Market Planning
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 29th, 2012 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Every publication needs market planning, defined as the steps for introducing the format to the public. Market planning provides three bites at the apple: the first is the launch, the second is a re-launch and the third is a special promotion. Each is different and have specific requirements all focused on timing, or when the title will be available for sale.
Publishing and releasing a title before the marketing plan is developed and initiated typically results in a slow start to sales. As with any introduction of a product to market, pre-planning in the form of a specific launch is preferred. If you are publishing on your own this becomes extremely important. If your start is less than desirable there needs to be sufficient time between the re-launch and that period can be from six to twelve months but not earlier.
If neither the launch nor re-launch work to the author’s satisfaction there is always the special promotion. This should be tied to the release of a subsequent title or tie-in to a specific event that again ties directly to the book. The nice thing is that a special promotion can become annual which is not only acceptable but advisable until the author or publisher has reached a saturation point.
This all takes time and of course everyone must plan for a commitment of time unless you have a publisher or marketer working for you and your title. Even then it would be advisable the author stay fully engaged and informed at every stage of the process. Plan your marketing, schedule your success, anything is possible if you follow the right steps.
Editorial Integrity
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 27th, 2012 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Do not mix friendship or relationships with editorial quality. While your friend or family may in fact be an excellent editor, their personal relationship will impact the editorial work they do and the comments they make about your writing. While this is a common occurrence the writer must avoid at all costs. Editorial integrity comes from an objective third person with whom a writer does not have a personal or family relationship.
Publishing is difficult and competitive enough without having the added disadvantage of subjective opinions. A writer will only be successful when they are aware of their weaknesses and work to overcome them. Friends and family want only the best for their loved ones and yet overlooking problems in a story only hinders the writer’s progress.
Saving money on editorial is a common problem and yet one area that cannot be averted. When a writer seeks editorial help from someone close then the honesty bond is often broken. Do not place the pressure on the friend or family member to provide positive feedback at a time when criticism is what is needed. Protect your editorial integrity and seek an objective critique from a professional editor.
Publishers Seeking Writers
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 24th, 2012 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
We live in a world where the most successful in a given field typically possess money, power and influence. For writers trying to make decisions on how to publish consider this: big publishers are in possession of all three. They have more resources, i.e. money, than all of their competitors and they retain the power and influence in a difficult market.
This is not an endorsement of big publishers but merely a fact of the business. Opportunities for success as an author are not equal between larger companies and smaller publishers nor independent and print on demand. Perception is reality in book publishing and the recognition, endorsement and support a big publisher is an advantage but never a guarantee.
Being under contract to a big publishing company results in pressure to write and create content in a timely manner. The ability to manage the process of publication, an editor, marketing and publicity departments can be impossible if the writer does not have a clear understanding of the industry and marketplace.
Depending on the personal and professional goals of the writer a smaller percentage of royalty on a far larger volume of sales plus regional or national exposure may be preferable. Receiving a larger percent of royalty on a small volume of sales may not match the long term goals of the writer. Willingness to share some of the money and control could result in more power and influence over the course of a career.
Writers Seeking Agents
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 21st, 2012 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Going through the process of finding an agent is both frustrating and discouraging. Today there are five things to keep in mind about what agents and editors are looking for in new writers. First, they must be social media savvy and understand the importance of developing fans and followers. Publishers are turning more and more to social media to generate interest and sell content.
Second, writers must actively promote themselves, their writing and their content through their own social media sites which illustrates they will be aggressive with their future publisher. The old ways of selling books are changing and authors are expected to participate in their own marketing. Third, forget about the book tour and fourth, forget about the advance. Most publishers today are realizing that an author tour and advance does not drive revenue and in publishing if a piece of the puzzle does not directly impact revenue, forget it!
Fifth, understand that publishing today, even in New York, does not always mean a print book. The traditional path of hardcover, trade paper to mass paper is gone. New releases may well start as an eBook and never end up in actual print on paper. The key has always been growth in revenue, or sales. As the old methods of distribution are becoming obsolete, digital transfer of files is the future. The audience for eBook may not translate into print and if the print edition does not drive revenue, forget it!
Backward Thinking in Book Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 8th, 2012 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
The business continues to undermine its own existence as the largest book retailer has decided not to sell printed titles from Amazon. Barnes & Noble has said “Our decision is based on Amazon’s continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent. These exclusives have prohibited us from offering certain e-books to our customers. Their actions have undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content. It’s clear to us that Amazon has proven they would not be a good publishing partner to Barnes & Noble as they continue to pull content off the market for their own self-interest.”
Canada’s Indigo Books agreed with Barnes & Noble in refusing to sell any books published by Amazon. Both chains now accuse the online retailer of using predatory tactics that weaken an already struggling book industry. An Indigo spokesperson has stated “In our view Amazon’s actions are not in the long-term interests of the reading public or the publishing and book retailing industry, globally.” In addition, regional bookstore chain Books-A-Million has joined with Barnes & Noble and Indigo in deciding they will not carry Amazon Published titles.
It is expected that other book retailers including most independent bookstores will follow suit and not carry any Amazon printed titles on store shelves. As the industry struggles with rapid decline in print sales it seems ridiculous they would take a stance that is clearly not in either the best interest of the reading public or author. These large retailers only increase the divide and create a situation unhealthy for both the consumer and new writers desiring to enter the market since Amazon will become the only viable option.
Amazon has not commented however they did report fourth-quarter results which indicated that its recent fast revenue growth is slowing as revenue fell nearly one billion short of what Wall Street analysts expected. In the end, when retailers refuse to stock and sell one publisher’s titles it seems plausible that the online giant can in return refuse to sell certain big publisher titles online. In the end those that lose may be the writer and the reader.
When Good Beats Great
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 2nd, 2012 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writers who spend years in an attempt at making that one manuscript perfect need to understand that revising and rewriting is a very slippery slope. Self editing can be a disaster for a writer if it prevents them from starting another manuscript. Publishing success today comes from the totality of their content, not one perfect manuscript. Certainly it is possible to write the next great American novel but the market rewards those writers with several good manuscripts as opposed to a great one.
Publishing is profitable when several good stories are available, not a single great novel. The marketplace for a writer works best they are proficient and prolific rather than great and slow. Publishers and agents are not seeking the next Hemingway, rather the next mid-list, non-bestselling writer that can produce good content quickly with the potential of growing an audience. Any publisher will be more profitable with a dozen such authors as opposed to one who makes the bestseller list once a year.
If this doesn’t make sense then consider the fact that backlist, older titles selling a few hundred copies continuously, are much more profitable that one author who manages to sell thousands of copies every year. As the older backlist titles continue to sell the single bestseller will run its course in a couple of months and then the publisher must wait another ten months for the next one. Those ten months of nothing are more costly than a constant stream of steady backlist sellers. The key is to write often, write well, and never worry about making it great, just be steady and remember success is being good many times over rather than great only once.
