Category Archives: Publishing

Self-publishing Success is Fueling Traditional Publishing

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With a growth rate over 400% in the past 5 years, self-publishing is actually turning out to be a benefit for traditional publishers.

More publishers than ever before are signing authors who self-published their books. Indie authors have finally found their ways onto some of the top bestseller lists, which is eye-opening considering that many lists are compiled by newspapers that still refuse to review indie authors.

Nowadays, I tell clients that they can self-publish at the same time they are querying agents and publishers. If the self-published route doesn’t work out, no harm done. If they hit it big, though, they have even more appeal for traditional publishers to take a close look.

Self-published Book Titles Jumped in 2012

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Bowker, the ISBN provider, found that the number of self-published books in 2012 rose 59% to over 390,000 titles. Ebooks have led the charge, although print books still accounted for about 60% of self-published titles.

The analysis also found that more than 80% of self-published titles came from just eight companies, including Smashwords and CreateSpace. Fiction is the most popular self-published genre followed by inspirational/spiritual works, books for children, and biographies.

PW Says Self-publishing is the Only Conversation Publishers Need to Have

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At the Frankfurt Book Fair, Publisher’s Weekly encapsulated the event by saying “The self-publishing discussion is the only conversation we need to be having today.”

The Virginia Quarterly’s web editor backed that up.

Books on Demand pointed out that 60% of self-published authors see no difference between their efforts and those provided by traditional publishers. At the same time, 75% saw marketing as the biggest advantage offered by traditional publishers.

And that’s no small point. Self-published authors have to take very broad approaches to marketing to see what works for them at that moment in their selected category. Traditional publishers already know what works and are able to focus a team of individuals on those efforts.

VQR pointed out that the element connecting both groups is that they are both reaching out to readers. And that should be key for you no matter which publishing route you take.

Good News for Self-published Author from Big Five

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Jennifer Brehl at HarperCollins’s William Morrow imprint bought North American rights to Tina Seskis’s novel, One Step Too Far. The amount hasn’t been revealed but is rumored to have been $500,000.

The book was originally published in April as a Kindle e-book that hit #1 on Amazon. Seskis, who grew up in New Hampshire and now lives in London, followed the e-book publication with a paperback release. The print edition then went on to hit the bestseller list of the British bookstore chain, W.H. Smith.

The Stories Behind Famous Book Covers

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I’ve posted before on the importance of a book’s cover. I’ve also included links to lists of successful covers and downright terrible covers. Now Publisher’s Weekly’s blog has set up a collection of covers with the stories behind each.

Take a moment to check this out. It contains a lot of information you can use when considering how well your own cover will work.

New Opportunity for Christian Authors

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1Source is a collaborative effort between publishers and includes Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, Believers Press, Bethany Press, and Anchor Distributors. Their new books will appear as part of 1Source’s Jerry B. Jenkins Select Line in spring 2014.

Book Publisher Info

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CQ Press focuses on American and international politics. Submit a proposal and two sample chapters.

Book Publisher Info

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Forge and TOR both publish sci-fi and fantasy. They’re under Macmillan’s umbrella so they represent major players who accept submissions directly from authors.

Book Publisher Info

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Willow Creed Press specializes in nature, outdoor and sporting books. Prospective authors should submit a chapter-by-chapter outline and sample chapters via mail.

Self-publishing is Changing Traditional Publishers

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Recently, news from Europe indicated that self-publishing is beginning to grow at rates similar to those seen in America’s early years of self-publishing. The reasons authors choose to go their own way is the same as here: more control, a faster path to publication, and more direct contact with their readers.

FOCUS magazine said that traditional publishers will have to get on board with this trend worldwide. Providing access to bookstores, it said, is the last area where the gatekeepers still function. If publishers want to survive, they are going to have to help all authors publish and distribute their books.

Do you think survival for traditional publishing houses will hinge on this in part or in whole? Why or why not?

Amazon’s Print and Ebook Bundling

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Recently I posted on the discussions about bundling a free copy of ebooks into every print edition sold. Now Amazon has announced that they will be launching a program like that in October.

Called Kindle Matchbook, the offer is not going to be available on every title. Instead, they need to negotiate with individual publishers. They have predicted that 10,000 titles will be available on that program by its launch date.

Now, Amazon has already taken flack for merely predicting that 10K number. But by now, everyone should know that Amazon’s spin often turns out to be self-fulfilling. The real question is why now, and why Amazon?

Of course the idea is timely and readers love it, so it works. If it helps authors expand their reach, that is useful too. For now, though, the impact seems to be limited to well-known authors or well-known titles (even ones that are decades old). For Amazon, though, it’s a way to enhance their date collection. Depending on whether you abhor big data as an invasion of privacy or think big data on reading trends can be helpful, that might sound greatly overreaching or just plain great.

The Importance of Titles…and How They Can Fail

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I’ve posted before on the importance of titles in terms of how they work with algorhythms on websites that sell books. Here’s a great article about some titles that failed due to how they strick potential readers.

Traits of a Successful Author

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One of the most important traits of a successful author is confidence.

Of course you must have confidence in the quality of your work. There are so many opportunities to receive rejections that authors have to know beyond any doubt that their work is worthy of being published.

The value of your work might come from the message it offers, how it tackles some social issue, or simply from the fact that it is a heart-stopping, fast-paced read.

Know the value of your work and allow that to inform your confidence. Be rock steady with this. No matter whether you work with a traditional publisher, print your own books, or strike a hybrid balance, you’ll need confidence to build your career over the long haul.

The Washington Post Sale to Amazon’s Bezos

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The past weeks have seen so much chatter about Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s top dog, buying the Washington Post newspaper. On the shrill side, folks are claiming he’ll use the paper to cement Amazon’s position in the halls of the White House. The warm-and-fuzzy side points out that since Bezos (not Amazon) bought the paper, perhaps he’s interested in shoring up a venerable institution that serves the public good.

Of course it’s far too early to tell. But this purchase is part of a trend. Over the past months, many independently wealthy individuals have purchased some of the country’s top newspapers. Many of these purchases turn the newspapers private.

That’s a critical element. Whenever a company goes private, it is no longer chained by law to focus on shareholder profit. Newspapers have always been a true community service. Yes, they need to make money and yes, they carry advertisements. But the content has always been based on a specific set of interests. Even papers that put out national editions provide content that has a particular flavor for a particular subscriber base.

Considering this recent shift, newspapers might actually be on the mend.

Book Publisher Info

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Kensington Publishing is a major indie house. They produce hardcover, trade and paperback books and have several imprints under their primary company.