What are some of the most important things an author should do before publication? Here’s a list:
- Study the publishing industry.
- Understand your publishing options.
- Educate yourself about book marketing.
- Hire a good book editor.
- Devise a marketing plan.
Subsequent posts will focus on some of these points. Today, let’s discuss the first one—study the publishing industry. Why is this important?
I tell authors that they should consider themselves the CEO of their books from day one. Even if you decide to engage an agent and/or approach traditional publishers with your project, in order to succeed, you must take charge. Who knows your project better than you do? Who cares as much about it?
Before you go with any pay-to-publish company, sign with an agent, or work with a publisher, educate yourself about the publishing industry. I suggest starting this research even before you decide to write a book. Why? You want to make sure you are writing a book that will fly in today’s crowded, competitive marketplace and you need to know how to make it fly.
When you visit Amazon.com and see books with a lot of five-star reviews, when you hear that a book is selling by the thousands, why do you think that is? Most of the time it is due to the author’s efforts. The author knows something about the publishing industry, what makes it work, what makes a book popular, how to market books and so forth. One thing these authors have learned is that you must know who your audience is and write your book for that audience.
This is a good starting place for those of you who are new to publishing. Read books about publishing and book marketing, subscribe to newsletters, and attend workshops and lectures related to publishing. You can visit my website and browse my resource pages to learn what books and newsletters I recommend. http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/resources.html