Know Your Reader
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 19th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I received some questions from a reader about a blog I wrote two weeks ago entitled Know Your Reader. The questions were: How do I know my reader? Does it mean who I’m writing to, or the group I would like to read my book, or whom I think would buy it? Great questions Kim, thank you for sharing with other writers.
Writing instructors will tell you to write in your own voice. Never try to mimic another writer, try to write to fit a style, or match a hot cateogry that seems to be selling books. Your story and writing are unique because of who you are and how you write. Know your reader does not mean write to fit what you think is your audience. Know your reader equates to knowing your market, knowing your audience, knowing who are the likely consumers.
If you visit bookstores on a regular basis, and if you read authors in the genre in which you are writing, and you read books similar to the one you are writing, you should begin to get a clear idea of your market, and in turn who your reader will be. Your reader defines your audience, the consumer who buys books like the one you are writing.
For example, if you were writing a manuscript with spiritual overtones, the questions about knowing your market would be: Spiritual in terms of religious, or spiritual in terms of the supernatural? The answer would help to define your reader, your audience, the end consumer. It tells your publisher how to focus their marketing. The importance in knowing your reader is related to the marketing of your book, not the writing.
Overcoming Obstacles by Susan C. Haley
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 18th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
One thing I’ve learned over my career in this business, all authors need encouragement, support and a bit of publicity and help on occasion. Most of all, we need inspiration and a passion for what we do and a drive to overcome obstacles. I came to TIPS for WRITERS with this powerful story on overcoming obstacles. It will, I believe serve everyone, authors and readers alike.
A few times in a lifetime, we come upon a person or a story that impacts us so deeply our entire field of awareness is altered. It may open our eyes to a whole new world we’d never considered before, compel us to study a new philosophy, or possibly give us a new hero to place above all previous heroes. A time such as this came to me when Garret Lee Frey entered my life. I met him between the covers of As I Am, a most touching book and his first effort at sharing his story and his incredible accomplishments. I was blessed with the privilege of being asked to edit the work. It was destined that I walk a while with this amazing young man.
At the time I met Garret, he was a “nearly five year old boy.” A child filled with wonderment, Garret reveled in all his god-given senses and was driven to explore the “the world around him.” He loved the April breeze on his cheeks, the nature presented to him by the row of evergreens that filled his back yard with the sweet aroma of pine.
Garret had no premonition of the approaching moment in time in which life, as he knew and understood it, would come to an end . . . “I do not remember the day I was born and I do not remember the day that I died. I only remember my life ‘As I Am.’”
It was April 24, 1987. Garret jumped for joy into his father’s arms when he showed up at the babysitter’s home to pick him up. In the driveway, sat his father’s shiny motorcycle. His dad had previously taken him and his older brother for short rides in the neighborhood, always paying careful heed to the helmet laws and rules for cycle safety, but this would be the longest ride Garret had ever taken before. A full mile from the babysitter’s home to his own with a promised stop for bubble gum on the way. Seated safely, helmet in place, Garret was ready for the ride of his life. But, the mysteries of fate were at hand.
Garret had forgotten his trusty yellow scarf, that special thing in the life of a four year old. Understanding, his father went back to retrieve the scarf and tied it securely around Garret’s neck, tucking the tied ends inside his jacket, an extra measure of warmth on a breezy, April in Iowa day. Soon, Garret was reveling in the wind on his face, planning his out-of-doors play on the arrival home, and anticipating the sweet, spicy taste of his favorite bubble gum. As his curious mind was taken in by the joys of life around him, he vowed to live each day to its fullest. Then, destiny entered in. Garret was about to experience a course change he could never have imagined.
In that miniscule flash of time, the beginnings of Garret’s story were written. A freak accident when his trusty yellow scarf unwound in the wind and was caught up in the rear wheel mechanism rendered him to a life of quadriplegia. Garret’s spine was snapped; he was paralyzed from the neck down. He would become ventilator-dependent for every breath of life thereafter.
The destiny of his life’s journey would also become the journey of those closest to him, a devoted mother, Charlene Frey, determined to bring her son home, a dedicated family, and one most special friend. Over the years, many other lives walked parts of this journey with Garret. Precedents were set and barriers broken down that will affect generations to come with a landmark ruling by the United States Supreme Court guaranteeing disabled children a public education in all fifty states.
Now, through a magnificent effort on the part of Garret and that one special friend, Dr. Karen Pirnot, a child psychologist who has also devoted over twenty years of her life to Garret, we all have been invited to walk a while by his side. I can’t think of a better way to pay tribute to mothers and inspire writers everywhere than to share this magnificent chronicle. For me, an attempt to guide the reader’s perceptions with a typical written review critiquing my own journey with Garret and Dr. Pirnot would fall far short. It would sadly lack the power which lies between the pages of “As I Am”. Only Garret can tell his story, and he has with the help of Dr. Pirnot and electronics now available to the disabled. Yet, after my own walk with him, I can offer this insight. Anyone who loves beauty, the power and glory of nature working with the power of mind and Spirit, will be moved. Anyone who admires courage, determination, and the perseverance of the wind itself, will be touched. Anyone who has wandered on the edge of peril or despair will be given hope. Anyone who has already fallen over the cliff will be lifted up.
If you have an opportunity to read As I Am, I promise that you’ll walk away overwhelmed at the power of attitude and commitment. No obstacle will be too daunting. I think what impresses me the most is Garret’s desire to give to others with what he has that does work, and well. His heart and his incredible mind.
I was fortunate enough to meet Garret, now 26, and his mother, Charlene, this week when they traveled from their home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Sarasota, a feat in itself, to offer a presentation to schools and libraries. Dr. Pirnot, an author herself, and her husband, Dr. Carl Davis, live here now and worked diligently to set up these events. When asked his dreams, Garret replied “to give back to others. To have a website where disabled folks can gather and support and help each other.” There was a collective sigh in the meeting room. Then, he added with his brilliant smile, “And buy my mother a modest home in Sarasota County where we can be warm in winter.” Garret’s father passed away only a few weeks ago. If anyone out there would like to help Garret achieve his so deserved dreams, As I Am by Garret Lee Frey may be obtained on Amazon.com or directly through Dr. Pirnot as Garret will receive more profit than if purchased through a bookseller.
www.drpirnotbooks.com.
**Susan Haley is the published author of two books, a third to be released in the fall. She’s written several articles on networking, an award-winning poet and prose writer, a contract copy editor and book reviewer in high demand. She is a columnist for “The Florida Writer” the official magazine of the Florida Writers Association, and serves as Facilitator for the Sarasota County Chapter. She also contributes a variety of editorials and excerpts of her work to various publications. Susan can be contacted through her website: www.sucarha.com
Opportunities For New Writers
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
There was a recent article in the local newspaper on the front page of the living section about a mass-market publisher that was launching a new series of books. This particular series happened to be a romance line, but the category is secondary to what happens to the marketplace. Having experienced the launch of several new series over the years, I thought it would be good to give writers some insight into what happens inside a major publishing house when a new series or imprint is launched.
Anytime an editor ventures outside the mainstream of a particular category, no matter how small, a sub-genre is created. If two or three of these new titles within the sub-genre sells through better than the other titles in the main category, the publisher starts to evaluate the launch of a new series. In mass-market, a sell through above 50% is reason for such consideration. Without the confirmation of additional market research, the sale of these new titles can be the source for a new line of books, or in the publishing world, a new imprint.
Armed with a new name, logo, cover designs, and new and much more aggressive goals, the publisher creates a package of incentives that will entice book buyers and retailers to give these books space on their bookshelves, all as part of the launch. The booksellers, taking advantage of every opportunity to earn additional incentives, will take a chance to improve their operating margins and will buy these books.
The marketplace has not suddenly grown to accommodate the new titles, so the competition takes notice. They begin their own search for writers who can fill this newly created phantom demand for the sub-genre, merely as a means of meeting the competition and reducing the erosion of shelf space or market share. Suddenly, editors are calling agents who are scrambling to meet the demand. In the meantime, books for the launch are flooding the marketplace.
At the retail level, when such a launch is being made, returns begin to flow back to the publisher in greater numbers as booksellers are forced to make room for the new titles. The shelf life of category books drops from an average of three weeks to less than two, and the returns begin to build. Typically the imprint will initially distribute three or four titles in the first two or three months and ship all copies in a floor display to gain the attention of the consumer.
For the first time author, this is a terrific opportunity to break into the business and get your first book published. However, there are some pitfalls that you should be aware of. Anytime the launch of a new imprint takes place, the number of copies distributed or shipped will far exceed what is possible for the market to absorb. As a result, the returns during this period may astound you! The publisher has total disregard to the consequences if the new category fails to sell copies.
Certainly they want the new imprint to succeed, but the real goal is the gain of additional market share from the competition. In doing so, the publisher will knowingly flood the market with large numbers of copies, paying additional advertising or promotional dollars in the process. The actual increase in net copies sold at retail should increase slightly, but not anywhere close to the proportion that are returned, resulting in an overall lower sell through percentage.
As a writer, you want to make absolutely certain that your publisher is committed to making this new imprint work. The publisher may not have properly researched the market before the launch of new books, but you can bet they know how long they can offer retailers incentives and continue to absorb returns before this new category becomes just another chapter in the company history.
If you feel this is your chance, then you need to properly evaluate the opportunity. Your name and your book associated with returns greater than 60% could spell doom for your career. You’ll be a published author, but you may have sacrificed your future for the whim of a publisher who will live to launch a new imprint the next time they feel the need to increase distribution or gain market share. And if the new imprint fails, what happens to the authors?
If this is your opportunity to finally get your book published, know some of the questions to ask: What are the marketing plans for the new imprint? How much advertising, marketing and promotion dollars have been committed? What is the expected distribution of the books for this new imprint? Is the publisher offering incentives to their customers to purchase large quantities of books? How long will these incentives last? What is the acceptable return percentage before the publisher decides to pull the plug?
The launch of a new imprint is just one of the areas that writers and authors need to be aware of, thus preventing their publisher from taking advantage of the situation and creating a sales history for them and their book that buyers may shy away from the next time a new title is sold. Authors who are serious about their careers need to learn more about the basics of the business and how to take some control away from the publishers and place it back in the hands of the authors.
Writers spend an enormous amount of time perfecting their craft; they also need to invest a small portion to learning the business of publishing. Understanding how to avoid the pitfalls of trade publishing can pay huge benefits when it comes time to sign your contract. Learn the basics and you will be much better informed to deal with agents, editors and publishers as your career as a writer takes off.
New Imprints, New Problems
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writers and authors beware. The launch of a new imprint causes a ripple effect with other major publishers. Editors will be on the lookout for writers to fill the phantom demand, but the marketplace has not suddenly expanded, and there are no new spots on a bookrack of the mass merchants (Wal-Mart, Target and supermarkets) to place these new titles. Instead, the publisher will offer massive incentives to get a large distribution for their new books in hopes of making an impact during the launch phase.
The competitive forces in the industry will note the press releases and articles in the trade magazines in which any publisher announces their intent and describes the new market. Soon others will follow suit, and the so-called new category niche will be flooded with new titles, new looks and, most likely, new authors.
It is a terrific opportunity to get published, but the number of copies being distributed will far exceed capacity. The returns for some publishers would astound you! The problem here is publishing on instinct, without proper research and with total disregard to what happens if the new category fails to sell copies.
Many publishers are willing to take this first step with positive results. Now, with nothing more than a hunch, they will make a massive launch with new looks, new books and many new authors. The competition will not sit back and allow anyone to take away market share, so they in turn will also offer new incentives to keep their books on the rack.
In truth, the retailers will accept the new incentives, order even more books, and the marketplace will turn over much faster. Rather than a group of titles receiving four or five weeks of placement on a bookrack, they may now only get three weeks. This forces the product to get rotated out. Even books that sell will not be reordered, and the returns on individual titles will skyrocket.
A good scenario if you are a writer looking to get your first book published, but potentially fatal if you are not aware of what is happening behind the scenes and understand to what extent this publisher will go to make this launch successful.
If this is your opportunity to finally get your book published, know what questions to ask your publisher about the new imprint. What are the marketing plans? How much advertising, marketing and promotion dollars have been committed? What is the expected distribution of the books? Is the publisher offering incentives to their customers to purchase large quantities of books? How long will these incentives last? What is the acceptable return percentage before the publisher decides to pull the plug?
As a writer, you want to make absolutely certain that the company is committed to making this new imprint work. For example, let’s say the distribution on each title is usually in the 200,000-copy range, which is huge for a non-bestseller. With a retail price of $5.50, these titles are mass-market paperbacks. At that price and taking into account the kinds of incentives needed to get the imprint off the ground, they cannot be offering their authors much in the way of an advance.
They need to commit a minimum of $100,000 to the advertising, promotion and marketing budget. If the pub schedule for these titles does not extend out at least twelve to eighteen months, this would show a lack of long-term commitment. The publisher may not have properly researched the market before the launch, but they know how long they can offer retailers incentives and continue to absorb returns before this new category becomes just another imprint.
If this is your chance, then ask the right questions and evaluate the opportunity. Your name and your book associated with returns greater than 60% could spell doom for your career. You will be a published author but you will have sacrificed your future on the whim of a publisher who will live to launch a new imprint the next time they feel they need to increase distribution.
Authors Should Care What Season Their Book is Published
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
This article goes back to the central theme in my writing and web site, as a writer you must publish your book(s) right or face the results of a very competitive marketplace. The last thing you want to happen is become an author with a poor sales history. There is nothing more detrimental to your career as a writer than to have your book(s) published and not sell copies at retail. If your work is published wrong at any time during your career you may be heading in a direction that you cannot change. This could cost you a career as a writer.
Basic knowledge of the business is paramount to improving your chances at being a successfully published author. The key is to understand the marketplace, your category, and the process of publishing a book. You need a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, from an inside perspective. Something as simple as publishing your book during the busiest time of the year may seem like a good thing, however you need to know the facts, gather all the relevant information to help your publisher make the right decision concerning the publication of your book.
Books are published in seasons and they are sold as part of a season. Pub lists are created around that season. There are three seasons for most publishers and each season has a list of books that are positioned by month. Each season will contain dozens of books per month and a group of typically four months is included in each season. Every month of each season the top positioned titles are called anchor titles, those are written by the biggest name authors. The rest of the list contains titles from all categories and offers booksellers a wide variety. This is what a publisher calls offering customers a well-rounded list of books.
The absolutely biggest season for any publisher is the fall, beginning after Labor Day and continuing through the New Year. Not only is this the biggest season for publishers it is also the biggest for their customers. The reason is obvious, the holidays create more foot traffic in stores and books are a great holiday gift. Books are heavily advertised and promoted during this time of the year and the cost of displaying those titles in store is at its highest point.
During the fall and through the holiday season of each year publishers will publish and heavily promote two types of books: The first are the bestsellers from the mega-authors we all know, and the second are those titles they hope of turning into the next bestseller. Publishers pay dearly to place these two types of books on tables, in floor displays, and in the retailer’s large seasonal promotions. The rest of the list, published to make certain the selection is well rounded, can end up fodder for the marketplace.
Publicity sells books. Certainly advertising and promotion are a big part but all publishers know that publicity is the way to get a book noticed in the mind of the book buying public. For this reason alone, unless you are a big name author or your book is getting lots of in-store promotion and hand selling, your chances of obtaining publicity from the most likely sources are greatly reduced simply because the competition for holiday attention is at its zenith during the fall months of the year.
Immediately after the holiday season ends, the excess inventory stocked to take advantage of the seasonal traffic, is quickly returned. If your book was not heavily promoted, advertised, or publicized then chances are your title will be returned to the publisher along with the rest. So you managed to get published, but your book didn’t sell. You have created a negative sales history for yourself as an author. And this is difficult, but not impossible, to overcome.
If you are a first time author and your book is scheduled during the fall, or you are an author struggling to improve your sales at retail, you need to take a long hard look at what is ahead of you and evaluate your situation. Certainly the foot traffic is better and the chain stores are selling more books but the competition for sales is at its most intense. If the destiny of your book is to be published during the fall of the year, then you absolutely must make certain the sale and distribution of your book is done in such a way as to give it the best chance to sell through. In other words, sell more copies than are returned.
You do this by discussing the distribution amounts and locations of your book. You do not want a lot of excess inventory going anywhere in hopes of selling. Your publisher would rather distribute 12,000 and sell 4,000 as opposed to distributing 6,000 and selling 3,000. As an author you want to be in the latter camp with a sell through of 50% rather than 33%, regardless of the fact that you sold and additional 1,000 copies your returns would be only 3,000 compared to 8,000.
The one thing you should try and avoid is launching your first book in the fall of any calendar year. Attention by consumers is often paid to the main attractions, those titles that dominate the tables, shelves and floor displays. Seldom do buyers browse shelves for that one particular title. The consumer’s time is taken up with other more important things than shopping bookshelves for titles. The chances of your book getting buried from lack of advertising, publicity and everything else that goes into making a book a bestseller, is much greater during this time of the year.
Its like I’ve been saying all along in my writing, do it right the first time, you are only a first time author once, be smart about getting published, the key is understanding the basics of the business of publishing and being a participant with your publisher in the decisions surrounding the publication of your book. Become a student of the marketplace. You’ve made a good start.
What it Takes for a Book to Become a Bestseller
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | 3 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The term “bestseller” is synonymous with a book being selected for a position on a list, in a recognized print medium, anywhere in the country. The designation of a book being a “national bestseller” is synonymous with a book being selected for a position on a list of the best selling books in a particular print medium that has national distribution. The selection of a book for a best-selling list does not mean that title has sold a certain number of copies; it only means that the book was selected for a position on that print medium’s list of the best selling books in that market.
When you see the word “bestseller” printed somewhere on the cover, or more commonly the words “national bestseller,” it gives the prospective reader the feeling that the book has sold a lot of copies. Which means it must have been read by a lot of people. The flap or jacket copy makes the story sound interesting and the publisher is comparing this book to (any mega-best-selling title). All misleading and part of the company’s marketing effort used as a way of selling you that book.
If that were your book and you had written a novel, for example, that was being compared to the latest #1 national bestseller, you would be ecstatic! Place the shoe on the other foot, you are now the consumer, you buy a hardcover for a bit less than $30, you get home and soon discover it reads nothing like the particular book it was compared to. You are probably upset, especially if the book was not a good read and certainly not worth the price you paid.
Since publishers are keenly aware that they are not considered a brand in the minds of the consumer, that their author is the brand, they assume that readers will not retaliate against them, if at all, but against the author of the over priced, non-comparable book that was purchased for slightly less than $30. So whom can you trust? All publishers are guilty of the same over-aggressive marketing, aimed at readers who buy books. The truth is, few if any of the books labeled as “bestsellers” are truly best selling books.
Why is almost every new book published labeled a bestseller? It goes back to the fact that the industry today is focused on selling as many copies as possible to as many unsuspecting readers as they can. They stretch the truth as far as reasonably possible without violating standards. If a book is selected as one of the best selling titles by the local newspaper in Anywhere, USA and is placed on a printed list that appears in the paper, then it can be called a “bestseller.”
The “national bestseller” is a bit more of a stretch, but, for example, if a newspaper selects a title anywhere on a list of best selling books and is placed on a printed list that appears in that paper, and the newspaper just happens to have distribution or even less, subscribers in far reaches of the country, then the title can be called a “national bestseller.” There was a time many years ago when the term was used only with books on the New York Times or USA Today list, but that line was erased long ago and that’s why today there are so many books that are bestsellers.
The obvious conclusion here is that almost any book can be called a bestseller. If the author’s local hometown newspaper hears from the only bookstore in town that the new book is selling “pretty good,” and the paper puts that in print, even though it is not positioned on what could be described as a bestseller list, then the publisher can call the book a “bestseller.” If challenged, all the publisher has to do is produce a copy of the newspaper where the title is listed. Of course who’s going to make such a challenge? Certainly not another publisher since they are all guilty of the same tactics.
In this example, the local bookstore may have only received four or five copies and could have sold as few as two or three, or none for that matter. The fact is that the book was listed or described in a recognized print medium as selling “pretty good.” Translation: the book is a bestseller. Of course you can’t just start your own newsletter and suddenly call your book a bestseller. It has to be an objective source, but the size of the source is not in question. The hometown newspaper may only have a distribution of a few hundred, as long as it is recognizable and objective.
As for the major national bestseller lists, that is a completely different story, to an extent. The major chain bookstores and discount retailers all have exact numbers of copies of books sold and paid for through their cash registers. They can provide any publisher with information on how many copies that publisher’s titles sold the previous week by title, format, price, in what region of the country, and in which individual store location. However, these numbers are not always shared with the most recognizable national bestseller lists.
The USA Today has become a leading national newspaper and they describe their bestseller list as a compilation of sales from a variety of sources. They are secretive about their sources, but you can imagine it’s practically the same as their competitor, which happens to reside in the heart of the publishing world. This newspaper will seldom follow any other national lists in position or duration of titles on their list.
The one list that everyone in the industry follows closely is, of course, The New York Times. Here is where the publishers have learned how to influence as many of the best-selling decisions as possible. The Times also uses a variety of sources to make decisions on what books should be listed on their weekly bestseller list. These sources are chosen from independent booksellers, chain bookstores in selected cities, and as they call them, “other credible booksellers,” to make selections.
Having been directly involved with some of the largest retailers in the country for over twenty years, I can tell you that the Times, as late as the Fall of 2002, rarely used the single largest retailer in this country as a source for their weekly bestseller lists. Every publisher in New York City knows which sources or bookstores the Times uses and which carry the biggest weight in helping the Times make bestseller decisions.
Armed with this information, which is rotated periodically, every marketing department makes absolutely certain that every source is amply supplied with the latest and best of everything about the titles for which they strongly lobby. If you are one of the sources, you would assume the publisher is sending the same material to every single bookseller, but of course they would be wrong. Publishers pay particularly close attention to the source the Times uses for their bestseller list.
So every week the reporters for the book review call the sources and ask for a list of titles that have been selling the most copies. Would it surprise you to know that some of these sources do not use computers? Well, don’t be shocked, but there are book retailers around the country who still count inventory by hand and thus they do not have actual unit sales to share. Let me be clear, as late as the Fall of 2002 this was the case. Things may have changed, but it’s doubtful.
The reporters then combine the lists, sit down around a big table in their conference room and make decisions based on the all the information from their sources. Whether they actually try to make tabulations based on actual unit sales is still unclear, but their lists are definitely distinctive and are often questioned for their validity compared to the lists of actual unit sales the publishers accumulate on a weekly basis.
There is no threshold of a certain number of copies a book must sell to be a bestseller, there never has been and I doubt there ever will be. Until all booksellers are able to supply similar information on actual unit sales, there is no reason for the Times to change the way they make selections. Besides, there are publishers who will always be opposed to an actual unit sales mechanism for selecting bestsellers. Such a selection process would take away their ability to use any and all influence to impact the selections of the Times.
Hopefully this description of how bestsellers are determined has not disappointed you. This is the business, and when your book is published, you now have the ammunition to make certain it too becomes a bestseller.
Conversations With Bestselling Authors on Writing
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
What Writing Is All About
Writing may be the single most difficult endeavor I have ever encountered. My first book took eighteen months to complete. Sitting down at a computer with the goal of providing the reader important information, and still creating something that can be learned from, and enjoy, is extremely difficult. Having struggled through reports, essays and other small writing requirements in college, I always had great respect for people with the seemingly natural ability to write. And after attempting it on a much grander scale myself, that respect and admiration has soared.
After spending over twenty years working for a major trade publisher, and having the opportunity to spend countless hours with many writers and authors, which I’ve come to believe over the years that there is a difference between being the two, I tried to always ask the question that interested me most: How do you write? Sometimes the answers surprised me, other times they amazed me, but always the information was unique to the writer. It seemed that each had found a way to write based on how it fit their schedule and how it worked best for them. While there were no universal rules, there was one characteristic that ran through all writers, and that was the belief that writers learn to write by writing.
Writers are an amazing group of people, and during all my time spent with them, I was always fascinated to find out how they got started, how they worked, how they wrote, and where they drew their inspiration. In many ways, I found each writer different, yet similar. The one thing that became very clear was that when they started writing, few had the innate ability to write well. They certainly had skills, but those skills had to be developed and fine tuned, and the only real way to accomplish that was to write.
Some attended a variety of seminars to learn how to improve their writing. Others took classes in colleges and universities, while others were English or Literature majors. Many did not intend to make writing a career. What was a hobby that turned into a sideline eventually became an obsession. Most had a talent for words and stories and loved putting both down on paper. Writers learned to write by finding the way that worked for them. Hours of the day did not matter, lack of sleep meant nothing, and demands of being a spouse, brother, sister or parent were secondary to the one thing they loved the most. Writing.
What follows are the highlights of conversations I’ve had over the years with many authors. I’ve made some broad generalizations with the intent of portraying what I believe to be common habits and practices of writers and authors across genres. This article is solely based on my opinion after working with authors over the last twenty plus years, in a variety of genres.
Writers vs. Authors
There are big differences between writers and authors. As I’ve described in my book, writers love to write, and they write because they love it. Any writer that has been published is considered an author. And while some authors remain writers, I believe others have forgotten that it was the writing that helped them get published in the first place. The allure of being published has taken them out of the realm of being a writer and into the glitz of being an author.
In my experience from an executive management perspective in the publishing industry, I have seen authors abandon their craft to focus on being a published author. The celebrity status of being a published author became more important to them than being a writer who just happened to get published. And some have gone so far as to concentrate on producing, not writing, another book. Some authors now only draw outlines of their story while the actual words and sentences are written by less well known writers, their so called co-author, or better known in the industry as ghost writers.
The next time you’re in a bookstore, pay attention to the front or back jacket of the books to see who shares authorship. You may be surprised. While this is not uncommon in works of nonfiction, some of your big-money writers of novels also share credit with co-authors. This is what I mean about authors abandoning writing to focus on being a celebrity and on producing yet another book. Ever notice how many of your big name authors produce two and even three novels a year? Who do you really think are writing those books?
In my opinion, the famous writers who are sometimes criticized for taking so long to write the next novel are the true writers. These are the folks who have not forsaken their writing just to fit into their publisher’s schedules. It can be difficult when you work for a publisher and a big name author’s next book, which is scheduled and pre-sold, has to be cancelled because the manuscript is not on time. Book retailers hate this, the sales and marketing groups hate it, but for the author, the focus is on the book and getting it right. You have to admire writers that are not all consumed by the next paycheck.
If you are a writer whose goal is to be published, never forsake your gift of being a writer. You have a responsibility to provide readers with the very best book you can write. Many small independent bookstore owners have told me at industry meetings that readers often complain when they pay close to $30 for the newest hardcover of a best selling author and discover the plot is the same, only the setting and names of characters have changed. Don’t get caught up in the formula of one published work and try to duplicate it in another. That won’t work for long. Stay true to writing and you will be successful.
How Writers Got Started
As young children we all had ideas of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I have yet to find a writer whose fantasy as a child was to be a writer. Instead, they all sort of gravitated toward writing in a number of ways. Many were exposed to books and reading at a very young age. Either their parents read to them incessantly, or they watched their siblings, friends and family reading. Some were bored with life and became readers out of necessity. So whether through the influence of others, or out of their own bored existence, they became readers.
These readers became writers because they developed a desire to tell stories. There was the housewife who wrote after her children were tucked in bed because she had the desire to write romantic novels. A traveling salesman who spent nights in his hotel room writing the words to his story that eventually became a major motion picture. Their writing developed from the fact that they were readers first and through this developed the desire to tell stories.
But even though they were readers, many did not become writers until later on in their lives. They began to write because they had an interest in writing. Not one writer/author ever told me they were interested in writing because they wanted to be a famous writer. No, most were writers because they wanted to write. Being published was usually the farthest thing in their minds when they started. Writing was simply a hobby that eventually turned into more than just something to do in their spare time.
The desire to take their writing to the next level and work towards improving their skills was typically born out of encouragement from someone. Whether it was a parent, spouse, friend or teacher, somewhere, someone read their writing and offered a positive word. And many told me that allowing someone to read something they had written was a terrifying ordeal, only because they weren’t sure if they were ready for the criticism.
When it became evident that their writing had promise and warranted additional training, they made a decision to find a way to improve their skills. Whether it was writing classes in college, seminars around the country, tutors or mentors, whatever they found that seemed relevant to what they wanted to do; they did as a way of improving their ability to write. And their key to improving as a writer was to write.
In the final analysis, it doesn’t really matter whether you were a reader early in life, or even exposed to books as a child. What matters now is your desire to write. So regardless of whether you fit the typical profile, if you have the desire to tell stories, then write!
If you have reached a point in your life where you have thought about writing but just never took the time to try it, let me encourage you. GIVE IT A TRY! You will either love it or hate it, but no matter what, you have to try. I truly believe there are really good writers out there who have just never given the idea a chance. Create something on paper! Sit down and write! Then tear it up and try again! The best way to get started writing is to sit down and write.
How Writers Work
Scott Turow is a famous attorney and author who had some success at writing prior to his first big book, Presumed Innocent. However, even though his job is an attorney at law, his passion is writing. He continues to write because he has a passion for telling stories. He wrote Presumed Innocent while riding on a commuter train to and from his office in Chicago. And it took him several years.
Even though he could have retired after the success of that one book, he is a writer in the true sense of the word. He continues to practice law, because that is his job and he enjoys it, but he continues to write bestsellers because that is his passion. He is an example of a writer who has his priorities in order. He is not a celebrity and does not write for the sake of the publisher. He writes to tell stories. He writes in his own voice for his readers, who love to read legal thrillers.
Many authors that I have had the pleasure of accompanying on tours write according to a schedule, much as they would if they were getting up and going to an office each day. They have a time they want to be at their desk, and they write accordingly, every day. They write until their time is up, and even if they never use a word that was written that day, they stick to their commitment of making time to write.
And what I’ve heard over and over again is that it’s important to maintain some sort of schedule so that you become conditioned to write at the same time each day. Some even work until they have a set number of words on the page, paying no attention to time. They force themselves to sit down and write until they reach their limit. Again, they may never use what they are putting on paper, but at least they’re writing.
The early morning hours before the sun rises, and the wee hours after everyone has gone to bed also seem to be two of the most creative times for writers. While everyone has their own way of writing, and they all write when they have the urge, for many, the creative process works best when they’re alone in a quiet place with nothing but themselves and the blank page.
When I first started in the publishing business there was a wonderful writer of romance novels by the name of Patricia Matthews. She described to me that writing was much the same as carrying a fetus. It is important to eat the right foods, take vitamins, and get the rest you need. Writing is like carrying that baby; you have to nurture it every single day.
And since most people don’t have the luxury of traveling to a remote island and cranking out 30,000 words in a couple of weeks, writing is something that has to be worked into your schedule. The bottom line is that everyone is different and works best in their own unique way. The key is that you write when you can and try your best to maintain some consistency in your schedule.
How Writers Write
It’s hard to imagine, but there are writers who work best when they write in longhand on paper. The computer is just not their chosen method of writing. For those who have grown up with or are simply accustomed to the clickety clack of the keyboard, it seems inconceivable to attempt something as time consuming as writing without it. However, the pen and paper is still an important part of many writers’ creative process.
Some of the writers I have worked with use outlines for their stories, although many do not. Best selling author Michael Connelly doesn’t and begins his books without knowing where his characters will take him. For him that is one of the enjoyments of writing. He follows his characters to the end of his story.
For some the outline is an important first step before the actual writing because the outline provides direction. It is helpful to them in making sure the story flows and pieces fit together. If they just start pounding out sentences they feel their story can go astray and get lost. Trying to recapture the focus of the story without an outline is difficult if not impossible for some.
Note taking, jotting down things that catch your attention, is all part of the puzzle. Writers are great observers of people, things, places, and use note taking as a way of remembering what it was that caught their eye. I have encountered writers who wake from a dead sleep with a pen and paper at their bedside who will quickly record the details of their dream.
There are writers who dictate into a recording device and then have their words transcribed so they can be read at a later time. They will record their thoughts, ideas, even dialogue, and then after reading the transcription, decide what to change and how. One up and coming young author told me she likes to use a recorder for thoughts when she is driving or when the ideas come so fast that she wants to get them down when she can’t write fast enough to catch them all. Many writers prefer this method and a few do so when they reach an advanced age or inflicted with some terrible disease that has restricted the use of their hands for the purpose of writing.
We once had a book from an imprint that was written by a boy who did not have the use of his hands. He wrote by using a stick in his mouth. It took him several years to actually write the book, pounding away at the keys of his computer day after day with that stick. He had such a creative mind, along with a real gift for writing, that his desire far exceeded his physical limitations.
Writers write in many different ways, at different times, on different schedules, and they all do it in a way that works for them. Whether you prefer a pen and paper or a computer, write in a way that fits your particular creative process. The idea is to write, to be a writer, and work the way that fits you best.
Where Writers Draw Their Inspiration
The best writers seem to write about what they know. This would be a universally accepted statement of fact by most writers/authors. The stories are written about people, places and things they have experienced or observed in their lifetime. Typically they have visited or even lived in the places they write about. Others write about places they have read about at length, but never actually visited. Either way, they have some sort of strong reference point for their chosen setting.
Many characters in their stories are individuals whom they have encountered during their lifetime. Some have been admired and others despised. Rarely have I found a writer draw a character from something else they have read. Some authors take parts of characters and combine them into someone completely new. For the sake of literary integrity, which, may I add, is a very important component of all writers/authors constitution, characters are created from the minds or experiences of the writer and are never so clearly identified that they can be easily recognized as any real person.
A number of writers find inspiration through significant events in their lives. It could be derived from a loved one, someone they were very close to at a young age, but usually it is someone that has had a strong influence, either of a positive or negative nature. You may immediately think of a tragic event, or even death as a prime motivator, but that may not always be the case. What causes a person to be so enamored with the questions of life, enough to want to turn to writing as a result; is really anyone’s guess. As readers, we are lucky to be able to share in the creative energy that forced the hand of an author to create such a work that just had to be shared with the world. It’s like chasing a ghost to try to figure out what was the pivotal event in a writer’s life that made them decide to write. What a humdrum world it would be without them coloring it.
Whatever the inspiration, whatever the turning point, writers often write to fill a need they are unable to describe. Writing and the creation of stories is a way of examining their own psyche, of releasing the experiences they have a desire to share in their writing. And don’t think you have to experience tragedy, or be exposed to something sinister to start writing. There are many successful novels and works of non-fiction that are not about crime and violence and discovery of the dark side of humanity.
Why it is so Difficult to Get Published
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
It’s probably hard for any writer to believe that large New York based trade publishers are constantly on the lookout for new product (books). In fact, it’s crucial to the life of a trade publisher to have a constant influx of new product, i.e. new titles, new authors, possibly even new categories. Publishers need product to keep their seasonal lists fresh and well rounded. This means they cannot simply publish best-selling authors, the kind that everyone sees on the New York Times bestseller list. They need to publish a complete list of books.
And booksellers are always looking for what’s new, too. When a publisher presents their list to a book buyer, the typical first question is: what’s new? Books by John Grisham, Danielle Steele, Stephen King and the other well-known authors are exciting but also very predictable. They will sell a predictable number of copies and that of course is a very good thing for books sellers. They need these authors to bring customers into the stores and to generate a large number of sales. But they also need the next sleeper, the newest and different title that has the potential to rise from the bottom to become the next big book.
Agents, too, are always looking for new books and new authors because their existence depends on it. So if the publishers and agents are on the hunt for new and different, why is it so hard to get published? Certainly the intensely competitive nature of the publishing industry is one answer, but the truth is that your four largest trade publishers (Random House, Simon & Schuster, Harper-Collins and Time Warner) are risk averse! In other words they want new, but safe. They’re looking for different, but the same. Make sense? Of course not, and this is why getting a contract to have your book published is so hard and why recognizing these titles are so difficult.
Publishers today are not willing to take financial risks on books that are not reasonably predictable. A first time author of a romance or mystery novel for example, depending on the writing, will sell a predictable number of copies. Books on cooking, business or other related non-fiction categories, for example, will sell a predictable number of copies. Manuscripts that are new, different, and predictable, yet offer the slightest possibility of breaking out of the mainstream, are what they want, what they desire, and what they are constantly seeking.
Because of this, every writer should have a thorough grasp of their genre. Who publishes the titles in their category, which are the best-selling authors, how are they packaged, priced, etc. Then you must ask yourself: how is my writing unique? What makes my book new and different? If you’ve read most of the best-selling authors in your category and you can provide a good answer, then you have what publishers and agents need.
Now you must aggressively market yourself to the agents and be confident enough in your work to say, ‘my writing is new and different’. It is also critical that you have a basic understanding of the business side of publishing and a good idea of what is happening in the marketplace. To summarize, you must write something that is new and different, you must be confident, have a basic understanding of the business, and knowledge of the marketplace, all of which are possible! Who said getting a book published was difficult?
Why Care About the Business of Publishing? (Part 2)
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
You might think that books sell based on the ability of the writer, or the package, or the category in which they are published, or even the price. It might even depend on the marketing approach or the specific merchandising the book received. All of these things are important components in the success or failure of a book to sell at retail. However, even with the best writing, package, price, and marketing, a book can only reasonably be expected to sell a certain number of copies over the course of a set period of time. They may sell less, but they rarely sell more.
When you ship more books than the market can handle, you create an over-distribution situation. And unless your book was just featured on Oprah, that’s not a good thing. This creates more returns as new product must be brought into stores to replace books that haven’t sold, and the result is much higher returns than net sales. In the real world of publishing, the quality of the writing, beauty of the package, correctness of the price, and creativity exhibited in the marketing can only go so far. And it can’t outperform the dynamics of the marketplace. The only way you as an individual author can have any hope of preventing this situation with your book is by understanding the business, the language of publishing, and becoming a part of the process of publication.
Books have unfortunately become a product in the production of printed material. This process has its focus on shipping and billing, not sales. It doesn’t take into account you or your book and the net sale of individual titles. It’s just another book on a seasonal list that’s being sold and distributed, produced and shipped. The only possible way to get your book out of the production mentality of the publisher is to become knowledgeable about the business and be willing to spend time with them in every phase of the publication.
There are clearly two parts to your job as a writer soon to be author: The first is working to get your book published. You put in countless hours writing, attending workshops, meeting with writing and critique groups, but, above all else, writing and rewriting your manuscript to get it just the way you want. Once you hire an agent and sign that contract, the first part of your job is complete. However, the second part is just beginning and that’s the most critical part of your job as a writer becoming an author: Working with your editor and the publishing company to get your book to market.
And to do that, you must be willing and able to be a partner with your publisher in the decisions that surround your book. From the minute you sign that contract to the day your book hits the streets, you need to be a part of every decision regarding the future of your book. After all the time and effort that went into writing your manuscript, why would you turn everything over to the publisher and allow them to make all the decisions? Because you decided that since they’re the experts, you wanted to leave the publishing up to them, which is their job. But it’s important to keep in mind that if you have some basic knowledge about the business, you can be a huge asset to them in the publication and marketing of your book.
So please don’t leave all the critical decisions about your book up to the publisher. You must participate in the decisions surrounding your book’s publication. But how do you do that? The first step is to educate yourself on the marketplace, understand the basics of the business and learn the language so you can speak intelligently about the industry, your category, and your competition. And you’ve already taken that all-important first step: you’re reading an article on why it’s important to understand the business.
The next step is to know your genre. Know which publishers are publishing books in your particular category. Know which publishers are the strongest, have the most number of books. Know which authors are predominant in your category. Find out the editors for the publishers and authors in your genre. Know how the books are merchandised, marketed, displayed, and priced. You need to have a basic understanding of the trends of your category. You gain this knowledge by being a keen observer of the marketplace, most notably in your independent bookstore. This doesn’t happen overnight, though. You need to be a regular visitor to the store to get a sense of how quickly things change and what those changes are.
For instance, did the new vampire novel that just came out look the way you expected it to look? Does the cover look how you would like your novel’s to look? Do all the vampire novels look like that, or is the feel of the artwork and colors used changing? How are they changing? Are certain types of books being moved to the front of the store for better display? What kind of displays? What caught your eye when you walked into the store? This is how you begin to understand the market and the changes.
And since you’ll be visiting the bookstores, gaining knowledge, why not get acquainted with the store personnel? They’re typically more than happy to tell you what they know about books and authors and publishers. And employees of the independent bookstores are usually more knowledgeable than those of the chain stores, so go in, observe and pick their brains. These people are typical readers, hopefully in your category, but more importantly, of all books. I prefer the independents because the chain stores are too often a carbon copy of each other and the employees are often less than excited about books. Only the real independents will give you a true sense of the marketplace. Independents buy books for their customers that the chains will often ignore. The independent bookstores are the last best hope for new authors in the traditional retail bookstore, not the chain stores.
I’ve given you some key points, and for more in depth discussion of exactly what you need to know about publishing, I encourage you to read my book. This was written specifically for writers who want to be authors. I’ve experienced first-hand what happens to authors writing mid-list books that are totally unaware of the marketplace. Publishers need your books, they always need product, but the market for writers wanting to be new authors is vast. If one book and one author gets published and distributed in such a way that is hurts that author’s chance of ever being published again, how much concern will the publisher have? The answer may shock you.
You will never be allowed to participate in the publishing, sales and distribution decisions about your book if you don’t have a basic knowledge of the marketplace. If you don’t educate yourself about the marketplace you won’t be seen in-house as an author capable of helping make decisions. In order to wrestle away some control from your publisher you need to be seen as someone who understands the marketplace and can speak the language. This isn’t difficult and won’t take a lot of time, but it’s time you absolutely must spend if you want a career as a writer and author beyond that first book, especially in today’s more competitive marketplace.
Now some of you may be thinking, “I’m a first time author and there’s no way I’m going to be able to take control away from the publisher”, and you’re correct, to an extent. No publisher is going to give you the right of first refusal unless you can command multiples of millions of dollars in advances and royalties. The way to take some control is to be a willing and enthusiastic participant in the decision making process. From day one you tell your editor that you want to be a part of the process because you want to learn more about the business. And if you appear knowledgeable enough, they’ll allow you to assist them in the process of bringing your book to market.
For the best possible chance of being able to influence the decisions made about your books, you want to put yourself in a position where you can be involved with decisions before they’re carved in stone, and there’s an approach that I advocate clearly spelled out in my book. There are ways to approach your editor and everyone who has a hand in publishing your book to where you can be informed of decisions immediately after they’re made in-house, and then you can use your keen sense of the marketplace to make changes if necessary. However, you need to be willing to follow through on this participatory process from the beginning to the end. Nothing’s worse in a publisher’s eyes than the immediate pain in the neck who disappears once the hard work and tough decisions begin.
While you’re getting to know everyone, you also need to become acquainted with the key players in the sales and marketing department because they’re the last ones to handle your book before it goes on the market, and they can have the greatest impact on your book, positively or negatively, than almost anyone else in the company. And it’s because of the importance of this department and it’s impact on your books that you must become familiar with the way the numbers are developed and what they mean. Pay particular attention to the concept of distribution and it’s impact on your book.
And you especially want to know if your book falls into that over-distribution category of titles. There are things you can do to lessen the chances of your book becoming over-distributed, and in order for you to place yourself in a position where you can have that impact you must start now and continually educate yourself on the business of publishing.
Writing, to you as a future author, is serious business, and what happens to your book inside a publisher should be given top priority, especially if you don’t understand the basics yet. Invest some time, take the right steps, and begin learning the business. That is certainly the focus of my web site, www.WritersReaders.com, and my goal as a former publishing executive, to help writers understand the basics of the publishing business so they can be successfully published authors.
I hope you’ll browse the website for more information that can be useful to you as a writer. I promise it will be time well spent!
Why Care About the Business of Publishing? (Part 1)
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 17th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writing is difficult. After spending enormous amounts of time perfecting your craft, do you really want to know that there is another important part to becoming a published author? The answer is an unequivocal, YES! If your goal is to become a published author then here are some serious questions that you need to consider.
Why should you care about the business of publishing? The simple answer is that you want a career as a writer. Your dream is to become the next Nora Roberts, or JK Rowling. Of course, at this point you’re not sure why knowing the business is relevant to your new superstar status, but after you’ve read both parts of this article you should begin to understand why you need to care about and understand the basics of the business of publishing and how it relates to your career as a writer.
There was a son of a famous politician that was published too much fanfare. He knew little about the business and even less about what goes on behind the scenes. After all, he had a famous last name. His career as an author went south fast. Why? He didn’t understand the business and his name and writing could only carry him so far. If he’d taken the time to learn the basics of the business, his name and writing could have carried him much farther and he might even have made a career out of writing.
What are your goals as a writer? This is not a philosophical question, but one that deserves an answer. As with most writers, your goal should be to get your work published, whether it’s with a major trade publisher, small publisher or you decide to self publish. You want your book to have a chance of getting placement in all the major bookstores and a shot at making some bestseller lists around the country, not to mention being an Oprah pick of the month or having your face on the cover of PEOPLE magazine.
There is a wonderful lady who lives in Iowa that has been a published author for over thirty years. During each publication of her books, she took the time to communicate to her sales representatives, thanking them for their work and how much she appreciated their support. Her sales were only so-so, but the company had faith she would eventually find her readership. Instead of giving up on her, the sales group rallied and did everything they could to help her sales. Eventually, after more than twenty-five years, she became successful and the financial reward she had always hoped for came to be. She reached her goal.
Are you doing everything you can to improve your chances of being a published author? If you’re a member of a writer’s critique group or writer’s group, that’s an excellent start. If you’ve attended or plan to attend in the near future a writing class or writing seminar at a local community college or university, that would be highly recommended. If you don’t read books by authors in the genre you’re writing or plan to write in, you should start. If you don’t regularly visit a local bookstore and pay attention to the market and what is happening, you should begin as soon as possible.
You need the support of other writers. Authors that I have toured with appreciate the feedback they receive from other writers. This is, of course, a very select fraternity of established and recognizable authors that critique and support each other. The same is true for you as a writer with the goal of getting your manuscript published. Seek the support and critique of your colleagues.
What do you need to know to be successful as a published author? Not only do you need to know how to write, but you must also understand what is happening in the publishing industry, especially behind the scenes of the major trade publishers. Until now, that information wasn’t readily or easily available. However, with the launch of my web site, www.WritersReaders.com, not only can the information be accessed easily, it’s FREE. For a broader coverage of the business of publishing, let me suggest that you read my book. However, the basic information is FREE.
How should you allocate your time to become a successfully published author? Obviously you need to write, and write, and write some more. The best way to improve your writing is to write, so you must spend a large chunk of your available time writing. If you attend critique or group meetings where you can have a support system that would be time well spent. Classes, workshops and seminars on writing are also a good investment in time. A portion of your time should be spent visiting bookstores, reading books written by your competition, and most importantly, visiting my web site to get the inside information on the business of publishing.
Are you doing everything you need to do to put yourself in a position to make writing your career? If you’re doing everything that I’ve written about up to this point, then you’re doing as much as can be expected. If you avoid visiting bookstores, reading books written by your competition, or don’t take the time to read articles about the business, then you’re not doing everything you need to do. A basic understanding of the business of publishing is essential to your career as a writer and successful author.
Writers and authors need to become some of the most marketing savvy people in the business. They should read anything and everything in their own category including what’s on the current bestseller lists. They need to be voracious readers and keen observes of the marketplace and their category.
If someone told you that you are doing all the right things to eventually get a book published but your career may only be good for one book, would you still be interested in a career as a writer? No one wants to be a one-book author. Why would you spend the time and energy, not to mention money, to have only one book published? Spending all your time perfecting your writing skills and not spending a portion of that time learning the basics of the business of publishing is tantamount to being a one-book author.
So what’s the fun of learning the basics of the business of publishing? The fun of writing and challenge of becoming a published author could end abruptly if you make a bad decision or relinquish your decision making to the publisher. That is why in order for all your hard work to pay off handsomely, you need to learn what’s happening to your book from the day you sign the contract to the day it goes on sales.
If your goal were to someday get your book published, why would you even consider signing a contract with a publisher without understanding what they do, why they do it, and how they do it? The only conceivable answer is that you, as a writer, consider the publishers to be the experts. Of course that is correct, they do have the expertise, but they don’t have the time or resources to devote to your individual book. That’s why the more you understand about the business the better chance you have of making writing a career, avoiding the one-book syndrome, and eventually making your publisher your partner in the publication process of your book.
The business isn’t difficult; the importance is your career as a writer. There are thousands of writers who want to be authors, but only a handful understands the business. Learn how you can be better informed. Continue to read my articles and visit my web site. The basic information is FREE!
