The Perfect Time
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 28th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There has never been a better time to be an Independent Author. Countless opportunities are about to open they haven’t even considered. They are going to have more exposure for their book(s) to a wider audience than ever before. The dynamic of the market for book sales is about to shift and the Independent Author is in the right place at the right time to take full advantage.
The world of traditional brick and mortar publishing is struggling, 2006 was not a great year for book sales. The six largest publishers are forced to push more copies of a handful of authors each and every month. This is negatively impacting overall sales at a time when book retailers, wholesalers, and distributors are consolidating and demanding change. The problem is that the behemoths do not have answers.
They constantly search for new writers but the demands of the business make it harder for them to create successful authors. The marketplace has been structured by their own hand to allow only a small window of opportunity for new authors to make their presence known. Retailers are geared towards instant success and immediate sales while the system is not in place to allow that to happen. As a result the big publishers are in a quandry.
At the same time, Independent Authors are about to make a statement that will surely rock the traditional world of publishing. They are on the verge of making a huge impact never before witnessed in the industry. No longer will Independent Authors and small publishers have to struggle in the old world to sell books to the new world. A truly global audience waits, limitless and without boundaries. Accept the fact that Independent Writers and Authors are about to emerge from the shadows and take their rightful place along side other traditional authors. This is a brave new world for readers clamoring for voices never heard and stories never told.
This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.
Trust in the Community
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 21st, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The past two years I have become keenly aware of how difficult it is to be a self-published author. The term “self-published” is often used and misunderstood because major components of the publishing industry, including publishers, have been successful in attaching “poor quality” to the term “self-published.” I prefer the term Independent Author because I feel it best describes the decision many authors have made to publish on their own.
Being an Independent Author is hard, doors slam and there are plenty of “do not enter” signs, which is the reason many Independent Writers give up in their quest to sell books. The fact that someone decides to become an Independent Author does not mean their writing is not good enough, even if they have been rejected in one form or another and eventually made the decision to publish Independently. It has nothing to do with “settling” for that form of publishing.
Many Independent Authors feel strongly that their pay-for-printing publisher does not care whether they sell a single copy of their book, their profit is made when the printing begins. These authors cite instances where messages are sent proclaiming, “Buy this and add another service and you will sell books,” only to find the statement hollow and without merit or success. In the end the only thing the Independent Author has is each other. Information from other parties is treated with skepticism and mistrust.
The hope for reclaiming some of that trust, while exposing Independent writing to the reading public is through banding together as a single community of Independent Writers and Authors, speaking with one voice. Authors creating their own market for readers looking for new voices and interesting stories. As an Independent Writer and Author you’ve got to trust that this community will be an opportunity for the Independent Writer and Author to sell books and gain respectability in the marketplace they so richly deserve.
This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.
Marketing for the Independent Author
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 14th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Having spent more than twenty-five years working for a couple of the big New York publishers, I understand how the traditional publishing business works. Responsibility for a sales division gave me insight into all aspects, especially what it takes to successfully market and sell books.
Not until the past few years did I realize how difficult it was to be an Independent Author. The barriers and restrictions to entry into what the New York companies like to call the “legitimate” business, is really overwhelming. In addition, there are scores of people who offer a wide variety of products and services with false promises of helping the Independent Author sell more books.
The biggest problem with selling more Independent books is that you cannot imitate what the bigger publishers do successfully and you should not be wasting lots of time or money trying to gain any noticeable entry into the market they control. The best opportunity to sell more Independently Published books is to create your own market. Take from the bigger publishers strengths, exploit their weaknesses, and establish your own destination for selling books.
It is not economically feasible to establish a brick and mortar presence for Independently Published books. The hurdles to even the smallest market share is cost prohibitive. The best strategy is through the use of technology, the Internet, to create a web presence, a community, where writers can market themselves and their book(s).
The strength of the Independent Writer and Author is the size of the group. When you create the community and develop a following, the old adage “build it and they will come,” will ring true. Major New York publishers relish in the fact the market for Independent Authors is fragmented and floundering. The last thing they want to see is a joining together of forces into one platform where book readers can shop for books. That is what we are creating with the community! The envy of the book consumer and the slow deterioration of traditional publishing as we know it.
Imagine a website where readers can shop for books and at the same time get to know the author? Why do publishers send authors on tours? To interact with the public. The personal connection they make sells books. This website will allow every writer and author the opportunity to do this through the use of profiles, audio, and video. Each author can offer their writing, picture their book(s), consumers can read excerpts, listen to the author speak, watch and listen to them read from their book, or be interviewed about their book(s) all in one location, establishing that personal connection that helps sell books.
It’s an exciting time and Independent Writers and Authors should embrace the technology and pass the word that they are beginning to organize and establish an entirely new marketplace for selling Independently Published books. A community introducing voices never heard and stories never told to the world. That community is called Nothing Binding.
Nothing Binding is for Writers and Authors
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 7th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Let’s examine some facts about the Independent Author market. Estimates from Print-On-Demand companies are that at least 800 new titles are being published every day. That means there are over 292,000 new books on the market each year. A percentage of these are by authors with more than one book so for discussion let’s say the nuber of new authors are 150,000 per year.
Predictions are that the Independent Author market will remain at a 15-20% growth rate each year for the foreseeable future. If that holds true then in 5 years there will be over 1,000 new authors each day and over 370,000 new titles per year.
With an estimated 2 million Independent Authors worldwide, the potential for a new community of writers is staggering. However, Print-On-Demand companies also estimate that over 90% of their authors sell less than 30 books per year. The question is how do we expand our position and exposure in that market and offer Independent Authors an opportunity to sell more books?
The traditional brick and mortar marketplace has an established base of approximately 10,000 retail locations large enough to warrant attention by the major New York publishers. The traditional market is estimated by the American Association of Publishers to have sales of more than $8 Billion dollars per year. Unit sales of individual titles remain static, experts suggest readers are tired of the same old thing and the market lacks new authors and new titles.
One percent of traditional sales would equal $80 Million dollars and would allow the market for Independently Published books to increase dramatically. The key is the development of a community, a destination for readers interested in purchasing the finest Independently written and published books from around the world.
In today’s publishing environment, less than 250 people make decisions on the majority of books published in America. These people are making the reading decisions for hundreds of thousands of consumers around the country. My goal is the creation of a destination, where readers of books can shop for Independently written and published titles. Where the focus is entirely on the Independent Author, marketed much the same as Independent Films, where the potential for Independent Writers would open up to the world.
This is the goal, to open up the market for Independently Written books and offer readers the opportunity to shop for new titles, never before seen by the public at large. All writers are welcome but the focus is on selling books by Independent Authors. One community, bringing voices never heard and stories never told to the world.
The Beginning of Nothing Binding
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 5th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I want to share with you some information about a new marketing program I have developed to help you sell more books.
There is absolutely no cost or obligation of any kind for you to participate and there are no requirements and you can opt out at anytime.
This is not a magic bullet, it is difficult to sell books in today’s environment. However, there are better ways of doing things and that is what this program is all about, doing a better job of selling books written and published by Independent Authors.
Nothing Binding is a New Marketing Platform
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 5th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The new marketing project that has been created is designed to help you achieve an increase in book sales. Here are some of the more frequently asked questions about NothingBinding.com.
How is what you are doing different from what others are doing? There are three basic ways to sell books: (1) The traditional market which would include all the major chain bookstores, mass merchants, and all retailers that market and sell books, (2) Through the use of technology of the Internet, and (3) Individual sales you initiate through your marketing efforts; usually one book at a time. Which means through your own hard work.
The major publishers dominate and control #1 (traditional market). This system is well established and inflexible to participation by most authors outside the system.
There are no major websites, #2 above, that focus entirely on the sale of Independently Published books as well as on marketing the author or writer. The Independent Author market is highly fractured and no one is focused on selling books and marketing authors and writers. Most sell products and services designed to “assist” the Independent Author to attempt entry into the traditional marketplace.
Most Independent Authors sell books by the #3 method. This is where the Independent Authors have their most success, through the sales they initiate through their own marketing efforts, selling their book(s) from person-to-person.
In order to attract book buyers from #1, the traditional market, it requires a combination of #3, your own hard work, through the use of technology #2 by way of the community. What this means is that the power of a combined community of Independent Authors selling books through the use of technology where the focus is on the book and the author or writer, will attract book buyers that otherwise would not have considered the book of an Independent Author. A key element of this project is to make buying books or other writing very convenient for purchasers to locate you and your books.
What makes you think this will work? Over 25-years in the publishing business combined with my knowledge and understanding of the market and weaknesses of major trade houses, where books represent an $8 Billion dollar business. Consider the efforts of 350,000 new Independent Authors each year with the 2 or 3 million that already exist, and I strongly believe that it is more than possible to band together to reach common goals in sales as Independent Writers and Authors.
One percent of the book market is $80 Million dollars. That number dwarfs what is estimated Independent Authors sold in any previous year. The possibilities are endless but it starts with banding together to overcome the previous difficulties of being fragmented and hard to locate.
What is the cost of participating in your program? What is the long-term cost? There is no cost, not now, or will there ever be a fee to participate. There will be services available that will help you to maximize your participation in this program but they are optional.
What is required of me as a writer or author at this time? Only the time it takes to create a personal profile, nothing else is required. There are links to your website or to the bookseller of your choice where readers can purchase books. If you do not have a website, use the free service of NothingBinding.com and make your personal profile page your source for information. Any writer or author can use this marketing program as a guide to you and your book(s).
Besides selling more books, and not charging fees, what do you hope to accomplish? My goal is to create a community for Independent Writers and Authors to sell their books, or writing, and promote themselves as writers and authors. This is the first step. The importance is in growing the community to the point where the market for Independent Authors has a single voice for the sale of their books, as opposed to the fractured industry that exists today. With tens of thousands of writer’s websites, it is more likely readers will find you if there is a single website for them to begin their search for Independently Published books.
Will you actually be selling my books? No! Possibly in the future there will be an outlet for the sale of your books. In the beginning you will continue to sell the books in whatever manner you are currently selling them or add to what you are currently doing. This project will begin as a gathering place, an artist colony, to provide more traffic the ability to find you than you have currently.
Does that mean you are going to increase the price of my book? Or are you going to force me to reduce my royalties? The answer is no. As the community grows and you begin to sell more books, there will be plenty of opportunities for profitability.
Can I participate if my book is not yet published? What if I’m just a writer without a manuscript? Yes, you can participate; this community is open to all writers. Everyone is welcome; poets, screenwriters, columnists; anyone who writes can become a part of this writing community. We of course will be focusing on authors and books; there are no barries to participation. We want to sell more Independently Published books.
How do you expect to make money with this program? In the beginning those who have invested their time and money will not be profitable, the focus is on bringing together Independent Writers and Authors. As the collective of authors increases and book sales increase, this will be the place where people come to purchase books that are hard to find elsewhere.
Do I have to sign-up for the free newsletter on your website to participate in the marketing program? No, absolutely not. Although I would love for each of you to sign-up for my free newsletter, it is not a requirement to participate in this program.
Can I opt out of the program at any time? Yes.
What is your background and qualifications? You can read my bio at the About Jerry page of this web site. If you have questions that have not been addressed, please ask them at any time. Feedback is one of the most essential elements in making this program work. Your questions will be answered as promptly as possible.
I appreciate your willingness to participate in this new marketing program. Never hesitate to make comments or offer suggestions for improvement.
New Community of Writers and Authors called Nothing Binding
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 5th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Today’s Independent Author market is highly fractured and no one is focused on selling books and marketing writers and authors. Many companies sell products and services designed to “assist” the Independent Author to attempt entry into the traditional marketplace.
Below is more information to the question: How is what you are doing different from what others are doing? There are three basic ways to sell books: (1) The traditional market which includes all bookstores, mass merchants, and all retailers that market and sell books, (2) Through the use of technology of the Internet, and (3) Individual sales authors initiate through personal marketing efforts; usually one book at a time. Hands on book sales is hard work.
Most Independent Authors hand sell books initiated by their own marketing efforts, #3 (above). That is where Independent Authors have their most success, through sales they inititate through their own marketing efforts, selling their book(s) from person-to-person. Face-to-face contact and interaction with readers is the single best way to sell books, but it’s costly and time consuming.
Major publishers dominate and control the traditional market for selling books, #1 (above). This system is well established and inflexible to participation by most authors outside the system. Amazon.com, BandN.com, Powells.com and a handful of other minor sites are the few websites that sell books. In addition, there are many disconnected websites that sell books written and published by Independent Authors. Those sites have limitations we will overcome, one at a time.
In order to attract book buyers from the traditional marketplace #1, it requires a combination of Independent Authors own hard work #3, and the use of the Internet #2, by developing a community of Independent Writers and Authors.
Most Independent Authors want to be published by a major New York based company. It has nothing to do with how much money the author makes or how little control they have or even whether or not they own the rights to their work, they want to become a published author by a major, New York based publishing company.
One way writers get the attention of literary agents is by attending writers conferences where the cost of entry is several hundred dollars, and time away from home all for that brief three-minute shot at pitching their book in hopes of landing a contract. Unfortunately the percentages of those that get picked up compared to the number that pays for the privilege is not very good.
Agents and small publishers also spend hours of travel and thousands of dollars on travel costs to attend these conferences as dictated by the editor-in-chief in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. Again, the odds are against that discovery, however they must try. Publishers always need new products, books, to publish and sell.
In addition to helping the Independent Author sell more books, this new marketing program will provide Writers from around the globe that chance of being shopped by agents, editors, and key decision makers from all sorts of publishing companies. This is one benefit, the focus is to sell more Independently Published books.
We are building a community of Independent Writers and Authors who can in essence, “pitch” themselves and their book(s) on a website in full view of agents and editors, where the odds will improve. It will provide a platform for Writers and publishing insiders to meet and expands the ability of the Independent Writer and Author to reach an audience that previously was limited to spending hundreds of dollars in entry fees and travel expenses, not to mention time waiting for your three-minute chance at a publishing contract.
Exposure of this magnitude is only one benefit of this new marketing program, the focus and sole purpose is to help Independent Authors sell more books! The two major advantages of taking part in this free marketing program: (1) Sell more books, and (2) Gain exposure to publishers and agents from the comfort of your own home. How will this be possible? You will receive a complete detailed explanation very shortly so please help spread the word about what we are doing.
The community will gain power and prestige with a high volume of participating writers and authors. We can develop a community that represents millions of writers around the world. The more writers involved, the more we all benefit. One thriving community, bringing voices never heard and stories never told to the world.
Become a part of the community that can change the face of publishing forever.
