In the piece below, Weldon is on the money and authors should keep that in mind:

He thinks publishing a new book is a bit like running a startup company, or – in an analogy closer to this horse-racing enthusiast – a flutter at the track, where “relentless optimism” is blended with controlled risk-taking.

via Tom Weldon: ‘Some say publishing is in trouble. They are completely wrong’ | Books | The Observer.