Most Likely to Succeed
By Jerry D. Simmons | December 5th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
As the book publishing industry changes and demand for content grows, it is important for writers to stay informed. Becoming a business savvy writer requires an understanding of the marketplace and how the pieces of the publishing puzzle fit together. Without a basic foundation of understanding it is likely that opportunities will be missed.
Book publishing is not rocket science; it is about providing entertainment and information to the masses in the form of written content. Millions of writers create content every day, some of that content will become books but much will not. If the goal is to earn income as a writer then the content must be something the masses want to read. In order to make that determination the writer must have talent, and then learn to publish correctly and market wisely. That can be accomplished by staying informed.
Only a few years ago printed book publishing was the primary method of selling books but not anymore. Digital publishing as eBooks is providing endless opportunities for writers. Yet there is a right and wrong way to publish a digital edition. Those most likely to succeed in the new century are those who are market savvy and have an understanding of how the book publishing pieces fit together.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publicity, Book Publishing
Four Important Points
By Jerry D. Simmons | December 1st, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
After many years in book publishing I can honestly say that anything is possible. Over my career I’ve witnessed unknown authors with newly published titles rise to the top of the bestseller list and obscure backlist soar to record sales levels. Undoubtedly timing has played a role especially when certain genres heat up and climb atop the cyclical nature of category publishing. The possibility of riding that wave makes otherwise unknown books suddenly gain attention.
In today’s marketplace every writer believes they can achieve success that will send them to the bestseller list accompanied by fame and fortune. Again, anything is possible but in the end what really matters is the writer’s ability to tell a good story or share information in a manner that keeps the pages turning. Success requires talent and that unwavering obsession to become the best. In addition it is critical that writers understand the market and how to manage the pitfalls and capitalize on the opportunities of book publishing.
There are four points that every writer should take to heart as they proceed along the path to bestseller status: [1] Book reviews and notable quotes are important especially prior to publication, [2] Awards separate the best from the rest, [3] Giving away free content attracts readers, and [4] Market and publishing savvy is obtained by being knowledgeable and staying informed about the business of book publishing. Anything is possible if you constantly create new content and stay abreast of changes in the industry.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publicity, Book Publishing
Foreign Rights
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 30th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Selling the rights to a manuscript to someone acting as a foreign literary agent or representing a foreign publisher is extremely risky. It is easy to claim something without proof aside from a shabby website and official sounding title. Granting foreign rights is a business where the writer should utilize only those professionals with lots of experience in that area.
Too often what happens is the rights are granted and that is the last the writer will ever hear from that person again. If the manuscript is transferred to the unknown person claiming to be a foreign literary agent or representative they can take the manuscript, give it a new title, strip and replace the author name and begin selling without the real author ever knowing what happened, let alone ever receiving compensation.
To avoid this issue, NEVER—EVER grant approval to anyone claiming to represent a foreign publisher or acting as a foreign literary agent and NEVER—EVER send a manuscript to anyone as an email attachment unless there is complete satisfaction that the person is reliable and competent. Once a manuscript leaves the control of the writer it may be lost forever without any possibility of recourse.
Tags: Book Publishing
Agents and Editors
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 29th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Book publishing is first and foremost a relationship business and that is especially true for editors and agents. Publishers want to maintain good relationships with agents to make sure they get a shot at the latest writing talent. In turn agents need to make certain they maintain good relationships with editors as an outlet for the manuscripts they receive.
New agents trying to break into the business without experience and not working in the New York City area will have a difficult time. Most editors enjoy the close contact of agents especially when face to face communication is often preferred. This goes directly to developing a relationship, it is difficult to establish let alone maintain without close personal and often face to face contact.
This is not to say that all good agents must live in NYC or that they must have publishing experience. The point is that agents not living in the New York area and without previous publishing experience has a much more difficult time making sales. The question for the writer is, who do you want representing you and your manuscript?
Tags: Book Publishing
The Literary Agent
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 28th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Sending query letters to agents is a long and time consuming process. Once the hint of interest comes along the writer has an important decision to make. There are a few signs to look for when deciding if an agent or agency is the right one to represent you and your manuscript. The first is to (1) Check their website for a list of authors they represent and ask yourself; do you recognize any of them? (2) Do the authors they represent have books you can find in either the local library or bookstore? If the answer to either of the first two is NO then you might want to reconsider the agent and agency.
The next question to ask (3) What is the agency specialty? Are they primarily Mystery? Romance? If they represent authors from many genres this could signal a problem since most agencies specialize. The best way to sell a manuscript is to develop relationships with editors and smaller agencies have a harder time developing multi-genre editorial relationships. The final question to consider (4) Where are they located? How many agents in the firm? If they are outside of NYC then their influence and relationships with editors will most likely be limited. Experience in publishing is not a proper gauge, the true test of a good agent is who they represent and whether you can find their author’s titles in stores.
Even if you consider the offer from an agent to be a good one, having a less than stellar agency represent your manuscript will not help you achieve your personal goals. Consider the options, either you have a questionable agent wanting to represent you or you keep searching for the right one. Your decision will set the course of your career for many years.
Tags: Book Publishing
Why Publishers Over Ship
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 23rd, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
An earlier blog titled, Bestseller Does Not Equal Success, received many comments from readers asking why publishers over ship to booksellers? The reason is revenue. Virtually all major publishers are owned by much larger corporate entities that care little about books and are in the business for the sole purpose of generating revenue. When these corporate suits scrutinize publishers they tend to focus on quarterly gross billing. The best way to increase revenue short term is increase shipments of titles.
Even though publishers are aware of the return issues of over shipping, the quarterly corporate oversight is much more important than a writer’s future as an author. The follow-up question is why would booksellers allow this to happen? The answer here again is money. Publishers will pay booksellers a fee to warehouse copies. Since booksellers have no exposure other than some warehouse space they accept the over shipment fees.
Each party, publishers and booksellers, know this is a terrible way to run a business but it happens all the time. The percentage a book sells compared to the total number of copies shipped it called percent of sale. Authors with low percent of sales on their titles are destined to become former authors. This is a real possibility with over shipments and has become one of the causalities of doing business in the publishing industry. For writers, beware of these issues, educate yourself on how to avoid the pitfalls, and watch out for yourself. We all know your publisher will not be watching out for you.
Tags: Book Publishing
Competition Hurts Sales
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 22nd, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Competition in book publishing is fierce, with thousands of new titles being released each day the minimum number of sales required for the bestseller level has been lowered. The industry has never set standards for a certain number of copies being sold to achieve bestseller status instead lists are based more on market perception than actual copies sold, even though industry insiders deny the fact.
With the disappearance of Border bookstores and continuous decline of the retail book space the actual number of copies being sold for each bestseller position has eroded. These lists have always been off limits for the independent title simply because the market has no way of legitimately identifying sales of independently publishing books. However the market overall for printed book sales is in decline and the actual number of copies being sold for the top bestseller positions has gone down.
Purchasers of books have been declining for years and with eBooks making a dent in print sales the number of printed copies being sold is dropping. Competition is good and it can raise the bar for quality writing but it is not helping the author who has not achieved bestseller status but still struggles to write under contract for a living.
Tags: Book Publishing
Bestseller Does Not Equal Success
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 21st, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Many new authors are focused too much on making the “bestseller list” and not creating great content. Certainly this is a worthy goal but does not equate to being a successful or lasting author. Having your book placed on a bestseller list provides certain marketing and sales advantages but is not the key to success. To any publisher, successful authors write a number of terrific books that sell consistently over the course of many years. Any writer who can accomplish this is worth their weight in gold to a publisher.
Having a book make a bestseller list too early in the author’s career places tremendous pressure on the writer and publisher to make every release a bestseller. In turn the company often over distributes, shipping more books to booksellers than they can sell, as a way of creating the perception a new release is going to be a bestseller. The excessive shipment puts pressure on marketing to drive readers to the store to purchase the new publication within a short time frame. Failure at any juncture creates a negative marketplace perception which results in heavy returns and will be viewed as a failure of the book and author.
The best road to the bestseller list is creating a breadth of content that shows steady growth over a number of years eventually landing a new title on the bestseller list. Then should a subsequent release not make the list it is not so disastrous because it will direct consumers to the older titles which may result in overall increased sales. Making the bestseller list before developing a backlist of older titles causes publishing pressures that often result in career ending mistakes. It is great to make any bestseller list from the publisher standpoint but as an author understand and be prepared for the consequences.
For more information read the accompanying article: What It Takes for a Book to Become a Bestseller.
Tags: Book Publishing
Special Book Promotion
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 17th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Published titles typically get three shots at creating sales: the initial release or launch date is the first, the re-launch is the second and finally special promotional dates are third. In all three cases the focus is on making an announcement, generating interest, attracting readers and eventually creating sales. Special promotions are focused on selling copies linked to a specific date.
For publishers this is most often created by a drop in discount to the bookseller by offering the title for a much lower wholesale price thus improving their profitability. For the independent author the scenario would be to reduce the cover price for a limited time and sell as many copies as fast as possible. In both cases the special promotion typically warrants a time span of about thirty days.
The special promotion could be tied to a season of the year, specific holiday, and media appearance, anniversary date for publication or pre-selling an upcoming book release. It’s like planning a party, anyone can create anything real or imagined and announce with a special promotion, it’s all part of book marketing. The key is planning, setting special terms or pricing and making certain the response is quick and efficient to the consumer.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publicity, Book Publishing
Book Re-Launch
By Jerry D. Simmons | November 16th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
For authors whose initial launch of their book did not turn out as successful as they wanted or hoped, rest assured there is always another chance. It is called the re-launch and basically refers to stepping back from the initial release, evaluating what worked and what did not, then create a plan around a new date which is called the re-launch.
There is nothing wrong with calling this a re-launch especially when people are aware the title has been on sale for an extended period of time. Publishers do this in cases where they had high hopes for a title but unforeseen factors played a part in depleting the expected sales. In this situation they rarely abandon the title; instead they regroup, refocus, make new plans and re-launch the title.
Successful publishing requires maximizing exposure for as many titles as possible. the major publishers lack the ability to re-launch a large number of titles, rather they tend to concentrate on the handful they feel has a good chance at selling and whose release date was negatively impacted by forces beyond their control. More than anything this has to do with poor market timing, competitive titles with better marketing, pr simply making mistakes. Regardless, a re-launch is perfect for a new start.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Publicity, Book Publishing
