How Much Do You Value Your Writing?
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 27th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
After spending countless days, weeks and even months, maybe years laboring over your manuscript, what would be the true value to your writing? For a few thousand dollars would you be willing to sell all rights, ownership and control of that property to a company that you are trusting simply because they are headquartered in New York?
Writers seem to be caught up in the idea that having their writing published by a large recognized company validates their work. If you write to tell your friends and family that you are a published author and you enjoy throwing around big names, then by all means follow your dream. If you are obsessed with writing and your goal is a career as a professional writer, then you better educate yourself about the business.
If you have no aspirations of bestseller lists and money is no object then sign with one of the large heavily advertised “sellers of services and printers of books,” often referred to as a print-on-demand publisher. Although publisher is a misnomer and should be used tongue in cheek, no true publisher would ever price their books according to page count as opposed to the marketplace.
Publishing is about dreams, about telling stories, about sharing experiences. It’s about books and how to publish the right way, according to the marketplace and not some arbitrary concept of paper and printing. There are more options today for publishing than ever before but the fact remains that the market for selling books is static and if you are not in tune to that market, and don’t understand the basics of the business of publishing, your book will most likely languish with the hundreds of thousands of books published each year.
How does an author separate themselves and their writing? How does an author gain the kind of recognition they seek for their work? The answer is to publish professionally, with a reputable company that understands the market. Perception is everything and if you begin your career on the wrong foot, you may never be in step with success.
Publishing Isn’t Broken, It’s Changing
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 25th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
We’ve all read about the demise of publishing and the possibility of a world void of printed books. In my opinion, there will always be printed books, just not published the same way they have been for the past half century. The bookstore experience will not go away, it might look more like a coffee shop or café than bookstore but printed books will line shelves, just not all over the store.
The business of publishing books is changing, for the better. Certainly publishers are still too focused on celebrity books and what they consider the “sure thing.” Of course those of us who have worked inside New York know there is no such animal as the “sure thing.” Quality self-publishing is still fighting the negative perceptions but is finally starting to come of age and gain a small amount of respect for certain titles. The digital revolution for the eBook and downloads is really in its infancy and we are experiencing the dawn of a new era.
Writers trying to land an agent and a contract should start examining their options. If you wait for the inevitable it may never come. The business is much harder to break in than even one year ago and there are no signs things will get easier. It’s not good enough to write a great story anymore, you really have to leverage your contacts and network to get your manuscript in the right hands.
If you’ve invested time, I mean tons of valuable time, writing your manuscript, at the very minimum you need to understand your publishing options. Sometimes you have to prove that your writing has an audience before anyone will take notice. Are books following in the footsteps of music? Quite possibly, however there is no radio for books and live concerts don’t exist. Authors are going to be forced to find their own platform or stage on which they can announce to a global audience they have a book for sale.
Learn to market yourself as well as your writing, it’s the only way.
Book Distribution Doesn’t Have to be Confusing
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 21st, 2009 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writers assume that all traditional publishers have access to the market, meaning bookstores, via direct sales and national distribution. That fact is true—most do have access. The discrepancy comes when the multitude of POD publishers make the same claim. This is not true because they do not have access they only have availability. What’s the difference?
Book distribution has either “access to the market” or is “available to the market.” Access is the way the major New York publishers handle the sales and distribution of their books. They have direct access to the market. If your book is “available to the market” this means your title is listed in the database of hundreds of thousands of other books with no way of creating market demand. Meaning unless a consumer walks in a store and specifically asks for your book, it will not be available to anyone browsing store shelves.
Direct sales and distribution means you have a sales person, presenting your title personally to a book buyer from a recognized bookseller. Whether it is a retailer, book jobber, or wholesaler, your title is being presented to an established bookseller for purchase by that account and placed in their store or warehouse. This is market “access” via direct sales and national distribution.
When a POD or any “publisher” tells you they have “distribution,” you need to ask—does that mean your sales representatives present my title personally to a book buyer from a recognized bookseller? The answer will be NO, they do not! When they say to you they have “distribution” this means they will place your title on a list of all books being published in the database of a large book jobber which in essence means your book is “available” to booksellers around the world. This is not access to the market and not “ book distribution.”
If your title has “access to the market” this means it can be placed on store shelves for consumers to browse and possibly purchase. Be careful about the terminology of “book distribution” and understand the true meaning and difference in access versus availability.
Book Publishing is More Art Than Science
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 18th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Turning an edited manuscript into a published book necessitates years of experience, a keen eye, and a clear understanding of the marketplace for selling books. Those who subscribe to the production line mentality of “get ‘em in and get ‘em out” as quickly as possible are not in tune to the market for book sales. The profit motives of these so-called publishers are the services they provide the writer and not whether or not the finished product has a viable chance of selling copies.
Why else would any self proclaimed publisher set cover prices according to page count? The reasoning is from a production standpoint, not what the price should be according to the category in which the book is being published. When was the last time a major publisher sold a trade paperback novel for $28.95? When was the last time a consumer paid that kind of money for an unknown author? The answer to both is never!
Every day thousands of unsuspecting writers sign on to have their manuscript published by one of the large, heavily advertised POD printers (not publishers). The end result is often disappointing and far short of what is required to have any opportunity to sell books in the marketplace. There are options, and yet most writers fail to fully understand what they are. If you want to separate yourself and your writing from all the other authors in the “publishing mills” then decide to make a change. Don’t follow the leader, it will not be worthy of your writing.
Who Said Book Publishing Wasn’t Fun?
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 14th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
If you are an avid reader, working in the office of a New York publisher is heaven. Sure the stress of having too much on your plate, pressure of meeting deadlines and getting books out the door is intense but if you want to surround yourself with thousands of books and manuscripts, working in Manhattan for a publisher beats the library.
Anyone who follows the business of publishing knows that times are tough. I’m not talking Detroit autoworker tough, but difficult. Sales are down, editors are buying fewer manuscripts, companies are laying off long time employees, and it’s much harder for new talented writers to break in. Those who have spent their entire adult lives selling books are worried.
But nobody said it would be easy and if you enjoy curling up with a good book, browsing the shelves of bookstores, and generally being around creative and talented people that live and breathe publishing, New York is the place to be. It’s expensive and the commutes are a killer, but nothing matches the energy of the City of New York and working inside a publishing company.
Everyone involved with writing, editing and publishing hope the business can find a way to overcome the problems. Sales may never be where they once were and cover prices will always seem unreasonably high, but if we all get back to focusing on good writers and quality books and move past the fascination with celebrity, book sales might just start to rebound.
How Much is Too Much?
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 11th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I’m often asked to evaluate the cost of self-publishing from the quotes that writers get from POD’s and every other kind of “industry professional.” Cost is relative and depends on what you are getting for what you pay. If you self-publish outside the “publishing mills” of the carbon copy publishers, then you can expect to pay a few thousand dollars for an excellent job. Now, you can pay more, but why would you? You can also pay less in some cases, but be careful, my estimate is based on today’s market for self-publishing a quality, professional looking book.
This cost for both editing and marketing is over and above, but for a few thousand dollars you get an original cover design, personalized interior layout, offset printing with a company that has experience producing books. Plus, ISBN & Library of Congress numbers, copyright registration, distribution by a professional sales group to booksellers nationwide, as well as guidance by an experienced staff of freelance publishing experts. What else could you want?
Cost is always a factor but you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a professional book. This is an investment in you and your writing as well as time and energy, don’t cut corners when it comes time to publish. Create a book that you will be proud to display and one that has a chance of attracting the attention of consumers. Perception in publishing is everything, image in book design is important, if the look and feel is not right for your genre and price, you have little chance of selling books.
Success is what you make it, to be successful as an author you need to look successful. Publish your book professionally and you have a legitimate chance to compete with all published books. Then anything is possible!!
Simple, Easy Book Marketing
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 7th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There is a web site that I am very proud of, www.NothingBinding.com, which introduces emerging writers to a global audience. The original concept was social networking for authors but in fact it’s developed into something much more.
Agents and editors are constantly searching for new product. The big guys don’t just sit back and wait for the good manuscripts to walk in the door, they read everything—blogs, articles, ezines, you name it and they read it. This indicates that writers should utilize the social networks and free platforms, such as www.NothingBinding.com more.
Every writer and author should take advantage of all free opportunities to promote themselves and their writing on the web. It’s your worldwide audience that you need to reach and there is no better way than online, for free. There are plenty of web sites that offer you a chance to create a profile, add an audio or video, offer an excerpt of your writing and place a personal photo.
Technology is so easy today that anyone can create a simple, inexpensive video of themselves and place it on the web. This gives those agents, editors and publishers searching for product the chance to see and hear you. After all, it’s the ability to promote authors as well as books that create sales in this tough climate.
Take some time, visit www.NothingBinding.com, and create your free profile. You never know who may visit and see you and your writing and decide, you are exactly what they have been looking for!
