Independent presses have a lot to offer
today's aspiring authors. The slush pile is smaller and the chance
for an unknown, untried author to get a contract is greater. Unlike
large publishing houses, there's still very personal interaction
between editors and writers. Unlike self-pubbed books, the publishing
house takes care of cover art, lay-out, printing and distribution.
Authors are nurtured and a bond builds between the author and
publisher.
What most authors fail to realize is
that they are expected to don the hat of promoter once the ink has
dried on the paper. The job's not finished when THE END is typed on
the last page of the novel. In fact, the hard work has just begun.
Anyone aspiring to a career in
publishing cannot be blind to all the posts and forums talking about
book marketing. It's the #1 topic discussed today. Yet, when the
long-awaited novel is finally on the shelf, there it sits. Why?
Because authors are unprepared or unwilling to dirty their hands in
selling the book to the public. Isn't that someone else's
responsibility?
Depending upon the contract, the
average amount a publishing house gets is less than $2 profit per
book sold. It takes the sale of approximately 200 books before a
small outfit sees any profit on a title. That covers production cost,
plus Amazon gets their cut and the author gets royalties. Industry
stats say the average book will sell about 500 copies. Nobody is out
to get rich, but in order to keep producing more books, money has to
come from somewhere.
Independent houses exist only when
authors and publishers work side by side to do book promotion.
Completely agree. I do a lot of promo including guest posts, e book giveaways, send in books for reviews, and am now tapping into the global market. Let's not forget that China, India, Italy and so many other places want to read books in English. And work on their English skills as well. Great post.
ReplyDeleteWe all just have to suck up this reality and deal with it. I do promo every day now, and I'm seeing the results. It used to take me months to reach the $100 minimum for Amazon to cut me a check on my indie titles. Now I'm getting paid every month.
ReplyDeleteIs this a result of the promo or the fact that I released two new titles in July and gained some momentum? I don't know, but I'm not going to stop the promo in order to find out.
I think it's important to look at the long range effect. No marketing creates immediate response. You build with name recognition; the more you interact, the more people remember you. How you are perceived online makes a big difference. Develop the image you want people to respond to. And, for goodness sake, pay attention to others! I try to make every person who interacts with me feel special--because they are!
ReplyDeletePromo is exhausting.
ReplyDeleteNah, Charles. It doesn't have to be.
ReplyDeleteFortunately I just signed with a new company that began as a PR company, then decided to publish books. Their goal is to help with promotion as well as publishing beautiful books. They do a lot that I can't do, plus show me what subjects to tweet, where my audience is, etc.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope this is the future of small publishers.
If you want to get into being a professional writer, one of the things I learned early is the huge role you need to play in marketing your own book. I know you, Sunny Frazier, told me about this a long time ago and then I had the periodic reminders. You were right, course. I didn't like hearing it any more than many other authors, but it is a reality and some people enjoy it. The publishing industry is under tough restraints to make a profit. My novel is under contract, but not out yet, so I imagine I'll learn a great deal more with that process.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting post.
Promoting your books and yourself can be hard work, but it can also be a lot of fun. That's what I try to focus on, and if the sales come, then it's an added bonus!
ReplyDelete