Why I Will Publish Your Book

In yesterday's blog, I talked about the main reasons I won't publish an author's work. Here are the reasons I will publish your book:

Reason #1: I Love Your Book

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.

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.

Reason #2: It Won't Require Significant Editing

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.

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.

Reason #3: It's a Genre I Can Market

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.

Reason #4: You Have an Established Platform

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 for the purpose of selling their book, those will increase the likelihood that they'll be offered a contract.

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.

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.

Reason #5: You'd Be Great to Work With

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.

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.

Why I Won't Publish Your Book

As 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.

Reason #1: Inappropriate Genre

Our website (www.drakevalleypress.com) 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.

Reason #2: Your Book Is Poorly Edited (or hasn't been edited at all)

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.

That time is long gone.

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.

Reason #3: You Have No Platform

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.

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.

Reason #4: You've Proven Difficult to Work With

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.

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.

Authors We Love: Coming Up Tomorrow

Authors Taking Control

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.

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.

What we are not: a self-publisher.

What we are: consultants. 

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:

• editorial

• interior book design for both printed books and eBooks

• custom cover designs in a variety of genres

• website development and maintenance

• social networking assistance

• custom book trailers

• press kits

• marketing campaign advice

• distribution advice (how to get your book in the hands of readers through wholesalers, distributors and bookstores)

• consulting advice to help you successfully navigate this industry.

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.

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. 

Switching Genres

I'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.

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.

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.

It all boils down to one thing: the author's target market.

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.

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.

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.

The author needs to pay attention to who their fans are and seek to keep those fans even while broadening their fanbase.

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.

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.

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.

Making a Bestseller

I'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.

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.

Book lists, like the Oscars, are often the result of networking, politicking, and a whole lot of money.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How Much to Reveal

I 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.

It all goes back to your author image.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Only the individual author can determine what they want their legacy to be, and how they want to be remembered.

Honoring Commitments

At 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.

Then the author does not show.

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.

Authors who have been in this industry for any length of time know that every commitment reflects on their professionalism and ultimately, their image.

Authors who are new in this industry often do not realize just how small a community this is, and how long the memories.

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.

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?

Why do some authors believe their commitments should be anything less?