Marketing at a Minimum
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 11th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Selling books without a minimum marketing effort will result in poor sales. Here are the basics every author should follow when marketing their book: (1) seek book reviews prior to launch, (2) write a press release announcing the publication and availability of your book for sale distributed to all online outlets, and (3) pitch yourself and your book to local print, radio, television and online for publicity.
Remember the local media is not interested in the fact that you wrote a book, they are interested in one of the following: (1) the story, (2) the author, or (3) the message. They must have an interesting angle in which to promote you as a guest. Figuring out the proper angle can be difficult; however this is the only way to give you the best opportunity for publicity which is what sells books. That angle may be the facts surrounding the writing of your book, or your background as a writer, or even the unique message from your book. The key is figuring out how to find and focus on that angle.
If you want to go beyond the basics and aim a bit higher then consider: (1) sending a free sample of your writing in an email promotion, (2) alert genre specific web site to your book, or (3) create a social networking campaign. The best marketing approach is a combination of all of these parts taking into consideration the category, price, title, format and a variety of other components that go into creating a targeted marketing program.
Marketing is the most difficult part of successful book publishing. A publisher can get everything right and fail due to a poor marketing campaign. It’s so easy to publish in today’s marketplace but extremely difficult to sell books. If you find yourself struggling then consider a professional marketer, someone with experience and publishing knowledge to give you the best chance at becoming a successful author.
New Formats, New Markets
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 10th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Expect to see more authors from the big New York houses offer most of their books in as many formats as possible. The more formats, the bigger the sales. Books published in hardcover do not take away sales from a trade paperback. The reason is the market is separate and the consumers are different. That’s why you see a trade paperback and months later a mass market paperback; again, each format has a unique market.
Digital publication in eBook format opens up new opportunities for independent authors and in virtually every case, the potential for widespread distribution is one thousand times greater than for a print title. For those independent authors the cost of creating an eBook is a fraction of the cost of a print edition.
At this point in time the market is wide open and available for authors of all genres, however that may not be the case in six months, or even three. Once the big publishers realize the desire for eBook content is being filled by the small publishers and independent authors, their attitude and position will change. The best part of offering a digital version of your book is that eBook sales do not deter from print sales, they will only add to existing sales and support your dual marketing efforts for print and eBook.
The eBook Market is NOW!
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 3rd, 2010 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Digital publishing is emerging at an accelerated rate. The major companies are reluctant to publish in eBook format for many of their bestselling backlist (older titles) and the bulk of their catalogs for the simple fact they are concerned about taking away sales from the most established and successful print titles.
Yet this hesitation will not last long because it is well known and understood in publishing that different formats (hardcover, trade paper, mass market paper, audio and eBook) do not take away sales from other formats because the market is different and separate and readers who prefer a specific format seldom stray.
The primary reason for the reluctance on the part of the New York publishers to fully embrace the eBook is because digital is new and confusing to them and they are always slow to embrace change. At this time there is a massive desire for digital content in the form of eBooks and yet the biggest companies are not supplying what the market demands. Strange but this is exactly why print publishing has been in decline for years.
This is exactly why the time for the independent author to get into the digital market is now, today! The longer you wait the less likely you are to find a fan base and grow your audience. This market is not going away and it will only get bigger and better especially as the price for eReaders decline, the demand for product will grow. Do not hesitate!
E-publish or Perish
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 1st, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Excerpts from an article in the Economist Magazine…
Price Waterhouse Coopers a consultancy reckons that eBooks will represent about 6% of consumer books sales in North America by 2013, up from 1.5% in 2009. Carolyn Reidy, the boss of Simon & Schuster, a major New York publisher, thinks they could account for 25% of the industry’s sales in America within three to five years. She may well be right if the prices of dedicated eReaders such as the iPad and Kindle keep falling and more consumers start reading on Smart Phones. The number of Apps for books on the iPhone recently surpassed that for games, previously the largest category.
Could it be any simplier? The time to publish your eBook is today!
Self-Publishing has Arrived
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 28th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Publishing circles in New York often proclaim, tongue in cheek “When it’s written about in the Times, it must be true!” This makes the fact that The New York Times has proclaimed that “self-publishing has arrived” a true statement. However, the fact still remains that to gain acceptance as an author you must have a professionally packaged, priced and produced book to get the attention of the media since that is the only way to truly sell books.
If a book looks self-published, the immediate reaction and perception is bad and that will not set the tone for what you hope to achieve as an author. On the other hand, if you produce your book to fit your category and look similar to other titles in a bookstore, you will have made the right production decisions. Readers and book buyers do judge a book by its cover, price, back cover blurb, book reviews and production quality. Mistakes will haunt you, utilize the skills of a professional publisher and you will not have to worry about making publishing mistakes.
Publishing Mistakes
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 26th, 2010 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Some of the biggest publishers make mistakes. Trying to capitalize on a celebrity book when their star is rising is a possibility, launching a new title when their star is falling can cost a publisher his or her shirt. This is the problem with the Kate Gosselin book from yesterday’s TIPS for WRITERS, click here to read.
The most curious thing about her new book was the fact that selling a little more than 10,000 copies could make it all the way to the #11 spot on The New York Times bestseller list, #103 on the USA Today list and ranked #862 on Amazon. Just goes to show how much publishing is based on “perception.” The book was sold based on previous sales, there were tons of copies stacked high in stores and even though it had very poor sales the first two weeks, the bestselling “perception” was created before anyone knew the truth.
This simple principle holds for any book: IF you are successful at creating buzz around the launch of your new book, get enough copies stacked into stores, create a false impression that the book will be a bestseller, anything is possible. In the end it may come back to bite you and cost lots of money, but perception in publishing is still a very strong strategy for success.
Bestselling Books and Bestseller Lists
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 25th, 2010 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Kate Gosselin is an author and star of a cable TV series Kate Plus Eight. She has used her stardom to become a bestselling author. The 35-year-old mom’s first two books, “Multiple Blessings” and “Eight Little Faces,” both climbed to number five on the New York Times’ list; “Multiple Blessings” sold 523,000 copies in 2009.
Her latest book isn’t exactly flying off the shelves. Since its release, “I Just Want You to Know: Letters to My Kids on Love, Faith, and Family” has sold just over 10,000 copies, according to national book sales tracker Bookscan. The non-fiction title debuted at #11 on the New York Times’ non-fiction bestseller list, and at #103 on USA Today’s bestsellers chart. Its Amazon.com rank was #862. This is in spite of Gosselin’s relentless promotion on TV and radio.
Jim Milliot, business and news director of book-industry magazine Publishers Weekly, tells UsMagazine.com that the numbers “nowhere near a blockbuster” and “not that impressive.” Could “I Just Want You to Know” end up selling 500,000 copies in the long run? Not likely, Milliot tells UsMagazine.com, explaining that the lion’s share of book sales typically occur “in the first month or two of publication.” He adds that Gosselin will have “a very tough time getting to 50,000, let alone 100,000…I think it will be a disappointment in the end.”
The real question for authors and book lovers alike is: how does a book that sold only “a little more than 10,000 copies,” end up on national bestseller lists? For information on how a book becomes a bestselling title, read my article explaining how the system works. Click here.
Anything is Possible
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 21st, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
There is no easy road to becoming a successful author. Successful is defined as the ability of one to make a living writing. Anything beyond that takes talent, a lot of luck, timing and following the proper steps to publishing success. Paying tens of thousands of dollars to have an aggressive promoter provide you with a special “success package” that includes seminars, workshops, personal coaching and messages from bestselling authors will only drain your pocketbook and not get you closer to publishing success.
There are no secrets and never any shortcuts! Having spent more than two decades in the New York publishing world I can honestly say that many great writers with terrific books never achieved publishing success even though their publisher spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and let out all the stops to try. It’s neither easy nor quick to become a successful author and sitting down in front of a large crowd of people who all paid a lot of money to listen to how anyone can become a bestselling author is totally bogus.
Anything is possible, if a writer will practice their craft by writing lots and lots of material. Hire a professional editor to help them become a better writer. Focus on becoming the best writer you can be. Don’t fall for get rich quick schemes and never let your dream die. Publishing is a highly competitive business and there are over one million new titles published each year. If you do the right things including reading and researching competitive titles and authors, you have as good a chance as any to be the one who becomes the next big bestselling author.
Editorial Critique
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 20th, 2010 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Once you have finished writing, the manuscript is not quite complete. Before you make decisions on the next step, it is very important to get an editorial critique. There are a variety of ways to publish and the best course is following your heart and make every attempt at achieving your goal. Don’t let friends or fellow writers discourage you from your dream. However, you should submit your writing to an objective professional who can give you honest feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript.
Searching for an agent with a weak manuscript will be wasted time and energy. The manuscript is not complete until you have a professional editor read for feedback and critique your writing. Once the critique is complete you can self-edit to the best of your ability before attempting that next step in the publishing process. If your choice is to publish on your own, then spending money on production and marketing with a less than stellar manuscript will result in bad word of mouth which can be disastrous for sales.
Every publisher worries about content and whether they have packaged and priced the product correctly followed by a focused marketing campaign. But all is for naught if the writing is poor, the story doesn’t flow, dialogue is shoddy and the characters are not fully developed. Publishing companies cannot sell a poorly written book anymore than they can sell great literary writing; it has to be a good story or message written in a manner that is pleasing to the consumer. Who better to help make that decision that an objective professional editor. Consider a critique; it’s the next logical step after you have finished your writing.
New Formats, New Markets
By Jerry D. Simmons | May 17th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Publishers actively promote various formats for publishing content simply because it creates a new audience and more sales. Hardcover readers sometimes purchase paperbacks but paperback readers rarely purchase hardcover books. Older consumers prefer trade paper as opposed to mass market size where the print is small. Audiobook lovers sometimes read books in print but prefer audio because of their travel or workout schedule. Readers of eBooks also purchase print books but seem to enjoy the convenience of the eReader.
If bestselling authors can sell on average—a million hardcover copies, two million trade paperbacks, two and a half million mass market paperbacks, one hundred and fifty-thousand audiobooks and another one hundred thousand eBooks, this clearly illustrates that each format for publication has a distinct market. That is why publishers make most of their titles available in as many formats as possible. This is also why independent print authors should have at a minimum an eBook for their writing.
Any author serious about their audience and creating additional sales must have a quality produced eBook available for sale at all major online retailers as well as the major online catalogs, schools and libraries. The market is growing, don’t miss your opportunity.
