Tips for Writers
Cornering the eBook Market
By Jerry D. Simmons | October 13th, 2011 | 3 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The latest Amazon publishing campaign is to launch a service for eBooks where customers would pay a fee for access to the Internet retailer’s vast library of digital content. This idea falls in line with their singular goal of vertical integration into all areas of book publishing and developing a direct connection with readers which will result in selling more Kindle eBook readers.
It is not surprising the many publishing executives are ignoring the concept since it gives Amazon yet one more way to bypass the major companies. The more direct connection they can make with consumers in conjunction with creating their content via their own publishing ventures the less important the big publishers become.
Even with an impressive discount structure the publishers with the largest and most consumer friendly list of authors and titles are reluctant to sign on since Amazon is reported to want all backlist titles plus all new titles on an exclusive basis. The idea of exclusivity would eliminate competition from other online retailers and appears to be a deal breaker.
Necessary for Writers
The more Amazon builds a direct relationship with readers the more important it becomes for writers to build their own audience. This type of direct to consumer service would give them a huge advantage in the growth of the eBook market but it also allows them to monopolize the entire consumer reading experience. If successful their strength would force writers to publish with their companies as opposed to independently since the fee and royalty structure would favor their own authors.
Many have said the eBook service only provides new opportunities for writers but you cannot ignore the fact that Amazon wants to control the vast majority of the publishing marketplace from production through distribution to sales. There is no doubt an author must have their print and digital editions on Amazon’s web site for maximum exposure but if their moves eliminate competition it will not benefit writers in the long run.
As more media types begin publishing their own eBooks and the demand for content rises the opportunities for writers will increase, however the market needs to remain open and free from the control of Amazon or else all content will flow through them. My advice to writers is continue to create quality content and let the marketplace evolve.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
New Market for the Short Story
By Jerry D. Simmons | September 28th, 2011 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Since the early days of publishing, written content less than an average of sixty thousand words was considered incapable of being profitable as a printed book. University Presses were the publishers of choice for writers of short stories as anthologies and the only way a big house would take on such a project was if the author was well known, famous, or accomplished. That is no longer the case.
The new reality is that short stories that failed to sell in the traditional marketplace may find new life if sold as a short eBook. Thanks to the evolution of digital technology along with companies such as Apple and Amazon, shorter content can now be sold as “quick reads” and “singles” to a new audience.
Apple recently introduced a new short-form eBook called “Quick Reads” that are like short stories or long articles priced at a fraction of the cost of what readers pay for a full length eBook. Amazon introduced a similar concept in January with what they call “Kindle Singles” described as essays, short stories and other short eBooks priced from one to three dollars.
Taking lessons from the music business, publishers have learned that eBook consumers are willing to purchase sections instead of a full length book since not all parts are in equal demand. The current trend in eBook short form is original content written to fit the shorter version as opposed to breaking apart larger traditionally published books.
Last summer a New York City based company, Cookstr, launched a program to help high-end cookbook publishers go digital when they began selling small recipe packs ranging from 10 to 250 recipes for prices from 99 cents to 10 dollars. Marketed under such topics as “Summer Starters” and “BBQ Menu” these excerpted cookbook packs found a niche and has successfully capitalized on the eBook boom.
The short format seems to make less business sense for novels or larger non-fiction for the simple fact that the content is of a sustained narrative. It appears at this point that consumers are not willing to purchase chapters one piece at a time that ultimately leads to an entire book. In this case the total is more valuable than the sum of its parts.
The analogy from the music business which has gone from albums to singles is that one segment of the publishing market for written content seems to be moving toward sections or short forms as opposed to the larger book. This is great news for writers who should benefit the most.
Digital technology is obviously the future of publishing yet it presents limitless opportunities for writers. No longer do the rules of the traditional market hold credence when short form content is gaining acceptance in digital format. Printed books will remain viable although less significant. The sixty thousand word manuscript will forever be the staple of print since the economics will not change. Technology reduces cost, expands the market, increases distribution, creates new opportunities and ultimately provides a huge boost to writers.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
Digitization is Transforming Book Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | September 28th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
In the first five months of 2011 sales of eBooks in some markets outsold those of adult hardback books. One year ago hardcover sales in those same markets were more than three times that of the eBook. The digital world of publishing is fully engaged and growing. If you are cautious and waiting for the market to trend further before committing your print to eBook, you might just miss your chance.
The digital format or eBook has been around for awhile but it wasn’t until Amazon launched the Kindle that the market started to develop. Today Amazon sells more copies of eBooks than paperback books. Many are predicting that printed books will fall swiftly into the same doldrums as music and experience the same decline as newspapers. While there are similarities the journey for books is different.
Digital formats or eBooks currently have high profit margins and are not hindered by the archaic system of print which has economic problems based on cost of production and distribution. While print royalty rates are much lower for authors the print runs are in decline meaning every publisher is selling fewer copies of every book they publish.
While romance novels and crime blockbusters have proved popular as eBooks the same can be said for print. The big difference is that digitization has given new life to older titles called backlist. The typical shelf life for a print title is four to six weeks before being returned to their publisher, eBooks have an extended shelf life without worries over poor sales or returns.
The blockbuster authors and publishers worry about piracy of eBooks and yet if you are an author trying to gain attention, piracy is better than obscurity. You can capitalize on someone stealing your eBook and selling lots of copies by generating publicity over that fact. Piracy is a problem but not something to worry about until you’ve achieved that bestseller status.
When Amazon began selling eBooks below their own cost at $9.99 they did so to increase sales of their Kindle. Many feared the ceiling was set and it would be difficult to raise prices for eBooks. Then Apple came along with their agency model allowing publishers to set the price and everything changed. Now that major publishers have set their eBook values above the $10 mark it opens up a wide range for new aspiring and independent authors to price well below the market range.
However the lower price range for inexpensive eBooks has opened up a flood of cheap poorly written product becoming available. Most of the blame is going to the POD publishers who decided that cheap was best especially if the product was poor. This has distorted the market to where you can’t be too cheap or too expensive and be successful.
Amazon’s recent list of 100 best-selling eBooks has seen pricing warfare where 21 books were selling for just 99-cents. The rest were in the $4.98 to $8.82 range with the most expensive being the Dick Cheney memoir at $16.99. The popularity of the 99-cent thrillers suggests readers are price-sensitive and less quality-sensitive than publishers had hoped or care to admit.
Currently Amazon is showing market dominance in eBooks where they sell less than a quarter of physical books but an estimated 60-70 percent of all eBooks in America and perhaps as much as 90 percent in the UK. While the Barnes & Noble Nook is the main competitor to Amazon, Apple’s iBookstore has lagged and is a distant third when it comes to eBook sales.
Most publishers do not fear the strength of Amazon as much as they do the loss of the bookstore. While major films may be released with more $100M of marketing and music still has radio promotion, publishers have always relied on retailers, especially bookstores to bring attention to new writers and books.
As more bookstores close the industry loses more than a retail outlet, they lose one of the cornerstones of their existence. As book publishers increase their attention to online social networks that still does not come close to replicating the experience of browsing a bookstore.
The challenges facing publishers seem daunting yet they must adapt and confront the problems that have afflicted other media businesses. The next few years should be extremely exciting for book lovers and challenging for publishers while providing a wide range of new opportunities for writers.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
Creating Content
By Jerry D. Simmons | September 15th, 2011 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Every writer is responsible for creating content. Whether developing characters and stories or sharing information, their written words must meet one of the three publishing requirements: entertain, educate or enlighten. Some writers cover all three, but successful writers must be a creator of content that covers at least one.
Writing is a business, certainly a creative enterprise but none the less, one developed to be marketed and sold. As a content creator, your job is to develop a product that has an audience or at least the potential to develop an audience. Any other form of content creation is an exercise in self expression.
The one factor that is irrelevant to a discussion of content creation is form or genre. The type or form of writing and categorization can be indistinguishable as long as the creation has a potential audience. After all, writing is intended to fill a need for the consumer and is marketed to match the demands of that market.
Content is much more than what goes between book covers and into digital files. In a much broader sense it must entertain, educate and enlighten the intended audience in such a manner that demand for more content is created. The creation of content requires intelligence, insight, creativity, imagination, inspiration, discipline and persistence.
Amazon is becoming a large vertically integrated publisher interested in cornering the self-publishing market while pursuing a strategy of content acquisition and mainstream publishing. Their goal appears to be control of every aspect of publishing, production and sales which would give them tremendous control over content.
This is frightening for anyone in publishing trying to compete with a company responsible for a large percentage of their own sales. However Amazon’s integration into all aspects of publishing will create opportunities for writers who can generate demand for their work resulting in an audience of willing consumers.
These opportunities will become available to the writer who can entertain, educate, and enlighten. Writers who have an audience for their work and understand their ability to create content on a prolific and consistent basis will increase their value accordingly. The market is interested in talented writing, regardless of form or genre.
Successful writers develop a following, often based on a character or theme then fill the pipeline with additional content intended to supply the demand of the reader. No author is more a master of this than James Patterson who writes thrillers, love stories and children’s books with corporate precision intended to do nothing more than entertain. He is so prolific at storytelling that he employs writers to fill in the blanks for his detailed outlines. By maximizing his time this formula allows him to produce upwards of ten new books a year.
Years ago novelists focused on writing more novels. Today with changes in digital publishing, novelists can write short stories and even nonfiction as long as they fulfill one of the three requirements of publishing: entertain, educate or enlighten. The reader is interested in the author name or brand more than the category.
If publishers do what they do best which is develop quality content and Amazon attempts to control all levels of publishing including content, the market will always provide opportunities for talented content creators. Writers need to start thinking of their writing in different ways and focus on supplying what our audience desires.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
Agent-Publisher
By Jerry D. Simmons | September 15th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
It started last winter and has continued with major literary agencies creating a separate digital publishing department intent on producing their own clients’ work. Currently there are at least sixty major agencies following this trend. It begs the question: is this a conflict of interest, can an agent represent their own author within their own company?
There is no board of professional publishing ethics to review the situation created by shifts in the marketplace and ease of publishing digital books. The issue for the industry is whether this alliance benefits the writer or the publisher and whose responsibility is it to look out for the client?
The movie industry in California saw reason to establish guidelines long ago, as a result agents have a fiduciary responsibility overseen by the state. Boundaries were established disallowing agents from producing their own clients’ works and Hollywood managers are not allowed to negotiate on behalf of the clients whose work they are producing. Throughout it all the writers benefit from a degree of protection not afforded in the current agent-publisher development.
In general literary agents have no union regulations and are under no legal jurisdiction of any kind. Settlement of this issue will come to a conclusion when the first bestselling author files suit against their own agency. Of course this may be preempted by one of the large national writer organizations making a legal challenge to the practice for their members.
This development also encourages writers to go it alone without the aid of a competent agent since the publishing process has been streamlined and the numbers of success stories grow. Of course that would mean major publishers would have to reconsider accepting unsolicited manuscripts which it is doubtful they would do.
In publishing the rule of thumb is stay within your area of competency and yet publishers have broken this many times in the recent past and it is clear that agents have also crossed this line. For writers the fact remains that agents, regardless of the departments they create, are not publishers and have no expertise in marketing, sales or distribution.
One agent, Jason Ashlock, has spoken out against the agent-publisher trend and has warned that distrust between client and agent could spring eternal and create far reaching problems. He went on to say that agents need to focus on creative ways to enhance client brands and consider licensing agreements as a way to better serve their authors.
Mr. Ashlock also suggested arranging partnerships and cooperative models on behalf of the client providing access and opportunities for digital development that most writers could not develop on their own. This makes perfect sense, develop a platform that enhances the client while each entity stay within their own level of expertise thus benefiting the client.
The agent client relationship has been formed over many years and is based on quality representation in the best interest of the writer. Abandoning what is acceptable for the sake of quick profits from the emerging digital marketplace is foolish. The framework for protecting the writer, agent and publisher is in place and working. Book publishing does not need yet another tectonic shift.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
How Technology Will Grow Book Sales
By Jerry D. Simmons | September 7th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There was a time when publishers printed books and shipped them to retailers while bookstores focused on merchandising. Readers browsed aisles for their favorite authors eventually paying retail prices and the cycle continued while each company made money. Not anymore, times have changed and the publishing industry is learning to adapt while readers and writers will reap the benefits of a new and different business.
Mobile technology is the future and there are a number of entrepreneurs who are adapting mobility with shopping. The result is a reshaping of the brick-and-mortal retail business for all products which is particularly exciting for books.
Imagine walking through a mall and your mobile phone vibrates or chimes alerting you to the fact that certain book your friend told you about is now available at a discounted price in the store you are about to pass. This is not science fiction or fantasy, this is real.
Recent studies have shown that 78 percent of frequent shoppers at mass retailers use smart phones for product information and pricing. They use apps and location based services to locate what they want and at what price. This eliminates the need for item shopping for those busy people whose schedules are increasingly crowded.
Cross merchandising in the publishing business was a dismal failure before the smart phone and Wi-Fi technology. The reasons are numerous and boring but the basic problem was that books were expected to be impulse items for which readers would drop five dollars for a specific category or niche title. That did not happen and major efforts to cross merchandise garden books in a garden section for example was abandoned.
The new mobile applications allow for the possibility that retailers will agree to book placement could grow and expand the reach for writers of all categories. Surely this is not going to happen overnight nor are major retailers suddenly going to change their footprint to include printed books. However the possibilities are present and when the major publishers figure out how to merge mobile technology with high profit margins, there is always an opportunity.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
New Technology Feature for eBooks
By Jerry D. Simmons | September 7th, 2011 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The online giant Amazon is now making it possible for readers of select eBooks to ask the author questions, while reading. The new @author feature was launched last week with a group of bestselling authors. Purchasers of these selected eBooks, read on a Kindle will be allowed to send a question to the author via their Twitter account and home page of Amazon.
The company stated during the launch they wanted to “create what the company hopes will be a reader community around Kindle titles.” This newest feature is a clear indication that Amazon hopes to diminish the role of the publisher and go directly to the reader where they hope to build relationships directly with authors.
The carefully selected authors who have agreed to respond to reader questions are all very active in social media. Obviously the authors will not be able to answer every reader question but the idea is simple and clever, get other readers to respond to questions as well as the author. The goal of Amazon seems to be to create a social media feature around eBooks that connects readers to authors and eventually eliminates the need for a publisher.
Consumers of Kindles now have the ability to follow other readers the same way you can follow anyone with a Twitter account. This allows readers to see what others are reading and even ask questions in a way of obtaining a pseudo book review or endorsement. Readers sharing their thoughts with other readers of similar titles and connecting with the authors is a brilliant marketing strategy.
All of this is another step in the direction of giving the writer more control over their content and ultimately publishing independently with….you guessed it….Amazon. As hard as it is for this writer to admit, at the present time the online retailer offers writers the greatest number of opportunities for those wishing to publish on their own.
Amazon must get credit for making self-publishing more credible as an option and with their huge resources now have the ability to select the bestselling independent titles for additional promotion and sales. Without the services of Amazon it is unlikely neither Amanda Hocking nor John Locke would have been recognized for their writing.
The balances of power in the publishing business are shifting away from the large and formerly dominate companies based in New York to the hands of the independent author and small publisher. Writers that demonstrate they can connect with readers and build an audience are gaining in strength. Large traditional publishers must continue to adapt and modify their models or writers with the help of Amazon will continue to transform the business of book publishing.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
The New Direction for Book Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 31st, 2011 | 3 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The predictors of doom for book publishing are wrong. Certainly the market is changing and evolving into new and exciting areas but the demise of books and giant publishers is not going to happen anytime soon. What we are seeing is a shift of major proportions in the way books are produced, marketed and sold. Writing, editing and storytelling are alive and well but the old business model is going away.
No longer will the major publishers control the market for published content to the extent they have in the past. While controls of distribution channels for print are still dominated by the big six now seven major publishers the network for digital is wide open. As readers become more comfortable with the electronic format and the affordability of the tablet makes it accessible to a larger number of consumers, expect eBooks to continue their unprecedented growth.
Approximately 80 percent of all books sold in the US today are in the printed format while a mere two years ago that number was around 95 percent. Print runs for the major publishers are off as much as 25 percent from one year ago. Advances for new authors have also dropped while at the same time the biggest companies are slowly cutting fixed costs to try and compete with market shifts.
The signals are clear, content is in high demand and writers that can tell a good story or share information is an interesting manner will succeed if they are informed and understand how to market. The days of authors flying below the radar and allowing their publisher handle everything is over. Publishers do not have the time or resources to manage books and authors the way they did in the past.
The more savvy the writer, the larger the fan base, the better chance at being successful as a published author. As long as the writer is prolific and can produce quality content that is consistently marketable every six to nine months, the better the chance at success. While the business model is changing the economics have not and publishers need production from their authors. The opportunities for discovery have never been greater.
Additional articles on eBooks and Marketing can be found on this page under Archives October 2010.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
Publishing Marks a New Trend
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 31st, 2011 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
John Locke is a self-published author that managed to sell over a million eBooks world-wide on his own and in the process negotiated a ground breaking deal with a major publisher. Simon & Schuster announced that the independent author has signed with them to publish the printed format of his books, leaving the digital publications to Mr. Locke.
This departure from the norm clearly indicates the willingness of the major companies to negotiate certain terms with independent authors. No doubt this will become a trend as major publishers seek new content to publish with authors that have a proven track record of sales. This also opens the door for independent authors that have garnered a social media following without the proven sales record.
Mr. Locke’s Donovan Creed thrillers are published through his own company, John Locke Books. He will continue digital publication of all his eBooks where he controls content, packaging and final edit. On the print side Simon & Schuster will obtain distribution rights for all hard cover and paperback. Even though it appears on the surface that Mr. Locke got the better of the deal, in fact his new print publisher will capitalize on the market already established with aggressive plans for attracting a new audience in a new format.
Among all the changes that have occurred over the past year in the book publishing business this is a major turning point and signals the market has not yet fully evolved. This means opportunities for writers are growing as the demand for quality content continues. Media demands content and writers create what the market wants. If ever there was a time to get motivated to write, that time is now.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
Book Distribution Should Follow Demand
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 24th, 2011 | 3 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Many writers are concerned about book distribution before their manuscript is completed. To be clear, the reference to book distribution for this article is specific to print in bookstores. Issues of how to get your book out into the marketplace is normal but creating demand for your writing should proceed before concerns over book distribution. Getting books into stores ahead of marketing and consumer demand will be costly.
Creating a plan for your book marketing should include distribution but not until you have established yourself on the publicity front or built a following of potential readers clamoring for your new release. In order to make your marketing cost effective you need steps targeting a specific audience in a particular area before you attempt to take your distribution national. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time, effort and money that are unlikely to produce positive results.
Marketing should begin at the local level, followed state wide, then regional. If you live in Atlanta, targeting an audience in Seattle would be unwise unless that is the setting of your book or you went to school and have friends and family in the area. If your writing has a particular narrow niche, especially non-fiction, where the retail outlets may be small or outside of a bookstore, then you can expand your focus but only after you have made a local, state wide then regional attempt.
As difficult and time consuming as marketing has become, doing the little things and following a step-by-step plan is the best approach. The single best way to begin creating demand is speaking to local groups, holding book signings where stores will accept copies on consignment and generating publicity through free media such as print, radio and if possible local television.
This is not easy, as most of you know, but building an audience takes time and patience. The real key is positioning yourself and your writing. The media doesn’t care about the fact you have written a book. The real hook is the story of you and your writing. Media needs a story their audience will be interested in reading about, listening to, or watching. The hook is different for each book and author and depends on many factors. If the thought terrifies you then I’m sorry but publicity is an important component of book marketing.
Attempting to gain nationwide distribution into bookstores for a printed book even if you are successful at creating a large audience through social media is risky. Distributors are in the business of finding ways to charge authors fees for everything. If you are truly concerned about how to get your book in print form to your readers then the best path is Amazon.
Companies such as Lightening Source and Amazon print on demand. They don’t print until orders come into their order system for the book. This is distribution by availability as opposed to what is referred to as access which means the distributor keeps inventory on hand in a warehouse to fill orders. Book distribution by availability is the most common among POD companies, while book distribution by access is much more limited and not common for most self-published titles.
The bottom line is start creating fans, followers and potential readers before you worry about getting your book distributed to bookstores or other specialty outlets. Should you be successful at the local level then state wide and regionally, market demand will take care of national distribution. Working with Amazon is the best choice, both from a cost and availability standpoint. But if you don’t continue to write and create more new content, then the best book distribution in the world won’t help you sell more copies.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing
