Why I'm Not Interested in a One-Hit Wonder

I receive a lot of queries and manuscript submissions. When I like what I see, I am always likely to ask what else the author has written.

Why?

Because I'm not interested in a one-hit wonder.

You see, with each book we publish, we have to establish a marketing plan around the book and around the author. We have to reach the audience most likely to buy the book, and we have to do that through radio, television, newspapers, magazines, social media, blog tours, book stores, libraries, and a host of personal appearances and events.

All of that takes a lot of time, effort and money. Sure, you could be the next Harper Lee or Margaret Mitchell. But chances are, you're not. Chances are, your debut book will sell decently or not at all. But your second book will probably sell a little better. And your third, better than the second. And by the fourth book, your readers are asking what else you wrote and looking at your backlist.

You can't grow your fans if all you have is one product, anymore than you can open a convenience store and sell one item.

There are the exceptions - but they are exceptions.

For the average author, you need a line of products - a line of books. You need to market and promote consistently and your readers will get tired of you hawking the same book and they'll turn a deaf ear. You have to stay current, just as musicians need to keep putting out albums and actors need to keep appearing in movies. Your chances of making it is less than one percent. Your chances of making it with one book is less than winning the lottery.

So while you're trying to find the perfect agent or the perfect publisher, keep writing. You'll be glad you did.

Who Reads Your Books?

When a person decides to start a business, one of the key tasks is to determine their target market. This holds true whether they're opening a new restaurant, an upscale clothing boutique, a toy store, a movie theatre - or anything in between.

That book you're writing is a product. You, the author, are a product. And when your book is finished and you're searching for just the right agent or publisher, you are putting yourself out there like a new business.

A lot of great manuscripts come across my desk. A lot of times, I have to decline them because I can't get a clear view of the target market and how to reach them.

Before you put your pen to paper (or your fingers to the keyboard) you should know who you're writing for. There's nothing wrong with writing the story that cries to your inner soul to be written. But if you're planning on selling that story, you'd better know who is likely to read the book - and how to reach them.

I hear authors say that their book is for everybody.

Is that so?

I could say a restaurant is for everybody. But ask a dozen people where they'd like to have dinner tonight and you might get a dozen answers. Some like sushi, some like Mexican, some, pizza, others, meatloaf... It's the same with books. No way will you catch me in a sushi bar, and I also don't care about werewolves.

You should know whether your primary reader is male or female. How old are they, right down to a specific generation - teens? young adult? 30's? 60's? What their education is, and why they would be interested in your book.

You have to know these things because when the book is released, you have to know how to reach that audience.

But that's my publisher's job, you say. Well, yes... and no.

It's everybody's job. It's your name on the cover. It's your face in public, signing your books. The author becomes an integral part of promoting the book; otherwise, he or she could be sent to totally inappropriate venues - the wrong age group or to groups more interested in a different genre. Try showing up at a church-sponsored book signing with erotica.

Knowing your audience helps you to grow your audience. You know what they like and don't like. You learn where they hang out. You learn how to reach them. Then stay within the parameters of what they like, and you've got a built-in audience for each book you write.

Establishing Your Genre

I had an interesting conversation with an author last week who told me that she wanted her audience to know that whatever she writes - whether it's a children's book, a cookbook, a suspense/thriller or a romance - would have the quality of her name behind it, enough to cause them to purchase it.

Well, no.

Let's take Reader 1. This reader is single, in his 20's, sportive and adventuresome. He likes the author's suspense/thriller because it's action-packed, contains international intrigue, features exotic locations and takes him out of his apartment and office cubicle. He doesn't have children, he only cooks if it takes a single pan and less than twenty minutes (preferably under ten), and he's into sex, not romance.

Reader 2 is a young newlywed. She still believes in love at first sight, at finding her eternal soul mate (which she thinks she has in her new husband), and she wants to experience that beautiful, giddy, head-in-the-clouds feeling she gets from reading pure romance. Maybe her new husband travels in his job or puts in long hours or works a job and attends school... And she wants a reminder that romance is not only possible, it's an everyday occurrence. She doesn't have children, she's learning to cook, and she might read a suspense/thriller IF it contains a healthy dose of... romance.

Reader 3 is a mother, a cook, a chauffeur, a maid, a nurse, a seamstress, a spouse... all before leaving home. With a full-time job in addition to her busy family, she doesn't have time to read. She will, however, purchase her children books. She won't use a cookbook at this point in her life because food has to be quick, simple and easy - or they go through the drive-thru. Down the road when Little Johnny and Baby Jane are well into their teen years, have their own cars and stay with their friends all hours, she might have time to go back to the love of reading. Then she'll gravitate toward suspense or romance, and possibly both.

I could go on and on with various readers' preferences. The point is: all readers are not created equal. Each of them has distinct likes and dislikes. If you write suspense and suddenly switch to heavy romance, you stand to lose some of your audience - unless you turn to romantic suspense with a heavy dose of the thrill your readers are accustomed to from you.

But to expect your fans to buy whatever you produce isn't realistic. They don't buy your books because they love you. Okay, maybe some of them do but certainly they can't number into the tens of thousands. And that's what it takes to be a success in this business - selling tens of thousands of books.

Your readers buy your books because you offer them what they're looking for. Maybe it's romance. Maybe it's suspense. Maybe it's something for Little Johnny. Maybe it's how to make that perfect cherry pie. But how many readers do you know what want all of those?

Next week: learning who your readers are.

The Importance of a Platform

Often authors believe that the only factor in becoming a success is their writing ability. I'd love to say this is so.

However, it's only half of the equation.

The other half is marketing. The current environment is extremely competitive; one only needs to look at Twitter feeds to see scores of authors advertising their books and trying to get the public to buy them.

So when an author submits a manuscript we like, our next question is: what's your platform?

Drake Valley Press commits to a three-month marketing and promotional campaign, centered around the book's launch. We follow that with a consistent effort to get the word to readers throughout the following year. But we know that our efforts will not be enough.

The author must have a way of reaching their readers and their fan base. It can be through Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, blogging, other social networking sites, and a combination of them all.

Years ago, we published a book where the author spent a small fortune advertising it for a month. Then promotional efforts dropped off. Needless to say, the book hasn't done well in the long stretch. It doesn't require deep pockets or paid advertising, but it does require a long-term commitment to reach as many readers and potential book buyers as possible.

When you are writing your book, ask yourself who is your target audience? Then ask yourself how you will reach that target audience over the long haul? Begin while you're writing to connect with those readers.

Why Books are Returned

During the Depression of the 1930's, the publishing industry faced a major crisis. People were desperate to put food on their tables and keep a roof over their heads. Unemployment was rampant and food lines were long and numerous. Those were the days before unemployment benefits, before Medicare, before food stamps and welfare.

Books were a luxury.

In an attempt to prevent the publishing industry from going bankrupt (these were also the days before corporate bailouts) they came up with a plan: they would allow book stores to send back any books that didn't sell, just to keep their books in the marketplace.

It was supposed to be a temporary measure.

The Depression ended and needless to say, the returns did not.

There has been talk throughout the industry at different times but the policy has never changed industry-wide.

Some publishers, however, have decided not to accept returns.

You won't find some of Drake Valley Press' books on bookshelves in every store in the country. To do so would require print runs of 100,000 or more plus the cost of shipping into the market. If the books aren't sold, months later they can come back - resulting in losses both for the publisher and the author.

All of Drake Valley Press' books are available to all book stores and they're carried by Ingram and Baker & Taylor, the country's largest wholesalers. If you don't see a book on the shelf, always ask for it. It can be special ordered and should arrive within just a couple of days.

Meanwhile, we hope this policy of retailers returning books months after they've been purchased will stop. It is an archaic system, and it is uniquely used with books - no other products have ever used this type of consignment system.

How Books Get to the Market

Getting books into the marketplace and into a reader's hands is a complex process.

It begins when the publisher adds a new title to Bowker Books-in-Print and registers the ISBN.

Small publishers often use distributors to get their books into the distribution channels, so the books first go to the distributor from the publisher.

The distributor then sells the books to the wholesalers, such as Ingram or Baker & Taylor.

Book stores usually order through the wholesalers. In larger chains, the books go first to the retailer's warehouse or distribution center.

Then the books go into the stores, where readers buy them.

Small and mid-size publishers will often have their books stocked at the wholesalers' warehouses so when a special order is placed for a book, the retailer often just has to order it from the wholesaler. Larger publishers have the clout to have their books stocked in the retail stores.

If a book stays on the retailer's shelf for six months without being sold, the retailer can send it back to the wholesaler. (More on this next week.) The wholesaler will often send unsold books back to the distributor, and the distributor eventually sends it back to the publisher. If the publisher can resell the book, it goes right back out the door. If not, it shows up as a "return" and a negative number on the author's royalty statement.

The publishing industry is changing rapidly, however.

Ingram now reports that they are carrying virtual inventories - which means the books are not stocked in their warehouse, but they are in their database. When an order is placed by the retailer, the wholesaler places the order with the distributor or direct with the publisher (if the publisher is large enough).

Publishers are also moving toward more virtual inventories. The old business model was to stock warehouses with all their published titles. The new model allows the publisher to print some titles on demand, reducing the overhead of inventory space. It also eliminates the guesswork and complex mathematical equations used to determine print runs and how often to reprint books.

Drake Valley Press uses a hybrid model - both traditional print runs augmented by print-on-demand, which reduces the guesswork and allows books to remain in print longer.

Why Publishers Use Rejection Form Letters

The editors at Drake Valley Press receive a large number of queries each week. We can usually tell by reading the subject matter and seeing the author's style whether we'd like to see more. If we do, we will often ask for the first fifty pages and one of the author's favorite scenes. If we like what we see, we'll request the entire manuscript.

Sometimes the submission just doesn't grab us. It can be for a variety of reasons. The top reason is poor editing. When the author doesn't know the correct spelling of the word "query" it doesn't bode well for their manuscript. When there are fragmented sentences, punctuation errors, and poor grammar, it means a lot of time, energy and money would have to be spent to get it in good shape for publication.

Sometimes the story is a good idea but the execution isn't. In an industry where 85,000 words is the norm for new or relatively unknown authors, writing a book that comes in at 200,000 words - and insisting the book is perfect - can set the road to disaster.

Other times, the authors simply don't know enough about the industry. We will always ask for the author's marketing plan and their background. We want to know why they were the best person to write this particular story, and what is in their background that will enable them to sell it. When they think the first draft is the final and it's the publisher's job to rewrite it and then the publisher's job to do 100% of the marketing, their expectations are unreasonable.

So why do publishers often send form emails or form letters instead of telling the author what they need to work on?

The number one reason is The Author's Ego.

99.9% of authors, when told what they need to improve, will try to argue their case:

I've been told they use fragmented sentences because it's their "voice".

I've been told the book doesn't drag in the middle chapter that comes in at 100 pages - I just simply didn't understand it.

I've been told the facts they cited are absolutely correct - even though there exists scores of evidence that argue otherwise.

I've been told they didn't have to follow standards for their genre because their book is "special".

I've been told they won't have to market it, because their mother/ father/ sister/ brother/ spouse said it's the best thing they ever read. The book will sell itself.

The list goes on and on.

The bottom line is: publishers don't sit around all day, twiddling their thumbs and checking their inbox to read submissions. They are busy. Ultra busy. Weekends, evenings at home, holidays and vacations are often non-existent. They don't have the time for an author to telephone them in a vain attempt to convince them that their book is the best thing since sliced bread. The fact is, it isn't. None of them are.

Publishing is a business. The three things every author can do to help their own career soar are (a) write the best book you can possibly write; (b) listen to professional advice on improving the book so it has a better chance; and (c) learn everything you possibly can about the publishing business.

It's no longer acceptable to be a writer only. You have to be a stellar writer and know the business in order to be successful in this day and age and in this competitive publishing environment.