THE Group for Authors! discussion
Publishing and Promoting
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Publishing is not the end product
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David
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May 09, 2016 06:57AM
Publishing a book is not the end but it is the beginning of a long journey that has no end. Promoting a book will achieve minimal success. How do you fish for readers in a sea of books? Do you need to have a large poster to captivate readers? There is endless information that is not relevant to the author. Promoting a book is much harder than publishing a book Publishing is a small part in the equation.
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Writing and selling books is no different from making and selling any consumer product. For us who are not part of a huge corporation, advertising is only marginally effective. Most authors resort to a bit of everything, just like small companies. Word of mouth, personal promotion, free samples, reviews, and a careful amount of advertising.There is no secret formula. But having a good product that meets the current market tastes and demand helps.
So true! The competition is horrendous. It pays if you have a nitch market. Otherwise, as V.W. says: There is no secret formula.
There is no magic wand to sell books or have readers. Even with a big drive of adverts that can generate sells. Any publicity is good publicity but it is no guarantee that you would have readers. Even with good intentions marketing a book is vanity and a small readership should be a target that suits a writer.
If you have a product and it is good, most probably it will sell. Good marketing will gain traction and can assist in gaining an audience. The message in any book should reflect the interests that readers like and die for, and that includes the themes and characterisation. Readers like a book that captivates them and takes them on a good journey of discovery both humorous and joyous. You can't compare apples with books yet both serve a different service. The former is their for those that are hungry and the latter is there for amusement. Storytelling is an imagination of exploration and an adventure of wisdom. Books are puzzles in achievement.
"If you have a product that is good, most probably it will sell." Although you make several interesting, valid points, I'm not so sure of this one. First of all, is a book a product or a work of art? If it is nothing but a product, fine. But if it is a work of literature, a work of art, then things aren't so simple, and cheap products very often sell better than serious works. Second, how does one define "good" in this context? By how many books are sold? I truly don't think so. As you say, today's market is over saturated, and thus a very good book can easily be overlooked, while a cheap best seller becomes a smashing success. There are just too many variables at play here and simple good fortune may be what tips the scales as much, if not more than anything. The only satisfaction the vast majority of writers can hope to achieve today may be getting a good review or two, if that. Unless you have untold amounts of money to spend on advertising, or are lucky enough to be scooped up by a mainstream publisher, you might as well forget about selling a profitable number of books.
Not all books are successful but there are varying factors that make a book succeed. To promote a book it needs to be gripping and atmospheric and it needs to have readers discussing it. It is hard to imagine what makes a book successful. A book needs great exposure and there are no bounds or limits to promoting a book. Publishers have enormous resources as an author you have to take on the role of an advertiser and writing offers opportunities to promote your book and there are many ways to promote a book. Promoting a book is an old trade in the publishing industry. Publishers need to promote their books and reviewing books helps but it is not be all or end all.
David wrote: "If you have a product and it is good, most probably it will sell. Good marketing will gain traction and can assist in gaining an audience. The message in any book should reflect the interests that ...""Not really.... but basically," as my English English teacher used to say. I've already reached more people than I ever would've reached by not self-publishing, so I consider it a success. Do I dream of selling thousands of books? Yes, I do, but if I don't I won't kill myself, or at least I hope I won't!
Most publishers have rules and guidelines they have to follow. They all have diffrent criteria which they follow and there is no single signpost how to get published. Publishers need to meet a market for their books. There is no way of how to get published. Publishers receive many requests and proposals in order to publish books. Not all pulishers are the same and they have a complete tradition whom they intend to publish. It doesn't mean if your script is well written that they would publish your book. A great written script has a chance of being pulblished and if it has qualities you are most likely of being published. You need to sale the script, especially if the script is well written you might score a chance of being published. Your script has to stand out and have a gripping message if it is to be published.
I know this too well having been in sales and marketing most of my life. Eighteen months ago my publisher released my first "publisher" published book. Because they came to me to write it, my expectations were as high as the sky. Needless to say, I should've gone to the pit level. After asking, prodding and even pleading for different kinds of marketing I've decided to consider personally investing in PR.Is it ever too late to do a book trailer video, or press releases, or anything in that area?
I'm looking for feedback so that I can put the dollar to the best use of what might otherwise be average sales of a book.
Appreciate your ideas and guidance.
Patricia
Patricia wrote: "I know this too well having been in sales and marketing most of my life. Eighteen months ago my publisher released my first "publisher" published book. Because they came to me to write it, my expec..."There is nothing wrong taking on the promotional and marketing side of things. You have to recognise that readers need to see some visibilty of your book. Present your book in the most positive light and why they should read your book. Give the impression that your book is a good read. I wonder whether paying for marketing is a good idea. There are plenty of books but fewer readers and therefore competition is high. Your book has to stand out.
David wrote: "competition is high. Your book has to stand out. Yes, this I agree with you on. Your book has to stand out. Marketing helps this, as does a good grasp of your craft and solid editing, and a cover that grabs your potential reader. A book is a multi-layered beast. Every aspect is important. But if our books don't stand out, they'll be lost in the sea.
Do everything you can, within your means and without being a pain in the behind, to make your work stand out.
Any review gives a clear and poignant picture about the book. A good review can simplify the potential to gain readers. But I don't know if it is worth for authors to pay for reviewing their books. A good review will make your marketing produce results,and becomes a point of reference for readers and your book will stand out if you have a favourable review which you could use to promote your book. A good review would catapault your book where your book couldn't reach. A well crafted book will have good reviews.
David I basically agree with you reasoning. However,most of my books have very good reviews on Amazon for example. Yet I have not seen those reviews help my sales very much and I do wonder why. Self-Publishing has put a real glut of ebooks on the market and it's hard for reader to sort them out as to quality or meeting their interests since there are so many of them out there these days.
I think the next best thing is to have reviews in the niche market and outlet. You need to have exposure through great and clear research and things are not easy online unless if you consider directing readers where your books are located and reviewed. We already know that the market is saturated and you are fighting for the same pie and against that background you need to investigate who is likely to read your reviews. Even the language used in the review will captivate readers and reviews should praise your work unanimously and you need glorious reviews to praise your work. Any review is better than no review. There is no easy way out but luck is the next best thing.
Attracting attention to and stimulating sales of a book is no different than with any other product. The primary criteria for success are quality, variety and availability - basic marketing 101.Quality
Shoddy workmanship inevitably produces an inferior product. Savvy consumers seek value for their hard-earned money. Writers must develop and then consistently adhere to professional-level technical writing and narrating skills. No work should be submitted for publication until it has first been subjected to adequate proof reading, copy editing and conceptual editing. Layout and cover designs should be professionally designed and executed.
Variety
Avid readers share a common love of books. However, their tastes in the type of book they love varies. Some read traditional print (hard cover and paperback) exclusively. Others prefer e-books. Still others love to listen to audio books. Having a work produced in several formats expands the potential customer base significantly.
Availability
International distribution and several vendor options provide access to a diverse and greater customer base. Some readers shop primarily on-line. Others prefer traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Many are loyal to just one or two providers. The more commercial vendors that carry a product, the more opportunities exist for customers to discover and purchase it.
I agree every book produced should be of high quality and readers need exceptionally good books for their money's worth. The book needs to appear in various outlets and be available internationally. It shouldn't appear on one website but in bricks and mortar too. Readers access their books from various sources and books need to be sold in as many sources as possible. The more the book appears from various book sellers the more you are likely sell your book. Your book needs to have a wide coverage and to reach the widest market possible. It needs to appear on websites, ebooks and in-store. You can sell your book in different formats, paperback, hardback, ebooks and online. Yet your book should appear and be visible because there are other books you are competing with and fighting for the same space.
Marketing is the biggest, most difficult part. If you don't know the first thing about marketing, like me, getting your book stand out is a nightmare. Right now, my books are still floating in the big nowhere and no one notices.
Marketing is a big mountain to climb and one needs to seek many ways out to gain traction and this is not easy but one needs to focus their attention to the most popular viable market and promotion of the books. This could be online or in periodicals which is conventional and the normal way of achieving how to market your books. Marketing is the only thing and most important thing one can do to promote their books. Marketing is part and parcel of writing and you need to have your book to become visible as a marketing devise. Always remember that promoting a book in any way helps you gain attention.
Sophia wrote: "Marketing is the biggest, most difficult part. If you don't know the first thing about marketing, like me, getting your book stand out is a nightmare. Right now, my books are still floating in the ..."Sophia: Believe me, I'm right there with you. I never marketed myself very well as an actor and now am taking baby steps as a writer. A wise man once said to me when I was in New York plying the acting trade, "Jan, there's a part of any job you're going to hate and you have to do that part along with all the other."
Biggest lesson I learned: use Photoshop or GIMP for your cover. Get creative on the fonts.
Jan wrote: "Sophia wrote: "Marketing is the biggest, most difficult part. If you don't know the first thing about marketing, like me, getting your book stand out is a nightmare. Right now, my books are still f..."Right, Jan, we have to take the sour with the sweet. I sincerely hope your writers career will be a great success and you find a way to sell thousands of your books. And when you do, please tell me about it.
You have to be active and focused to market your books that means contacting reviewers and being bold you could request your review to be positive. Have recommendations from friends and colleagues and they can pass on the word about your book. Accept all criticisms about your work because that is the truth about the book trade. Libraries are a good venue to consult and this is where distribution sets in place. Libraries have a complicated network how they source there books. You need to know their suppliers and all these suppliers vary from library to library. Libraries may have your book data but they might not stock the book therefore readers can't access your book.
Nick wrote: "Biggest lesson I learned: use Photoshop or GIMP for your cover. Get creative on the fonts."Nick, thanks so much for the tip! I was wondering about that for my next novel.
Sophia wrote: "Jan wrote: "Sophia wrote: "Marketing is the biggest, most difficult part. If you don't know the first thing about marketing, like me, getting your book stand out is a nightmare. Right now, my books..."Likewise, Sophia. Likewise.
Its like having a product no one is interested in. What are the customer's taste buds?
Jan wrote: "Nick wrote: "Biggest lesson I learned: use Photoshop or GIMP for your cover. Get creative on the fonts."Nick, thanks so much for the tip! I was wondering about that for my next novel."
I used GIMP, actually, because it's free. You can see from the new cover that the results were superb. I suspect it can do almost anything that Photoshop can do.
There are many titles to choose from and one has to browse through a long pile of books. You can't count your eggs before they hutch. Your book needs to be a talk of the town to have a chance of being recognised.. Your book needs to be on every conceivable platform and in every review that you could think of. Writing is the easy bit and obtaining readers is like drawing a fish out of deep troubled waters. In promoting a book you have to convince reviewers that it is worth the read. Word of mouth is another way of having readers and recommendations could achieve results. Your book needs to be in each nooks-and-crannies of promotion. You need to convince readers that you are not wasting their precious time. You can't sit in comfort you got to work at it and it is a full time self profession. Remember it is just luck and chance. Without writing it would leave a vacuum and void that can't be filled. Withtout writing it would be like a lost sheep. Writing is the dawn of the day that shines the light of the day. The world would be dark without writing.
I am still very much a novice when it comes to marketing. I try to keep in my head that if no-one knows my book exists they won't buy it. Sometimes it is helpful to think local first and approach local bookstores and radio stations to promote or talk about your book. You are more likely to get a response from them than the bigger bookstores/radio stations. Even if you only have a small amount of success with these areas you can use this on blogs, Facebook etc to get the word out.
That is true you need to have first a review of your book to have a chance of readers knowing where your book is published. You could have flyers posted in various bookshops and any local library and social media to direct readers where your book is available. You could appear in the local press and offer the local press your flyers and remember marketing is a trial and tool. Once you have established a local readership and gained sales then you could go national. The most important thing is to gain sales and there are several ways of doing that: use your local radio for your public speeches and engagements and reading your book on radio is a better way and a great chance for readers to hear first hand what your book is about. The local press would be willing to review your book as a local individual and try the national press and bookshops later once you have covered the local area. You can't make it in one day it takes time and patience.
The greatest difficulty is readers having access to your book. You need a circle of friends and colleagues to spread the word about your book. You need to convince readers why they should read your book. The book should appear satisfactory to readers and should appeal to would-be readers and should engage and be entertaining to say the least. You could be provocative and be controversial which might tarnish your name. You should be determined in order to receive readers. You need to do some research on how to receive readers and your book needs to be recommended by bookshops otherwise a book can't read itself and can't promote itself. You need to put in the miles after you have done the hard work of writing and you are ready to market the book. As a self published writer you haven't got the resources of a publisher and you have to undertake the marketing on your own.
Even those of us who have publishers still have to do the heavy lifting ourselves!
Most commercial publishers have the resources to promote the books in their stock. The problem for self publishers is to have their books reviewed and there is no scope for authors promoting their works. It seems that self published books are a pariah and treated as second best. It is as if they are a taboo and most likely that they will not appear on the front page. They are discarded and thrown in the waste basket.
Writing can be considered as an investment both physically and intentionally. If a writer is equipped to work out an act and expects to gain from his ideas, dreams and knowledge in order to make a living from his/her writing then that is a reward. Not all readers will acknowledge the work you have published and publishers won't see eye-to-eye to publish your work. You can and can't impress your readers and publishers with your personal ideas. The concept of writing is to spread knowledge and to entertain. Your writing might be disliked by readers and publishers alike and that is an opinion but not an endorsement. A writer must feel convinced and determined with their work in order to keep afloat and be ahead of the game. Each writer has an audience however small and the preoccupation for a writer is to gain converage and patience is required when it comes to being successful. The world wasn't created in a day and there are many triumphs and downsides in writing like any other occupation. Writing is an endurance and a great revelation over a wide landscape of the imagination.
Self publishing is a false sense of security and no work is commissioned through self publishing. It seems that self publishing and those involved in this kind of industry are preoccupied and interested in amassing money rather than advancing the writer. It is a waste of time and effort to self publish and it is futile too. You are left with a book (s) that are never read. You have to do all the ground work and therefore you possess less clout and less exposure meaning that you have to market the book yourself. You are not cushioned by self publishing but languish with books few readers are interested in. There is no guarantee that as a self published writer with few readers; that you would be picked up by Commercial publishers only if you succeed to gain readers. Self publishing is a honour to a writer and can offer a perspective and direction that set asides failure for endurance. Readers might think that as a self published writer you are not qualified and people have stigma over self published books. You suffer for your work and your works are never given merit and credit. Reviewers are suffering for their reputation and have no space for vanity published books. Publishers are overwhelmed with titles and popularity wins the day if you want to be published. Having a history of self publishing is both a blessing and a calamity. You have a chance to express yourself and contribute to the pantheon of writing.
David wrote: "It is a waste of time and effort to self publish and it is futile too. You are left with a book (s) that are never read."Where on earth are you getting your information from? You POV is skewed since you only know the vanity publishing model. You seem to be simply making stuff up to make yourself sound important, when most of your comments are either inaccurate, plain out false or deliberately misleading to newbies.
Personally I make a full time living from self publishing. Am I a bestseller? No. But so far I have delivered my books to thousands of readers. Self publishing allows me the freedom to develop my craft in the direction I want to take and to write the kind of books I love, without having to fit the rigid mould some publishers impose.
There's never been a better time to self publish. Indies have access to the same marketing tools as publishers and often we are better at using them (like FB and AMS targeted advertising). Business minded indies produce books that are of the exact same quality as trad books and indies regularly appear on the USA Today and NYT bestseller lists.
I give a clear picture at my side of the coin. Your own experience doesn't justify the cause. Writing is not about being a bestseller but to inform. You are in a minority and it is not spread across the board to achieve your aim and objective. It might be different where you are sitting in comfort and need not worry.
Books that we remember often have a subtext. I only have 2 published books and one manuscript almost ready for submission, but what gave me the most pleasure was being able to write around a deeper meaning. On the other hand, readers have found things in my published books that I was unaware were there, and I wouldn't be at all upset if at some point I broke even.
Books have an underlining meaning and message. In order to appreciate a book is to undercover what the author is trying to portray and different readers may find things that the author wasn't aware of and this gives a complete new dimension to the story. For a writer will find that the interpretation of the book is a revelation that brings significance to the story. All stories have a unique message that reveals the content of the book. Some books have a universal message that readers will relate too and focus their attention in understanding the book. The most important thing is to unravel the mystery of the book and that will bring satisfaction for a writer. Books are puzzles which require fixing the jigsaw. The language used in books differs from author to author making it a pleasure to read. Books mimick life therefore you will find life stories even though they are not real.
David wrote: "Books have an underlining meaning and message. In order to appreciate a book is to undercover what the author is trying to portray and different readers may find things that the author wasn't aware..."YESSSSSS!
There many writers who can't understand what their books have to offer. Some writers write for a small audience and can't reach out for the family of readers. Books examine the nature of the earth and are conveyors of the way the world is organised. Books reveal the untold secrets of the world and each genre is bestowed with knowledge however remote.
Publishing is not straightforward but it is haphazard. You have to scroll through a myriad of publishers in order to have your book published. As a writer there are no guidelines in order to have a publisher. All publishers have different opinions and ideas what they would like to publish. Publishers reject books depending on the quality of work. Writing is there to gain readers and not just to publish a book and publishing is the beginning on a long journey to gain readers. Readers determine what sort of writers they prefer. The greatest gift is to have readers behind your work and for them to appreciate your work. As a writer you have to put in some extra work and if readers celebrate your work then that would be a crowning victory. You have to sale your book.
There are many paths to take after one publishes a book. One needs to hunt for readers, you canno't coerce them to read your book. Your book needs to stand out and you need to convince readers that your book is worth the read. As a writer you are going through a journey which has already been trodden before and you need to provide something that is new in your package of a book. You will spend enormous time marketing and promoting a book than writing it. You will gain but lose some. You need to be ambitious and become tirelessly hard working. A book can't read itself and behind a great book is the marketing and word of mouth. Readers need to know the writer and a book advertises the author. A book needs to be captivating and a page turner. A writer needs to choose his/her words carefully. A good book will offer relief to readers and dessiminate wisdom. A writer needs to put-in more effort to reach a great resource of readers. Otherwise the book will gather dust with no readers and there are many channels to take to reach readers on social media, review publications, radio and tv and the higher the exposure the higher the sales. The higher the adaptation the more you are likely to have readers. There are no rules to obtain readers and there are no boundaries to have readers.
There are no limits to gain a readership and there are different paths that a writer will take to achieve readers. A writer has to build his/her reputation and a writer has to nurture and develop his skill. Most books fall under a different category and the book's profile differ from author to author. Some writers feel they want to follow a patern that other writers have authored. To write and publish a book is a great undertaking I can compare it manufacturing because it falls under many stages and processes. Writing is like any economic activity and its a design and model. A writer can be anything and writing is a genre that captivates.
David, you've touched on something that has helped me keep the nature of my own pursuits in balance through seven books, so far. Writing, is a multi-layered, complicated form of creative expression. It is particularly complex because the raw materials it uses are the basis of communication. Once complete, however, it's time to switch hats. Books are consumer products. Publishing is manufacturing a product for a targeted consumer market niche, plain and simple. It's a business model and a difficult marketing challenge, especially if your work falls between the top-demand genres. Most of us end up with Mid-List titles, or a garage full of cartons of books, but it is possible to at least produce a book you can be proud of, even if it doesn't find a huge market. The reasons for a book not selling well are legion. The reasons for a book to sell really well can be counted on one hand, and the biggest component of that, considering how long it takes to produce a book from it's early musings, is pure luck! We endeavor to persevere...
Richard I completely agree with your points. Writing is a handy work and having written a book you find yourself striving to obtain readers and one book can stand out of the rest and achieve its objective role. One writer shouldn't be disappointed with a failure but one needs to persevere and soldier on regardless. There are a couple of writers whose books have achieved a great success and there are others who have only acquired a small audience. It is incumbent for a writer to continue writing and it might be a rainy day for them to witness a successful story. There is a lot of input as far as marketing a title is concerned and it is like running a firm. You need to have the right contacts in place and the right people in the marketing sector. Another point, it would be advisable to test the market before writing a book and feel the warmth of the waters in order to examine how you would succeed. Books are a commodity and need to sale. Books can make or break. It isn't good to throw in the towel.
The testing of the waters can be done in readers' groups, as long as the writer doesn;t tell anyone they are a writer doing research. For some reason, writers are not held in high regard in those groups, probably because some folks just don't know when to stifle the marketing hype... jus' sayin'. In my case, it's not really something I can rely upon, as I write whichever genre and style is pushing my buttons the day I begin a new book. The ideas sometimes, just surface with little warning! I write... THEN I market. I envy any writer who can write-to order anything beyond ad copy.
Reading and writing groups concentrate their attention on disccussing books and for some reason they are unlikely to market books. However these particular groups might have an audience that may support your book and any audience is welcome. These groups will assist a writer attract publishers after a writer has done the hard work. It is good to have an opinion and second thought from reading groups. These groups have a critical aspect and you should accept positive criticism and launch yourself in the writing world. Any criticism is good news. One needs to have many channels in order to have an audience and a great reading group will garner attraction for a writer. Some times a reading group would appear to be a talking shop.
Agreed, absolutely. Still, Newcomers need to be aware that many "Reader Groups" are also Troll Lairs that exist solely for bashing books and laying authors out. Keeping a low profile as always the better course of action, unless a group takes an actual interest in your work. Confine your getting acquainted posts to shared interests and books you've read in common with the rest of the group. After a few weeks or months, you'll know the groups that you can trust... and those you really can't. Trusted criticism from a known resource, as you say, is invaluable. Being on the receiving end of Dragon Fire is not.
