tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911389108286499822024-03-13T04:37:14.617-07:00Drake Valley PressDiscovering today's talent
and tomorrow's bestsellersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-52101161721018307912016-05-23T03:00:00.000-07:002016-05-23T03:00:32.859-07:00What You're Missing When Your Books Don't SellDrake Valley Press instituted a new policy this past year: the author must submit a marketing plan before we will consider publishing their book - even if they've just written a book that deserves to be on every bestseller list.<br />
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Why?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Because at least half of a book's success depends on marketing.</b></span> Bestsellers don't get that way on their own; books don't fly off the shelves without someone pushing it, and word-of-mouth has to begin somewhere.<br />
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Marketing has changed substantially in the 30-plus years that I've been in this industry. And to see just how dramatic the changes have been, simply look at your own life and the way in which you experience advertisements.<br />
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Television doesn't have us rushing home so we don't miss our favorite shows, and gone are the days in which we were captive to television commercials. The older generations record their programming and fast-forward through the commercials; the younger generations watch more YouTube than television.<br />
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Newspapers were once the mainstay of the news from local to regional to international. Now advertisers are experiencing far fewer people seeing their print ads, because they're all on the Internet, and most are getting their news through social media.<br />
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Magazines are increasingly read online, the printed article now augmented by instant feedback through forums, videos and interactive pages.<br />
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You may have noticed a substantial decrease in "junk mail" over the last few years; that's because what used to clog your mail box is now in a mail box of a different kind - online.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>The fact is that the Internet is the frontier for all marketing efforts.</b></span> And if you don't believe me, take a look at your Facebook feed and scroll through those Twitter tweets. Look up your local newspaper online and see if you can escape the advertisements on the virtual page. Run any search and click through to the websites and tell me how many do not contain advertising.<br />
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To be a successful author in today's marketplace means you must find out where your fans go and you need to be present there and ready to interact. If you've written a series set against the backdrop of the music industry, where are music fans hanging out? What are they reading online? What sites do they visit? Who are they on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn?<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>First, the author needs to capture their market's attention. </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Then they need to interact with them.</b></span> Make their websites more inviting; the same old home page week after week, year after year, is boring. And it won't get people coming back. Blog about subjects that tie into your book, and don't just blog on your own - connect with websites that need bloggers like you.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Don't send out tweets and Facebook posts asking or begging people to read your book.</b></span> Who does that? Does your local grocery beg you to buy milk at their store? Do you see constant tweets from your pharmacy asking you to buy your prescriptions there? Look at your Twitter and Facebook feeds.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Who is begging people to buy their product other than authors? </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Nobody. Why? Because it doesn't work.</b></span><br />
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I want to read a book because I expect to get something out of it. Maybe it will take me to an exotic location. Maybe it will be a story of survival (I'm particularly fond of those), or it will open my eyes to something in the world I would never otherwise experience.<br />
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But I'm not going to read a book because an author is begging me through social media.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>To sell your books, you have to think like a consumer.</b></span> What does your book offer to them? Why should they shell out money to read it? Tell me what third party reviewers have said; tell me something that grips my attention. Give me a reason to give your social media presence a closer look. And then give me a reason to hop over to amazon or go to my friendly book store and buy it.<br />
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Think outside the box. Observe your own surfing habits and see where you can find your ideal audience and connect with them.<br />
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And one more thing: I don't need for an author to tell me whether they're marketing their books. I can tell with a glance at their book sales.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Stop marketing and your books stop selling. It's as simple as that.</b></span><br />
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<i>- Don Freeman</i><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-73347945591131281092015-07-14T01:30:00.000-07:002015-07-14T01:30:01.610-07:00A Thin LineSuccessful authors often must live their lives in the public eye, unlike someone working in the confines of a company. This often goes against the grain of the typical author, who is much more comfortable working alone in front of a computer or with a pen and paper in hand.<br />
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When I first began my career in publishing, the average cost of producing a first-run title was around $75,000. The marketing budget was often twice that amount. With $150,000 in hand, we were able to place high profile ads in magazines (longer life span) and large, metropolitan newspapers. For authors who were already in the public eye (such as a past, present or candidate for president) or who had previously been on the New York Times bestseller list, we were often able to get television interviews on major morning news networks.<br />
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We published few books compared to the plethora being released every day, and eBooks hadn't yet been invented. This meant fewer competition, especially when you drilled down to the genre and sub-genre.<br />
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In today's market, the author has taken on much of the responsibility of marketing and promotion, regardless of their publisher's size. The exception remains those already in the public eye and those who have already proven their ability to sell millions of copies.<br />
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Most authors fall in the mid-list or below; in fact, the vast majority of authors will never sell more than fifty copies of their title. To get out in front of potential readers, it means they have to get out from behind their computer - either virtually or physically.<br />
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When I worked with authors some forty years ago on their marketing plans, the standard was to send them into book stores for physical signings. Forty years ago, this was a novelty and readers and store staff seemed to love it. All of that has changed in recent years as the publishing industry has been turned upside down. Today most stores are wary of author signings and most store visitors seem to want to avoid them.<br />
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We then switched to making their appearances into events by adding talks of value to the audience. This was more easily done with non-fiction, as the author could have an hour-long discussion on the ten best ways to get wealthy or the ten best ways to groom your dog. With fiction, we had to be inventive. Ten best ways to kill your spouse (on paper, of course); ten best ways to make love (without a demonstration); ten ways you know aliens exist - you get the idea.<br />
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But what happens when an author does not want to be in the public eye? Some actually have anxiety attacks at the mere thought of public speaking. Others are frightened out of their wits at anyone knowing something about them.<br />
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We've handled this situation in many ways. First, there's the pseudonym. Write the books under a fictitious name and your neighbor will never have to know that you wrote <i>The Best Ways to Cheat on Your Spouse</i>. Second, there's the carefully orchestrated public persona, which is often dramatically different than the actual person. You've no doubt heard of this in action in the movie industry, especially during the Golden Age. With the Internet, however, when anything can go viral in seconds, the crafted public persona can be torn down in an instant.<br />
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Authors who want to hide their identity pose a particular challenge because we can't show their photographs on their websites or in promotional material; you'd be surprised how many people look for those pictures. It means they can't reveal themselves to their neighbors, their friends, their families, and their communities - the first, closest round of potential buyers. They often live a lie, some as the opposite sex, conjuring up stories about themselves that never happened. One author we know (who thankfully was not published by Drake Valley Press) even came up with an elaborate story of an invalid, dying spouse to explain why he/she could not attend public events. It very nearly backfired when a concerned reader decided to raise money for the invalid's care so the author could travel. <br />
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When an author does not want to physically tour (or can't due to other commitments or physical limitations), the Internet is the natural place to turn. The multi-pronged campaign contains:<br />
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- social networking<br />
- a blog and website<br />
- blog tours, online radio and online television<br />
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Social networking is exactly what it says - it's social. Authors who only talk about their books and who only post or tweet about their books are considered coarse and offensive. Readers want to know the person; they want insight to the minds that created the works they love (or are considering purchasing). This often places the author in an awkward situation - wanting to connect to their readers without sharing too much with a stranger.<br />
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Some authors focus only on the craft of writing with their blogs, which circumvents having to reveal too much of themselves. But in our experience, when an author writes only about the process of writing, it's for people who want to learn to write or get published; it's not for the readers who are interested in buying a book - unless the author has written a book about how to write and how to get published.<br />
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When an author begins to write about the background of their latest book - what inspired them, how they researched it, perhaps even which parts are based on true events in their own lives - readers love it. And authors again walk that thin line of giving them what they want without placing their whole lives on a platter for the world to see.<br />
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Websites can be less personal than social networking and blogs, but websites serve a different purpose. Websites answer basic questions: what did the author write, how can I buy it, and what are the books about? This is where 90% of the exposure involves the book itself - excerpts, cover designs, links to buy, etc - and only 10% needs to explain who the author is. Websites are safe. But in this day and age, the task becomes driving potential buyers to the author's website - and that goes back to social networking and blogging.<br />
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Today, we are more apt to send authors on virtual blog tours than physical tours, which uses professional companies to book appearances on blogs that reach around the world to varied audiences. With an author who has limited physical energy due to age or an impairment, for example, the basic tour is used - an excerpt, a short bio, and buy links. For an author with more time or energy, a different interview or Q&A can be used with every site. Some of the questions get quite personal, and again, the author walks a thin line.<br />
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Once an author is successful and their books reach the point where they are selling themselves, they can then begin to step away from the limelight. You'll see this with authors of a certain stature who might blog three or four times a year or who rarely if ever get on social networking sites. Their public appearances might consist of getting on the three or four major morning network news, or signing their books in New York, LA and Washington, DC. They can get away with it at that point because their fan base has already been firmly established. Sometimes newbie writers will point their fingers toward Stephen King or John Grisham and say to me that he doesn't blog every day or he isn't always promoting his books and they sell - but what they don't see are the years of hard work it took for them to reach the level of success they enjoy today.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-44014972888480623852014-07-28T01:00:00.000-07:002014-07-28T01:00:05.222-07:00Traditional PublishingRecently 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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>I can't begin to emphasize more strongly that every author must learn the publishing industry.</b></i></span> 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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Yet, that is precisely what a lot of authors expect.</b></i></span><br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>To make it in this business, you need to understand the business.</b></i></span><br />
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You don't get your first book published and find yourself on the <i>New York Times</i> 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 <i>New York Times</i>. It could happen to .001% of all authors who will ever be published. You have a better chance of winning the lottery.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>And what happened with that author?</b></i></span><br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Instead, he just looked stupid.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-76329201458561862212014-07-21T03:00:00.000-07:002014-07-21T03:00:07.049-07:00Giving Books Away<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Should an author give their books away for free?</b></i></span><br />
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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.<br />
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But many authors are willing to do just that.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>If someone is interested in your book, they will pay for it. </b></i></span><br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Why?<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Free books do not count in book sales.</b></i></span><br />
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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 <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>sold</b></i></span>, 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.<br />
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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?"<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>If they want it, they will pay for it.</b></i></span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-53350788808165062502014-07-14T03:00:00.000-07:002014-07-14T03:00:04.429-07:00Finding Your Target Audience<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>The number one reason why authors don't sell more books is they fail to connect with their target audience.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>The first step in identifying your target audience is to accurately define your book's genre.</b></i></span> 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>The second step is to pay attention to who buys it.</b></i></span> 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 <i>or</i> female, and maybe even down to race, nationality, political beliefs or religion.<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Why is this important?</b></i></span><br />
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Because everything spins off your ideal reader. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>And what if you think you're connecting but your sales don't show it?</b></i></span><br />
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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?<br />
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If you aren't growing your fan base, you're losing ground.<br />
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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?<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>And what happens if you're not connecting?</b></i></span><br />
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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 <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>reader</b></i></span>.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-11576978602915455102014-07-09T03:00:00.000-07:002014-07-09T03:00:01.098-07:00Marketing - In It for the Long Haul<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>How long should you plan to market your book?</b></i></span><br />
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The answer is: you should never stop.<br />
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New authors, in particular, often become frustrated when their books don't catapult to the <i>New York Times</i> 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.<br />
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But in reality, the marketing and promotional campaign should just be getting started.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 <i>New York Times</i> 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.<br />
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Writers are by nature solitary creatures. In order to be successful in this business (and books <i>are</i> a business) you have to be willing to try different things, assess the effects, critique the campaigns, and adjust accordingly.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Marketing is not a sprint. It's a long-distance marathon.</b></i></span><br />
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Some of the ways in which our most successful authors have marketed include:<br />
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1. <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Social networking</b></i></span> - 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.<br />
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2. <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Blogging </b></i></span>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.<br />
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3. <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Virtual Book Tours</b></i></span> 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.<br />
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4. <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Personal appearances</b></i></span> 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.<br />
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5. <span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>Traditional media</b></i></span> 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>The most successful authors use a combination of all of the above.</b></i></span><br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>And how long should they continue to promote their book?</b></i></span><br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>The worst disservice an author can do to themselves and to their books is to give up too early.</b></i></span> 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-62547014451004944362014-06-18T01:00:00.000-07:002014-06-18T01:00:06.218-07:00Why I Will Publish Your BookIn yesterday's blog, I talked about the main reasons I won't publish an author's work. Here are the reasons I <i><b>will</b></i> publish your book:<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #1: I Love Your Book</b></span><br />
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It isn't enough for me to like your book. I have to love it. Before your manuscript is ready for prime-time, I will have read it four to six times. I've read books that grabbed me each and every time; I've read manuscripts in which I discovered additional layers with each reading; I've read books I can't put down even though I've read them multiple times.<br />
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When I am reading a manuscript for the first time, I ask myself if I am ready to read it again... and again... and again. If I can barely make it through the first reading, I know I won't make it through the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th without wanting to ditch it. I have to be enthusiastic about it.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #2: It Won't Require Significant Editing</b></span><br />
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When the book is a great read and I can tell that it will require very little if any editing, it's a sure winner in my book. I need to see that the author has invested their time and perhaps the time and cost of a professional editor to make the book shine. Grammar, punctuation, tense, backdrops, characters and the backstory all have to be as good as the plot.<br />
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Time is money. When an editor gets bogged down in editing, the price tag for that book goes up quickly. That means we have to sell even more books just to break even, and we'd better be able to defend our decisions to our board. <br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #3: It's a Genre I Can Market</b></span><br />
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There are hundreds of genres and sub-genres in the marketplace today. Here at DVP, we have established relationships with companies who market and promote particular genres - specifically, suspense, mysteries, thrillers and romance. If I loved your book but I don't have inroads in that genre, I am not going to be able to help you; there are specific markets for children's books, for example, in which we have no experience.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #4: You Have an Established Platform</b></span><br />
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Today's marketplace is fierce and the top priority for every author is to break away from the pack and get noticed by potential fans/readers. I will perform Internet searches on an author if the three reasons above have been satisfied. If they have a quality website, a current blog, and they are active in social media <i>for the purpose of selling their book</i>, those will increase the likelihood that they'll be offered a contract.<br />
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We prefer to work with authors who have already been published and who have a track record, meaning we can look up their previous titles and see how many copies they've sold. If they self-published a book and sold 500 copies in a year, it has our attention. If they've been traditionally published and they've sold thousands, it receives even more attention.<br />
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Authors who contact us with their first manuscript and have an over-inflated idea of their book's importance are not for us. We want authors who understand the publishing business, know how difficult and yes - frustrating - it can be, and who are in it for the long haul.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #5: You'd Be Great to Work With</b></span><br />
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As I mentioned in yesterday's post, all companies are made up of individuals. We want to work with positive authors who understand they are a vital part of the team. If we run an Internet search and find positive, thought-provoking blogs, social media tweets or posts that do not offend, and authors who don't point the finger when things go awry (as they inevitably will), we take notice.<br />
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We want authors who understand that selling a book is not a sprint but a journey that will take months or perhaps years. They should understand that we're going to remain as positive as we can. We'll be ready to think outside the box. We'll have meetings and brain-storming sessions to try and find the author's right audience. If one thing doesn't work, we'll try another. There will be frustrating times. There will be bad days. We make mistakes, too. But if the author is ready and willing to continue trying and avoid finger-pointing, we are, too. We'll go the extra mile if they're willing to go with us.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-15689806218516561872014-06-17T01:00:00.000-07:002014-06-17T01:00:03.444-07:00Why I Won't Publish Your BookAs you can imagine, a great deal of my time is spent reading manuscript submissions and in determining whether the author will be offered a contract. Below are the four main reasons why I choose not to publish a book.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #1: Inappropriate Genre</b></span><br />
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Our website (<a href="http://www.drakevalleypress.com/">www.drakevalleypress.com</a>) clearly states the genres that we do not publish. Yet not a week goes by that I don't receive a query regarding a cookbook, coffee table book (with glossy photographs) or children's manuscript. Every author is best served with a publisher who is interested in their particular genre.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #2: Your Book Is Poorly Edited (or hasn't been edited at all)</b></span><br />
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It's true that once upon a time, an author with a compelling story could receive a publishing contract. An editor would be assigned to the author and whether it took six months or six years, they would polish it together until it shone.<br />
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That time is long gone.<br />
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Competition today is fierce. There are so many authors with well-polished work that is ready to go immediately into production, that submitting a poorly-edited manuscript only shoots the author in the foot. Time is money. When I read a manuscript that will require a micro-editor (one who edits every single line, punctuation mark, and proper grammar) I see the price tag go up astronomically. If you have a terrific story but you're a poor writer, either take some classes or do yourself a favor and find an excellent ghost writer.<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #3: You Have No Platform</b></span><br />
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Once again, it was true that publishers used to fund an author's marketing and promotional campaign. But that, too, has changed over the years. There are two reasons for this: the Internet and savvy authors. The Internet has made it possible for anyone to create a platform for their book. Blogging, social media and author websites are the norm. You might be a great writer but you have to understand that you're competing against authors with some very savvy marketing skills.<br />
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We want to know that once your book is released, you have fans and readers who are ready to purchase it. Unless you have thousands of family members, that means you must have a platform. Waiting until you get a publishing contract is too late to start.<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Reason #4: You've Proven Difficult to Work With</b></span><br />
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Let's face it: all companies are made up of individuals. At Drake Valley Press, we love what we do and we enjoy working with authors who are willing to work with us, have a positive attitude, and appreciate the amount of time and effort we put in on their behalf - 99% of which is behind the scenes.<br />
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We're going to run Internet searches on your brand name (or pen name) and if we find blogs, tweets or comments filled with negativity, deriding your last publisher, criticizing the general public for not buying your last book, it gives us pause. If you have a political platform or agenda that offends half the population, we're not the right publisher for you. There are publishers out there who thrive on adversity and self-inflicted drama. We are not one of them. We want authors we enjoy working with who enjoy working with us. The entire process is a team effort and when half of the team wants to fight us every step of the way, you're just not worth it.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Authors We Love: Coming Up Tomorrow</b></span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-85157912224894118842014-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:002014-05-19T07:37:38.105-07:00Authors Taking Control<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For nearly twenty years, Drake Valley Press has partnered with other small to mid-size publishers, providing services and support in a variety of areas. I am very pleased to announce that we have opened our services to authors who wish to take complete control of their writing careers in becoming their own publishers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today there are more options than ever before to help writers get published. But getting a book into print or eBook is just the beginning of what can be a long and exciting journey. It is easy to become confused with the myriad of options available. Our team's average experience in the publishing industry is more than thirty years, and we're interested in helping authors realize their dreams.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #073763;"><i><b>What we are <span style="color: #990000;">not</span>: a self-publisher.</b></i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #073763;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #073763;"><i><b>What we <span style="color: #990000;">are</span>: consultants. </b></i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you'd like to go the Indie route, become your own publisher and take control of your own destiny and writing career, here are some of the services we can offer you:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">editorial</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">interior book design for both printed books and eBooks</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">custom cover designs in a variety of genres</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">website development and maintenance</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">social networking assistance</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">custom book trailers</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">press kits</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">marketing campaign advice</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">distribution advice (how to get your book in the hands of readers through wholesalers, distributors and bookstores)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">consulting advice to help you successfully navigate this industry.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the years, we've noticed a sharp upturn in the number of authors who are more satisfied with their writing careers when they can call all the shots - from the finished product through the sales channels. We can help you get established and make your journey a smooth one, eliminating frustration and confusion.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you're interested in knowing more or you have questions or would like a price quote, contact Don Freeman at dfreeman [at] drakevalleypress [dot] com. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-35154174518793865342014-04-23T01:00:00.000-07:002014-04-23T01:00:00.092-07:00Switching GenresI've had several conversations lately with others at Drake Valley Press about authors who want to write in multiple genres - and of course, be successful in each.<br />
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An old point of view is that an author should select one and only one genre and stick with that. The more modern point of view is that a good author can write in multiple genres. But to be successful, there is a right way to go about it.<br />
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I observed an author last year who wrote in multiple genres and could not figure out why she wasn't selling more books. An analysis revealed that the audience for her children's books were vastly different than the audience for her non-fiction and both were vastly different than her erotica. Yes, readers often have eclectic tastes but I'd venture to say the readers who devour the erotica aren't automatically going to rush out and buy her books for their two-year-olds.<br />
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It all boils down to one thing: the author's target market.<br />
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Only the author truly knows who their fans are; who they are writing for; their image of their readers. And even if you're switching genres, you have to keep in mind who your audience is already and seek to write something that will interest them.<br />
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For example, several years ago we had a very successful suspense author who wanted to write an historical book. The subject was textbook material. Had she written it as a textbook, that genre would have started from ground zero; we could not automatically assume her suspense readers would automatically want her textbook.<br />
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She opted instead to write the historical book as suspense. It was still factual; but by getting into the head of the main character and writing her adventure as suspenseful as she'd written her other books, it ensured that her fans would follow along. They did - and she broadened her audience by also appealing to fans of history. As a result, her historical book is still her bestselling book, even years later.<br />
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The author needs to pay attention to who their fans are and seek to keep those fans even while broadening their fanbase.<br />
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We often hear authors lament that their publishers (whether large or small) need to know more about their fanbase than the author does. This always piques my curiosity. We may be working with dozens of authors at once; some publishers work with hundreds over the span of each year. Yet the author only has one person to track: themselves. While we can identify a broad market - romance readers, suspense readers, adventure readers, etc., if the author can't drill down to their fans, it means they are not connecting with them. That connection could be through personal appearances, through blogs and comments, through social networking, or any number of ways. <br />
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When writing in multiple genres, the author first needs to identify who is purchasing the books they've already had published. Then they have to ask themselves how they can write the new genre in such a way that it will appeal to their established fanbase.<br />
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If the genre is so vastly different that it would not appeal to their current fanbase, they might as well publish it under a completely different name, because it's the same thing as starting completely over with the very first published book.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-8245933641660486462014-04-16T02:30:00.000-07:002014-04-16T02:30:00.856-07:00Making a BestsellerI've heard a lot of new authors recently compare themselves with bestselling authors, expecting to see their first books skyrocket to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.<br />
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It might come as a surprise to some but reaching the top of the bestseller lists doesn't mean your book is the greatest one published that week or that millions of people are buying it.<br />
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Book lists, like the Oscars, are often the result of networking, politicking, and a whole lot of money.<br />
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Recently a blogger posted an expose of how an author reached the New York Times bestseller list. It involved hiring a publicity firm at a cost close to a quarter of a million dollars. The strategy included mailing copies of books to book stores throughout the country who report their sales figures on a weekly basis to the New York Times.<br />
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Now before you rush out and start stuffing envelopes with your books, consider that the list of stores is a closely guarded secret. Some of them are in areas with populations of 5,000. Two book sales of one title in one week constitutes a bestseller in their market. It isn't all about selling millions of books, contrary to what the typical reader believes. It's about understanding the system and manipulating it.<br />
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A look at the national bestseller lists will show imprints from the largest New York publishers - because they are typically the only ones who will be able to spend so much money on making a book a bestseller. They determine which books will reach that list before the book is even produced. Their decision typically revolves around those who already have a massive platform - politicians, celebrities, and authors who have previously made the list. They allocate a huge budget to that book, often to the detriment of other books by other authors who are just as good or better than the ones selected.<br />
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They push that book to the wholesalers and the book stores, stacking the scales in their favor. Money, advertising, review copies, and more money is needed, along with a dedicated set of staffers whose jobs are to ensure that book makes all the lists.<br />
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If you're a new author and you believe with your first book's release, you're going to skyrocket to the top of the lists, I hope you have one of the New York Big Five pushing you. If you don't, your success may be in other ways: mid-list authors often make great incomes; or success can be found in other ways such as self-satisfaction, giving something you believe is valuable to the world, connecting with fans and readers, and simply fulfilling your dream.<br />
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Will this change in the future? Undoubtedly. With eBooks selling more briskly every year, it levels the playing field. Anyone can publish these days; even self-published authors can earn good and steady incomes. But by and large, the system of reporting brisk sellers will have to change for anyone other than authors with the largest publishers to expect to reach the top of the charts.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-6163815818878792702014-04-09T02:30:00.000-07:002014-04-09T02:30:02.670-07:00How Much to RevealI recently had an author ask me how much she should reveal of herself and her personal life to fans and readers. The question is an intriguing one and one that requires more than a simple answer.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: #073763;">It all goes back to your author image.</span></em></strong><br />
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I know many authors who prefer to keep their private lives private. However, sometimes fans want to know something personal about their favorite authors; perhaps after reading their work, they see themselves as connected in some way. Authors who prefer a more private existence often respond with something they wouldn't care if the world knew about, such as their love of animals or children or their favorite charities.<br />
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Other authors let it all hang out. This can be dangerous, depending on the type of books they write. For example, talking politics, especially in a controversial manner, is great for those whose careers are built on it. But controversy doesn't always sell. We all have heard stories of authors, musicians or others in various fields who put their political agendas in front of the public only to have it backfire.<br />
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So I advise authors to ask themselves: how much of your personal life will help you sell books? How much of it could harm your career?<br />
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I am (in case you haven't noticed) a slow blogger. I write a blog when I believe I have something to say. I've seen others who will blog seven days a week even if it's only to describe what they had for breakfast. Unless you're a chef and your breakfast recipes are in your latest book, you have to ask yourself whether that post will help your career - or if it's just clogging up someone's inbox with minutia.<br />
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In the end, everything you put out in public - particularly on the Internet - should be something you wouldn't mind seeing repeated on the front pages of national newspapers and it would help, not hurt, your career.<br />
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Only the individual author can determine what they want their legacy to be, and how they want to be remembered. <br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-59131310911952327002014-02-19T08:51:00.001-08:002014-02-19T08:51:44.428-08:00Honoring CommitmentsAt a recent meeting of several publishers, editors and book store personnel, we heard an earful about authors who do not honor their commitments to appear at booksignings. In some instances, the author submitted their photographs and biographical information and the stores issued press releases to local media; placed the author on promotional literature in the store, which was picked up by book clubs and store patrons; and sometimes posters were developed in-house advertising the author's upcoming appearance.<br />
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Then the author does not show.<br />
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Sometimes the author will call or email and tell the store that they are backing out. The excuses range from no excuse at all... to they didn't feel like making the trip... to a legitimate emergency. When it's an emergency, the store understands and will usually try to reschedule the appearance. But when there is no excuse given at all or the author backs out because they didn't feel like it or they got what they believe is a better deal elsewhere, it hurts not only that author but other authors trying to get an appearance in that store.<br />
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Authors who have been in this industry for any length of time know that every commitment reflects on their professionalism and ultimately, their image.<br />
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Authors who are new in this industry often do not realize just how small a community this is, and how long the memories.<br />
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To be sure, there are a host of problems from the other side as well: book stores who don't order the books for the signing, or who fail to tell anyone else in the store or out of it that there is a signing... And publishers are trying to work with those venues to make things easier and smoother. <br />
<br />
But when it's the author who simply does not show up or provides a flimsy excuse at the 11th hour, it reflects very poorly on that author, on their publisher or publicist, and impacts other authors. Book signings and appearances are like any "real" job. Would you take a job as an account executive, for example, allow your boss to schedule you for a convention, and then fail to show up there? How long do you think your job would last if you kept doing this?<br />
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Why do some authors believe their commitments should be anything less?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-58913631246151817752014-02-12T08:13:00.001-08:002014-02-12T08:13:07.421-08:00The Author's Face<strong><em><span style="color: #073763;">Does the author's face sell a book?</span></em></strong><br />
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This question was posed during one of my recent meetings, and I am soliciting opinions.<br />
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Some authors want their photographs on the cover of their book. A cover is like expensive real estate so when we take up space with their faces, we'd like to know that those faces will help to sell the book. If the faces don't sell the book, then what is the purpose of having them posted there? <br />
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Other authors are good with having their photographs inside the book, usually accompanied by "About the Author" which follows their story. But is it really necessary to have their faces in front of the public? Or is reading about their qualifications sufficient?<br />
<br />
I have to admit, when I think of F. Scott Fitzgerald, I can't picture him. Neither can I picture Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell, William Faulkner or Tennessee Williams. I know I can Google their images, but did their faces help sell their books to me? Obviously not.<br />
<br />
Some authors are opposed to having their faces on their books, and they avoid them on their websites. This could be due to a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes, they write under a pen name and they wish to keep their private lives and their public writing completely separated. Sometimes they have issues with the way they look - maybe they think they're overweight or they have a physical handicap or they don't think they take good pictures.<br />
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At Drake Valley Press, we solicit the author's opinion regarding using their likeness, and we try to accommodate them - whether it means their picture will appear on the cover, inside the book or not at all.<br />
<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #073763;">But I'm wondering: when you are considering purchasing a book, how much does the author's photograph sway you one way or the other?</span></em></strong><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-91593498986193348132014-02-05T01:00:00.000-08:002014-02-05T01:00:01.144-08:00Love of the Printed BookAs Senior Acquisitions Editor at Drake Valley Press, I receive a copy of each book that we publish, in both eBook and printed book format. And while I am an avid eBook reader, I have to admit that as a publisher I prefer the printed book.<br />
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eBooks have qualities that I enjoy as a reader, such as the ability to change fonts and font sizes. But that also means, as a publisher, I am constrained in what I can do to make the eBook more visually appealing.<br />
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In contrast, I can select various fonts for the printed book. I can have beautiful symbols underneath chapter headings or as section breaks. I can arrange a 1/3 or 1/2 page drop at the beginning of each chapter, drop caps to begin each chapter or section, and I can make the appearance an extension of the story itself.<br />
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But with an eBook, I am limited to a few fonts and symbols, page drops and drop caps will often appear funky on certain devices. I expect this to change as technology changes, which means at a later date we'll take the most popular books and bestselling books in our arsenal and redesign them to take advantage of the improved format opportunities.<br />
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However, eBooks allow us to release up-to-date versions more readily, and they also permit us to change the covers as the market changes, without the concern of an inventory that we must sell first. <br />
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Which do you prefer - the printed book or the eBook format, and why?<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-12739973076781188372014-01-29T04:00:00.000-08:002014-01-29T04:00:02.368-08:00Can Reviews Be Too Good?Had a captivating conversation during our last board meeting about book reviews. I've been in this industry for five decades and just when I think I've heard it all, I am floored by something new and bizarre.<br />
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We have a job opening for a marketing representative for our line of books, and during one of the interviews, the applicant said he'd canvassed fellow authors about the books we publish. These authors went to the usual sites - amazon, GoodReads, bn.com, etc. and they said it was obvious that all the reviews of our books were written by friends and family. <strong><em>"They were too good," they said, "to be real."</em></strong><br />
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Actually, not a single one of them that I've ever seen have been by "friends and family" but were third party reviewers. Some were readers or fans, some were hosts of virtual book tours (who are NOT obligated to provide a good review, but an honest one) and others were from legitimate third party reviewers (i.e., Midwest Book Review) but none that we could determine were friends or family of any author.<br />
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So, where did this come from?<br />
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Are there <strong><em>REALLY</em></strong> authors out there who believe when a fellow author receives five star reviews, they're somehow faking it?<br />
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One quote was from an author who said they only believe they're legitimate when someone bashes the book.<br />
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And this is an author?<br />
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I have to say, this conversation left me with my mouth open. <br />
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<strong><em>So, I'm asking you: where do you stand on this issue?</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-89882329130022304212014-01-23T04:45:00.001-08:002014-01-23T04:45:11.224-08:00Why Books FailThis blog should have posted yesterday but between jet lag and a case of the flu, my activity has been less than stellar this month. All while DVP author <a href="http://www.pmterrell.com/" target="_blank">p.m.terrell</a> runs circles around me, completing her next book, editing another author's manuscript, and facilitating and coordinating <a href="http://www.bookemnc.org/" target="_blank">Book 'Em North Carolina</a> as she battles a massive, recurring sinus infection. Proof positive that women are not the weaker sex.<br />
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But I digress. Even while bedridden I cannot escape reading. I've been catching up on queries in particular. About one in every ten warrants a request for sample chapters, and about a third of those result in reading the entire manuscript. This post isn't about how well or badly authors write their queries or manuscripts, but it's rather about why good books fail. The list isn't all-inclusive but these reasons are the ones I have encountered most often:<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">1. Building a platform too late - or not building one at all.</span></strong><br />
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Half of my decision as Acquisitions Editor at DVP hinges on an author's platform. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've asked an author about their platform only to hear that once their book is accepted, they'll build one. No, no, and no. Platforms are not built overnight. They take time, particularly to build one of followers who will actually purchase your book. Waiting until your book is accepted means you're likely to have slow sales right out of the starting gate, a very bad omen for any book.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><strong>2. Building an inappropriate platform.</strong></span><br />
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Given the right tools, it's possible for the average person to amass thousands - or tens of thousands - of followers on Twitter, Pinterest, and/or Facebook, as well as other social mediums. But are they the right followers? I've seen doctors with tons of followers in the medical community, but how many of them are interested in their children's book, romance, or international thriller? Customers, clients, friends and family do not automatically become fans of an author's book. You need to be reaching your target audience.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">3. Failure to identify or reach the correct audience.</span></strong><br />
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This ties into #2 above, but reaching the right audience is paramount. If you're marketing your book to the wrong people, of course your sales are going to be slow. The author needs to know who their audience is and how to reach them, whether it's through virtual means or physical signings or both. This is why many small publishers specialize in particular genres, and why larger publishers have divisions that focus on specific genres. Once they have identified a particular target market, other books in that same genre can be marketed to them. I can't begin to tell you how many authors of coffee table books have begged me to publish them. But we don't market coffee table books, and sales are in the marketing.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">4. Failure to connect with your audience.</span></strong><br />
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Okay, much of this ties into personality. And quite honestly, the author most likely to be a diva is the one with their first book in print, especially if they are self-published. The ones who get it are the ones who have been in this industry, know what it takes to succeed (a well-written book is only part of the equation) and they work at it just as they'd work at any job. This means when you're in front of your audience, you don't tell them how great you are. You don't make inappropriate demands. You don't expect special favors simply because your book is in print. I've seen fans walk away from authors whose books they were interested in, but they were so rude or self-serving that they turned away their own sales. These are also the authors most likely to blame anyone and everyone else for their books not selling.<br />
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Learn the publishing industry. Connect with your readers on a level they appreciate. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">5. Giving up too soon.</span></strong><br />
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I've seen authors whose books did not sell well in the first 30/ 60/ 90 days, and they have simply walked away. Sometimes all the author really wanted was to see their name in print so once the book is in their hands, all the promises of promotion and marketing fly out the window. Sometimes a book will start off slow but gain momentum, especially through word of mouth. But the author has to be out there, visible and ready and willing to connect. I've also seen backlisted books get a second life by authors who continued to push them at appropriate times - such as tying them into current events or anniversaries.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">6. Not wanting to spend money.</span></strong><br />
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I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had authors whose books were not selling well, ask me to join organizations (at hundreds of thousands of dollars), submit their books to any and every contest (which costs a fee), or pay for travel expenses. Our marketing budget for each book exceeds our out-of-pocket costs for production. The successful authors know they are part of this equation and they use their own money to promote themselves as well. These authors almost always recoup their investments. But others don't want to spend a dime. Drive across town to the book store? Nope, that costs money. Join an organization themselves? Costs too much. Pay for a virtual tour? Too much money.<br />
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It is possible to promote your book frugally, or to use a variety of free means in which to market. An author should take advantage of as many of these venues as possible. But to expect the publisher to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a book that the author won't pay a hundred to market does not bode well for the book's success.<br />
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These are just a few of the reasons why some well-written books don't sell well. If you can think of any others, feel free to leave a comment.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-64010288766460004502014-01-08T03:00:00.000-08:002014-01-08T03:00:08.370-08:00Is Traditional Publishing Dead?<br />
I don't care much for the first-of-the-year blogs that predict what any industry is likely to do. Some are educated guesses and some wild speculation but I'd venture to say if you went back through last year's predictions, you'd find a real hodge-podge of what actually came true and which were greatly off the mark.<div>
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I've read a lot over the past couple of years about traditional publishing, and its imminent demise. With the invention of the Internet and web-based sales as well as easier methods of printing and publishing, there's no doubt that a lot has changed. But does it mean the traditional publisher is dead?</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Editing</span></i></b></div>
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A good traditional publisher will spend time and effort in quality editing. The marketplace has stiff competition from all sides so well-written words have never been more important. The vast majority of submissions I receive are poorly written and in dire need of a good editor. If you choose to self-publish, do yourself a huge favor and find a professional editor. </div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Typesetting and Formatting</span></i></b></div>
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It's true the old methods of typesetting are long gone. With authors writing their manuscripts in word processing software, it makes it much easier and less time consuming to import the text and reformat it for publication. A traditional publisher will know how to do this so it is visually appealing to your audience, whether they're reading from an eReader or a printed edition. We go through the format at least six times before it goes to the printer, correcting every error no matter how small. The worst thing you can do is rush your book into the market before it's ready.</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Cover Design</span></i></b></div>
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We've experimented this past year with asking our authors for their input on the covers. Sometimes they are well off their mark, resulting in covers that don't grab the readers' attention or they don't adequately portray what the book is about. Someone in the business of publishing knows what colors are grabbing the public's eye. They know whether to use an action-based design, a photograph or custom art. And they also know that a cover must change over time and editions, to keep up with the changing taste of the consumer. Take a look at the New York Times bestselling books. Those covers were not by accident. Sometimes thousands of dollars went into their design. Learn from the masters.</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Printing</span></i></b></div>
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Last year Drake Valley Press moved toward hybrid printing. Before that, we were doing traditional print runs. This meant forecasting the number of copies we'd expect to sell in a specific time period. We have two warehouses, and the overhead with keeping poor-selling books can become quite extensive. On the flip side, if we don't print enough books, we run into a backorder issue, which can cost us sales.</div>
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So in 2013, we moved toward a mixture of print-on-demand and traditional inventories. For those authors who have a track record with us, we need only look at their prior sales to know how many thousands or tens of thousands of books to print - and we go with a traditional print run.</div>
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For those authors who don't have a track record with us, we opt for print-on-demand until we have an idea of their book sales. POD has its advantages, because we can correct errors and change covers without the requirement of depleting current stock first. Its disadvantage has been its reputation for a lower quality, which has quickly been changing. They also can not be returned by book stores and retailers if they don't sell, but fewer publishers are continuing that tradition of consignment sales. </div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Marketing Strategy</span></i></b></div>
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A good traditional publisher will help the author with their marketing campaign and promotional efforts. This is where a lot of authors fall short because they think the public will swarm to their new book like flies to honey. First, you have to tell the public that your book exists. Second, you have to connect with them. Third, if your books aren't selling, you need to analyze why and tweak or completely revamp your campaign.</div>
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There's a reason why manufacturers of any product spend millions of dollars on marketing. With each book we produce, we will spend more time on marketing strategies than we do on the book's production. It is also our biggest out-of-pocket expenditure.</div>
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This isn't to say that when a book performs well below expectations, we'll continue to throw good money after bad. But we're more likely to think outside the box and make suggestions to improve book sales than an author trying to go it alone.</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Distribution</span></i></b></div>
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No matter how good your book is or how well it's marketed or advertised, if you don't have good distribution no one can buy your book. A traditional publisher understands that income is made when readers buy books - versus a publisher/printer who makes their money off the author buying their own book. </div>
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Distribution means the book is in Ingram's and Baker & Taylor's databases. Distribution means the brick-and-mortar stores as well as online retailers have the book in their system. It doesn't always mean the book will be carried in every book store (unless it's selling millions of copies) but it does mean it is available through all standard outlets.</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Are traditional publishers dead?</span></i></b></div>
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I don't think so. Until authors learn that publishing is a business in and of itself and they master every aspect of the business, there will always be a need for professionals to fill that void.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-22415971442839848472014-01-06T03:00:00.000-08:002014-01-06T03:00:00.686-08:00Finding Your AudienceI am back from an extended holiday in Europe and if Americans think it's cold and wet in the lower states, they would certainly find the UK less than inviting this time of year. It's good to see the sun again!<br />
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I'm starting this year off with a blog on finding your audience. With the number of books being published today and more entering the marketplace every hour, finding and connecting with your audience has never been more important.<br />
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We have published books in the past that were wonderfully written and well presented but had disappointing sales. Each week our board meets and goes through the latest sales figures and each editor provides an overview of the books they're representing, the stages they're in, and how they're doing. When a book falls short of the mark, we brainstorm about reasons for this. By far the most common is: the book is not finding its market.<br />
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This might sound obvious but to many authors, their strengths lie in their writing abilities and not in their marketing prowess. But with the stiff competition in the industry today, every author must be their own best publicist.<br />
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So how do you determine who your best market is?<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">First, consider the time frame.</span></i></b><br />
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When does your book take place? If it takes place during the last fifty years, give some thought to who would connect with that era. If you write a book set in the northeast in the 1970's, a younger generation who wasn't even born during that time will not connect with or relate to the book. You're looking instead for an age group that grew up during that period.<br />
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If your book is historical, what groups would be interested in that particular era?<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Second, consider the place.</span></i></b><br />
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New York City was a different place during the founding of America. It changed again when immigrants began flooding the country, particularly during the early 1800's. It changed further during the American Civil War.<br />
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The way of thinking during the 1950's and 1960's in business and theatre is far different from today's. Even the past 20-30 years have seen tremendous changes, particularly since 9/11.<br />
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To connect with your audience, ask yourself who would be interested in the location in your book? Whether it's New York City, Gettysburg, London, Helsinki, or a tiny village in Africa - who cares about it?<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Third, consider the backdrop.</span></i></b><br />
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I could write a book about two lovers in 1860 who meet in a tiny village called Gettysburg. The story would be far different if I changed the dates to July 1863.<br />
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Would <i>Gone With the Wind</i> have been the same if it had begun in the 1820's instead of the 1860's? Of course not. The basic story is: girl meets boy, boy marries another, girl tries to win him back. Set that story against the turmoil of a civil war, and you've just increased your readership thousands of times over.<br />
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Would the movie <i>Titanic</i> have been the same if Jack and Rose had met in Augusta, Georgia in 1960? Of course not. We know the ship is going down and we know few people survived. The impending threat heightens the Romeo and Juliet storyline of Jack and Rose to a higher level of suspense.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Fourth, consider tie-ins.</span></i></b><br />
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Look at your book from different stances. Take each character and ask yourself who could relate to that character, whether it's a kid being bullied in school or a ruthless tycoon.<br />
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Take each scene and ask yourself who can relate to it, whether it's an employee who tires of their boss' abuse or a young man who just lost the love of his life to another.<br />
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Look at anniversaries: does your book take place during a time of civil unrest, prosperity, tragedy? Take a calendar and mark those dates and then plan your strategy around them.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Writing for the Market.</span></i></b><br />
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What you're doing in each of these instances is writing with a particular market in mind.<br />
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If 1970's New York wouldn't appeal to too many folks, what would happen if you changed it to 9/11? Or the Revolutionary War? Or today?<br />
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If Smalltown USA isn't that appealing, what backdrop would be? A ship in the middle of the ocean? A village in Syria? A spaceship?<br />
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How can your story be enhanced by weaving historical data through it? Or current events?<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">If you write your book with a particular market in mind, it's the first step to being able to successfully sell it. </span></i></b>Then you can:<br />
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Look for people interested in that time frame.<br />
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Look for people interested in the particular locale.<br />
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Look for people interested in the historical backdrop.<br />
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Look for people reading about specific anniversaries of real-time events.<br />
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More on finding your market in upcoming blogs, so stay tuned.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-10486660941521305792013-11-25T01:00:00.000-08:002013-11-25T01:00:10.308-08:00Visual AppealMy parents grew up in an era in which television did not exist, and I was close to being a teenager when a television set was introduced into our home. It was black and white, had rabbit ears on top, and was about the size of a desk. We got all of three stations when the skies were clear, the winds were low and my brother or I stood with our fingers on the rabbit ears, directing them in just the right way.<br />
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Going to the local theatre was an extraordinary event. It meant dressing up for the ladies, and the men were on their best behavior. I still remember the first movie I'd ever seen in a theatre: <i>Gone With the Wind</i>, all four hours of it sitting in a wood chair and peering around the lady's hat in front of me. I only realized later that I had actually been quite uncomfortable.<br />
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Flash forward to today, and visual mediums surround us. We experience life not only through television and movies but also through the Internet and streaming videos. Our favorite music is set against action scenes, playing on our emotions, creating anger, love, passion or anguish in the space of seconds.<br />
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So when a book is released, it only makes sense that part of that promotional campaign be in a visual medium that will reach its audience in a way that mere words can not. The book trailer is formed much like a movie trailer. In the space of a few brief moments, it paints a portrait of our book, eliciting the emotions and the interest that will cause a potential reader to pick up the book and begin reading. It is, perhaps, ironic that a fast-paced medium is sometimes required to grab the reader's attention and cause them to slow down enough to read and then savor each scene on each written page.<br />
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A book trailer can depict movement through actors and sweeping scenes. It can be narrated or the words set in the photographs or paintings projected. Music can heighten the emotional response and project the image of the book's genre - whether it be romance, adventure or suspense... Beside this post are several trailers that are distinctly different. Each elicits different emotions and varying opinions of each uniquely different book.<br />
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Our authors are advised to obtain permission for the elements that make up their trailers: the music, narration, film footage, photographs and other works contained therein. By uploading the video to YouTube, they can provide embedded code for websites and/or blogs, providing their potential audience with the flavor of their books through the visual medium we all have become accustomed to experiencing.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-43124835025502131442013-11-20T07:24:00.002-08:002013-11-20T07:24:27.147-08:00Types of EditingOne of our editors had an interesting conversation last week with an author regarding the various types of editing. I've been in this industry for so long that I'd forgotten some people didn't know there was more than one form of editing or what each type provides.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Content Editors</span></b><br />
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Content editors are the broadest form of editors. They read a work and provide feedback or guidance on whether they believe the book, chapter or scene is working. This can involve taking a close look at the storyline, recommending changes to the plot or characters, commenting on whether the point of view works or doesn't, the pacing (too fast or too slow) and genre-specific issues.<br />
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When an author asks a friend or relative to "edit" their work, most often they get a broad form of content editing, which can range from a few sentences on whether the book is good to any or all of the categories mentioned above.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Line Editors</span></b><br />
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Line editors do everything a content editor would do, but they also perform a much more in-depth service. They look more closely at grammar, flow of sentences and scenes, punctuation, the relevance of text and scenes, adjectives, nouns, and redundancy. This is a slower read, as you can imagine, and often means going through the entire book or certain passages multiple times to get it just right.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Micro-Editing</span></b><br />
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Micro-editing, in addition to performing all the tasks in content and line editing, drills even deeper. They analyze the scenes and the characters, making sure each character stays in character, questioning the motive of each character and each scene, and often critiques scenes, paragraphs, and sentences right down to whether the correct word was used -- or the best word in a particular circumstance.<br />
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There was a time in the publishing industry in which literary agents and editors performed this type of detailed editing, which often stretched across months or years. It is very rarely found in today's publishing environment except with highly literary works that would rival classic literature.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Technical Editing</span></b><br />
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Technical editing is used only with certain scenes. It involves experts in fields such as law enforcement, medicine, the law, government agencies or specific vocations - computers, journalism, etc.<br />
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Technical editing may also have more to do with culture than a vocation. A woman in 1960's Mississippi is different from a woman in the same place but in 2013... And very different from a woman in Saudi Arabia, South America, the Amazon, or Pakistan. Even differences between the American culture and other English-speaking allies (Great Britain, for example) are more pronounced than one might think.<br />
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Technical editing may also be an age: one of our authors routinely sends scenes to teenagers to get their "take" on whether their peers may react the same way as a teenager in his book is portrayed.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Writing is Rewriting</span></b><br />
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Many new authors have the impression that the first draft is the final, and it's far from it. It's just the beginning. In order to find its audience and do well, the book needs to be polished and perfected, using any or all of the types of editing outlined above. Perhaps the largest disservice any author can do to themselves is attempt to rush their book into the marketplace, often self-publishing or becoming defensive when suggestions are made to change it.<br />
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Analyze each piece of advice you receive and weigh its merits. Then edit, edit, edit and edit.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-74851937903254087672013-11-18T01:00:00.000-08:002013-11-20T06:31:08.501-08:00Growing Your Author PlatformI've mentioned in previous posts that 50% of the decision on whether Drake Valley Press will publish a specific title depends on the author's platform. We obviously consider this to be a major factor because the author will be involved in the promotional and marketing efforts and it's imperative that they be able to reach their fan base.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Who is Your Target Market?</span></i></b><br />
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The first step is determining who your target market is. Male or female? Age group? Is ethnicity a factor? Regions? Rural or urban? Single, married, divorced, widowed?<br />
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Knowing who your target market is is absolutely vital. If your answer is both male and female, all ages, all regions, all marital statuses, stop and take a step back. You're clueless. Yes, you might have both men and women reading your book. You might have people from 20 to 80 reading it. They might be from New York City, Istanbul or Small Town USA. But trying to reach such a broad audience is like firing an arrow at the stars. You won't hit any of them.<br />
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Consider your target market a destination. If you were in a spacecraft and you wanted to visit all the stars, you would begin with just one, wouldn't you? You'd select one, try to learn as much as you could about it, and then figure out how to reach it. Do the same thing with your audience. Select the audience you'd most like to reach, figure out where they hang out and what gets their attention, and then reach out to them.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Don't Wait Until You're Published</span></i></b><br />
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If you wait until your book is accepted and published before reaching out to your audience, your book will flop coming out of the starting gate. There is a magic window that can determine whether your book is charted for the stratosphere or will fall to earth as a dud. At Drake Valley Press, we assess the promotional campaign and sales very closely for the first three months, then reassess at six months and again at one year. That isn't much time if you have 1 Twitter follower and only your family as Facebook friends on the day your book is launched.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Reaching Your Target Market</span></i></b><br />
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One author who definitely has the system down pat is H. Hansel, found on Twitter at @DanceofRomance. H. Hansel knows his ideal reader is a lover of romance - and of things romantic. Using Hootsuite, he devised a variety of tweets that he schedules at varying times of the day and week. Before his first book is published, he has more than 40,000 followers - that's more than 40,000 potential buyers of his first book on the day the book is released.<br />
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So how did he get their attention?<br />
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Consider some of his tweets:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">"<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dance of Romance is: The way the glow of the candlelight halos your Lover's naked body and makes you lust even more for them. HH"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dance of Romance is: Slow dancing with your Lover in a gentle downpour to only the music of the raindrops on the pavement. HH"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dance of Romance is: Falling in love again every time they absently run their fingers through their hair. HH"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dance of Romance is: When you lock eyes with your Lover from across a crowded room and everything around seems to disappear. HH"</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit;">Those tweets obviously got him noticed. When he blogs, he tweets the links, and he gets hits and comments. He also cultivates relationships by reaching out to followers by name, asking them to visit his blog and weigh in. He also whets the appetite of followers because they will rightly assume when his first romance novel is published, it will include elements of his tweets - romance, candlelight, slow dancing, falling in love... </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">By tweeting snippets that reflect his writing style and romantic leanings, he reaches the target audience for his writing. He does not post things such as what he ate for lunch, when he cleaned off his desk, or when he takes a bathroom break - signs of authors who don't know what they're doing and inaccurately assume people want to know TMI. He instead touches them where they want to be touched - in the heart.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>How do you reach your target audience? How did you grow your platform?</i></b></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-80425469457772409632013-11-13T01:00:00.000-08:002013-11-13T01:00:00.080-08:00Is the Author the Customer?At a recent Board meeting, one of the editors brought up the subject of the author as a customer. Seems that one of the authors he was working with claimed that he was a customer of Drake Valley Press because we were his publisher. An interesting conversation ensued, as you might imagine.<br />
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When a person self-publishes, there is no doubt that he or she IS the customer. They are paying for their work to be edited, the cover designed, and the book formatted for print or a variety of eBook platforms. The self-published author pays for their own marketing and publicity campaigns, and they foot the bill themselves for any advertising.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">So what happens when the publisher is footing the bill?</span></i></b><br />
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In the case of a traditional publisher like Drake Valley Press, we pay the salaries and overhead for everything pertaining to the publication of a book. We pay for the editor and when a book must go through several passes, each pass eats up potential profits we're gambling on making down the road. We pay for graphic artists and often for photographs used in the covers, book trailers and promotion of the book. We pay for formatters. We also foot the bill for distribution chains and administrative fees associated with each book - fees an author probably doesn't think much about.<br />
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So how can the author be our customer if we're putting <i>our</i> money on the line?<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">In the end, we decided that each project required a partnership.</span></i></b><br />
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We are not the author's customer; we don't demand that they rewrite until we are satisfied, or demand that they market and promote relentlessly until we've recouped our investment. And when we publish a dud (which happens to every publisher at one time or another), we don't require that the author pay us back for all our overhead costs - though the typical cost is in the thousands.<br />
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Neither is the author our customer. We don't need to suffocate our own professional expertise in order to please the author. If we believe a particular book cover will hurt the chances of a book, we needn't be afraid to say it. If we believe the marketing plan the author proposes will not reach the target audience, we needn't sit on our hands and watch him fail.<br />
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It's a partnership. Each party assumes certain responsibilities, and we each enter into this venture (and adventure) assuming that the other party will be willing to work with us. When one side assumes the position that he or she is the customer and the other side must do anything to please them - well, it isn't a partnership anymore.<br />
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The loser is ultimately the book itself. When the author isn't speaking to the publisher (or co-authors are not speaking to each other), it hobbles the project so it can not move ahead. The wheels grind to a halt. If the editor requests information and the author chooses to ignore the request, it's the equivalent of running out of gasoline and refusing to replace it. We simply can't go anywhere.<br />
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If, however, the author does wish to be the customer and make every decision autonomously, then he or she certainly has a viable solution: self-publish. Hire someone to edit. Hire someone to design and create the cover. Hire someone to format the book for print. Hire someone to format the book for whatever eBook formats are desired. Figure out the distribution channels and enter into the agreements with wholesalers and distributors and retailers. Figure out the marketing plan or hire a marketing or promotional company to assist. In each of these instances, the author is then footing 100% of the bill, and then there's no question: the author IS the customer.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-65788317730230633892013-11-11T03:00:00.000-08:002013-11-11T03:00:16.165-08:00Making the Most of Online PublicityJust a few short years ago, publicity was fleeting.<br />
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Having been in this industry for more decades than I care to admit, I well remember booking radio interviews during drive time - because if potential readers weren't listening at that very moment, we lost them.<br />
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I remember carefully analyzing television news interviews to determine whether morning, noon or evening segments were most beneficial, based on the demographics of the audience listening at that particular time.<br />
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Newspapers seemed to provide more exposure because at least readers could find the advertisement or article about the author and the book after the day it was published - if they still had the newspaper.<br />
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Magazines were considered a boon because they remained on the store shelves for an entire month.<br />
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Today Drake Valley Press' first line of marketing involves virtual book tours. Yet, some authors seem to treat them as if they, also, are fleeting. They are not: they can be permanent and as such, they should be used and reused.<br />
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For example, we recently booked an author on a high-profile blog. She never visited the blog. Never mentioned it online. Just let it lie there like an orphan, expecting it to get up and grow by itself. When it didn't, she complained about our selection.<br />
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So let's take a lesson from this.<br />
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When the author is interviewed on a blog, the very least he or she can do is visit the blog. Leave a comment, letting visitors know you'll be happy to answer questions. Then check back and answer them.<br />
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Tweet about the exposure with a link to the blog. And don't assume that the blog is only good for one day. It won't magically disappear at midnight. It's still there - and the author can continue to get mileage out of it by continuing to tweet about it.<br />
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Did the author believe they said something of importance? Then tweet about it. Try different times of the day, different days of the week. Audiences vary and we've found new readers of some very old posts.<br />
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Prefer Facebook? Post about the blog. Ask your Facebook friends for their opinion or feedback. Think of ways to get your friends and followers to talk about it, debate it, discuss it.<br />
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You're a Pinterest fanatic? Find pictures of things you envision in your book - and tie it to your interview. You mentioned a scene with a murder weapon? Find one online and pin it. You mentioned a particular city? Pin pictures of it. Or ask your followers to pin pictures. Anything to keep the dialog and interest going.<br />
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One of our authors was asked in a guest interview which actor she'd like to see play the role of her main character. Realizing the actor was probably on Twitter, she looked him up - and found him. (Watch for the check mark beside the celebrity's name; it shows you're dealing with the official account and not a fan's version.) When the blog posted, she tweeted about it - and mentioned the actor by Twitter name. He picked it up, retweeted it and within two hours, the book sold over four hundred copies.<br />
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Don't assume that the number of comments equals the number of people who read the blog. Most visitors are lurkers; they read but they don't comment. It isn't unusual to get more than 200 visitors on a blog that has only 3 or 4 comments. One blog we used this summer received over 1,000 hits, though only a dozen comments were left.<br />
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The same strategy can be applied to the author's own blog. If the subject was worth writing about, it's worth tweeting, Facebooking, pinning or using other social media to highlight. And remember: it has no expiration date. Keep mentioning it, long after it has initially posted.<br />
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Do you have any blog strategies you'd like to share? Leave us a comment below!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491138910828649982.post-49738215731377783842013-11-06T03:00:00.000-08:002013-11-06T03:00:06.590-08:00Why I Need to Love Your BookI pass on a lot of books that I liked but didn't love. And as I near the end of the process in getting yet another book into the marketplace, I am reminded yet again why I must love an author's work before taking it on.<br />
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Each book is a product line in and of itself. To sell it, the publisher and the author must make sure it is the very best book it can be. The writing must be tight. Grammar errors, spelling errors, typographical errors, consistency errors - among others - must be non-existent; or at least as minimal as we can humanly make it. All of this takes time and money.<br />
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An author does not get paid for writing the book, unless their platform is so large or they are so proven in the marketplace that they receive an advance. Even then, I'd venture to say that less than 1% of authors receive an advance that truly pays for their time in writing and editing their work. They must do it because they are in love with the story, the characters, or the process of writing.<br />
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All of that changes on the publishing side.<br />
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Once we decide we want a manuscript, we must prepare a presentation for every department that will be involved in producing and marketing it. Every person in that chain must "buy into" it: the editor, the text production staff (for determining the layout, the fonts, the size, the internal packaging), the cover design staff (art work, layout, colors, and branding) and the marketing staff, who is involved before the book enters the market in determining the target market/ audience and how best to reach them; through the launch and initial entry into the marketplace, as well as positioning when the book becomes backlisted. The accounting staff and managerial staff must make certain the money is spent wisely and staff and resources are utilized wisely.<br />
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If everyone is in agreement (and one department can shelve an entire project) then we begin with contract negotiations. Once the contract is signed, the project is scheduled and the people are scheduled. None of these people work for free. They require salaries, overhead, and benefits. They need tools to do their job - hardware, software, access to art work... Then there are contractors we utilize, particularly with virtual book tours... There are printing costs, hidden costs the author may not consider like the procurement of an ISBN, proof copies, mock layouts, etc. There are meetings that occur at least weekly during the entire project, not to mention the phone calls, emails and other correspondence taking place.<br />
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The author sees very little of this.<br />
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A traditional publisher like Drake Valley Press is taking a gamble. The gamble is that this particular work will generate the sales required to reimburse the publisher for all of those up-front costs, plus make a profit - because the publisher, like any commercial business, can not be in business simply to pay costs and nothing more.<br />
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At the end of the day, twelve months after the book's initial entry into the market, we must be able to look at that book - that specific product and cost center - and know we made the right decision.<br />
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So when an author is querying publishers, it helps for them to understand what they are really asking of us: to commit people, money, time and resources to their work.<br />
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That's why I must love your book.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074222550258730943noreply@blogger.com0