Recently one of our authors attempted to schedule a signing at a book store near him. When the store owner asked if he was self-published, he said he didn't know. Hence the call to my office asking if he was self-published.
I can't begin to emphasize more strongly that every author must learn the publishing industry. You wouldn't consider joining the military and not learning its structure, being employed by the tourism industry and not learning what tourism is, or for that matter, becoming employed by any company and expect to coast through, being promoted almost immediately to the top, and not have a clue what the company does or how it gets the product to the consumer.
Yet, that is precisely what a lot of authors expect.
I see it all the time: first-time authors who do not know the difference between traditional and self-publishing; authors who don't know how books are produced, how they get into the marketplace, how money is made - or that money is expected to be made - how books get to the bestseller lists, how to reach their target or even that they should have a target audience.
To make it in this business, you need to understand the business.
You don't get your first book published and find yourself on the New York Times bestseller list. Oh, sure, you can find an author where that happened, and I guarantee that a lot of money was spent in a promotional and marketing campaign (six figures), targeting those book stores that report their sales to the New York Times. It could happen to .001% of all authors who will ever be published. You have a better chance of winning the lottery.
Yet, time and time again I see authors who don't seem to understand that they have to work to succeed in this business - and publishing IS a business. You have to work at the craft of writing, work to establish your platform, network with others in the industry, work to understand the way it operates, make an effort to stay on top of changes and technology, marketing and promotion.
If you want to succeed and truly earn an income with your books, learn as much as you can. Reach out in every direction - to other authors, to readers, to booksellers, to retailers, to industry experts. Subscribe to their blogs, network with them on social media, attend conferences and functions. Read books on the subject, subscribe to industry magazines, and learn, learn, learn. That is precisely what other authors are doing, and they're doing it day-in and day-out. You'll be left in the dust if you don't do the same.
And what happened with that author?
The author who didn't know whether he was self-published or traditionally published made such a poor impression on the bookseller that when he returned to report that he was, in fact, traditionally published, the bookstore said they were not interested in him or his book. The door closed in his face. They'd made up their mind before he'd come back to report his findings.
Had he known up front that traditional publishing means the publisher pays all costs in producing the work in book format and self-publishing means the author pays all costs themselves, he could have confidently reported he was traditionally published and had a better chance of booking a signing.
Instead, he just looked stupid.
Don't let this happen to you. Learn the publishing industry. Pay your dues. And work your way to the top - the way every other industry works.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Giving Books Away
Should an author give their books away for free?
Publishers are in business to make money so of course it stands to reason that if the books are being given away, they're not making a return on their investment.
But many authors are willing to do just that.
If someone is interested in your book, they will pay for it.
Consider your own buying habits. If you want something - whether it's food, clothing, a new stereo or television, furniture, decor or books or music, you will buy it. When you are giving away your product - and your book IS your product - you're saying to the recipient that you don't value your work enough to charge them for it.
This isn't to say you shouldn't give your mom a copy... Or give it as a birthday gift to a friend or relative... But lately I'm seeing a lot of books being given away to complete strangers.
Why?
Sometimes authors want more reviews. At Drake Valley Press, we allocate a certain number of copies for reviewers - but they are bonafide reviewers. They are not a reader who wants a free book because they don't want to spend their own money, and who agrees to give the author a rousing endorsement of their book. When an author brags continually of how many rave reviews they've received on amazon but they haven't sold a book in six months, it means they are giving away their book instead of selling it. It's the kiss of death if the author wants a real writing career.
Free books do not count in book sales.
For an author to "move up" in this industry, they often need to grab the attention of literary agents and larger publishers. Any publisher can access the sales figures of any book if they are published through traditional methods. Sales figures reflect books that are sold, not given away. So if the author has given away 500 copies of their book and sold 5, their sales show that they've sold 5 - there is no mention anywhere of the 500.
When an author self-publishes and they provide the publisher or agent with their sales figures, it is critical that they provide an accurate number. If they gave away 500 copies and sold 5 but they tell the publisher or agent that they sold 505 copies in a certain period of time, the sales models generated for their next book will take their previous sales into consideration. When they managed to sell only 5, it leaves the publisher scratching their heads and asking "why?"
When an author is participating in a Virtual Book Tour, we also recommend that they NOT give away their book as a prize. Visitors to the blogs will not purchase the book because they're not sure if they're going to win it - and they don't need two copies.
And never add a free copy of the book along with the prize, for the same reason. Add marketing materials such as a bookmark or post card, but never the book itself.
If they want it, they will pay for it.
Publishers are in business to make money so of course it stands to reason that if the books are being given away, they're not making a return on their investment.
But many authors are willing to do just that.
If someone is interested in your book, they will pay for it.
Consider your own buying habits. If you want something - whether it's food, clothing, a new stereo or television, furniture, decor or books or music, you will buy it. When you are giving away your product - and your book IS your product - you're saying to the recipient that you don't value your work enough to charge them for it.
This isn't to say you shouldn't give your mom a copy... Or give it as a birthday gift to a friend or relative... But lately I'm seeing a lot of books being given away to complete strangers.
Why?
Sometimes authors want more reviews. At Drake Valley Press, we allocate a certain number of copies for reviewers - but they are bonafide reviewers. They are not a reader who wants a free book because they don't want to spend their own money, and who agrees to give the author a rousing endorsement of their book. When an author brags continually of how many rave reviews they've received on amazon but they haven't sold a book in six months, it means they are giving away their book instead of selling it. It's the kiss of death if the author wants a real writing career.
Free books do not count in book sales.
For an author to "move up" in this industry, they often need to grab the attention of literary agents and larger publishers. Any publisher can access the sales figures of any book if they are published through traditional methods. Sales figures reflect books that are sold, not given away. So if the author has given away 500 copies of their book and sold 5, their sales show that they've sold 5 - there is no mention anywhere of the 500.
When an author self-publishes and they provide the publisher or agent with their sales figures, it is critical that they provide an accurate number. If they gave away 500 copies and sold 5 but they tell the publisher or agent that they sold 505 copies in a certain period of time, the sales models generated for their next book will take their previous sales into consideration. When they managed to sell only 5, it leaves the publisher scratching their heads and asking "why?"
When an author is participating in a Virtual Book Tour, we also recommend that they NOT give away their book as a prize. Visitors to the blogs will not purchase the book because they're not sure if they're going to win it - and they don't need two copies.
And never add a free copy of the book along with the prize, for the same reason. Add marketing materials such as a bookmark or post card, but never the book itself.
If they want it, they will pay for it.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Finding Your Target Audience
The number one reason why authors don't sell more books is they fail to connect with their target audience.
The first step in identifying your target audience is to accurately define your book's genre. If you don't know what genre it is, find books that are very similar to yours and find out where they are placed in a brick-and-mortar store, or what categories they're listed under online.
If you market your book as science fiction but it's really fantasy, those readers who download sample chapters or skim the book in a store will not connect with it. Readers have distinctive tastes. Yes, it's possible to persuade someone to read a book that isn't in their normal genre, but to be successful, you don't want to be trying to swim upstream. You want to join the current and ride the waves.
The worst thing you can do is describe your book in an elevator speech and ask for opinions on its genre. Research it. And if you still can't figure it out, learn more about the different genres and improve your writing skills so the genre can be clearly defined.
The second step is to pay attention to who buys it. This is where personal appearances are invaluable. By connecting with fans and readers in book stores, libraries and other venues, you should be forming a mental image of your average reader. Don't make the mistake of assuming that your book will appeal to all ages, both male and female. Maybe it will, but that is not the way books are sold. You need an age range; primarily male or female, and maybe even down to race, nationality, political beliefs or religion.
Why is this important?
Because everything spins off your ideal reader.
Television interviews and radio spots have a targeted audience. By knowing who your audience is, you can connect with them through interviews with news media that reach that audience. If you appeared on an inappropriate station, for example, the viewer or listener will tune you out or turn you off. Connect with the right audience, and you create a demand for your book - driving people into the stores or online to buy it.
Magazines also have specific target audiences. If your book appeals to women in their 20's, an interview in Sports Illustrated may not be seen by too many of your potential readers. Likewise, if you're trying to appeal to men in their 30's, you wouldn't want to target Good Housekeeping. They're both wonderful magazines but the best use of your time and resources is to connect with the audience most likely to purchase your book.
And what if you think you're connecting but your sales don't show it?
You could be preaching to the choir. Suppose, for example, that every time you do a personal appearance, all your friends and relatives come out to cheer you on. You might be tempted to look into the audience and see an adoring public. But once those 20 or 30 or 40 people have bought your book, then what?
If you aren't growing your fan base, you're losing ground.
Similarly, if you have an adoring group of friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter that continue to cheer you on but your sales remain in a slump, step back. Remove your emotions, above all else. And critique the situation objectively. Could you be preaching to the same core group, day after day and week after week? Well, then, there's your answer. Unless those people are effectively talking their friends and relatives into also buying your book, your sales will continue to get weaker. How many copies of your book does one person need, anyway?
And what happens if you're not connecting?
Then you're not reaching your ideal audience. Yes, it is invaluable to join authors' groups online and in person. But unless you have written a book for an author (such as how to edit, promote or otherwise assist in their writing career) you should be targeting the reader.
How do you get more readers to buy your book? Find out where they are hanging out. Find out what television news or talk shows they watch, which radio stations they listen to, which newspapers and magazines they read. Find out what websites they visit and connect with them there.
If your sales are not growing or they've fallen into a slump, chances are you can't identify NEW followers on Twitter or Facebook, your blog or other social networking sites who are interested in buying your book. Maybe they've connected because they want to network with other authors, or your Aunt Sally or Uncle Joe told them you post great recipes on Facebook. Or maybe they're following your blog for another reason.
You have to continuously and continually assess your sales and question why they are not growing. And if they are growing, congratulations. Keep doing what you're doing!
The first step in identifying your target audience is to accurately define your book's genre. If you don't know what genre it is, find books that are very similar to yours and find out where they are placed in a brick-and-mortar store, or what categories they're listed under online.
If you market your book as science fiction but it's really fantasy, those readers who download sample chapters or skim the book in a store will not connect with it. Readers have distinctive tastes. Yes, it's possible to persuade someone to read a book that isn't in their normal genre, but to be successful, you don't want to be trying to swim upstream. You want to join the current and ride the waves.
The worst thing you can do is describe your book in an elevator speech and ask for opinions on its genre. Research it. And if you still can't figure it out, learn more about the different genres and improve your writing skills so the genre can be clearly defined.
The second step is to pay attention to who buys it. This is where personal appearances are invaluable. By connecting with fans and readers in book stores, libraries and other venues, you should be forming a mental image of your average reader. Don't make the mistake of assuming that your book will appeal to all ages, both male and female. Maybe it will, but that is not the way books are sold. You need an age range; primarily male or female, and maybe even down to race, nationality, political beliefs or religion.
Why is this important?
Because everything spins off your ideal reader.
Television interviews and radio spots have a targeted audience. By knowing who your audience is, you can connect with them through interviews with news media that reach that audience. If you appeared on an inappropriate station, for example, the viewer or listener will tune you out or turn you off. Connect with the right audience, and you create a demand for your book - driving people into the stores or online to buy it.
Magazines also have specific target audiences. If your book appeals to women in their 20's, an interview in Sports Illustrated may not be seen by too many of your potential readers. Likewise, if you're trying to appeal to men in their 30's, you wouldn't want to target Good Housekeeping. They're both wonderful magazines but the best use of your time and resources is to connect with the audience most likely to purchase your book.
And what if you think you're connecting but your sales don't show it?
You could be preaching to the choir. Suppose, for example, that every time you do a personal appearance, all your friends and relatives come out to cheer you on. You might be tempted to look into the audience and see an adoring public. But once those 20 or 30 or 40 people have bought your book, then what?
If you aren't growing your fan base, you're losing ground.
Similarly, if you have an adoring group of friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter that continue to cheer you on but your sales remain in a slump, step back. Remove your emotions, above all else. And critique the situation objectively. Could you be preaching to the same core group, day after day and week after week? Well, then, there's your answer. Unless those people are effectively talking their friends and relatives into also buying your book, your sales will continue to get weaker. How many copies of your book does one person need, anyway?
And what happens if you're not connecting?
Then you're not reaching your ideal audience. Yes, it is invaluable to join authors' groups online and in person. But unless you have written a book for an author (such as how to edit, promote or otherwise assist in their writing career) you should be targeting the reader.
How do you get more readers to buy your book? Find out where they are hanging out. Find out what television news or talk shows they watch, which radio stations they listen to, which newspapers and magazines they read. Find out what websites they visit and connect with them there.
If your sales are not growing or they've fallen into a slump, chances are you can't identify NEW followers on Twitter or Facebook, your blog or other social networking sites who are interested in buying your book. Maybe they've connected because they want to network with other authors, or your Aunt Sally or Uncle Joe told them you post great recipes on Facebook. Or maybe they're following your blog for another reason.
You have to continuously and continually assess your sales and question why they are not growing. And if they are growing, congratulations. Keep doing what you're doing!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Marketing - In It for the Long Haul
How long should you plan to market your book?
The answer is: you should never stop.
New authors, in particular, often become frustrated when their books don't catapult to the New York Times bestseller list within a week of its release. By the time it's been out a month or two and there aren't lines around the block waiting for the book store to open, they're tempted to throw in the towel.
But in reality, the marketing and promotional campaign should just be getting started.
Marketing and promotion is always trial-and-error, regardless of the product you're selling. I am old enough to remember the first commercials for Coca-Cola products. Why aren't they the same today as they were fifty years ago? Because times change. People change. And what worked last year or last month might not work today. It's why companies employ advertising and marketing professionals who are constantly reassessing their place in the market, running sales figures and tweaking the ways in which they try to reach the consumer.
With books, the author assumes the bulk of marketing and promotion, unless you're already famous and have a built-in audience. And even if you've already been on the New York Times bestseller list, or you have achieved fame and fortune in politics or television or the movies, it's no guarantee that your campaign will roll out flawlessly.
Writers are by nature solitary creatures. In order to be successful in this business (and books are a business) you have to be willing to try different things, assess the effects, critique the campaigns, and adjust accordingly.
Marketing is not a sprint. It's a long-distance marathon.
Some of the ways in which our most successful authors have marketed include:
1. Social networking - connecting with their fans and readers. What works one day may not work the next, so we suggest using several - Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, for example - and ramping up in one area while assessing the sales during that period.
2. Blogging is another way of connecting with fans and readers. Drawing people to your blog can be the challenge, which is where social networking can play a part, or teaming with other authors in a Blog Hop.
3. Virtual Book Tours are online "appearances" that can include author interviews, guest blogs, Q&A's, as well as excerpts from the book the author is promoting, and information about the author himself/herself. It raises the author's profile in areas where potential fans might not yet know of them, and it helps to connect the author with other authors and even the tour operators or blog sites. It can also drive traffic to the author's blog, and through social networking, it can increase the number of followers, readers and fans.
4. Personal appearances can be anything from signing books in a book store to speaking at a library or a book event. The books should always be available for purchase on the spot. But in addition to direct sales, authors can establish valuable relationships with book sellers, librarians and readers who will continue to recommend their books long after the event is over.
5. Traditional media includes television appearances, radio spots, newspapers and magazines. We've seen authors pick up the phone and call their local television stations - or email them - and get valuable air time. Many news outlets will even post the interview online so the author can link to it afterward.
Radio spots are even easier, as there usually is no travel requirement. As long as the author has access to a landline (mobile phones often create distortion on a radio show) they can telephone at a designated time and get anything from a five-minute interview to half an hour or more. Some of the shows are telecast nationwide, and again, many of them are available online afterward.
Authors love to write and a great way to get publicity is to write their own story for the local newspaper or a magazine. The news media then has the option of simply cutting and pasting the story or following up with a more extensive interview and article.
The most successful authors use a combination of all of the above.
Of course, it isn't feasible for an author to remain on the road year-round participating in personal appearances. So they stagger their events and in between, they use the Internet or traditional news media to continue to raise awareness of their book.
And how long should they continue to promote their book?
If they have written only one book, they should continue to promote it until sales have dwindled to less than fifty copies per year. They can always revive them later, particularly if the subject matter becomes a hot news topic.
If they continue to write - which is what we recommend for all our authors - they should promote the current book until the next book is released. As they participate in personal appearances, they should request that their backlisted books be available for sale as well as their most current book. With each book that is released, it provides the author with the opportunity to connect with a larger audience. And once the readers love one book, they'll be looking for other books by the same author.
The worst disservice an author can do to themselves and to their books is to give up too early. By throwing in the towel or becoming frustrated in the first three to six months of a book's release to the point of giving up on the publisher, the book and themselves, they ensure a problematic career - or a career that never manages to get off the ground.
When one thing doesn't seem to be working, the most successful authors are able to step back, detach themselves emotionally, and assess why it isn't working. The main reason is that the author simply is not connecting with their target market. More on that next week, so stay tuned.
The answer is: you should never stop.
New authors, in particular, often become frustrated when their books don't catapult to the New York Times bestseller list within a week of its release. By the time it's been out a month or two and there aren't lines around the block waiting for the book store to open, they're tempted to throw in the towel.
But in reality, the marketing and promotional campaign should just be getting started.
Marketing and promotion is always trial-and-error, regardless of the product you're selling. I am old enough to remember the first commercials for Coca-Cola products. Why aren't they the same today as they were fifty years ago? Because times change. People change. And what worked last year or last month might not work today. It's why companies employ advertising and marketing professionals who are constantly reassessing their place in the market, running sales figures and tweaking the ways in which they try to reach the consumer.
With books, the author assumes the bulk of marketing and promotion, unless you're already famous and have a built-in audience. And even if you've already been on the New York Times bestseller list, or you have achieved fame and fortune in politics or television or the movies, it's no guarantee that your campaign will roll out flawlessly.
Writers are by nature solitary creatures. In order to be successful in this business (and books are a business) you have to be willing to try different things, assess the effects, critique the campaigns, and adjust accordingly.
Marketing is not a sprint. It's a long-distance marathon.
Some of the ways in which our most successful authors have marketed include:
1. Social networking - connecting with their fans and readers. What works one day may not work the next, so we suggest using several - Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, for example - and ramping up in one area while assessing the sales during that period.
2. Blogging is another way of connecting with fans and readers. Drawing people to your blog can be the challenge, which is where social networking can play a part, or teaming with other authors in a Blog Hop.
3. Virtual Book Tours are online "appearances" that can include author interviews, guest blogs, Q&A's, as well as excerpts from the book the author is promoting, and information about the author himself/herself. It raises the author's profile in areas where potential fans might not yet know of them, and it helps to connect the author with other authors and even the tour operators or blog sites. It can also drive traffic to the author's blog, and through social networking, it can increase the number of followers, readers and fans.
4. Personal appearances can be anything from signing books in a book store to speaking at a library or a book event. The books should always be available for purchase on the spot. But in addition to direct sales, authors can establish valuable relationships with book sellers, librarians and readers who will continue to recommend their books long after the event is over.
5. Traditional media includes television appearances, radio spots, newspapers and magazines. We've seen authors pick up the phone and call their local television stations - or email them - and get valuable air time. Many news outlets will even post the interview online so the author can link to it afterward.
Radio spots are even easier, as there usually is no travel requirement. As long as the author has access to a landline (mobile phones often create distortion on a radio show) they can telephone at a designated time and get anything from a five-minute interview to half an hour or more. Some of the shows are telecast nationwide, and again, many of them are available online afterward.
Authors love to write and a great way to get publicity is to write their own story for the local newspaper or a magazine. The news media then has the option of simply cutting and pasting the story or following up with a more extensive interview and article.
The most successful authors use a combination of all of the above.
Of course, it isn't feasible for an author to remain on the road year-round participating in personal appearances. So they stagger their events and in between, they use the Internet or traditional news media to continue to raise awareness of their book.
And how long should they continue to promote their book?
If they have written only one book, they should continue to promote it until sales have dwindled to less than fifty copies per year. They can always revive them later, particularly if the subject matter becomes a hot news topic.
If they continue to write - which is what we recommend for all our authors - they should promote the current book until the next book is released. As they participate in personal appearances, they should request that their backlisted books be available for sale as well as their most current book. With each book that is released, it provides the author with the opportunity to connect with a larger audience. And once the readers love one book, they'll be looking for other books by the same author.
The worst disservice an author can do to themselves and to their books is to give up too early. By throwing in the towel or becoming frustrated in the first three to six months of a book's release to the point of giving up on the publisher, the book and themselves, they ensure a problematic career - or a career that never manages to get off the ground.
When one thing doesn't seem to be working, the most successful authors are able to step back, detach themselves emotionally, and assess why it isn't working. The main reason is that the author simply is not connecting with their target market. More on that next week, so stay tuned.
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