What will happen if major bookstores follow the path of so many independent bookstores and crash? (It’s happening as we speak!) What will be the lure and the perks of landing a traditional royalty publisher then? If books are no longer selling in large numbers through community bookstores, then how will they be sold?
Are publishers gearing up for this possibility? Do they see that the future of bookselling could take a very different form? Can they see that this is already happening? The future is beginning to take shape.
Will publishers go down? Those who have relied solely on bookstore sales certainly will. Those who have not been exploring new ways to promote and present books may not survive.
What could save them? Perhaps the lowly author.
Many publishers in recent years have required marketing plans from their authors. They want to know about your strong platform related to the theme/genre of your book. They need information about your skills, abilities and willingness to get out and promote your own books. Publishers have learned a lot from their more proactive authors. They know which authors will make them some money—and it’s not necessarily those with the most charming books. They also know more about what it takes to promote books because they’ve been watching their successful authors.
More and more publishers may also go out in search of authors who are working successful promotional plans and selling numbers of books on their own.
Publishers have expected authors to think outside the box for years. Now it’s the publishers’ turn. If their main source for bookselling freezes up, they will be forced either out of business or to become more creative.
With this in mind, folks, I advise you to choose your publisher carefully in these rapidly changing times. Consider this:
• If the publisher doesn’t require authors to come in with a strong business plan and a well-developed platform, maybe you should look for another publisher. He may not be realistic in his view of where publishing is going.
• If he doesn’t seem to have some creative marketing tactics up his sleeve, you should probably shy away from this publisher.
And, as an author, it is even more important that you take the steps we’ve been suggesting for several years.
• Keep up with publishing industry trends.
• Produce a viable product that is needed/desired.
• Establish a strong platform and keep building on it.
• Develop your marketing skills.
• Think and act outside the box.
• Become and remain proactive on behalf of your book.
This is a good time to familiarize yourself with the publishing industry. An excellent way to do that is by reading my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Then keep up with trends through SPAWNews (FREE) and the SPAWN Market Update. Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network at http://www.spawn.org
Order the book from me and get a free book of your choice. Email me for your choices: PLFry620@yahoo.com