CAN SELF-PUBLISHED NOVELS BE SUCCESSFUL?

Last month Angela responded to our post about self-publishing and asked this perfectly reasonable question about the publicity side of our business.

Angela said...
I agree with Alissa that there is more than one way to get published. I also agree with Julie that the business is really subjective.People often recommend self-published books to me and don't even know the books are self-published. They could care less who the publisher is, they just want to read a good book. That being said, I think it's hard to put a good self-published book out there and be successful without the benefit of editors, readers, proofreaders, a marketing and PR team, and sales team. Kae, do you and Jon do PR for self-published novels? And if so, I'm curious if you have a different strategy for promoting self-published books.


Jon brought this question to my attention this morning and we spent some time discussing it. While we have worked with self-published authors in the past and continue to do so today, these are authors of nonfiction. Publicizing fiction is very difficult, even if the fiction is published by a standard publishing company. Fiction benefits from the distribution, advertising, marketing and sales efforts provided by large companies. But, other than sending out review copies, most publicity efforts for first novels are minimal. When a novelist gains a name and reputation, there is the opportunity for a much wider publicity campaign. That's why you see famous novelists on "Today" and "Oprah."

I would never advise an author to self-publish his or her fiction. (Unless, of course, the author is famous, lectures widely, has a built-in audience of potential buyers, and is already a veteran of countless media interviews.) Without the support a publishing company provides, it's next to impossible to get a fiction book out there in the numbers required to make an impact. Now, I am sure there are exceptions. Perhaps you are a successful self-published novelist or know someone who is. If so, please let us know. I'd love to hear how you did it and so would our readers, I'm sure.


Publicizing self-published non-fiction is a different matter. We've been very successful with our nonfiction self-published authors. Because these authors are experts in their fields, they have the option of selling their books when they do lectures and programs, on their websites, and online. These people have a "platform" (a built-in audience) and can use that audience to promote and sell their books. Typically we will send out review copies, schedule radio and television interviews, set up book signings and pursue online opportunities for our nonfiction authors. Our campaigns for self-published nonfiction authors are the same as for published authors and are limited only by budget constraints.

Bottom line is, publicity for ANY book, published or self-published is tougher than ever as media channels morph and shrink.

BRAVE NEW BOOK WORLD IS NOT FOR SHRINKING VIOLETS

As a seasoned book publicist who doubles as a literary agent, I sometimes stumble on evolving trends that give me a unique perspective into the publishing business. Here is an example. This afternoon I've been calling chain bookstores in the Los Angeles area trying to set up a signing event for an author who is a publicity client. A few years ago this was a fairly simple process--call the store, tell them when the author would be in town, set up a signing date 6 weeks to 2 months in advance of the event so that the store could order books and announce the event in their newsletter.

Not so easy now. The events managers I spoke to wanted to know what the author's connections were to the bookstore's neighborhood. Could the author provide a 150+ mailing list with LA zip codes? It seems the competition is so fierce for signings in big metropolitan areas like LA that authors have to come equipped with their own fan club--folks who the store can be certain will show up and buy books.

This situation speaks to just how competitive the book business is--from query to book promotion--you've got to be head and shoulders ahead of your brethren if you expect to make it. If you are fortunate enough to snag an agent who is fortunate enough to snag a publisher you are still not home free. Often times the publisher's publicity staff is small and overworked and you will be expected to play a huge part in the publicity program to get attention for your book. Sometimes that means contacting all your Facebook friends and asking them to come to your book signing. You may need to call Aunt Lucy and Uncle Herbert too--authors can't be shrinking violets anymore.

Traditional venues for book reviews and media interviews are shrinking, unfortunately--especially book reviews.

Galley Cat, a fabulous source of book publishing wisdom says, "Space, resources, and freelance budgets are shrinking at traditional book review outlets. But one thing hasn't decreased: the number of incoming galleys."

Check the photo above: Galley Cat says, "You are looking at the July fiction reviews bookshelf of the Philadelphia Inquirer. These are the galleys that the Inquirer is considering for reviews during the month of July. Mind you, this is only the fiction section; the nonfiction section has a cabinet with just as many galleys waiting for review. This is only for the month of July, and these are the survivors after a severe winnowing down of all the galleys the newspaper received for this month." [Note: Yen Cheong, Viking/Penguin assistant director of publicity and author of the excellent "Book Publicity Blog," is collecting photos of book reviewers' "to be read" piles.]

Sobering, huh? But this is important information for any aspiring author. You need to know that publishing a book is a mammoth achievement. If you want to capitalize on that achievement, you need to do everything in your power to become a publicity-oriented author. Write a blog, give speeches, visit schools, keep yourself informed by reading everything you can get your hands on. Books are still being published, books are still being reviewed and authors are still being interviewed. It's just much harder in this brave new world.

BOOK EXPO--A Quiet Show

It was a quiet show. Gone are the days with Richard Simmons jumping on the backs of husky passers-by and huge mega-booths from mega-publishers trying to out-glitz one another.

It was a quiet show, but it was the real thing. We met some new publishers and talked about the struggles they face. Again we were told that for nonfiction, "platform" is EVERYTHING. For fiction, it's the writing the counts and the story that seals the deal.

It was a quiet show. We had a few pre-arranged meetings and they went well. For the most part though, we simply dropped in. I was amazed to see how few editors attended. I'm not sure what that means, but time will tell. Highlights and buzz:

• We met a charismatic and quite helpful sales director who gave us excellent suggestions about a book we've been trying to sell for far too long.
• I saw Dr. Ruth exiting the ladies' room. I see her every year.
• We had an illuminating conversation with an editor about how blogging and websites are mandatory for nonfiction writers.
• "Celebrity" bloggers are the hottest.
• Positive quotes from said bloggers about a book can be as helpful as a large-circulation book review.
• I talked to Sherman Alexi--be still, my heart.

It was a quiet show and I'm still exhausted and trying to get caught up.

RAISING YOUR PROFILE

I've blogged in the past about how important it is, especially for a nonfiction author, to develop a "platform." Publishers need to know that you are media-worthy, capable of doing interviews and able to present your ideas in a compelling fashion. If you have a popular website or blog which is read by many, that's even better. Why is this so important?

It's pretty simple. If you already have a following, those people are your potential readers. If people already know you and like what you say they will be very interested in reading your book when it's published. This, in a nutshell, is why books by celebrities are so popular. The publisher doesn't have to invest time and money to introduce the author--the author is famous and her fans will flock to the bookstore to buy her book when it's published. A celebrity is a ready-made publicity machine. But, if you're not Britney Spears or Laura Bush, a blog or website can help you raise your profile.

My longtime client, Paddy Welles, Ph.D., is a noted speaker with great credentials. She is a marriage and family therapist and the author of two books on the topic of intimate relationships. But when she and her co-author Rudolf Harmsen, Ph.D. decided to write a book on the topic of love and war, the playing field changed. Harmsen, an evolutionary biologist and Dr. Welles decided to create a book that would compare and contrast the evolutionary and psychological roots of humankind's need for love and war. It's never been done and it's fascinating.

But Paddy's experience is in the psychological field, not sociology, not in the study of warfare. She needs to do something now to reintroduce herself as an expert on the topics of love AND war. She will do that, in part, with her new blog http://paddy-loveandwar.blogspot.com/.

Take a look at how she's doing this and consider how you might use a blog to help in your quest for a publisher. But blogging is not for everyone. Don't do it if you don't have a strong point of view, a love of writing and the commitment and the time to write frequently. If these traits apply to you, blogging might be a good way to introduce yourself to a wide audience.

SARAH PALIN: $7 MILLION DOLLAR AUTHOR?

One of my favorite long-term clients called me yesterday, nearly in tears about the rumors surrounding the $7 million Palin book deal. "I simply can't believe that publishers would want a book like this when they won't give our book the time of day!" she wailed.

She has a good point. This author has had two books published and she is highly credentialed with a Ph.D and vast experience in her field. Her co-author has similar credentials. But neither of them is famous. They don't write a column for a magazine or a newspaper. Their opinions aren't sought by television or radio shows. You wouldn't recognize their names.

Their book is wonderful--well-written, well-researched with thought provoking ideas that could be of great help to a great many people. Why are we having such a hard time getting publishers to look at it, when "that woman" (Palin) is being courted by the biggest and best?

First, of all, I cautioned my author, no deal has been struck, to my knowledge, between Palin or Palin's agent and any publisher. (Rumor has it that the $7 million dollar balloon was floated in order to get the attention of publishers.) Will Palin get a book deal eventually? Of course. Why? Because we all know who she is. Because her face is familiar. Because we've seen her on television and on the cover of newspapers and magazines coast-to-coast. Because the Palin buzz is still out there and we all want to know more about this quirky character who made "mooseburgers" famous.

Does this mean that you can't get a nonfiction book published if you're not a household name? No. It happens every day. But most published nonfiction authors developed a "platform" in order to give publishers more confidence in their ability to sell books. Perhaps they are public speakers, or MAYBE THEY BLOG. It's not enough to write a good nonfiction book these days. Your platform must precede you so that by the time your agent is approaching publishers, he can tell them how many people listen to you already and are dying to get their hands on your unpublished book.

"But, it's not fair!" says my author, and I agree. It's not fair. But that's that way things are. So, if a nonfiction book is in your future, start working on your platform now. You'll be glad you did.

Oh, and my author? As I'm writing this she's working on establishing a blog. She's a fine writer with great information. I'll let you know when she has posted a few times.