“The Hidden Truth Behind Your ‘Game-Changing’ Idea: What No One’s Telling You”
What do you think your readers really want? A splash of innovation or a comforting hug of familiarity? If we look back at the tale of John Kennedy Toole, whose brilliantly eccentric novel “A Confederacy of Dunces” initially flopped despite its quirky charm, it becomes evident that sometimes, we can innovate ourselves right out of the market. Readers and audiences often seek the warm embrace of the familiar over the exhilarating chaos of the new. It’s a captivating paradox, isn’t it? While we, as creators, marvel at the thrill of crafting the next big thing, our audiences may long for a return to what they already know and love. So, as we navigate the fine line between creativity and the comfort zone, it’s essential to recognize that, more often than not, your readers crave that familiarity. Curious about how to find that balance? LEARN MORE.
Your readers don’t want to be transformed — they crave familiarity
In the early 1960s, John Kennedy Toole believed he had crafted something extraordinary. His novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, captured the eccentric pulse of New Orleans, wrapped in a protagonist so peculiar and hilarious that it could only be a stroke of genius. Toole was certain his novel would stand out, that it would transform him from a struggling writer into a literary icon. But as he submitted his manuscript to editors and publishers, he encountered a brutal truth: nobody wanted it.
Editors and publishers found Toole’s novel “too weird,” “too eccentric,” or just not marketable. One of the last rejections came from the esteemed editor Robert Gottlieb at Simon & Schuster, who found the novel promising but deeply flawed.
In 1969, Toole took his own life, convinced he had failed as a writer.
The myth of “new and improved”
For creators, the appeal of innovation is almost magnetic. There’s a thrill in the unknown, an intoxicating lure in developing something new. But your audience hardly shares this appreciation for novelty.
To illustrate this point, marketing professor Yuji Winet surveyed over 5,000 people. Participants…
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