Bestselling Authors
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 27th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
These folks are usually good at two things: writing a great story and promoting their book. However, when it comes to offering advice to writers on how to become a best-selling author, I have to draw the line. This line does not include teaching a writer how to improve their writing skills, but is drawn in the areas of proclaiming that anyone can write a best-seller and they will teach you how for $X amount of money! Here are my reasons: these people seldom sit in on meetings where marketing plans are developed. They follow the direction of their publisher, go where they are told and perform in front of crowds a publisher has arranged and promoted.
There is currently a seminar being offered by some big name authors for a lot of money and they make some promises that border on the ridiculous. You cannot promise an audience that you can teach them how to write a best seller. If they could they would form their own publishing company and follow their own advice and make a gazillion dollars. You see, they are making their money by holding seminars and telling their audience what it takes to write a best seller. Similar to these real estate gurus telling everyone they can become instant millionaries buying and selling property.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m certain some of the information is good, however, the bottom line in all of this is that publishers still have to be willing to buy your manuscript, spend big bucks promoting you and your book, and hoping the market buys what you are selling. If you think these folks have the keys to success then you would be wrong. No one knows why certain books sell and there are no guarantees in publishing.This group of authors is selling the sizzle without the steak. It boils down to the product, how good it is, and how much money you want to spend? After that, there are still no guarantees!
This web site and everything I do is about information, credible, reliable, honest information that any writer can take and use to evaluate and make decisions about their book and future as a writer and author. I have no axe to grind and I don’t mind bestselling authors making millions by teaching a seminar but I think my readers need to understand the reality of the market. These people cannot tell you how to become a bestselling author, I’m sorry, it won’t happen!
Events by Anonymous
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 27th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There are a few misconceptions about bookstore events. The first is that they can only be set up by a publicist. In fact, some of the most successful authors around set up their own events, based on their travel schedules and availability. It’s remarkably easy to do: just call the store, ask to speak to a manager, and they can work with you to figure out how to do it. Even if you don’t have time for a bona fide event, you can sign stock, meet the booksellers, and build relationships. One author I have worked with launched his own all-out assault on a region by driving to every bookstore in that region on weekends and signing stock. Now, with Google maps and GPS, you can always find the bookstores in a given area.
A second misconception about events is that they are all about sales at the events, and any event without a crowd is a failure. Not true. In order to publicize an upcoming event, the bookstore must have multiple copies of the book, include the book in their newsletter, or in-store signage, and after the event, they have signed stock, which has its own sales hook–customers who love signed books. Yes, of course it’s awkward for an author to sit at a table with a stack of books and no customers–it’s awkward for the store, too. But it does happen to every single author out there at least once. Look at the positives–you have greatly increased your book’s visibility in the store (for sometimes weeks on end that you never would have achieved without doing an event), you’ve increased the book’s value by signing copies, and you’ve been able to meet, and hopefully influence, some of the booksellers that are actually selling your book. Remember, booksellers are your customers, too! You need to sell them on why your book should be hand-sold above all others, and why they should keep your book on hand at all times.
Even if you aren’t doing an event, try stock signings (arranged in advance, to be sure the store has stock) in areas where you plan to travel, or in your own area, and meet the booksellers. Anything you can do to stand out from the crowd in a good way will help you for your entire writing career.
Anonymous is currently a New York publishing executive at a major company.
On Being Kind by Anonymous
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 20th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I have a colleague who believes that the horribly unpleasant agents and authors that riddle the publishing world actually get what they want more than if they were nice, and he has a point, given that so many examples seem to exist. However, I firmly believe that unless your books are “keeping the lights on” at a given publishing house (and therefore people are forced to work for you), you should make every effort to be kind to the people you deal with, both at bookstores and at the publishing house, because in the end, building relationships helps to build sales. If people genuinely like you and feel appreciated, they will tend to work harder for you. And truly, it’s not that difficult to achieve.
One easy way to impress people is to learn their names. Publishing and bookselling involve long hours at ridiculously low pay. Editorial, sales, publicity and marketing assistants do an enormous amount of work and are almost never recognized. A thank-you note, holiday acknowledgment, or even just a “You’re doing a great job! If there’s anything you need from me, just let me know” email can go a long, long way. We had one author actually bake brownies for our group and people talked about it for months. That author became a staff favorite, and even though her sales weren’t huge, she got far more attention than other authors at her level. Ridiculous? Maybe, but it’s the little things that people notice the most. I have had bottles of champagne sent by authors making millions of dollars per book, and they aren’t nearly as nice to receive as a handwritten thank-you note.
I think the same holds true for bookstore events. In another life, I managed an independent bookstore, and the few times we got thank-you notes or little gifts after events, they were so appreciated. The bottom line is that those author’s books stayed out front longer. The authors that came in and bullied us, or were just generally nasty, were quickly relegated to spine-out as soon as they’d left town. You’d be amazed–but that’s for another day…
Publishing people are not in this for the money, because unless one is a CEO, there simply isn’t any money to be made. We do it for the books, and for the authors.
Anonymous is currently a New York publishing executive at a major company.
The Single Most Important Number in Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 14th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
At any level of publishing, the number by which virtually all decisions are made is the percent of sale. Also known as sell-through, sometimes referred to as percent of return. The calculation is made by dividing the number of net copies sold by the number shipped, or net divided by gross. The true percent of sale is calculated not by gross copies but total copies printed which includes unused inventory but let’s keep it simple. For example: if your publisher shipped 12,000 books and after six months of being on sale at retail, sold 6,500; your percent of sale would be 54%. Your percent of return would be 46%. As an author you want either a high percent of sale, which is the same as a high sell-through OR a low percent of return.
Some publishers set benchmarks for books, for instance they want to see hardcovers percent of sale at a minimum 65%, trade paperbacks 50%, and mass-market paperbacks at 50%. However this is not hard and fast, it depends on many factors. Bottom line, above all else, the number that carries the most weight is the percent of sale. You would be better off as an author if your book sold 2,000 net copies with a 65% sell-through than 40,000 net copies with a 45% sell-through.
For authors it’s all about building sales and maintaining a high percent of sale. Do not get confused by the total number of copies that are shipped or your titles position on a list or anything else. In order to continue a career as an author you must have a high percent of sale. The total number of net copies is secondary to the percent of sale. This is the most important number in publishing.
Difficult, Not Impossible
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 7th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writing is difficult, getting published is easy, and selling books is tough! Many of you have read my articles and blogs and asked: Where do I start? The answer is in bookstores. You need to be a regular visitor to your local independent or chain bookstore and watch, listen, and learn. If you visit once a week, every week, after awhile you will begin to notice how the market changes. Not just in the titles but in the store itself. Bookstores are the primary destination for people buying books and should be considered your laboratory for information about the marketplace.
Titles that appear in bookstores were either purchased by a corporate buyer as part of their new release selection, or are selling a consistent number of copies over a long period of time, referred to in the business as backlist. Which ever, the titles in the store are selling or they would be returned in short order. If you visit weekly, you will begin to notice the turnover, new titles replacing returned ones, and older titles reappearing. What better way to gauge what the market wants and buys than looking at books that are being offered to the reading public?
In conjunction with the title selection, notice the cover, the price, and copy on the back cover and inside flap. How is the publisher trying to entice you to buy? What are they saying and how? Notice the differences and similarities in the packaging and pricing. Publishers spend a lot of time making sure the outside and interior layout of a book are appealing to the reader. When you find older titles that are constantly holding shelf space in a bookstore make a mental note of everything about the book. This is the kind of information you must translate to your own book. Being a successful author is difficult, not impossible.
What Does It Take To Be Successful?
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 6th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writers are always asking: What does it take to be successful? The answers are far too complicated to attempt in this short blog, however, I can tell you that being successful in publishing requires a never give up attitude and desire to learn more about the industry. At times you are going to face what seems like insurmountable odds, but you must be willing to work through the down times when nothing seems to be going your way.
Patience is a virtue that writers must come to grips with, there is not much in the publishing world that works at lightening speed, and selling your book to an agent then to an editor, or to a small publisher takes time. Many writers explain to me that after years or writing all they want is to hurry and get it published. This is fine as long as you have everything in place to give your book as much chance as possible of selling copies. Rushing to print with the wrong package, price, and absolutely no idea of how you plan to sell your book is wrong and will result in failure.
It is a necessity that you get it right before you rush to print, otherwise you will have spent money for nothing more than a few copies. The market is unforgiving, if you make a mistake it will punish your book and cost you more money because you will have lost valuable time when another author may get to market before you with the correct package, price, and marketing plan. You need information, you must be able to speak intelligently about what is happening in the business. You gather this knowledge by visiting bookstores and reading my articles and blogs and asking questions. Don’t give up attitude and getting it right is what it takes to be successful as an author.
The First Day of The Month
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 1st, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The first day of each month my blog page is blank. My post from yesterday can be found at the top of the list on the right hand side of this web page. Just click the title and the blog will appear. I’m writing this notice so the reader won’t think something is wrong with their computer screen. Thank you.
