Competition versus cooperationCompetition is often lauded as the driving force of a market economy. I think it is cooperation. In my previous article, I mentioned the challenges of publishing. This could motivate you to be more competitive. However, excessive competition often results in more harm than good. Cooperation, on the other hand, creates a value surplus. In the following discussion, I’ll shed light on the insidious nature of competition and how many of us fall under its destructive influence. Let me give you an example in publishing where cooperation is the right path despite the road signs pointing toward competition. The publishing marketAs authors, we operate in a market where only a few people enjoy financial success. Some people think this outcome is because of competition. It is not. This occurrence is how the publishing market organizes itself. It is a power law market, also known as a Pareto market. The nature of the market may lead you to keep your ideas to yourself and focus solely on financial gain. However, the market isn’t looking to pick winners. We frame it that way. The market naturally organizes itself around helping the billions of market members find books they will enjoy. Part of that joy is the social aspect of discussing the books you love with like-minded people. Contrary to the assumption that the market tries to concentrate wealth in a single person’s hands, its primary goal is to connect readers with the largest groups interested in the same titles. The money naturally follows. A Pareto market is a complex, self-organizing system that meets billions of people’s social and entertainment needs. Help it help you by collaborating with your readers and other authors. Collaboration will get those Pareto forces working for you far more effectively than if you act like the publishing market is a zero-sum game.
 What I shared with you should be a good enough reason to focus on collaboration, but some will remain compelled to compete, viewing it as a motivational force for success. While competition certainly drives a lot of behavior, it is not without drawbacks. If you agree, consider the following words from Willard and Marguerite Beecher, authors of Beyond Success and Failure: “Competition enslaves and degrades the mind. It is one of the most destructive of all the many forms of psychological dependence.”
Psychological dependency—wow! That’s a powerful statement, and I’m sure will cause some folks to get upset. Before you write or unsubscribe, ask yourself why those words evoke such a strong reaction. The book argues that letting go of competition is the only way to transcend the limitations set by others and unlock your true potential. The authors contend that the opposite of competition is initiative. Self-reliant individuals use their initiative to determine what problems they will solve, when, and how. In contrast, those driven by competition can only try to outpace others in a race determined by someone else. They have no choice. Personally, I’ve struggled with this concept because I thought being competitive was an attribute. It’s natural to fall back on monetary accumulation as an indicator of success. I also can fall prey to trying to imitate others’ success in search of my own. Imitating is far different from learning from others’ success. However, life has taught me that I’m most fulfilled and, more often, the least concerned about my financial situation when I’m following my creative initiative toward what I believe will create a surplus of value. As I write this, Author Nation is in the initial stages of forming committees. Our structure is purposely designed to facilitate collaboration by including more voices to increase diversity of viewpoints. This structure may also increase contention and trigger competitive tendencies because these are default behaviors (Remember the DMN from season three?) when figuring out our place in something new. A fundamental shift of Author Nation is that we aim to help you identify and achieve your best life through writing. This mission requires making room for the right answers to the question of what constitutes that best life rather than simplifying it into a competitive pursuit of financial gain. You may think, “To have the best life, I need money,” or “If I just get what that other person has, I’ll be okay.” While some level of financial security is necessary, if we adhere to this competitive thought process, we are not independent but using comparison to determine when happiness will knock on our door. It might be easier to create a show that celebrates financial success. One that would perpetuate a cycle of competition where we all try to outrun one another in a crowded maze.
 However, I don’t believe that model is sustainable. We are seeing the systemic deterioration of brands focused on the relentless money hustle. What if, instead of starting with the pursuit of wealth, you defined your best life first, then determined the money necessary to actualize that vision? Maybe your fulfillment lies not in monetary gain but in cultivating a particular community or engaging with an audience. Let’s be real—most of what drives publishing is competition and imitation. We constantly look over the fence to see what our neighbor is doing and then imitate it. Is that how you want to spend your days? Imitating others may seem like the right path when we are unsure and fearful of the outcome. Yet, that approach always leaves you behind the pacesetter and constantly adjusting because you are adopting methods that are losing momentum and becoming diluted through competition. Navigating uncharted territory can be lonely and scary. If we have never trusted our own initiative or have only had poor examples of self-reliance, then what other option is there but to imitate and join the competitive fray? It might seem financially reckless that all you want is to write books others enjoy reading rather than work a steady job. How is bringing joy to another reckless? It is creating joy for you and others. That means collaboration—telling the story you want to tell in a way others will enjoy, which is different than writing to market. In collaboration, your originality can find the place to take root and flourish. In competition, you only seek to replicate what has worked for others. Let me give you a different take on this idea. Many authors adopt the imitative approach of writing to market and align their work to what consensus says the genre wants. When this strategy begins to fail, we start to say things like “the market is oversaturated.” That could be true. It could also be that the market has shifted in what it seeks. It has become bored with the same thing or wants a more sophisticated story. The people that make up the market have had a taste change. Consider the market for hamburgers. McDonald’s had sales of just over twenty-five billion at the end of September 2023. Yet right next door, there could be someone selling a $24 dollar gourmet burger, and across the street, a Culver’s and an In-N-Out burger. Within this metaphor of the burger market, do you think you have a chance trying to be McDonald’s? Focusing on your ideas and solving problems your way takes massive courage. This may be the first time you’ve encountered a message that challenges conventional ideas of competition and frames it as a liability rather than an asset. Trusting your instincts can lead to greater fulfillment and the creation of more value for others. That’s why it’s important to think beyond competition and forge your own path to success. Read: The E-Myth for Authors and Fail-Proof Tips for Publishing Success |