The Importance of An Editor
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 25th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
All writers need editors. The very best writers rely on editors to help them improve their manuscript. Writers cannot appreciate a good editor until they have worked with one. Editors do not change the integrity of a manuscript, they work to improve the story, identify weaknesses, and offer an unbiased eye toward making the writing and eventual book the best possible. Studies have shown a clear correlation between editorial expertise and book sales. When was the last time you read a truly wonderful book and the editor was not praised somewhere in the introduction or acknowledgement? A writer can have a wonderful story but fail to convey that properly without the services of a competent editor.
There are two kinds of editing: The first is content and the second is copy. A content editor will take your manuscript and work with the writer to develop the story, characters, plot, structure, and anything necessary to make the writing come to life. For the nonfiction writer the content editor will help to identify the weaknesses in the information the writer is trying to convey to the reader. Copy-editing is looking for spelling, grammar, and syntax errors that take away from or discredit the writing. You can copy edit your manuscript without content editing but ideally as a writer you use both.
If you are a writer and trying to make decisions about marketing and selling your book, you must consider professional editing first. A well-edited book is as good a marketing tool as a writer can have. A poorly edited book with the best marketing services money can buy, may fall well short in sales. If you have to decide one over the other, editing should be first on your list. You can sell a good story over great writing, but you cannot sell a good story that is poorly edited.
A Follow-up
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 22nd, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I’m thrilled that Harper Collins and Regan Books decided to pull from their publishing list the shameful book that I wrote about last week–the title of which I refuse to mention, it is so offensive. It thrilled me even more to learn from some former colleagues who still work in the New York industry, that Judith Regan might lose her job over the fiasco. Not that I want anyone to lose their job but in this case I think she deserves it.
However, rumor on the streets of New York is that other publishers are considering the book for publication and one of the reasons is the amount of presales that some major booksellers received. Let me explain, the major retail bookstores that were anticipating huge demand for the book, in fact sold advanced copies before the actual pub or release date. Estimates are upwards of 60,000 copies although no one can confirm that number and the booksellers are not talking.
With those kinds of numbers, if they are true, it’s no wonder other publishers are considering the book for their list. Fact is, any future arrangements will most likely be a co-published venture with Harper Collins, without their name attached to the cover. That is the only way they can hope to recoup any of the advances. What this means is that Harper Collins owns the rights but at this time has decided not to publish under their own imprint. They in turn, with the agent, will approach other publishers who might have interest in earning some easy money. The new publisher would publish under its own imprint, but behind the scenes Harper Collins would share in the profits. That way they earn some blood money on this so-called book.
Sad but in the end it all boils down to dollars, and the retail bookstore chains are as much to blame as anyone. They don’t want to refund money to their customers. Welcome to the world of big time publishing.
Is There No Shame?
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 16th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Publishing has hit an all time low in my opinion. I thought it was bad enough with the James Frey A Million Little Pieces debacle on Oprah earlier this year, but this is much worse. An imprint of Harper Collins, Regan Books, is publishing If I Did It by O.J. Simpson. For a reported $3.5 million dollars this fiend is going to tell readers how the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, “could have happened.” Are you kidding me?
How desperate is the world of commercial trade publishing in New York? This is a perfect example of a publisher pulling out all the stops to make money. What could have prompted any respectful editor from even considering such a book? The answer is a shortfall in revenue, the company needed to generate publicity for the upcoming holiday season and increase billing. My hope is that all major booksellers at the retail level such as B&N, Borders, Costco, and Target would refuse to buy this crap. If you see copies in their stores, you need to realize it is all about product and sales. It just happens that books are one of their products to sell.
I certainly hope that readers will turn their backs on this so-called book, because if this title hits any major bestseller lists, you can expect more of the same. What’s next? True stories of Saddam Hussein’s torture chambers? Do you really think Harper Collins cares about great writing? The sad thing is, if I were sitting in my old New York office I can almost guarantee my bosses would be kicking themselves for not thinking of the idea to publish O.J.’s story. This is a very sad commentary on the state of publishing in this country.
Independent Authors
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 15th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The number of Independent (as opposed to the term self-published or print-on-demand) Authors is rapidly expanding. Technology has made it possible for anyone to get a book published quickly and inexpensively. That in turn has spawned new businesses that market services to writers and authors looking to publish and sell books. If the number of Independent Authors is growing, why aren’t more books being sold? Easy answer: Quality and price. Let me explain.
Even though many of you feel strongly that the quality of your book is worthy of publication, the fact is the marketplace sets the bar on quality with unit sales. Editing is necessary whether you want to believe it or not. At a minimum you should have your book line or copy edited for spelling and grammar. All published books should have content as well as copy editing a basic requirement. It has nothing to do with your writing, it has to do with an objective professional eye reading and helping the writer publish the best book possible. The market has placed a stigma on all Independently published books, and it’s because there is a lot of junk available. Sorry, but that is the fact.
Price is a problem, in most cases the retail or cover price of the Independently published book is above what the marketplace dictates. Take a look at the price recommendations of all print-on-demand publishers. It’s not their fault, the technology demands a certain price for the convenience of digitally printing a single copy. However, the price is above the market price. Independent Authors are hindered by the fact there are a lot of Independently Published books that are poorly written and over priced.
So what’s the solution? A new way of thinking about publishing, marketing and selling books!
Book Sales
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 8th, 2006 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
A good friend of mine who happens to be a wonderful writer, is a person who also keeps me updated on publishing news around the world, forwarded the following numbers about book sales in the United States in 2004.
These figures came from Nielsen BookScan, which is the most recognizable sales reporting company for New York publishers. BookScan tracked book sales for 1.2 million titles, for all of 2004 and here is what they found:
- Of the 1.2 million titles; 950,000 sold fewer than 99 copies
- Another 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies
- Only 25,000 titles sold more than 5,000 copies
- Fewer than 500 titles sold more than 100,000 copies
- Only 10 books sold more than 1,000,000 copies each
- The aveage book in the United States sells about 500 copies
Keep in mind that these numbers do not represent the vast majority of independent author sales. Those self-published or author originated titles that are estimated to run close to 200,000 separate titles per calendar year and are not accounted for in these statistics. Nor does every major retail bookseller report sales to BookScan, so some of the data will have been estimated. Regardless, I have no reason to suspect these results.
What does this say to an author? That it is easy to get published but difficult to sell books. There has to be a new way of looking at and thinking about–how to market and sell books.
These numbers were taken from the blog at http://girlondemand.blogspot.com posted Friday November 3, 2006.
