Publish and Perish, Part Two

Kevin Coolidge




You have the story told; now you have to get it sold. You’ve solicited the big publishing houses, the small independent presses, and tried to get an agent to read your manuscript. You’ve heard the excuses: it’s not what we’re looking for, it’s too much like another book, it’s not enough like another book, or it’s just too niche. You’ve decided to self-publish.

It’s a tough decision, and hopefully you’ve done your homework, and you have a clear set of goals. If your goal is to get the book into bookstores, you’ve checked the discount that the self-publishing firm gives to bookstores, as well as how the price of your book stacks up against other titles in your genre.

If you are planning on selling the book yourself, either at lectures, conventions or other events, then your concern should be on what your wholesale cost is. Self-publishing firms often give authors a better price to buy their own book. This is important, as you will need to sell and publicize your own book. That’s right: if you are not going to be putting the effort into publicizing your book, then save your money and do not self-publish.

It’s important to realize that in today’s book industry, the marketing is just as important as the writing, and if you aren’t going to market the book yourself, then you must have someone do it for you, or accept that this book is just going to be for your friends and family. The good news is that marketing isn’t rocket science. There’s no secret handshake, and anyone can learn.

That being said, I can give you some ideas that I have seen work, and what I hope is productive advice. I have "discovered" three self-published books that have not only gone on to being picked up by traditional publishers, but have also led to at least another book by the author and in one case, a three book deal. All of these books had at least one thing in common, and that was heavy support by the author in blog form and with social media. Basically, these authors earned their readership, grew it with blog support, and showed a traditional publisher that there were people ready to buy these books.

Someone wants to buy your book, but they have to know about it first. Social media is a great tool for this; many musicians and authors have established a strong fan base through the use of Facebook or Twitter. Social media can be a great way to reestablish contact with old school friends, out-of-state relatives, and people with a possible interest in your book. You can even link your blog to post to Facebook after you make an entry.

When it comes to publicizing your book, don’t forget some of the more traditional methods—-such as a book signing. A book signing doesn’t have to be in a bookstore. It can be wherever the readers of your book might be. If your book appeals to hunters, you might want to try a gun show, or if your book is about wine, you might want to consider a winery.

There are a lot of great books out there about publicizing your book. One of my favorite is Guerilla Publicity for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, David Hancock, and Rick Frishman, which contains many practical low and no-cost marketing techniques, as well as some more elaborate and time-involving ideas that will maximize sales. When it comes to marketing, there’s no “secret”--great reviews are only a part, getting your book into a bookstore is only a step, and getting people to buy or read your book is just a start, but with a solid marketing plan, you can publish and not perish…

Perish? Or Publish? Email me at frommyshelf@epix.net Miss part one of this column? Visit http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com for part one and all past columns. Hobo, the cat originally self-published a book call “Hobo Finds A Home” a children’s book about a stray cat who found a home, picked up by Edgecliff Press.