that writing books and using technology means nothing if you don’t provide value to the reader. Without value, you’ve just got a bunch of fluff. And, fluff is the last thing people need to navigate this rapidly changing world.
