Write That Book Already!: The Tough Love You Need To Get Published Now

by Barry, Sam

  The danger of going the self-publishing route is this: no one is great at everything, and it takes an immense amount of resources to publicize, distribute, and market a book. If you aren’t out on the lecture circuit and can’t afford the time and money it takes to rent booth space at conventions, chances are you’re going to end up with a lot of extra product on your hands. It’s hard enough to get attention for a new book with traditional publishing resources behind it, so think carefully about whether or not you can sell enough copies to make this worthwhile, without the benefit of media reviews and bookstore distribution.

  SUCCESSFUL SELF-PUBLISHING: A TRUE STORY

  The following is a personal story from Betty Kamen, a successful self-published author who by a wild coincidence happens to be Kathi’s mom!

  “My personal success story involves writing and lecturing about a subject that has widespread interest, mainly because it centers on a widespread problem. Women were filling drug prescriptions for relieving the discomfort of PMS (premenstrual symptoms) and menopausal discomfort. I, however, offered a safe and effective natural alternative. So my book had a large audience!

  “My major problem with traditional publishing is the loss of control. For example, words I think are essential for a point I am making may be eliminated. And here and there a descriptive expression would be ‘dumbed down,’ or replaced by one that changes my meaning. A second issue is time—the time it takes to get my book rolling off the printing presses. Why couldn’t my publisher see how important it is to put all other projects aside and give MY BOOK priority? These concerns led me to self-publish.

  “But first, a warning: I don’t think a novice who has never been published professionally should take a stab at self-publishing. You have to earn your right to do that successfully. A major requirement is to know how the professional editors work. It’s an excellent idea to sit down with a professional editor to learn how it’s done. After such an experience, you now have the potential to self-edit and self-publish. (If you are unpublished, professional editors are available. Check online, or contact your high school English teacher.)

  “It’s a good idea to give your manuscript to several people for feedback before it goes to press. Offer your work to someone who knows about your subject, to someone who knows nothing about the subject you have explored, to someone who is young, and to another who is old. If your message has been both clear and important, people in each of these categories will come up with almost the same critique, plus unique ideas based on their personal experience and age.

  “Then there’s the matter of subject. Is your message one that has been previously tackled, again, and yet again? Are you offering a new perspective? Obviously, the latter is essential for success. Make sure your jacket copy and marketing materials communicate to your potential audience that you have something new and important to share.

  “Okay, your book is written, and now you have to sell it. If there is any reference to a product in your book, you may want to approach a company that manufactures, distributes, or sells that product. That company may promote your book directly to their clientele, or they may even offer a financial grant, or a percentage of the sales of their product generated as a result of your book. In my case, a company that manufactures a cream that relieves the problem of PMS and menopause (the subjects of my book), bought tens of thousands of copies of my book, using it as promotional material.

  “Go through your manuscript with an eye to selecting paragraphs that are provocative. These are excerpts you should be sending to magazines, newspapers, and radio and TV stations, offering yourself as an exciting guest. Broadcasters are always looking for interesting people to interview—yes, even the biggies have staff on the lookout. It’s okay to be persistent and follow up. Most importantly, once you are being interviewed, be sure to mention the title of your book and, if possible, contact information for the book’s availability. Save the copies of the actual interviews to show to your grandchildren.

  “Offering a free lecture in your neighborhood based on your book often produces high sales. Approach the local women’s and men’s groups, church and synagogue groups, etc. On my very first lecture presentation, a woman came up to me after my presentation, asking for my card. I didn’t have a card—but I have never been without one since. I also have a one-page flyer that I leave on every seat before the audience arrives. The flyer contains my contact information, along with a list of my books, and their availability.

  “I also start each presentation with a short humorous story. Getting my audience to laugh at the outset assures that they will be attentive. Good luck and good book sales!”

  ANOTHER TRUE STORY: PASSION OVERRIDES EXPERIENCE

  This self-publishing story was contributed by Emily Scott Pottruck, who decided that self-publishing would be the most effective way to meet her goal, raising money for a good cause:

  “I decided that at every decade birthday, I would do something outside of my comfort zone to benefit something that changed my life. Animals entered my life in a big way in my forties, so at fifty I decided to do something that would benefit animal welfare nonprofit organizations. I met Amy Tan through my four-legged children (others know them as dogs) and hers, and was exposed to a world of authors and writers.

  “Making a long story short, I decided to create a coffee table book that portrayed the bond between people and their pets. It was important to me that all types of households (ethnicities, gender, family structure, etc.) and all types of household pets would be included so anyone with a pet would find someone in the book with whom they could identify. This was not another dog book or cat book. This was a book about the relationship we humans have with our pets.

  “I mentioned this to Amy and then with incredible naiveté, I asked her (note: NEVER ask a famous author to do this unless you are either as naive as I was or he/she owes you a huge favor) to write the foreword. Remarkably (which gets more remarkable as I become more learned), she agreed. Thus, Tails of Devotion, A Look at the Bond Between People and Their Pets, was born.

  “Amy also said, ‘If you really want to make money for charity, then you will need to self-publish. There isn’t a publisher that would do this for free. Knowing you as I do, nobody will market this as strongly as you will.’

  “Tails of Devotion would become my birthday gift to myself; I would incur all the costs so every penny from every sale would go to charity.

  “This is where passion overrides experience. Had I known what I did not know, I would have stopped at this point. Had I known that my desire to have a visually stunning book, well-made, high-quality product would be as costly as it was, I would have written a check to the charities and blown out my birthday candles. Had I known that the process would take 100 percent of my time for sixteen months, then 80 percent for twelve months, then 40 percent for eight months, I would have hired someone and gone to the golf course. The passion I had for Tails of Devotion consumed me so I had no choice but to proceed and I am smarter and more fulfilled because of it. I now believe that people are not workaholics but passionaholics. There was nothing I wanted to do that didn’t include Tails of Devotion.

  “In the three years that Tails of Devotion has been on the market, almost all 10,000 copies have been sold or distributed, raising more than $250,000 for sixty animal welfare nonprofit organizations in twenty-two states and two countries.

  “I benefited from staying true to the mission, which resonated with many experts in the publishing world. Once they learned that I was not recouping my costs, that I was doing my homework, that Amy Tan was writing the foreword, these professionals offered me best practices and their contacts when the questions were outside their field of expertise. A local bookstore chain agreed to fulfill orders from my website for very little compensation. I set up an account at the Schwab Charitable Fund so proceeds could then be distributed as grants. Learning by doing also meant that for every door opened, I not only got more information, but I also entered a hallway of other do
ors that I had no idea existed that also needed to be opened.

  “The biggest obstacle from start to finish (note: especially marketing, public relations, sales) is the perception that self-publishing = vanity press. The assumption is you self-published because every publisher turned you down. As Tails of Devotion is a four-color, glossy coffee table book and not the hoped great American novel (note: black ink on paper), I thought this would not be an issue. I was wrong. While I continuously heard from respected publishers that my book was top quality and had all the right marketing ingredients (famous people in the book and as jacket blurbs, artistic and compelling photos, unique structure and selling proposition), many reviewers, TV/radio producers wouldn’t even look at Tails of Devotion because it was a self-published book."

  You may have a similar passion but have been unable to get your book published. If so, Emily has additional suggestions for people considering self-publishing:

  • If your work is “black ink on paper” you have many more options for printing. Do use high-quality paper and do invest in an experienced graphic designer to help with cover and layout.

  • Distribution, distribution, distribution. Do you really want your office, closet, garage, and kitchen cabinets the only places your book resides? Approach your local bookstores, as many of them have a shelf for local authors. Look into Amazon Advantage, Google Books, gift stores, and other opportunities for consignment. Create a website, blog, and e-mail list. Approach book clubs, local community centers, cafes, local newspapers, neighborhood newspapers, local radio shows.

  • Always carry at least one copy of your book with you—always and everywhere.

  • Give away free copies very judiciously. It was amazing how many people—including friends and family—asked for a copy. Tails of Devotion proceeds went to charity! Even when I explained this point, people still expected a free copy. The only exception to this is if your objective is to create the book and then give away copies. If that is the case, please send me a copy!

  • Expect “yes.” Tails of Devotion had so many bells and whistles that I truly expected everyone would want to buy the book, would want to interview me, and would want to shower us with glowing reviews. My convictions were so strong that I was truly surprised when I heard “no.” Passion overriding experience . . .

  • Before you go to press, find at least three people who are staggeringly candid and ask them to review your work and offer comments. Listen to their comments. If all three readers want you to change something, I suggest you take them up on their edit. If the comments are mixed, and you trust your instincts, then go with your gut.

  • Once you are done writing and editing, you must then start wearing the hats of marketing rep, distribution/operations manager, and bookkeeper. Or find someone willing to do this for you but stay on top of it. Remember, you care about this book and its success more than anyone else in the world. You are the CEO of your book.

  • There are many sites and people offering “how to” and/or promising “success” in all aspects of self-publishing. Be cautious and read the fine print. Much of this information can be found for free on the Internet and in your local public library. Diet pills promise that you can be thin in ten days for the low cost. They don’t emphasize the fact that this happens if you eat less and exercise more and that you have now signed up for a monthly plan.

  • Create a timeline and a plan of action. Stay focused on the timeline and the plan of action. Then be prepared to constantly redo said timeline and plan of action. The twists and turns cannot be predicted. Challenges and opportunities abound.

  At the end of the day be proud of your work, of your effort, of your desire to be creative. These are all wonderful traits!

  Famous Books That Were Originally Self-Published Books

  Ulysses by James Joyce

  Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

  Walden by Henry David Thoreau

  Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

  Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry Martyn Robert

  The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

  The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and his student E. B. White

  The Joy of Cooking by Irma Starkloff Rombauer

  The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

  The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

  The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

  The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

  What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles

  Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown

  The Shack by William P. Young

  And, of course . . .

  Tails of Devotion by Emily Scott Pottruck

  and

  Hormone Replacement Therapy: Yes or No? by Betty Kamen, PhD

  WHEN SELF-PUBLISHING DOESN’T MAKE SENSE

  If you’re hoping to appear on major television shows and see your book on the bestseller lists, self-publishing is not the likeliest route (although there’s no guarantee you will have a bestseller or appear on TV anyway, even with a title published by A. A. Knopf). But if you don’t care about bookstore distribution and you have a viable plan for finding your audience, self-publishing can make sense. It can even be the better choice.

  The benefits of working with a publisher are:

  • Editorial direction (something most of us actually do need)

  • Expert copyediting and proofreading services

  • Sales, distribution, marketing, and publicity at a level rarely accomplished alone

  • Most of the time, a better looking, more salable finished product

  • The respect among booksellers and media that (as of this writing) is conferred only on books published by established publishers

  • Not having to find space in your garage for the boxes of books that don’t sell

  BOTTOM LINE

  Self-publishing can be a great idea for some authors, but it is a lot of work and isn’t right for everyone or every type of book. Impatience and frustration aren’t the best reasons to self-publish; you need to have resources and a carefully thought-out plan if you are going to go this route. That said, these are changing times, and some self-published authors are finding success by going their own way.

  CHAPTER TEN

  FOR SALE:

  BOOKSTORES,

  BOOKSELLING,

  AND BOOK

  GROUPS

  In this chapter we will demystify the retail landscape (independent bookstore, chain store, online)—what happens when your book hits the stores, why booksellers are important, what hand-selling means, creative methods for getting the attention of book groups, and why book groups can make a difference. We’ll also touch on special markets, co-op promotions, course adoption, and ways to make book signing events unique.

  Once your book is written, acquired, and published, and as it is marketed and publicized, the sales team goes to work. This is a two-step process: step one involves the publisher’s sales representatives pitching your book as part of the forthcoming list to their accounts (everyone from that tiny bait-and-tackle store with the rack of paperbacks out by the lake to community-oriented independent bookstores, to big chains, to Wal-Mart, to Amazon.com, to phone apps); step two involves the reader walking into (or perhaps Googling) a retail outlet and actually buying your book.

  THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF RETAIL SALES

  Bookselling techniques vary according to the venue, of course. Online sales (a rapidly changing and expanding area) rely on reader reviews, web links, and (in some cases) preferential treatment bought with publisher advertising dollars, such as paying for an arrangement where search engines direct users to a link about the book. Online videos, author interviews, catalogues, book trailers, phone apps, and teasers provided to online retailers or directly to the public are new ways to reach retailers and readers. Others include e-mail campaigns to targeted lists, grassroots networking through social networking sites and websites or blogs with particular interes
ts (nursing mothers, environmental activists, thrill seekers), and authors’ websites. However online marketing is done, the goal is the same as it has always been in all book marketing—to promote the book within the industry and to the buying public so that it will capture attention and sell.

  BOOKSTORES

  There are many different kinds of bookstores, and the ones you visit when promoting your book will be chosen for a variety of reasons:

  • The store reports to an influential bestseller list such as the one in the New York Times.

  • The store specializes in mysteries and you are a mystery writer, or in architectural books and your book is about architecture, etc.

  • The bookstore is a leading independent store in your community, hosting well-run events that can help break out a book like yours.

  • The publisher has an ongoing relationship with the store.

  • The publisher is trying to influence a regional bestseller list by scheduling a lot of events in the same area at the same time.