Somewhere over the rainbow
Illustration by Sergio Carabajal
by Beth Mende Conny © 2000-2026
Writers often ask me if their books are marketable given the number of competing books on the same subject(s). More often or not, my answer is yes.
Love, self-help, dieting, child-raising, gardening, travel — these are but a few of the dozens (hundreds?) of topics none of us seems to tire of. (And I haven’t even touched on fiction.)
Here’s why:
We will never master the intricacies of love, making a soufflé, converting dollars to Euros (I speak of myself here), etc. We do, however, seek mastery. That’s why we continue to buy books on these topics. The books give us the hope, guidance and skills we seek.
Times change. So do attitudes about, say, childrearing or healthy eating. And let’s nor forget technological advances. A few decades ago, there was no Internet. Go back even further, there were no espresso bars ... no telephones ... no railroads ... no (fill in the blank). New developments require new books to explain them.
People write books, and while there are several billion people in the world, there is only one you. Assuming this is a good thing, this is what will make your book distinct. Distinct doesn’t equal good, of course, but that’s a whole other article.
To prove my point in a fun way, consider the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from the movie classic “The Wizard of Oz.” Judy Garland may have sung the original version, but hundreds of others have been recorded since. Go to iTunes, for example, and you’ll find more than 100 versions.
Below, I’ve chosen eight renditions. Listen to the tracks and note how each artist gives a different spin to the same old tune. What they do in music, you should do in your writing.
• Judy Garland
• Katharine McPhee
• Patti LaBelle
• Placido Domingo
• Phish
• Chet Baker
• Willie Nelson
• Electric Factory
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