Publishing Your Manuscript
By Jerry D. Simmons | October 29th, 2009 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Every time I speak to a group of writers I like to say: it’s very easy to get a manuscript published, but extremely difficult to sell books. There are at least a dozen variations of “publishing” and an even wider array of products and services that promise success. Publishing today offers an abundance of choices but should always be grounded in the author’s motivation for writing.
Each writer that questions me about the best method for publishing their writing gets this response: follow your own personal goals for writing. If you are intent on becoming wealthy or a celebrity and that is your primary reason for writing and publishing then step back and examine the odds of winning a lottery. They are better than becoming a bestselling author.
The business of book publishing is a long and arduous one; there are no secrets or shortcuts to success. However, you can improve your odds of becoming successful—loosely defined as the ability to earn back your investment in both time and money with an opportunity to write again and sell more books—by following a few simple steps: follow your heart, write obsessively, believe in your writing and never get discouraged or give up.
Anything is possible in publishing and that statement is proven every year by the success of an unknown writer who manages to tap into an audience and word of mouth results in thousands of copies being sold. The business is rapidly changing and success is being defined in a number of ways but what is most important is whether or not as a writer you are doing what you want and people enjoy what you have to tell them.
As we often joked in New York, we’re not launching rockets, it’s just books. Write with passion and set realistic goals. You can become a successful author.
Competition in Book Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | October 21st, 2009 | 6 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There have been a couple of interesting things happen in the publishing world lately that I believe is good for the future of our business. The first is the price war between Wal-Mart and Amazon and the second is the introduction of the new eBook Reader from Barnes & Nobel.
Certainly the price war between the two giants of bookselling will not last long. Even though this is a loss leader for both and they can certainly afford to lose money on books for a short period, neither wishes to be seen as the loser in this situation. What it should do, especially during the upcoming holiday season is draw new readers to books and perhaps increase readership. Anything to help increase the net sales of books is a good thing for authors and publishers.
The introduction of a new eBook reader from Barnes & Nobel is great for the future of eBooks and the growth of that market. It is also good from a competitive standpoint but may be a problem for the adaptability of all eBooks to a single download system. Amazon is secretive about their technology as they rightly should be, however if new eBook readers are not compatible with other eBook readers, and consumers who own certain machines cannot download in a single consistent format for all eBook readers, that’s a problem.
Whatever the outcome these are positive developments for authors and publishers, lower hardcover prices will draw new readers to the mix and the introduction of new and affordable eBook readers will greatly increase the number of downloads and continue to expand that market.
The only issue for authors is creating new and exciting content to sell. If you write with the idea of sharing your writing with as many readers as possible, everything else will take care of itself.
Successful Book Publishing is About More Than Good Writing
By Jerry D. Simmons | October 15th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
It amazes me how any writer who spends an inordinate amount of time to complete a manuscript would suddenly feel they have all the necessary skills to publish on their own successfully without proper guidance. This is foolish. Who would attempt to build a bridge, launch a rocket, or sail around the world without expert help?
It’s more than simply reading about how to do it, there are plenty of experts that will sell you a book or service to make the process quick, easy and relatively inexpensive. But would anyone without publishing experience know what they are getting for what they are paying? Of course not.
Quality writing can be greatly diminished by the poor production standards of the end product. Consumers judge books by their cover, readers search for books by category according to their own personal preference, high prices of books by unknown authors turn people away. Any writer who publishes on their own without proper guidance on cover and interior design, categorization and pricing is making a grave mistake.
Why devote months or years to writing and then turn your back on how to publish? It’s not about creating the next bestseller, it’s about giving your writing the best opportunity to compete with other titles. It’s so easy to get a manuscript published but extremely hard to sell books. Anyone who follows the crowd and uses the mass production POD companies are taking away opportunities for success.
Publishing success is about selling copies, it’s not making bestseller lists. Many titles published by New York sell lots of copies and never make a single bestseller list. That is successful publishing. You don’t have a chance if you don’t follow certain standards and you won’t discover the keys by reading a book. You need expert guidance every step of the way. Don’t take away your chance at becoming a successful author.
Publishing is About Perception
By Jerry D. Simmons | October 8th, 2009 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Bestsellers are created months before the title ever hits store shelves. If the author is a brand name and former bestselling author the job is easier, if the author is unknown and the book is a breakout the job is much more difficult. This is why publishers begin the process in the pre-sales stage long before the book is ready for publication.
For writers, the agent you select or rather, who you allow to represent you says something about your future as an author. The publisher that places their imprint on your published work speaks volumes about you as an author. This is especially important when you publish independently. The trend in the industry is toward quality, professional self-publishing where the author retains all rights, ownership and control.
If you make the decision to publish on your own then your choice of publisher is key to the perception the marketplace will have on your work. Regardless of whether you have worked with a professional editor and reviews for your work are all positive. The immediate perception of your book published by one of the large POD companies will be negative.
This is not my opinion it’s a fact about the market for selling books. Certain self-publishing imprints will never be allowed on a wide scale on the shelves of large national bookstore chains. Most of the large POD companies do not have the discount or return structure in place that fits the market for traditional book sales.
These are all facts that writers must be aware of before they sign a contract. Not only do most of these companies retain some rights but they also require an author to pay additional fees for the files that are created for their book when they leave . This is above and beyond the fact they are not allowed in bookstores. The perception of you as an author is created by your publisher.
