When Good Beats Great
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 2nd, 2012 | No 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.
Book Marketing Momentum
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 31st, 2012 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
The beginning of any book marketing campaign is the start of a marathon, not a race. What every book needs at the start is momentum. The most difficult part is getting started and continuing your plan over a long period of time. The single most important factor is consistency. If you can only find time twice a week too actively and aggressively market your writing the key is to continue with a minimum of twice per week. If you decide to take a month off then understand that any momentum you have built may slow or actually stop.
The best method is to start slow, test several ideas, and then evaluate the results. Patience is important; it is rare that results follow a couple weeks of marketing activity. As you gain confidence add more items to your marketing list and again evaluate the results. Authors who market their own writing have the luxury of time while authors under contract have huge time constraints of which they have zero control. Even if you are under contract keep in mind that doing some of your own book marketing is smart.
Marketing your writing is never ending and incorporates many pieces that work together to meet your personal goals as an author. It is okay to set your expectations high but it is also important to be realistic. Goals can be reevaluated and reset the same as any part of your marketing campaign, as long as your progress is forward. It all begins with information and time, followed by a plan, testing and revising, goal setting, finally execution and patience. The key is to begin the momentum.
Writers must be Readers
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 24th, 2012 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The importance of reading your competition cannot be over stated, it is critical. The simple reason is that an author must understand how leading authors in their particular category tell a story. Not to be emulated but to gain knowledge of their market, in particular the genre in which they write. Readers have varying tastes and enjoy a variety of storytelling techniques. The more an author understands this fact and comprehends their competition the better writer they will become.
If you think James Patterson ignores new writers coming onto the scene with the launch of a new novel you would be greatly mistaken. He is a master of the market and knows exactly what readers want. To the point he no longer writes his own novels but creates the stories, characters and provides his co-author with a strict outline. That is mastering the genre and it begins with his intense curiosity of all writers in his varying genres including suspense, mystery, young adult and now children.
Occasionally I receive emails from subscribers of my newsletter explaining they love the content but just have too much to read to keep up. There is a tremendous amount of information about publishing and book marketing, let alone reading category titles. Writers have to sift through and decide what is important. From my standpoint everyone needs encouragement and industry knowledge. Eliminate the fluff and stick with what is important but most of all read your competition.
Observe and Research
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 19th, 2012 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Writers who are learning the publishing marketplace should start in their local bookstore. The first step is to become a frequent visitor, walk the aisles, and observe how the store markets to you, the consumer. Then stand in front of the category you write and start pulling out titles and again, observe. You are looking for format (hardcover, trade or mass paper) cover price, color scheme, cover drawings or illustrations, placement of the title and author, font type and size plus how the back and front jacket copy is written. The point is to make regular visits and learn from the big publishers how they market and package their books.
The next step is to research the web sites, Facebook pages and social media of the notable authors in your genre, observe how they market to you, the reader and fan. Again you are making mental notes on what attracts you as both a fan and writer. The point in this exercise is to observe and research your competition in both bookstores and social media. These are your laboratories for learning the business and how to market yourself and your writing. The more you become a frequent visitor the sooner you will begin to see the subtleties in how the authors and industry react to the overall market.
Writers wanting to become authors must understand the very basics of the marketplace regardless of how they publish. This is especially important if the plan is to publish independently. The more you observe and research the better informed you will become and the better able to make wise, cost efficient decisions. In publishing you do not want to be seen as someone publishing in a manner that is well off the map, you want to remain consistent yet different from your competition. Being too unique can become a negative and not necessarily a positive for your career. Start to observe and research and over time you will be amazed at how much you learn.
Trust in Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 17th, 2012 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
When consumers make a book purchase they are placing their trust in the hands of the author and not the publisher. Most independent bookstores over the years have refused placement of independently published books because they feared the quality of the writing would be less than acceptable, and this reflects negatively on them. Certainly this is not true of all such books but the perception overall is negative. The only way to overcome this is to improve the minimum standards of all independently published titles.
Many large publishing companies have been guilty of marketing bad books but overall the writing quality is much better than the average independently published title. To restore consumers trust in independent authors they need to improve the editing of their work and begin the process of raising the standard in the industry. Good independent books exist but are rarely discovered simply because the marketplace has developed an overall negative market perception.
The author is the brand, never the publisher. Consumers who purchase your book(s) are customers. Bad writing reflects on the author, not the publisher, and will forever be linked to that person. It is time for writers to accept responsibility for the work they produce and focus on the quality of their writing. The reading public deserves the ability to trust that the books being published are well written, well edited, quality titles. Any published book is in essence a recommendation of that author and the consumer should be able to trust the quality of the writing in every published title.
Transitional Marketplace
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 11th, 2012 | 12 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Beginning a New Era of Growth
Over the past four decades there have been three distinct market shifts in book publishing that transitioned the industry. The results of each were dramatic growth for both publishers and writers. As we enter a new era in book publishing we are seeing the dawn of the fourth major transitional market shift. Growth is inevitable as this market evolves and writers position themselves for dramatic changes in what has been a stagnant industry.
Hardcover
The first major shift occurred in the mid 1970’s with the emergence of the hardcover format which surpassed the mass market paper and gave publishers a new revenue stream for the same content. Up to that point the paperback was the publishing format leader and responsible for more than the majority of the company’s print order, distribution and revenue.
Trade paper was available at this time but not widely distributed. The hardcover format began to show potential as the bookstore market grew with more independent stores cropping up around the country. This enabled publishers to move away from dependence on the low price mass market format and move to a higher price more respectable hardcover edition. The result was more revenue for the publisher, higher royalties for the author and overall growth for the industry.
Superstores
The second shift in the late 1980’s was the emergence of the large bookstore chains which transitioned primarily from mass merchant or large box stores to multiple retail locations specifically designed for books. The mom and pop boutique bookstores that existed did not preclude what became the superstore because they provided little sales and profits for the big publishers.
Up to this point the mass market paperback placed within a defined space in a supermarket, drug or mass merchant was the primary source for distributing and selling books. Publishing decisions were based more on impulse buying as opposed to what is considered a destination purchase. In mass retailers most consumers made a book purchase as they pushed their cart down an aisle and spotted something interesting as opposed to driving directly to a bookstore to make a specific title purchase. This changed dramatically with the super bookstore.
Technology
The third noticeable shift occurred in late 1990’s in the emergence of the print-on-demand technology which may not have directly dented the sales of the major publishers but it certainly impacted the industry. Print-on-demand technology was first introduced to the major companies as a way to reduce inventory by printing at bookstore locations as demand warranted. The big publishers rejected the idea which gave rise to the number of new authors, more published titles and POD publishing companies.
Even though these new titles and companies did not directly compete with the major publishers, they did provide fuel for the Amazon fire and accelerated their growth in the industry. POD companies has caused an explosion in the number of new titles available to consumers but at the same time has also dramatically eroded the perception of the consumer toward books and publishing as the quality of the product has declined.
Amazon itself did not cause a major shift in the publishing industry. The online retailer became a prominent account yet until recently was responsible for a small percent of the major publishers overall sales. Amazon capitalized on the market transition by being in the right place at the right time and becoming the major player for the print-on-demand explosion and catering to their needs.
Digital
The fourth major shift within the publishing industry began in 2007 and really took off in April 2009. These dates coincide with the release of the Kindle and iPad. It is obvious that at this very moment the book industry is transitioning into a digital marketplace where the primary format for all publications will eventually become the eBook. Even though total sales represent barely a quarter of major publishers overall revenue the increase is strong and sustainable.
As more resources are placed into enhancing the format and developing new revenue streams such as advertising and product placement, there is little doubt that publishing is undergoing a major transitional shift in the market. As publishers recognize the overall potential of the eBook goes well beyond the content there is little doubt the format will continue to experience strong growth for the publisher and unlimited potential for the writer.
Opportunity
For writers this represents perhaps the biggest opportunity for growth in the past four decades. As technology changes, grows, and provides new platforms and delivery systems for creative content the demand for that content will grow accordingly. In order for a writer to take advantage of these opportunities they need to do three things. First; make certain they have a basic understanding of the market and how their writing is positioned within that market. Second; find an editor they are comfortable with and can work with to improve the quality of their writing. Third; write as often and as much as possible.
Success as a writer in the new transitional marketplace will require writers to be more publishing and marketing savvy and create a breadth of quality content within the same genre. Anything is possible in book publishing as long as writers continue to improve their work and learn how to market themselves, their content, and their publications. The key is to focus on writing, editing, and never worry about things beyond their control. Markets will continue to shift; the winners will be those in a position to take advantage.
Publishing is a Choice
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 11th, 2012 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Not every word that is written should be published and the writer must become the first filter. Publishing written content is a choice and what is lacking in many publications is a competent editor. Every publication that enters the market is an indication to the consumer of the quality of the writing by that author. If the publication lacks in quality the author will forever be linked to that product. Quality should be the only basis for every writer who makes a decision to publish their work.
The best description of quality is storytelling. Does the writing turn pages and leave readers wanting more? Even nonfiction must provide a good story by sharing information that readers feel compelled to read and answers questions they are searching to discover. Both fiction and nonfiction, children’s and young adult all demand that the writing be edited and meet a certain minimum standard.
All writers feel their work is the best and that is one reason editors exist, to bring them down to earth. Objective, third party evaluation of one’s writing combined with the sharp eye of a professional editor is a minimum for publication. Editors are not always right in the mind of the writer however more often than not they make the correct evaluation. Make the right choice and select an editor that will help you become a quality writer.
New Era in Creative Writing
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 10th, 2012 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Demand for creative content is growing at a faster pace than ever before fueled by changes in technology and the shift from print to digital. There are more ways to deliver content to readers than ever before which fills the demand for well written, well edited, quality content. This content is based on the writer’s imagination, education, environment, life experiences and is unique to the individual which sets them apart from every other writer.
While book publishers have a responsibility to focus on developing quality writing so to does the writer have a responsibility to understand that lack of quality reflects negatively upon them which will forever be linked to their name as an author. Writers that capitalize on this demand have one very important advantage over their competition and that is an editor.
Friends and family who are not professional editors do not count since quality writing demands editorial expertise. Bestselling authors often praise their editors for helping make them a better writer which is the job of a good editor. The growing demand for creative content is based solely on the quality of the work and that requires editorial assistance at every level of writing. To succeed in the new era a writer must first develop the quality of their writing.
New Era in Book Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 9th, 2012 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
While many book experts like to proclaim the end of the book industry the fact remains that book publishing is not dead and certainly not dying; it is evolving into a much better and more competitive marketplace for quality writers and writing. The problem for many years has been that the biggest companies controlled the marketplace and created an uncompetitive environment. Without a level playing field quality writing from a small or independent press had difficulty competing and thus the system has stagnated into what exists today.
The responsibility of the small and independent press in this new era is to focus on publishing more quality writing and not get enamored with producing a large number of mediocre titles in a wide variety of categories. The book publishing industry will thrive only if the small and independent companies realize that the focus needs to shift back to the quality of the writing and development of talent as opposed to producing large numbers of new books.
Consumers of books want to be entertained, informed or enlightened and will forever be drawn to the quality of the writing. Those publishers, who succeed in the new era will nurture talented writers, publish only when the writer is ready, never push writers to meet unrealistic deadlines, and will better control the quality of the work they publish at every point in the process. A thriving book industry must turn away from production and concentrate on the writing and editing.
8 Pillars of Book Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | December 7th, 2011 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Book publishing involves several components working together to maximize the opportunities for selling copies. Success requires alignment of the 8 Pillars in a way that gives the title, author and publisher the best chance of achieving their goals. Coordination, timing and professional experience provides the very best opportunity for both initial and long term success. What follows are the 8 Pillars of Book Publishing.
[1] Writing – Anything is possible if the manuscript is marketable. If the author can keep readers engaged by telling a good story or sharing information in a manner that keeps pages turning, then consider the manuscript marketable. That does not mean the eventual publication will be successful but I can guarantee it will not be if the manuscript does not convey a story or message to the intended audience.
[2] Editing – Once the manuscript is finished a professional editor needs to read and offer feedback. If the cost of a complete content edit is not possible then at a minimum the writer needs an editorial critique. Where a professional editor reads, evaluates and offers a written critique on how the writer can improve the manuscript. Friends or family will not be sufficient and line editing for grammar, spelling and punctuation is not enough. Unless the writer has extensive experience an editorial critique is the very least that should be acceptable.
[3] Marketing – Starts early and continues for as long as the publication exists. Marketing runs parallel to the entire publishing process and never ends. With subsequent books the marketing overlaps to include the new and older titles. There are many forms of marketing but the point to make here is that marketing is as important as writing proficiently and publishing correctly. Never underestimate the power of sustained book marketing.
[4] Packaging – Getting the right cover design on a book matters. Consumers judge books by their cover and they will make a purchasing decision in a matter of seconds based on the package. If the cover does not make a statement instantly then a sale is lost. The jacket copy or sales blurb is important and considered part of the package as well as the title and subtitle. Do not underestimate or overlook the importance of proper packaging.
[5] Pricing – The single most important consideration on almost everything we buy is price. Readers shop by price and make most book purchases based on price. This is especially important for new unknown authors since infrequent buyers of books will most likely not take a chance on someone they are not familiar with. A single dollar or two below the price of an author the reader is familiar with will not typically make a difference since the cover price can be the deciding factor. Remember a price can almost always go up but rarely can it go down.
[6] Publishing – The demise of the print edition makes this a major factor in the success or failure of a publication. The production quality of the end product speaks volumes about the author, publisher and quality of the writing. The result of poor publishing decisions is invariably loss of credibility among readers, booksellers and the eventual loss of sales. Who publishes your writing and how is critically important to the perception of the reader.
[7]Distribution – The reference is to the booksellers that market and sell copies of your book. Whether your own website, online retailers or local bookstore, distribution is the means of how titles are offered to the public for sale. Every title needs distribution beyond their own website and the more outlets where your book is offered the more opportunities to sell copies. Don’t confuse distribution with the physical shipment of books to a retail location, distribution refers to how and where your publication is offered for sale.
[8] Sales – Roll all of the above together and hopefully you end up with sales. Anyone can publish a book today but not everyone can be successful at selling books. The market is crowded and difficult, authors and publishers who skip any of these 8 Pillars will greatly diminish their chances at being successful and selling copies of their book.
This list is not meant to be exhaustive nor detailed. The 8 Pillars are meant to provide an over view and insight into the basic requirements of publishing a product that has potential to sell copies. For further explanations or evaluation consult a professional with experience. That is the best way to avoid mistakes, save money and not waste time is to research and consult before making decisions.
