When Publishers Launch A New Series
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 3rd, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The USA Today published an article by Carol Memmott, that discussed Harlequin teaming up with NASCAR for romance novels. When publishers launch a new series or imprint this creates opportunities for writers. In this case, writers who can meld romance with an understanding of racecars in such a way that readers see it as believable, has an opportunity to get their work published.
With the launch comes problems that every writer should be aware of. In publishing, any aggressive launch has a ripple effect in the industry. It requires lots of extra copies to be distributed to the market. In order to secure this distribution added incentives must be offered to booksellers. The publisher will announce they are spending heavily on advertising and promotion during the initial phase of the launch. This means there has to be enough readers to purchase these new titles during the launch to warrant the additional incentives, advertising, and promotion to continue.
Here are a few of the problems: A launch means other publishers will soon follow. The added copies have to displace titles currently on sale, which creates a short-term return problem in that particular category. The publisher has a very short window in which to convince readers the new series has merit. Otherwise, the series gets dumped and the publisher will move on to new things.
If you can take advantage of this new opportunity as a result of the new series or imprint, make certain your publisher has a commitment to making it work. Ask the right questions. There is an article that I wrote last fall regarding another Harlequin launch that will provide you the information you need to properly evaluate the publishers commitment to the new series and their authors.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Publishing, Book Sales, Booksellers, Hybrid Publishing Model, Self-Published Author, Self-Publishing
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