For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers
What's Your Biggest Challenge with Your Book?
I'd be interested to learn what authors/publishers on this network think their biggest challenges are with their book. I wonder if there's any common, pervasive challenge we all face.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bill Frank on
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Carol—
This is a good opportunity to make a distinction between book marketing and book sales. Book marketing is what you are referring to in your question. Many people equate marketing with Public Relations such as newspaper articles; blog, radio and TV appearances. Book sales refer to the sale of books to stores (chain and independent bookstores and other retailers).
Yes, radio interviews are great marketing. The media is starving for content. They are constantly looking for new content to entertain/inform their listeners.
You will have to "pitch" any medium on which you want an appearance. Editors (in the case of print media and blogs) and producers (in the case of TV and radio) are busy people with many demands placed upon them. They have little time to read or listen to pitches. To be compelling, you will have to quickly explain why your appearance will benefit their readers/viewers/listeners. It helps if your subject is topical. Try to tie your subject matter into current news, if at all possible. Treat editors and producers as if they have ADD—very short attention spans. Be concise and on point when pitching them.
Keep in mind the lead times each medium has. Print media (magazines and newspapers) require long lead times—three to six months, in some cases. All print media have a media schedule of the article they will run. Sometimes you can get the media schedule by contacting the advertising department for a media kit which typically has the media schedule included. Radio and TV have shorter lead times, usually measured in weeks, not months. Blogs have shorter lead times, sometimes as short as days.
I would caution you, however, not to make any media appearances before you have your book sales channels aligned—bookstores, other retail stores and/or Amazon. It may be counter productive to do a great interview on radio, excite potential readers and then disappoint them by not having the books easily available for them to buy.
Another thing. It may be useful for you to get media training before appearing on radio or TV if you don't have that experience. Each medium has it's own unique characteristics. It is also a good idea to practice handling the difficult questions. Many interviewers like to ask difficult or "off-the-wall" questions. It pays to have practiced how to handle those questions so you sound cool, confident and in control.
I remember putting a guest on a business radio show where he was talking about franchising. The interviewer was known to ask one off-the-wall question per interview and, true to form, he did. Out of the blue, the interviewer asked my guest about flying airplanes. Fortunately, I had prepared my guest for the one off-the-wall question so he was ready for it when it came.
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Permalink Reply by carol stanley on
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That was so helpful...and answered many questions. I used to be on radio, tv and did many appearances..a long time ago..I am comfortable on the air..However I am having some call reluctance...Trying to get a two sentence sales pitch to producers...that is the thing...Anyway manythanks for the long and helpful answer...Carol
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Permalink Reply by Jack on
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Hey Bill, thanks for your invite.
Im a journalist working on book number 1. It's fiction. How far away from my career is that?
How do you write a dead character? Third person retrospective? Or just melt back and live his life for him. I'm not looking for the easy route here Bill. I'm looking to bring alive his misinformed emotions, even though he's dead and never existed.
jack
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Jack—
I'm not an expert in this area. I'm not a writer. Your question is a good one for the rest of the community to comment upon. Let's see what other say about it.
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Permalink Reply by AuthorAnastasia on
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Jack I am an author and there are two ways to go about this to make it interesting. First person would make it interesting as the character is dead and never existed and it would be fun to write it in the first person and probably just as fun reading it. In the third person it would seem that you are writing about his life and not really explaining himself as the character. I myself would start out in the first person and see if I liked it. If I didn't I would change it from the get go to third person. Personally in this situation I prefer first person as an author and a reader. Good luck on other replies to this. Take care. Anastasia.
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Permalink Reply by martha tucker on
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My biggest challenge. The country is so big. After thinking I had saturated an area in California, then I look up in another place, a nd no one ever heard of me. Internet for self-published authors can make you known all over the US. It took me almost three years to work that formula out systematically, though. If you'd like to know more check it out on: www.newimagewriters.com.
items two is being very careful about registering in the literary journal that can give a lot of passives sales and income. Wow! Staying at home from one event. You just have to go to all of them. I have never gone to an event, tired, disinterested, other appointments, no books on hand, where I didn't make at least one contact that opened another door.
Oh, the most challenging: getting publicity from your local press, radio, TV, newspapers. It took going out of town, getting a front page cover story, then coming back and using it to make myself look important enough to the local press to give me a writeup.
for more info:
Martha Tucker
www.newimagewriters.
marthatucker@newimagewriters.com
marthatucker@newimagewriters.com
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Permalink Reply by Conrad Jones on
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Hi Bill, I`ve read this forum with interest. I`m the author of a series of novels called Soft Target, they are action thrillers following a Terrorist Task Force led by a character called John Tankersley aka `Tank`. I think he can rival Lee Child`s Jack Reacher !! The first two books are published, (Jan and June 2008) and the third should be available September time.
Now to the point ! Selling the books is the real challenge. I spend at least half my time writing the next episode and the other half marketing the first three books. I dont have an agent and my books are pod by Authorhouse, which makes them expensive in book shops, but competitive on amazon.
I`ve generated over a dozen newspaper articles 3 bbc radio interviews and two regional magazine pieces, so I work hard to get publicity but in this game you are always learning. My first reaction when I get publicity is to watch the rankings change hourly on amazon ( very addictive) and the being bitterly dissapointed when the books dont become best sellers overnight !!! I`ve been amazed how press coverage doesnt cause a frantic rush of customers to buy all my books !! So I try to milk every opportunity and titbit of advice I can .........What tips can you give me?
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Conrad,
You seem to be doing some things very well. Interviews on the BBC radio, regional magazines, etc. are quite impressive. You say you watch the Amazon rankings closely. How many books have you sold on Amazon? If you've sold a few hundred books on Amazon as a result of your publicity, that's good. It means your book may be poised to take off.
When it does, you'll want to look closely at your relationship with AuthorHouse (now part of iUniverse). Read the contract carefully. It may be time to branch out to find a distributor for your books who will get you into the bookstores. It will also mean printing a larger quantity of books to feed the distribution pipeline. (A side benefit of printing a larger number of books is the unit cost will decrease. You'll need the lower unit cost to help pay for the distribution costs into the bookstores).
In all the publicity you've mentioned, however, there is nothing about your internet strategy (save Amazon, of course). Do you have a web site? Are you actively promoting your book on your web site? On other people's web sites? Are you blogging? (Have you blogged on Amazon? Do you have an Amipedia page on Amazon?) Have you been on a virtual book tour? These options may be ways to supplement the publicity you've already received.
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Thanks Bill what you say makes sense. I just got the second 1/4 figures through for book one and it sold 349 copies april to June.....it is in five book stores regionally but only a hand full of copies for the book signings that I have done. The problem is obviously the rrp is £13.99 which is shocking for an unheard of author !!! The internet stuff is something that I`m not up to speed with, what is Amipedia? and the virtual book tour ?
Thanks for your time Bill it is very valuable info.....
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Permalink Reply by albertasequeira on
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Bill,
How do you know how many books you sell on any online bookstore? Where do you find that answer?
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Permalink Reply by Dario de Judicibus on
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To be translated to English eh eh eh ;-)
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Dario—
You're right to want to be translated into English. English is the language of book buyers. One third of the world's books are sold in the US. 47% of the world's books are sold in the US, UK and Canada. (Source: Dan Poynter, www.parapub.com) It's no wonder you want your book translated into English.
A good alternative for you may be to sell the foreign rights to your book to a US, UK and Canadian publisher. Each publisher pays you a royalty advance against sales for the rights to your book. The publisher is responsible for translating, editing, re-packaging, printing, distributing, selling and marketing your book in their country. If book sales exceed the advance you are paid, you'll also get royalties.
Don't expect to get rich on the foreign rights advances, however. A typical advance runs between $1,000-$5,000 US.
It beats the alternative. If you want to sell your books in the "big three" book buying countries, you will have to assume all the responsibilities of the publisher (translating, editing, re-packaging, printing, distributing, selling and marketing) in each country. That is expensive, time consuming and challenging.
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