Your Book is Your Business

As someone who works with authors and helps them market and promote their books, I get this question every day. "When should I start promoting my book?" the author asks.

When the manuscript is finished?
When it is sent off to print?
When it is released?
When the publisher schedules a book tour?

The real answer is...none of the above. An author should start promoting their book before they start writing it.

What? How can I promote a book if it doesn't exist? you might ask. Good question.

Many authors write books without thinking several steps ahead to one of the most important questions in book marketing: who will read this book once it is finished and published? Many authors are tempted to think their book is for "everybody", but NO book will appeal to everybody in the book-buying public, not event New York Times bestsellers. I once had someone tell me "the Bible is for everybody." Really? Try telling that to a Hindu or a Muslim. I'm sure you get my point.

Authors must think about who is going to be the end user of the book. Perhaps it is a very broad audience, or perhaps it is a very tight niche market, but either way, the book has to appeal to somebody, or it will be read by nobody. So, let's say you have written your query letters and you have a publishing house interested in the idea you have for a manuscript, or you have obtained an agent and they are sold on the idea of your manuscript, or you already have a publishing contract and now it's time to start writing. That is also the time you should start working on promoting your book...or at the very least, yourself.

How do you do that, you ask? There is a buzzword floating around in publishing these days. Platform. Publishers want their authors to have a platform from which to launch their book. In other words, authors who already have a following or prospects for a following. Authors who:

1. Blog, blog, blog. Authors should be writing about, well, writing. Things they are writing, things they have written, what it's like to write and be an author, etc. Perhaps post some short stories or poems or articles that you have written. Get people interested in your writing.

2. Write articles. These could either be for newspapers (which, sadly, are a dying medium) or for sites like Associated Content, Suite 101 or, if you are hired, About.com. Not only will this give you a chance to write about something at which you are an expert or know something about, but it will give you a venue for your writing and a chance to develop a following. The best part? You get paid, too.

3. Get social. You should have pages on MySpace, Facebook and a Twitter account, at the very least. A web site would be great, too. If you don't know how to build your own, have someone who is tech-savvy help you. New connections are made online these days, and if you aren't keeping up with the latest social media you are going to get left behind.

4. Network. Join writers' groups or book clubs in your local area. Develop a following in your own back yard. If you can't make a splash there when your book is release, you're going to have a tough time "going nationwide" when your book is released.

These are just a few ideas, but I'm sure you get the picture. If you wait until your book is released to build an audience or a following, you are squandering valuable time and potentially missing out on big opportunities to introduce people to you as a writer, and to your work.

It will be tempting to spend all of your time building your "platform" or "networking", but keep things in perspective. You'll actually need time to write your book, too.

When you schedule a book signing event, bookstores have the option of ordering books from the publisher or distributor, or scheduling something called a "consignment" event. What does it mean to do a consignment event?

Basically, it means that the author is providing and selling their own copies of their book. Ideally, the author has purchased their copies at wholesale (or below wholesale) cost. The day of the event, the author brings their books to the store. Sometimes the store will ask for copies ahead of time so they can display them, promote the event and even sell some books prior to the event. Once the author brings books to the store, the manager of the store will either scan the books into their store's merchandising system or they will have some other means of tracking the consignment sales.

Traditionally, the split is 60/40, with the author receiving 60 percent of the retail price for each book sold, and the store receiving 40 percent for hosting the event. Some stores have different splits, so always ask about this prior to the event. Sometimes a store will let the author keep 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of their own books. They just want the author to bring additional customers in the door because those customers will likely purchase something else while they are there and become repeat customers.

The benefit of doing a consignment event is that the author doesn't get socked with any returns if there are unsold copies. The author simply brings those copies home, or the store may keep the books and sell them for the author on a consignment basis after the event, if the event went well.

"But," the author may ask, "how will this help me get my book carried in bookstores nationwide?" Well, initially...it probably won't. There is nothing wrong with swinging for the fences when you first get into the (publishing) game, but every author has to start somewhere. Every author wants bookstore chains, Wal-Mart and Costco to carry their books nationwide on the book's release date. The fact is, a very small percentage of books get that kind of treatment. Bestselling authors with several titles under their belts, celebrity authors and those who are infamous for one reason or other (think Donald Trump) see their books blasted to stores all across the country when they first become available. For the author just starting out with their very first title, they have a long, hard road ahead of them, and consigment events might be some of the very first bookstore events they land.

It's not as bleak as it sounds. Some very successful authors started out this way. The authors of "Chicken Soup for the Soul", for example, engaged in a grass-roots effort to sell their book when it was first released. It wasn't availalbe in every bookstore and supermarket then like it is now. They did speaking engagements wherever they could get them, sold books through beauty shops, and I am sure they have more than one consignment event under their belts. You know the rest of the story. Now there is a whole series of "Chicken Soup" books, and the authors are very, very successful.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and for many authors, this means starting with consignment events at their local independent bookstores.

"I had a great book signing. I talked to a lot of people and I sold 5 books!" the author states enthusiastically.

Well, that's good. I'm always glad to hear the author had a great time at their book signing event. Is five copies sold a good book signing event? Probably not. If the bookstore ordered 20 copies of the book for the event and only five were sold, chances are the other 15 books are going to be returned to the distributor. The author is actually in the hole after their "great" book signing. Other times, an author will tell me this was a "lousy" signing, and the bookstore "didn't advertise my event at all!"

The good news is it doesn't have to be this way. There are things that authors can do to ensure successful book signing events in which they not only sell all of the books the bookstore ordered, but have to dip into their own supply as well. These tips will presume that the author is doing a regular book signing, as opposed to a consignment sale (which we'll cover later.)

1. Get 'em in the door. Don't just expect the bookstore to advertise your event and bring in throngs of people eagerly awaiting to sign your book. Stack the deck in your favor. Send out invitations to your family, friends, co-workers...anybody you can think of. Don't just assume they won't come to your event. The more people you invite, the better. Bookstores schedule events because they want authors to bring people into their store. When I schedule book signing events for authors, the first question bookstore managers ask me is "how many people can they invite and get into the store?" The bookstore is looking for more customers, and they expect the authors to bring them.

2. Get the word out. Don't just rely on emails. Post a notice on your Facebook or MySpace page, on Craig's List for your community, and on any free events calendar listings in your local area. Send out press releases to the local media. You might get a small two line notice in their events calendar section, or a reporter might event want to interview you prior to your event. Some authors want to purchase ads in the local paper. In my experience, these really aren't very effective and can be very expensive. If they actually worked, your publisher or the bookstore would place the ads themselves. There is a reason why they don't.

3. Work with the bookstore. Ask the bookstore manager where you will be seated in the store (ideally, you'll be near the entrance), if they need posters or bookmarks to promote the event and if they know of any media contacts that have promoted their events in the past.

4. Dress up your table. Don't expect the bookstore to do it for you. At the very least, have a tabletop poster announcing who you are, or have a large one mounted on posterboard at the local Kinko's and place it on an easel near your table. If you have props that are applicable to your book, display them. I have an author who wrote a book about WWII who displays his Army gear at his book signing events. He even wanted to bring his old military rifle to events, but I told him it was probably best that he not bring firearms to the mall. Anything that will attract people to your table is great, but make sure the bookstore manager is fine with it first.

5. Have a pre-written announcement ready for the store to read over their intercom system. Not all stores have these, but the larger ones do. They will appreciate the fact that it is one less thing they have to prepare for the event, and this will let people in the store know who you are and where you are located.

6. Be outgoing. Don't just sit at your table and wait for people to approach you. Engage the customers in conversation. Tell them who you are and about the book you have written. Many bookstore customers love to meet authors, but they may not be the first ones to make a move. Sell yourself, and the merits of your book (without being pushy, of course). I have heard of authors who have spent the entire 2-3 hours of their signing just sitting at their table hoping people will line up for a book, or worse...reading a magazine or newspaper during their event. Have you ever seen those people handing out free food samples at the supermarket? They talk to everyone that walks by them, with a big smile on their face. They talk about the product, and how great it is. Authors could learn a lot from these people. Remember, you are "on the job" when you are at a book signing event. Treat it like one.

7. Thank the bookstore manager or events coordinator. Let them know you appreciate their support. Send them a thank-you card after the event. They will be more likely to recommend your book, have you back for future events and recommend you to their sister stores, if they have any. A great attitude goes a long way.

Remember, nobody is more passionate or believes in your book more than you!

Next, we'll discuss the various types of book signing events.

Many authors have a dream. It goes something like this:

Their book is published, and it's time to promote it. Their publisher will set up a nationwide book tour for them, jetting them from city to city, where they will sit at a table at the front of the country's largest bookstores, signing copies of their book for throngs of adoring fans. The line of people will go out the front door of the store and spill into the mall or wrap around the building. The news media may even show up to do an interview with the hot new author in town. They will sell hundreds of copies of their book.

Now, back to reality.

Famous celebrity authors may get this kind of treatment, but the vast majority of authors do not. For most authors, especially new, unknown, non-celebrity authors, book signings go something like this:

The author shows up at the bookstore, and the majority of the staff may or may not know there is supposed to be a book signing event that day. If the author is lucky, there is a poster in the store announcing the event, and a table and chair for them to sit at to conduct their signing. If the bookstore has ordered books for the event, they probably ordered about 15-30 copies of the book. There are no throngs of people waiting to purchase the book and meet the author, unless the author promoted the event ahead of time and invited those people there. The publisher did not set up a book tour or fly the author anywhere. Instead, the signing is taking place at a bookstore in the town where the author lives. Most of the attendees are probably friends and family of the author. If the author sells 10 or more books, the bookstore will consider it a rousing success.

If that is the reality, why do book signings at all? There are a few reasons:

1. It's a promotional activity for the book. It helps get the word out to the book-buying public. You will definitely want to sell all of the books the store has ordered, to avoid returns, but it's possible you'll be asked to bring your own copies to sell on a consignment basis at the store. If the event is success, the store may even stock the book.

2. To help drive demand through the distributor. When bookstores order books for the event, they are ordering from a distributor. The more events an author does, the more they get the word out about their book, and the more demand is generated at the distributor from bookstore orders.

3. The author builds a relationship with the bookstore. Authors who help promote their own book signing events and draw more customers to a store are prized by bookstores. Customers that attend signings not only buy that author's book, but they may buy other books or coffee at the store's coffee shop. Everybody makes money and everybody is happy. The store may stock the book and ask the author back for future events.

Some authors won't do any book signing events at all, while others consider them a necessary evil. In truth, they are another means of promoting the book while trying to generate sales and build a brand. Preparing for the signings and conducting them wisely is the key, and we'll cover that topic in another post.

This is a question that, as a book-selling professional, I hear quite often. Authors think "if only I could get on Oprah, my book will become a bestseller!" Well, maybe. It's true that Oprah has helped sell quite a few books, but it's also true that the number of authors Oprah has helped in this manner is very small.

Trying to get booked on The Oprah Winfrey Show is like winning the lottery, or getting struck by lightening. It may or may not happen your lifetime, and the chances of it happening are very, very slim. It has nothing to do with the merits of your book. It's just the nature of trying to get booked on a popular nationally-syndicated television talk show.

First of all, you don't call Oprah. Oprah calls you. Her producers help decide which topics and books get mentioned on the show. They do not accept unsolicited books from authors, so sending one to them is quite literally a waste of time and postage. Don't think that your book will be "the exception." It is not. Oprah's producers know what they are looking for. It's "the next big thing," and they want that "thing" to be something that isn't being talked about by every other TV talk show at the moment.

It's amazing how many authors who want to be on Oprah rarely, if ever, watch the show. If they did, they would see that books don't get plugged all that often on the show. When they are, they are usually written by an author who is on the show to discuss the topic of the day, not their book. The book may be quickly flashed on the screen, but it's not as if the book is the main topic of the show. Those shows are relatively rare.

So, you have to watch the show. You have to know what kind of topics are regularly featured on the show. You can even go to Oprah's web site and find out what topics are coming up on their show and what kind of guests they are looking for. If your personal story or area of expertise (and your book) fit an upcoming topic, you can suggest yourself as a guest. Keep in mind, if you are accepted as a guest (again, a rare occurrence), it's not because the producers want you to spend an hour talking about your book. They want you because they think you can add something to the show...something that people will want to watch. That means you have to be a good interview.

Developing your interviewing skills takes practice. A good way to do that is to start in your local area. Send some press releases to your local media and offer review copies. Look for something happening in the news that pertains to your book and offer yourself up as a local expert on the topic. Build up your portfolio of local media appearances on radio and TV. Once you develop a reputatoin as a "go to" source for interviews you'll find that the media will start contacting you, instead of the other way around. National shows like Oprah keep their eye out for developing trends and stories from local and regional media. Remember, they're looking for the "next big thing."

I recently watched a show on CNBC called "The Oprah Effect." It told the stories of businesses that worked to get featured on Oprah, and the success they experienced after they did. One business worked for seven years at getting booked before they finally were. Thousands of others did not make the cut.

Even if your book is not featured on Oprah, there are many, many other media outlets and shows out there where you can promote yourself and your book. Start local, develop your "brand", become known for what you do, and who knows?

Maybe one day, you just might get that call from Oprah after all.

"I didn't sign a publishing contract to become a book salesman."
"I just want to write, I don't want to spend my time selling books."
"I wrote the book, now it's up to you to sell it."

You might be surprised at how many times I have heard these comments from authors. It happens quite often. More often than not, they are surprised at my response.

"You entered the book sales business the moment you became a published author."

If you are lucky or you already have a track record of sales success as an author, your publisher might assign marketing and publicity people to your title to help get your book off the ground. If you are a new author just entering the world of publishing and have just released your new book, you are likely going to be doing most of the heavy lifting on your own.

Every author, no matter how successful, has a responsibility to help market and promote their book. If you show me a title written by an author who has no intention of assisting in promoting their book, I'll show you a book that isn't selling. Each time you read an interview with an author, each time you see them on TV talking about their book, each time you see an author at a book signing event, that author is working to promote and sell their book.

Authors who have visions of firing off their manuscript to a publisher who will then turn around and launch a huge publicity campaign around their book, schedule nationwide book tours, call Oprah and every bookstore in the country to get shelf placement for their title are going to be sorely disappointed. Sure, these things happen...AFTER an author has already become a household name, not when they are pushing their first book or have a couple of titles under their belt which may have sold moderately well. For the most part, it just doesn't work that way.

Think of it like this: consider that we are talking about musicians, not authors. A musician may sign a recording contract with a record label and then hit the studio to record a new album. What happens next? Does the musician sit at home and wait for the record label to sell all of their CDs for them? No way. The musician hits the road, goes on tour, plays gigs in small venues, does phone interviews with radio stations large and small...bascially anything to get some attention for their album. They don't get radio airplay, CDs in Wal-Mart or play in arenas until their album actually takes off...if it takes off at all. Not every musician is an American Idol. It is exactly the same for an author.

The bottom line is all authors should want to have a hand in marketing and promoting their book. After all, it is THEIR book. You spent all of that time researching and writing that manuscript to get it just right, now don't you want someone to actually read it? Of course you do.

That is why authors are in the business of selling books.

Welcome to Your Book is Your Business!

First, a little about me. I am a book marketing professional whose job is to assist authors in promoting and selling their books. It is a deeply fulfilling job and I enjoy seeing a book go from being virtually unknown to selling well and meeting the author's expectations.

I decided to write this blog because of the misconceptions that many authors have when it comes to promoting and selling their books, and there are many. This blog isn't written for the author that has a manuscript in hand and is trying to get published, or is perhaps thinking of self-publishing. This blog assumes that you already have a book in print, or will soon have a book that is going to be published.

Publishing is a difficult, competitive business. Getting published is only the first step, and in many cases, the easiest one. Grabbing the attention of the book-buying public in a marketplace that sees more than 300,000 titles released each year...well, that part is not so easy.

The cold hard fact is that not every book will make back its advance, become a New York Times Bestseller or be featured on Oprah. Not every book is for everybody. However, if an author plans ahead, knows their market and is willing to work hard at promoting their book, it is possible to have a successful and profitable, writing career. This blog is designed to pass along the tips to help you do that.

As you read through the posts on this blog, please feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions.

Now, let's sell some books!