The New Hybrid Publishing Model
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 15th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
As the major publishing companies evaluate their current situation, one thing becomes clear, what they are doing is not working. You cannot stem the tide of falling unit sales when your strategy is to produce more of the same. Propping up a broken system that makes it difficult for new talent to break in and reprinting less-than-stellar writing from old tried-and-true authors is the best way to drive your customers away, and that strategy seems to be working!
The reading public is screaming for a new approach. This is my conclusion after seeing a decade long slide in single copy sales. How can an industry constantly fly in the face of the basic law of supply and demand? When demand goes down in publishing, the big companies increase supply by shipping more books and raise cover prices at the same time. This does not make sense.
The time is right for an entirely new approach, and it’s called the hybrid publishing model—combining the experience and vast knowledge of former New York publishing executives with top quality production to assist writers in publishing their own manuscript. In the end, the finished product is made available to booksellers via direct sales to book buyers at top retailers. The advantages are considerable.
Remember, publishing is about perception—publish with the wrong company and the quality of your writing will forever be judged before your title has a chance at success.
Publishing Changes are Coming!
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 12th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
It’s in the wind. There is no doubt that changes in book publishing are happening fast. As we all watch bleary-eyed at the evening news and more talk about the tough economic times we are all experiencing, executives in the New York publishing houses have forgotten about the average consumer. No longer can these companies starve the market for good new writers and interesting new categories by publishing helpless titles and charge $16 to $27. They have to change to survive. Their solution over the past fifteen years has been to publish more of what they know sells, but it’s not working! Consumers aren’t buying it, and it’s about time!
There are quality writers publishing independently and for consumers interested in reading books not typically found in bookstores may I suggest you visit the web site NothingBinding.com then tell your friends and colleagues to join and post their writing. The strength of independent publishing is in our combined numbers. If all 300,000 new authors each year would join forces there is no telling what kind of impact we could have on the marketplace. To capitalize on all the changes in the book business will take some huge effort. Let’s bind together to generate sales for our independent books. Now is the time.
eBook the Next Frontier
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 8th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Imagine for a moment as an author, selling copies of your books and never having to print replacement copies. Consider the elimination of shipping, handling and warehousing costs for printed books. Imagine never having to deal with book returns ever again. A market exists where all sales are final, welcome to the new frontier of bookselling with digital downloads and eBooks.
For new authors struggling to create an audience, why would you want to launch in print when the price of entry into the eBook market is so low? A writer can take a manuscript that has been professionally edited and create an eBook for a fraction of the cost of producing a printed book.
When publishing independently and working to stay within a budget for production and marketing, wouldn’t your money be better spent on marketing rather than print and production costs? If you already have a printed edition of your book, and you own the digital and electronic rights, why not add an eBook to your product mix? Times are changing, markets are shifting, the eBook is fast becoming a viable market for selling content.
The method of eBook distribution is patterned after the print distribution business which means you need a publisher or distributor to gain access to the marketplace. Print is not going away but more consumers will be moving to the eBook because of price and wider availability of eReaders. If you have interest in exploring the market for eBooks, please contact me through this web site.
Independently Published Books
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 2nd, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There are lots of good books that are independently or self-published and most use digital or print-on-demand technology. No doubt, if you take the entire self-published or POD community and read all the books available, you would find vast amounts of titles that would not only hold their own in sales but had the potential to become bestsellers if displayed and merchandised in bookstores. The problem is negative perception of POD and no ACCESS to the bookstore market.
Let’s examine some facts about the independent or self-publishing marketplace.
(1) The success of many self-published titles such as THE SHACK indicates there are good books that started as independently published. However, this book would not be on The New York Times bestseller list without the help of a corporate publisher who bought the book after it had sold over 300,000 copies.
(2) A recent article in Publishers Weekly titled “Big Houses Benefit from Savvy Self-Publishers clearly indicated that the success of a handful of self-published books that made it into the hands of the big corporate publishers has made that New York publishing world take notice.
(3) According to statistics provided by Ingram Books, the owner of Lightening Source, the self-published market will grow at 15-20% each year for many years to come. This of course crowds the market, but creates opportunities for authors who are self-promoters and write really good books.
(4) As the corporate publishers sell fewer copies each year, retail booksellers will search for new opportunities to sell a variety of new categories, and will welcome new unproven authors. If the New York corporate publishers won’t do it, then it’s time for a new publishing model to be introduced to the market.
For authors who want control over their writing, the ability to retain all rights, realize a royalty payment much greater than any corporate publisher would offer, and be willing to take suggestions on how best to package and price their book to maximize its potential in the market, then your time is here. This new hybrid publishing model is ready and available.
The Truth about Book Distribution
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 25th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
One of my readers sent an email asking about a particular book distribution program. He wanted to know if it was a scam. He quoted from some article he read where it talked about a distributor that went out of business trying to distribute books for small publishers. He said the article described bookstore distribution as a scam. There was in fact a small book distributor that did go out of business a few years ago because they didn’t understand what they were doing, which often happens to businesses with a bad plan.
When a small company of any kind, distributor or publisher, enters the world of book distribution to the mainstream marketplace, they better understand the rules and how to compete with the big corporate publishers. That is especially true with book distribution. One of the reasons for launching my book distribution program last year was to offer authors, small and micro-publishers an opportunity for exposure in the marketplace. This is a program that was two years in the making and I would not even attempt to launch if I didn’t feel it was viable and could be competitive against the corporate companies.
Book distribution into booksellers such as bookstores is a very competitive business and there are no guarantees of success. My program offers access to book buyers and nothing more. Anyone that tries to offer more doesn’t understand the business. Those that wish to throw stones at the idea of book distribution to bookstores just don’t understand the market. They know how to make money selling unsuspecting writers and authors products and services that don’t work. In turn they want to attack those that are trying to make the independent market a better place for authors, small and micro-publishers.
Nothing in the printed book business is easy, but before you jump to a book distributor make sure you understand the costs, terms and risks.
Publication & Distribution Program
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 17th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There is a new program available that is offering a unique opportunity for independent writers, authors and small publishers to gain direct access to sales channels through a national distribution system for both print and eBooks. It is available for manuscripts and previously published books in one of three ways: (1) assist with print and/or eBook publication, (2) eBook distribution, and/or (3) print book distribution.
Both print and eBooks must be submitted for consideration. This program is searching for the very best independent books for national distribution. Once your manuscript or book has been selected you will be guided by the expertise of a group of professionals with more than 150 years New York publishing experience.
For consideration of your manuscript or book contact me via email (jerry@writersreaders.com). If your manuscript or book is chosen for this program there is never any guarantee of success. Distribution is the process of presenting your book to sales channels in the market largely unavailable to individual authors.
The purpose of this program is to provide “the best of the best” of independent print and eBooks access to the marketplace on a national level. Please forward me your questions or inquiries.
Book Distribution
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 16th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Getting independently published print and eBooks distributed into the traditional bookseller market has been difficult. Many companies promise distribution services that encompass nothing more than availability as opposed to sales channel access. Our sales staff presents books to booksellers the same exact way the New York publishers sell books. That is my background and I understand sales and distribution. My group has the ability to assist writers in print and eBook distribution. This program opens the door to a sales channel that up to this point has been blocked. For more details on this program, contact me via email (jerry@writersreaders.com).
Changing the eBook Game
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 15th, 2010 | 3 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Two weeks ago Apple introduced the iPad which shook the eBook business to its core and ignited a firestorm over the future of the digital marketplace. Last week one of the largest publishers in New York, Macmillan settled a dispute with Amazon over pricing of their eBooks effectively allowing the company to price above $9.99. These two events have suddenly changed the outlook for eBooks and instantly provided tremendous opportunities for independent authors.
Apple overnight made the market for eBooks more viable as a form of content delivery since the publishing industry holds the company in such high esteem. The book business is very old school and sometimes it takes a major event to open the eyes of New York publishers to the possibilities. Apple provided that eye opener. Amazon was a player and the Kindle opened some doors, but nothing like Apple and their new iPad. Suddenly everyone is taking a second look.
The big New York companies have been fighting with Amazon over the pricing of their eBooks since the Kindle was introduced. Today, for a hardcover priced at $28, Amazon sells the eBook for $9.99 and then pays the publisher $4.01. For each unit sold, Amazon was paying publishers $14.00 and as a result was trying to force the publishers to lower their price for all eBooks. The big publishers have refused. Amazon desperately wanted to seed the market with low priced eBooks and sell more Kindle’s; that strategy will now change.
The New York publishers have always felt that the pricing for their bestselling titles should be closer to the hardcover price, in effect raising the price for most if not all New York published eBooks. This opens the door for the independent author and publisher to price in a manner that will undercut their bigger competitors in a market that is already comfortable with $9.99 and below. This is something the print market has forbidden simply because of the cost of paper, printing and handling. This is a major event in the emerging market for the sale and distribution of eBooks.
As a result of these two significant events, every author should take steps to secure eBook distribution. Even though the print and eBook markets are the same, many of the major retailers for book sales look at both print and eBooks the same, which means the advantage of distribution for your eBook under a publisher banner is necessary to gain full market advantage of the distribution opportunities.
I would be happy to help you distribute your unpublished or published book as an eBook and provide the independent author with a market boost. Distribution of eBooks is a fraction of the cost of print and the economics make it much more advantageous for every author. The marketplace is getting ready to explode and if I can help you find a market for your eBook please contact me immediately. The window of opportunity may be small.
Getting Book Distribution Into Bookstores
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 15th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
For most independently published authors, the idea of having their book placed on the shelves of a major bookstore is the ultimate. The major retail chains have a system of inventory where new titles arrive and unsold are returned, every title is guaranteed to sell or face removal. The window of opportunity to sell a newly published title is ever so small, perhaps six weeks at most. While bookstores place newly arriving books onto store shelves they take the unsold ones off and send them back to the publisher. Each megastore carries around 120,000 unique titles, but only 25-35,000 are newly published, the rest are steady sellers called backlist titles. Due to the volume of new titles arriving daily, stores are forced to constantly turn their inventory. If you are fortunate to get your title placed you must have a marketing plan that will hopefully drive the consumer to your particular category and find your individual title. It’s a good idea to have a plan to make that happen before you seek publication and distribution. Bookstores are one sales channel but not necessarily the ultimate.
Print and Digital Publishing Strategy
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 1st, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
The business of book publishing was founded on the concept of the printed word on paper. With the recent rise of the eBook and digital delivery of content the industry is being forced into rethinking their strategy toward both print and digital. Old school publishers are hesitant to give digital any noticeable recognition for two reasons: first because today it represents only a few percentage points of total business and second, digital delivery upsets the tradition of the printed word.
The development of eReaders has given rise to a potentially lucrative market for publishers. However the tendency to publish first with print followed by digital has flaws. Traditional fears of canalizing sales from one format to another is an anachronistic way of thinking and in order for publishers to succeed, they need to change. It’s no longer possible for publishers of any size to ignore the marketplace and continue with business as usual.
This is especially true for small independent publishers whose business model has up to this point centered on print. The focus of print followed by digital is no longer a viable option. The economics of production and long standing discounts to booksellers have made the margins for print virtually impossible. It makes little sense, outside an overall strategy of print and digital, to consider the printed book the cornerstone of an author’s plan to create an audience and sell books.
Recent changes within the industry now make publishing a manuscript independently more acceptable than ever before. Professional production standards with savvy marketing have created some outstanding books that have been successful competing in the marketplace against all published books, not just independently published titles. This is a major accomplishment for the segment of the market that has long since been ignored. However, the negative perception of “self-published” remains so writers must be smart about the imprint that is attached to their book.
Any writer who has a professionally edited manuscript and is interested in charting a successful course to publication must develop an overall strategy that includes print, digital, audio and foreign rights, I encourage you seek out all options before making a final decision. Setting goals for yourself as an author and for your books should include professional consultation. Information is vital to making smart decisions and avoiding the pitfalls of publishing on your own.
