About Jerry
Anyone searching the web for information about publishing, marketing and selling books should always check the background and experience of those offering products and services. Do your homework before you commit time and money. Stay away from guarantees, they don’t exist in book publishing. I’ll match my experience with anyone, anywhere, and if I can help you answer questions and make good sound decisions, please contact me.
Jerry’s Bio
My career in publishing began in the fall of 1977 as a Sales Representative for Random House. In 1979 I joined the book division at Warner Communications, where I spent more than twenty-three years in sales and management. During that time the company expanded to become The Time Warner Book Group (sold in 2006 to Hachette Book Group USA, a French Company). Our sales team distributed over a thousand titles a year from a number of large publishing houses including Little, Brown; Warner Books; Hyperion; Miramax Books; Bulfinch; Back Bay; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; and Disney. I sold books to some of the largest independent booksellers and mass merchants in the country as well as managing a sales force nationwide. I retired as Vice-President, Director Field Sales in 2003.
Over the years I was fortunate to have worked on books written by such bestselling authors as:
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I was also fortunate to have worked on such multi-million copy bestselling titles as:
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Now I spend my time writing, teaching, and speaking with writers about the importance of understanding the marketplace for selling books and the business of publishing. My commitment is to provide essential information writers need for achieving success. My goal is to help writers become successfully published authors by educating them about the business of publishing and revealing the secrets of the largest booksellers and publishers in the world.
My Workshop & Seminar Program
Please contact me about your next writers conference and how I might share my 30 years of experience with your auidence. Here is a brief outline of my program and the kind of information that is available.
What Writers Need to Know About Publishing
Writers cannot be successful in today’s environment unless they have an understanding of how the marketplace operates, how publishers and booksellers compete, and how to make intelligent decisions about the publication of their book. It is relatively easy to get a book published, but extremely difficult to actually sell books. Writers must have information and learn how to use it to be successful as authors.
My program brings more than 30 years of experience to writers and gives them a glimpse of how the major publishers in this country compete and how any author can use this information to their advantage to maximize the marketing dollars they spend. It also provides a unique perspective on how any author regardless of how they publish can be competitive in today’s marketplace.
There are two distinct parts to becoming a successful author: the first is everything that goes into preparing your manuscript for publication including professional editing; the second part is what my workshops and seminars are all about—marketing and selling books. The worst decision any author can make is to rely solely on their publisher to make the correct decisions about their book. My presentation will give writers the insight they need to ask the right questions and work in partnership with their publisher.
I explain to writers the importance of understanding the basics of the marketplace and why it is important to their career. Points I cover:
I also examine the difficult challenges writers face when bringing books to the marketplace. Most authors and small publishers do not have the distribution network of their bigger competitors, and they can face huge financial challenges in publishing and marketing books. To successfully compete for book sales authors must understand the marketing strengths and weaknesses of their bigger New York competitors.
In this part of my program I outline how any author can compete effectively by taking advantage of how the major publishers market their books and authors, and I offer advice on how to compete for book sales. There are marketing missteps that cost authors thousands of dollars; I will explain in detail how to avoid these common mistakes. Total program time can range from 1-3 hours, including questions and answers.
Professional Services
After years of writing, developing your skills, and dreams of becoming an author, you are finally ready to publish. The first important question: What next? Do you know the steps necessary to get your manuscript published? Do you realize your decisions can cost thousands of dollars and months of time? Eliminate the worry and wonder: Did I make the right choice for my book? Why take the risk that you’ve made the wrong decision?
I have spent more than 30 years in publishing and can help you make the right decisions by offering you advice based on my experience and your goals. Here is what you get:
If you make the wrong choices you may spend much of your hard earned money and have little to show for it aside from months of frustration.
Being a successful author after years of writing is difficult, but you need information that you can trust to help in making decisions. You also need to ask yourself questions:
Your answers are important and they should be reflected in the decisions you make.
I can help you sift through the many details and costs associated with all publishing options. Let me help you decide what steps to take first. Invest in yourself and your book and you can be successful.
I am not an advocate for any specific type of publishing. I will guide you in the direction that seems best for you and your book and one that will give you the greatest opportunity to be successful, which mean sales. However, I cannot help if your book is:
Also, I will not:
You have to be realistic in your expectations, not dreams. You can dream big but it doesn’t happen overnight. The expectations for your book are important, but they must be realistic in today’s marketplace and fit with your goals as an author. The best way to discover that fact is spending time with me in a Personal Consultation or Pre-Publication Planning. It’s a bargain compared to lost time and the cost of wrong decisions. Make the right first decision!
Testimonials
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“The good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of book publishing, told in a straight-from-the hip manner. New writers, take note. Simmons speaks from years of experience, as well as a genuine caring for the would-be-published writer.”
Sandra Brown
#1 New York Times bestselling author |
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“The information was absolutely incredible! I would recommend your book to all aspiring and new authors.”
Allison Brennan
New York Times bestselling author of The Prey, The Hunt, and The Kill |
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“Publishing just isn’t the glamorous business most writers think it is. Jerry Simmons’ What Writers Need to Know About Publishing tells it the way it is—and shows writers how they can use that knowledge to benefit their careers.”
Melanie Rigney
Former Editor for Writer’s Digest magazine |
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“I devored every page of INSIDE The Business of Publishing in one setting. Mr. Simmons gives a real detailed insider’s view of what really goes on behind closed doors and opened my eyes to the reality of the book publishing business. I’m spreading word to all the writers and authors I possibly can. Go get his book!”
Jeff Rivera
Author of Forever My Lady: A Novel by Warner Books |
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“Your presentation was as good as any professional speaker I’ve heard in a long time. Keep up the great work!”
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Previous Speaking Engagements
