“Being very good is one of the worst things you can possibly do.”
The above quote is probably the most controversial thing Seth Godin said in the video, and you really have to watch it to understand the context. The basic gist is that it’s not enough to be good in the modern world if you want your ideas to spread; you have to be good in an interesting and provocative way, creating something “worth remarking about.” Applying this to writing and publishing, the takeaway is that you need to take risks, but it’s not risks with the marketing (although that can certainly play a part). It’s risks in what you write. Yes, you have to write well, write with heart, and put out something of quality, but if you’re just chasing a trend because it’s selling well (i.e. writing vampire romances because that seems to be hot), you’re actually making the riskier bet in the long run.