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Self-Publishing By The Numbers

May 18th, 2012

Yesterday, I stumbled upon this interesting infographic:

Though I’m a creative type, I’m also pretty obsessed with numbers and charts, so I found this to be a really interesting breakdown of self publishing vs. traditional.

If you just scan the article, it will probably seem like e-books and self-publishing are no brainers. You receive a larger portion of the profits, there’s no printing costs, and the risk is significantly lower. But there are a few key points here that may be overlooked:

In the self-publishing vs. traditional book deal section, it shows that you’d have to sell almost 3000 books before earning $10k (the average book advance). Most people think, “3000 books? No problem!” but this infographic clearly shows that the average sale of Lulu.com books is around 150. Though we hear plenty of self-publishing success stories, the reality is, on average, self-published books sell less than traditionally published books. If your goal is to reach as many readers as possible, especially as a first-time novelist, you’re better off with a traditional publisher.
I was happy to see that this demonstrated the higher cost for print books. When you’re with a traditional publisher, they have the ability to print and warehouse bulk orders of books. The more books you order, the less each costs, so the overall profit is significantly higher. But as most self-published authors will tell you, it’s all about the e-books.
The e-book case study demonstrates some very appealing numbers. Who wouldn’t want to earn $24k a month? But what the case study neglects to highlight is that J.A. Konrath had a strong online following as a traditionally published author prior to transitioning to self-pubbing. I don’t forsee a newbie author, unless they’re some sort of celebrity, generating these types of numbers.

Feel free to share your thoughts or ask any questions you may have. It’s a lot of data, but I think overall, very informative.

This infographic was originally posted on The Digital Writer.

Tags: audience, author, authors, books, career, e-books, e-publishing, infographic, publishing, readers, self-publishing
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Can’t Afford to be Aloof

May 17th, 2012

Last week, Forbes ran an article titled, “The Aloof Author is Dead, Long Live the Writer.” I encourage you all to read the full article, but in brief, it addressed the disappearance of barriers between readers and authors. Before, famed authors would emerge for a handful of speaking events, and this would be readers’ only opportunity to get to know the authors they loved and admired. These authors were aloof and felt no obligation or loyalty to their readers. They wrote for themselves.

Now, most authors are being pushed to do more events and embrace social media, eliminating all barriers between them and their audience. Most authors need their readers and will do anything to please them, and fear nothing more than alienating them or receiving negative backlash.

I can’t see Hemingway or Faulkner worrying about Amazon reviews or driving two hours to a library to speak to an audience of 10. But times have changed. There are more books published now than ever before, creating more competition for readers’ attention. Rather than a book taking years to publish, each page pressed and bound by hand, I can have a book for sale on Amazon in less than a day. So with these changes in publishing climate, come changes in author’s approach toward their career.

I see a lot of authors complain about social media and the expectation of transparency. They don’t want to share their day to day experiences with their readers or go to great lengths to meet their audience. If they’re talented enough and their publisher puts enough money behind them, sometimes, they can get away with it. But more often than not, ignoring the demands of readers has a negative backlash.

For a reader to feel like they know you as a person, means they’ll be loyal to you and your books. They’ll forgive you if a book you publish isn’t up to par. They’ll come out to your events and tell their friends about your books. They will be your brand ambassadors. If you act reclusive and aloof, you will be easily forgotten, and another author will receive their loyalty.

Tags: audience, author, authors, books, events, facebook, marketing, promotion, publicity, readers, social media, twitter
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Wordless Wednesday: More Cool Ads

May 16th, 2012

Tags: advertising, creativity, inspiration, marketing, media, promotion, wordless wednesday
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Interview: Price of Business on Bloomberg Radio

May 15th, 2012

The topic of publicity and self-publishing never gets old! Last week, I was interviewed by Kevin Price on Price of Business. We talked about my role as a publicist, publicity for self-published novels, and how I work with publishers.

Although I explained why I don’t work with self-published authors, he interviewed a handful of other publicists who did. You can listen to the full interview here. It’s episode 5/8/12 and my segment is second (though I recommend hearing what all the publicists have to say!)

Tags: author, authors, bookstores, interview, marketing, press coverage, promotion, publicity, radio, self-publishing
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Blogs Are Not Always About The Books

May 14th, 2012

I know many authors who blog. Some of them post general blogs about their lives as writers, others address a specific niche unrelated to writing. But is one better than the other?

Any writer who asks me what to write will receive the same answer: write what’s pulling you. If you write legal thrillers but love talking about your marathon training, then that’s what you should blog about. If you are a foodie but your nonfiction book has nothing to do with food, you can still blog about restaurants and recipes. If you write what’s pulling you, then you’ll always have something to say and the quality of writing will be better. There’s no point in forcing yourself to write to your market.

One of the benefits of blogging about something off-topic is that you attract a new audience. Author Hilary Davidson writes about traveling with Celiac disease, and gluten-free eating is a hot topic that attracts swarms of followers. Crimespree Magazine expanded their coverage beyond book reviews and posts movie and TV reviews, authors’ favorite recipes, even pet spotlights. Writing about a variety of topics will attract an audience of potential readers, even if they’re not actively looking to find new writers online.

If your passion is blogging about the writing life, then you should. Write about the books you’re reading, where you are in your manuscript, and post photos from the road. But if you’re passion lies beyond the subject of your work as a writer, don’t fret. Posting good content on a regular basis is the most important element of blogging, and you’ll only do that if you’re passionate about what you write. Plus, there’s a hidden perk of reaching a new audience, even if they didn’t come to your site to learn about books.

Tags: author, authors, blogging, books, buzz, career, inspiration, marketing, social media, writing
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Mother’s Day Books

May 13th, 2012

Forgot to get mom something for Mother’s Day? A book is always a thoughtful gift:

Photo courtesy of Tres Sugar. Click here for the full list of Mother’s Day books.

Tags: books, buzz, inspiration, reading
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In Defense Of Your In-House Publicist

May 12th, 2012

New York publishers are blessed to have some of the most talented, hard working publicists on staff, and I am fortunate to work with many of them. So why is it that in-house publicists are often viewed as never doing enough for the authors?

Simply put: in-house publicists are over-worked and under-paid. They are told which books get how much time, which of course, is never enough. If you’re a mid-list author in a sea of other mid-list authors, chances are, your in-house publicist won’t be able to do more than send out galleys and review copies to a general list. If you’re bit higher or with a smaller imprint, they’ll be able to do the necessary follow ups. If you’re at the top rung, they’ll put the weight and funding of the publishing house behind you…but there are still 10 authors ahead of you that might warrant your publicists attention.

Authors always ask me, “If the in-house team is so great, then why do I need to hire you?” This is the reason. I don’t answer to the publisher; I answer to you, the author. Your outside publicist will make the necessary follow ups and always put their full weight behind you. If you have a strong in-house team, that’s fantastic. Be grateful. But know that having an outside publicist means always having someone in your court. In-house publicists change, publishers re-structure, and budgets suffer. But an outside publicist is consistent, and to succeed, you need that consistency.

Tags: author, authors, books, career, in-house publicists, promotion, publicists, publicity
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Evolution of Book Coverage

May 10th, 2012

I began doing book publicity at an exciting time. It wasn’t the heyday of book coverage when reviewers were flown in private jets and long form reviews graced every Sunday paper. I began doing publicity when book sections were being cut, when reviewers were being laid off, and the competition for review space was increasing at an alarming rate.

Despite all of this, there was a new form of book coverage emerging: the book blogger. Just as many papers were moving their content online, readers from all over the world were launching their own websites to talk about books they were reading. At the time, this was a mostly un-tapped resource. Publishers weren’t sending them ARCs; they were reviewing the books they purchased or borrowed from the library. But soon, publicists identified these review outlets and began utilizing the book blogger community.

Now, we’re running into similar problems we faced with the newspapers: too many books, not enough time. And unlike the newspaper reviewers, bloggers aren’t paid for their work. I can no longer count on my blogger contacts to review my authors’ work, even if it’s books they’d enjoy.

So where’s the next outlet for book coverage? Unfortunately, I don’t have an exact answer. But I do have a few ideas:

Non-book bloggers. There are many bloggers who write about food, their pets, their marathon aspirations, etc. They have large, attentive audiences who read their posts regularly. Just because they don’t blog about books, doesn’t mean they don’t read them. So what could it hurt to send them a review copy? Even if they don’t post a full on review, a mention on the blog could earn you a few more readers.

Twitter and Facebook influencers. There are many individuals on Twitter and Facebook who have an enormous following. People like Colleen Lindsay (@ColleenLindsay), Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman), Maureen Johnson (@MaureenJohnson), or Janet Reid (@Janet_Reid) have major influence over their followers. If they say they recommend a book, quite a few people are going to check it out.

Off the book page features. Though many newspapers no longer publish book sections, there is still plenty of room for features and lifestyle pieces. By figuring out how to pitch the author or their book as a feature or news article, authors will be able to obtain additional media coverage.

Have other ideas about the evolution of book coverage? Feel free to comment!

Tags: author, authors, bloggers, books, media, novels, publicists, publicity, reviews, social media, twitter
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Wordless Wednesday

May 9th, 2012

Courtesy of GalleyCat

Tags: books, inspiration, novels, readers, reading, wordless wednesday
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