What is Red Ocean Strategy? And Why Should Writers Try to Avoid It?

As we begin our dive into the Blue Ocean Strategy, it is important to understand what most businesses do, and why it doesn’t work. It’s called the Red Ocean Strategy.

The majority of businesses practice some form of the Red Ocean Strategy. It is either when businesses enter an over-saturated marketplace, or they simply defend their current position. When sales go down, or competition enters the fray, they merely fight to regain those sales or stave off the competition. It is unhealthy because it’s likely going for customers that have long since left and won’t be returning, or fighting for scraps to gain marginal profits.

So how does this apply to writing? Well, are you writing for a genre that is really popular right now? Then you’re entering an over-saturated market space where agents, editors, and publishers will need a damned good reason to pick the book up. If you self-publish, you’re marketing had better be stellar because even if it’s a masterpiece, how do you separate it from the hundreds of books very similar to what you’re offering?

Don’t confuse this for being a lecture against writing what you love. Please don’t take it to mean that in the slightest. However, it’s important for you to know and understand what’s happening in the publishing world, and more importantly what your consumer wants to read. Are they in the market for something you have to offer? Or, will you simply be another substitute for an exhausted topic?

That choice is yours, come back same day next week to learn about Blue Ocean Strategy, where you create a marketing strategy for yourself, leaving the competition behind because they can’t even compete for your market share because they can’t duplicate what you’re doing.

If you have questions, please keep the conversation going in the comments section, check back on my official website for the latest updates. You can find me on Twitter @ThomasAFowler, use the hashtag #WritersConquest. Thanks for stopping by, kick some ass and be proud of everything that you do.

Published by thomasafowler

Thomas A. Fowler is the author of nerdy things, entertaining readers by writing primarily science fiction. An award-winning author, he self-publishes some books while pursuing the traditional route with his feature-length projects. Fowler works as a Producer/Project Manager to help pay the bills, especially since he is a father of four. He's had work featured in Buzzfeed, AdAge, Creativity Online, and is a proud Hufflepuff, INFJ, and forever Team Cap! View more posts