Is it too late to start a new site?

I get this question a lot, and I’ve faced it myself when helping professionals “position” themselves. Should you bother? So, is it too late?

Yes, if:

• you plan on repeating what is already found on established sites.
• a condition of success is 150,000 subscribers by the end of the month.
• the topic is interesting to you on most days.

No, if:

• you’re the best at what you do.
• you’re obsessed with a topic and have a unique voice to put behind it.
• it doesn’t matter if you’re catering to 5 people or 500,000.  Either way you’re going to want to cover your topic.

Link it up for the weekend

• Branding 101: How to Promote Your Blog Like the Big Guys Do – Want some good blog advice from an author that started wtih zero readers and on to the Amazon.com bestseller list?  Check out Leo Babauta’s article (author of Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life)
• Slack - Budgets are cut.  Projects are canceled.  Time is becoming available. Instead of staring at CNBC with all this “slack time”, take a tip from Seth Godin.  Fantastic post.
• The Future of Creative Entrepreneurship – Merlin Mann’s 43folders chimes in with an inspiring article on “artistic entrepreneurship.”  That’s a killer phrase I’ve never heard before and the article is powerful.  Reminds my of the DIY attitude of Fugazi and Black Flag!

Great time to be a “content creator”

There’s a lot of doom and gloom in the news how this is the “worst year for books“.  Personally, I’m trying not to buy in to the bad news.  If you watch this interview with Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, you’ll learn that 10% of all books Amazon sells are through the Kindle.  That’s a remarkable number for a few reasons.

1. The publishing folks I know quickly disregard the Kindle (thought this was DOA)
2. I’ve only ever seen 2 Kindles “in the wild” (mine was one)
3. It’s an expensive machine ($359 before you get your first book)

Despite this, I’m proclaiming it a success.  We don’t know how many units have been sold, but if you read reviews from folks that own Kindles, they quietly rave.  Why quietly?  Maybe it’s because they are dropping close to $400 on a device that really does one thing really well (displays text).  That might be a little embarrassing (especially if you’re a techie that shows off how his/her iPhone can do back flips).

Plus, it’s centered around reading.  You won’t see an iPod-esque, action-packed ad around a guy reading Stephen King’s UR.  In fact, one spastic colleague I told about my Kindle blurted out, “That’s so dumb!  You read books?!”  Took him a few seconds to realize what he said, but it eventually sunk in and he went on to declare how many websites and manuals he read each day.  Apple’s Steve Jobs even told us that “the fact is that people don’t read anymore.”

Despite these opinions, still, 10% of all books going through Amazon are direct to this device.  Plus, now you can get your Kindle books on your iPhone!

So, who’s the big winner?  I think there are a few:  Authors, Amazon, publishers, and entrepreneurs.  If this device continues to spread…

• Publishers will see an increase in existing sales
• Authors will have a real option in self-publishing
• Amazon gets deeper control of the whole distribution chain (and are a sneeze away from controlling production)
• Entrepreneurs have another option for spreading their message(s).

So, don’t get caught up in this “worst year ever” stuff.  There’s a ton of opportunity out there!