Writing and Publishing News

1: Study the publishing industry so you understand your options, the possible ramifications of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author.

2: Define your purpose for writing this book. Make sure it is valid, not frivolous.

3: Determine your target audience. Who is most likely to read this book and how many people does this comprise?

4: Ascertain whether this book is needed/desired. Is there a market for it?

5: Consider your platform—your following, your connections, your way of attracting readers. Why are you the person to write this book and who is going to care about reading it?

6: Create a marketing plan. How will you get word out about your book?

7: What are your promotional hooks? Find ways to build promotion into your book while you’re writing it.

A well-researched, complete book proposal will assist you in answering each of these questions accurately. A book proposal is a business plan for your book. Don’t neglect this very important step to becoming a successful author.

Do you write for pleasure? Have you ever thought—even for a fleeting moment—about publishing your work? How do you know when it is time to shift from writer to published author?

You may dream of having your writing published. However, you’re not sure how to make the transition from closet pleasure writer to published author. Here are some steps that might help you move more successfully toward your publishing goals:

1: Write something that is wanted/needed by a specific audience—avid readers of romance or adventure novels, people who are seeking help with a problem or issue, folks eager to learn something new or those who devour young adult fantasies, for example

2: Check your competition. Is your book up to par—does it have everything it needs to qualify as a good book for preschool children? Is there a need for another book on cooking with herbs? What makes your self-help book for children of alcoholics different than what’s already on the market?

3: Study the publishing industry. You may not relish the idea of going back to school and learning about something as large and complex as publishing, when all you want to do is quietly produce your book and be on your way to stardom. In order to succeed as a published author on even a small scale, however, you need to know something about how the world of publishing works. What are your publishing options? What are the possible consequences of your choices? What are your responsibilities as a published author? Skip this step and you will be in over your head without a life preserver.

4: Write a book proposal. You may need a book proposal in order to get a foot in the door with the publisher you want. But the main reason for writing a book proposal is for you. A book proposal will tell you whether you have a book at all—whether it is a valid project. It will help you to determine if you have an audience for this book, who they are, how many there are and how you will reach them. Without this knowledge, you could become one of the 78 percent of authors who fail each year. (Some experts say the number is now more like 90 percent.)

5: Hire a good book editor. This step could make the difference between a publishing contract and multiple rejections. An editor can keep you from sending a flawed book out into the world of readers. If you’re not sure whether you need an editor, I can answer that question for you without even looking at your manuscript. Every author needs an editor. So factor this expense into your budget. It’s a necessity if you desire a successful publishing experience.

6: Establish and build on your platform. Publishers want to know that an author has a platform—a way of attracting potential customers and connections that will help sell books. Even if you choose to self-publish, you still need a platform. Think about it. If you were to publish a book today, how many people would buy it? If you’ve been hiding away in your writing room for years, how would anyone know about you and why would they buy your book? As an author, you need a following—a way of attracting readers.

7: Plan your marketing strategy. In today’s highly competitive publishing climate, it is crucial that you think about marketing and promotion even before producing a book. And promotion is ongoing for as long as you hope to sell copies of your book. Examine your skills and propensity for various promotional activities. This would be a good time to sharpen and add to your skills. But you also need to know what it takes to promote a book—most new authors do not. As you study the publishing industry (number 3 on this list), you’ll begin to understand why the author must develop a marketing plan and what book promotion entails. The time to plan your strategy is before you decide to publish.

Publishing is not an extension of your writing. It is not a natural course that writers can take using the same mindset and skills they use when writing. Publishing is a business—a fiercely competitive business—and, when you decide to enter into this world, in order to succeed, you must start thinking like a businessman/woman.

Follow these seven steps and you will experience a greater level of success.

Is writing taking over our lives? It seems that we communicate more through email, texts, blogs, newsletters and even books now than, perhaps, we do verbally. And there are more of us wanting to be published. We have the means to document and create great collections of material, thoughts, ideas, interpretations, opinions, grievances and so forth, thus more of us are choosing to have our works published.

What are some of the reasons people decide to publish a book?

• “Everyone says I should tell my story of (fill in the blanks)—survival, overcoming something, a medical miracle, a lifetime of bad luck, finding love, peace, religion, etc.”
• “I have information and expertise I want to share with the world.”
• “I have a good imagination and everyone says I’m a good storyteller.”
• “People need the knowledge and information I have. I want to change minds and make a difference.”

What these people don’t realize is that they may be traveling down an expensive, go-nowhere road. Most authors, when they decide to publish their writing, have expectations for some level of success. Unless they’ve done some studying, research and soul-searching, here’s what they don’t realize:

• Publishing is a fiercely competitive business and it takes a business mindset to succeed.
• Your book will NOT sell just because it exists.
• Successful authors work harder after the book is published than they ever thought of working during the writing process.

What would I suggest? Study the publishing industry before getting involved and create a plan that includes the following:

• Research your field, genre or topic to locate books similar to the one you want to write. How are they selling? For nonfiction, what could you offer that is different, fresh, needed, wanted? For fiction, how can you make your book fit into a popular genre?
• If you’re accustomed to writing only emails and texts, take a brush-up course on writing; join a writers group.
• Identify aspects to your platform—what experience, knowledge, skills do you have that will help you to succeed as an author and a marketing agent for your book once it’s complete?
• Build on that platform—learn more about promotion, hone new skills such as public speaking, writing advertising copy, etc.
• Read books and take workshops on book promotion.
• Create a marketing plan and be prepared to activate it as soon as your book is a book.
• Plan to promote your book for as long as you want it to sell.

The key to successful publishing is knowledge and education. You wouldn’t enter into any other kind of business without knowing something about the business, potential customers, suppliers/distributors, your competition and so forth. Publishing is a business. As an author, think of yourself as the CEO of your book. Take charge from the beginning. This is your key to success.

Within the next few days, I’ll write about Emotions in Business and how they can interfere with your book’s success.

We just finished working with CreateSpace on a print version of my first novel, Catnapped. I filled out the customer evaluation form and gave them an A- so far. The only complaint we have is that their website is a bit contradictory and confusing. But the phone tech people made up for that. They were most helpful and patient and thorough. They’re also prompt in the process of producing your book. Good overall experience. We’re ready to move forward with the second in the series—but maybe I’ll give my layout guy a break before putting him on the job again.

The print version of Catnapped will be ready for Valentine’s Day giving. Yay! I’ll plan to have Cat-Eye Witness in print for Mother’s Day—and both will be available for sale from the SPAWN booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

We still have space in the SPAWN booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this year—it’s first-come-first-served for those of you who want to promote your books to 140,000 visitors. You must be a member of SPAWN ($65/year). To learn more about SPAWN’s participation in the LATFB, visit this site: http://www.spawn.org/latfb.htm

To get on the list to receive information about ordering the print edition of Catnapped, the first in the Klepto Cat Mystery series, contact me: PLFry620@yahoo.com

On this, the most giving season of the year, I’d like to talk about the other end of the spectrum—receiving. It is definitely more fun to give to someone who is a gracious recipient. Right? We give in order to bring joy to someone else—to make their world brighter, thrill them, bring a smile to their face.

Through this blog, my Publishing/Marketing News and Views enewsletter, my wide array of books for authors, speaking engagements, my free ebooklets, the SPAWN Market Update and the free information and advice I provide authors who contact me, I give all year long. And I love it when I hear from authors who have benefited from my gifts.

In fact, what happens when you thank someone for helping you find a resource or link you need? You feel good and you encourage the giver to continue giving.

How often, though, do you recognize the gift, but reject it? You keep hearing and reading that you really ought to be intimately familiar with a genre before you try writing in that genre. You are bombarded with advice about the importance of understanding the ins and outs of book promotion, but you don’t have time for that—you’d rather take your chances without putting a lot of effort into marketing your book.

Are you guilty of dissing the pearls of wisdom you actually seek out? Do you read recommended books, regularly visit useful websites and blog sites, subscribe to important newsletters, attend presentations and still decline the gifts that are given out of generosity and wisdom?

If you want to write a WOW book and watch it succeed in the marketplace, start now reading what the professionals write, listening to what they say and gratefully accepting the gifts that will surely lead to your success.

The key is to understand today’s publishing industry and what it takes to succeed within it. For many of you, this means stepping outside your comfort zone into areas you’ve never before explored. It means educating yourself and being willing to take the steps necessary to achieving the goals you’ve set. You will never get from point A to point B any other way, will you? Throughout your lifetime, have you ever reached a goal without knowing which direction to go? Without effort? Without putting one foot in front of the other toward that goal?

If you have a book in the works or you are already marketing a book, take a clue from this season of giving and learn to be a grateful and graceful recipient.

This blog is presented almost daily by Patricia Fry. You can contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com Visit my websites. You’ll see my array of published books here: http://www.matilijapress.com Sign up for my free Publishing/Marketing News and Views newsletter here: http://www.patriciafry.com You can also sign up here to receive a free ebooklet.

We talk about the publishing industry being highly competitive. There are a couple of reasons why we use that term and they might not be what you think.

Definitions of “competition” include “opposition,” “rivalry,” “contest,” “war.” And this isn’t exactly the tone I intend portraying to new authors. I don’t actually see authors fighting with one another for a chance to succeed. In my mind, it isn’t a matter of authors dueling it out in order to become the winner.

I use the term “competition” inferring that an author who doesn’t educate him/herself, who doesn’t enter publishing armed with knowledge and a valid project won’t make it—won’t have a chance at success—won’t be able to compete. Sure, there may only be room for a couple of titles on your book’s topic on Random House’s list in 2014 and you may be vying for a contract against several other authors. In this case, you are competing for a publishing contract. And your book may have to compete with other books for space in bookstores. And there may be competition involved where readers/consumers are concerned—which book will they buy on this subject, yours or the other guy’s?

But when I talk about competition in publishing, I am trying to get you to realize how important it is that you take steps to put yourself in the running. There are beyond numerous opportunities for authors. Every book written in 2013 has a chance to be published. And every one of them could become a success. But they all won’t. Most will not. And it has more to do with whether the book meets a standard, not whether it is better than the others. It has to do with whether the author is savvy, not whether he is more savvy than others.

In my mind, competition, for authors, is about meeting publishing standards. What does this entail?

• Understanding the industry and what consumers want.

• Producing a valid product at the right time.

• Being knowledgeable about the market for your book and being willing to take responsibility for promoting it.

Competition in publishing doesn’t necessarily mean being better than others. It means being the best that you can be and producing a book that best fills a particular need or niche.

Now that the pressure is off and you don’t have to go out and try to do better than someone else, here’s a thought: Forget about competing with others and focus on how you can best yourself. Here are two tips for doing just that: Educate yourself about the publishing industry and the process of publishing and, in order to evaluate your book project and prepare for presenting it to the world, write a book proposal.

To learn more about publishing and book promotion, order my book trio: Publish Your Book, Promote Your Book and Talk Up Your Book. They’re all available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio. Or order them in print here: http://www.matilijapress.com.