Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – March 12, 2019

Change questions. An old tale tells of a curious plague that struck a village long ago. When afflicted, its victims went into a death-like coma, and most of died within a day. The problem was that villagers couldn't tell if a victim was dead or alive. After discovering that someone had been buried alive an alarmed town council convened. The majority -- hoping to save lives – voted to put food and water in every coffin. Another group proposed a cheaper solution to implement: a long stake in every coffin placed directly over the victim's heart. Thus, all doubts about the victim's condition would vanish. What differentiated the solutions were the questions used to find them. The first group asked, "What if we buried somebody alive?" The second group asked. "How can we make sure everyone we bury is dead? How can you change your questions to come up with different answers? For example, define your target readers and then ask, "Who else could use this content?"