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“But how many books will I SELL?” – Author Events Part Two
One of the first things a publisher or author will ask of any marketing plan is “what is the return on my investment going to be?” The person with the checkbook wants to know that if they write out the zeros, they can plan on a significant return on their investment.
I hate to tell give them the only answer that anyone can give… “It depends.”
Carol Zelaya, author of the Emily the Chickadee series, published by Richlee Publishing, launched her first children’s book in April 2008. She hired a fantastic PR firm to set up the launch, complete with a book signing tour covering four states that she expected would stimulate sales. Her expectations were quickly dashed.
“I mistakenly thought that once you were invited to do a book signing, you had really made it.” says Zelaya “I was so wrong. Even when the stores did tons of publicity and put up big posters, no one came.”
But are sales the only purpose of an author tour? What results and returns can authors expect when the people don’t show up at the event? Why do an author event if no one can guarantee sales?
“The thing you have to remember is the benefits outside of the event.” Says David Brody, author of several novels, including Cabal of the Westford Knight, published last February by Martin & Lawrence.
If you go into a tour looking at it strictly in terms of sales during events, it will not work, Brody says. “I may sell only 5 or 10 books at an event, but that is not the point. I have to take into consideration that the store orders the books a few weeks ahead of time, makes a display, puts up a poster; plus, the manager and employees get to know my book. At the event, who knows who will hear me and what they might tell other people? And after the signing, I will leave a few signed copies and those might get displayed for a few weeks. I can often attribute 50 or 60 sales to an event that drew only 10 sales that day. If you look at it that way, the economics make sense.”
So the question I put out there is this… “What is the REAL return on your author tour investment?” I’d love to hear from authors who have recently toured to see if they think touring is worth their time and money.
Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Color
Just yesterday, someone posted an interesting question to one of the discussion groups that we follow.
Basically, the question was “Does anyone have any idea what the “ideal color” for a business book should be?”
I was surprised by the number of responses that actually suggested a color! Blue, it seems, is the color people associate with business books. Apparently, content and subcategory doesn’t matter. It should just be blue.
To me, responses such as these are dangerously irresponsible. How can a group of people suggest a “sellable” color without doing the extensive research needed to choose a book’s packaging?
How can something as vitally important as a book’s cover be reduced to the simple question of: “What color should a [insert your own category here] book be?”
Below are some highlights from my response to the “color” discussion. I hope you find them useful:
1. Research the subcategory – leadership, time management, ethics, human resources, business management, management, how-to business, marketing, etc.
2. Purchase (or at least go to the bookstore and look at) the top sellers in your subcategory. Identify the colors, fonts and images used.
3. Find out what’s working and why. Are they all the same color, same title treatment, same image pattern? I’m guessing not. Why not? Which of the books “popped” off the shelf most. Why? (the color could be why)
4. Pull out books in colors that you and your client like that are in your cover design. Put them in the shelf within your category. Can you see them? Why? Why not? Which colors will stand out on the shelf.
It’s important to keep in mind that cover design is ultimately driven by the consumer. We teach people what to expect when they go in to the business category in terms of look, feel, trim size and even price. So, you want to be sure that you’re what they expect. At the same time, it’s important to stand out. If every book in your subcategory is blue, you might want to try red, or green or muted purple. You might want to try something very bright that practically leaps off the shelf.
Most importantly, there is no set formula for choosing “a color” for any category of books. you need to thoroughly research the subcategory and find out how you can match up against the competition and get noticed on the shelf.
Bookstore Events – Your Thoughts?
The Cadence Group is doing some research in to bookstore events and we’d love your thoughts!
As we know, the landscape of book marketing is changing on a daily basis. Budgets are being slashed at all ends of the publishing process from advances to marketing to promotional placements to author tours. Publishers and authors are trying to figure out how to best reach their readers.
The avenue that we’re currently exploring is the author tour, book signings, and/or bookstore events.
Do they work? The Cadence Group has interviewed a number of authors, independent retailers, publishers and chain bookstores. We’d love to get your thoughts and feedback as well.
What’s your experience?
Results coming soon….
Are things turning around for Borders?
Three months ago, it was announced that Borders was seeking to combine existing stocks in an attempt to bolster their stock prices to above a dollar. Three weeks ago, they announced that their stocks had risen above a dollar all on their own. The cost cutting and new management policies put into place by Ron Marshall seemed to be working. Investors were impressed and the stock has been rising ever since. Last closing, BGI was traded at $2.62.
Business journals that had recently written off the book retailer are now pointing to BGI’s possible rejuvenation. Reporters, who in February named Borders as one of the top 10 companies guaranteed to fail in 2009, are now heralding a new day at BGI.
Will Marshall’s changes be good for the company? What do you think of Borders’ “turn-around”?
Do You Go To Author Events?
One of the things we do here at the Cadence Group is set up author tours.
It is getting harder and harder to convince stores to agree to host our touring authors. It’s not that they don’t want to offer their customers an event, it’s just that they cannot afford to.
Staff at bookstores nation-wide has been cut very deeply and stores do not have the staff to work an author event.
It is hard to convince a cash-strapped bookstore owner to staff up for an event when there is a good chance no one will show up. The extra staffing costs for even one disappointing evening can kill a store’s profit.
So… my question for you is…. do you go to events at bookstores?
Educated by the Audience
Last weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to sunny Florida to conduct a workshop for the Space Coast Writers’ Guild. While I may have been the presenter, I also learned a lot from this really fantastic group of writers.
In fact, I came home with a smart list of questions about the market and industry that I thought needed some extra research. These writers are really on top of their game.
We talked about marketing, positioning, platforms and social networking. They wanted to know category sales trends, competition and how to differentiate themselves from other books on the shelf. They asked smart questions about self-publishing, e-books and grass roots publicity.
While we spend a lot of time talking about the changing landscape of what’s happening with publishers, this group taught me another important lesson.
Savvy writers are learning to navigate our industry just as well….if not better…than the rest of us.
Borders Layoffs more Corporate Staff
Advice for Self-Help Authors Looking for an Agent or Publisher
Yesterday, The Cadence Group received an email from an e-book Self Help author who wanted some advice. She says she will soon be looking for an agent and wanted to know where to start. My intrepid partner, Bethany Brown, offered her this great advice:
1. If your plan is to seek a publisher or agent in the near future, you need to start building your platform right away. In particular, if you’re writing nonfiction. It’s important to make sure that you – and your book – stand out in a crowd. A great way to do this is to start blogging, build a website, write articles for newspapers and magazines, and perhaps try to secure some speaking engagements and/or workshops using some of the ideas from your book.
2. Start thinking about your book proposal now. There are a lot of great books out there to guide you through the process. But a good book proposal requires a lot of research and planning. Mapping out the elements now will help you “fill them in” as you do your competitive research, build your platform and think about your marketing plans and strategy.
3. Get to know your category. Your book will only be shelved in one place in the bookstore. Make sure you understand your competition. How do you differentiate yourself? Is there a market for your book? Do you have a unique hook? Does your book “fit” with your category in regard to length, content and packaging.
4. When you’re ready to move on to trying to find an agent or publisher, might I recommend that your first stop be your local bookstores. Pull out books that are similar to yours and/or that you really like. Check the acknowledgement page. A good agent will often be thanked by the author in the acknowledgements. Look at the copyright page. Who published the book? Make a list of your top 10 – 15 agents and publishers and go home and check out their websites. Do they accepted unsolicited proposals? What format do that want to see your proposal in? Do they prefer a query letter as first contact? Pay close attention to their requirements and follow them – you don’t want to be discounted from the outset for a minor mistake.
5. Always make sure you research any agent and/or publisher before agreeing to work with them.
How to Write a Book Proposal, Michael Larsen
Nonfiction Book Proposals Anyone Can Write, Elizabeth Lyon
How to Get a Literary Agent, Michael Larson
Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, Jeff Herman
Writer’s Market 2008
Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents 2008: Who They Are! What They Want! How to Win Them Over!
Book Marketing
Book Marketing is the act of letting the end user, the reader, know that your book is available and where to find it. Successful books are marketed in a manner that results in a reader purchasing your book and taking it home. A well-marketed book starts with a well-written marketing statement
Starting with the Basics:
To create a truly effective marketing statement, start with the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
- Who will actually shell out the money to buy your book? Outline their age, finances, gender, and circumstances.
- What makes your book worth the consumer’s dollars?
- Where will your readers find your book?
- When will your readers need your book? At what point in their lives will they need your book?
- Why is your book more appealing than others in the same category are? (Be brutally honest here. Do you compete on price? Is your information more up to date?)
How will your potential readers find out about your book?
Your Positioning Statement
Get all this down on paper and look at it. You are now prepared to write your book’s positioning statement. When you are ready to present your book to the world (readers, bookstores, publicists, buyers, etc.), the most important tool in your arsenal will be the positioning statement. This statement is 100 words that outline for a potential buyer the reasons why your book will be of interest to their clients.
These 100 words should not outline what your book is about. This statement exists to talk about the potential market for your book and how you, as the publisher, plan to reach that market.
For example, if you have identified your core readership as business executives looking for a new job, your positioning statement could look something like this:
Shut Up and Hire Me is a step-by-step program designed for the busy business executive. Each chapter was written and designed to be read in less than ten minutes. Unlike other career guides on the shelf today, Shut Up and Hire Me draws from the wisdom and experience of CEOs from more than thirty Fortune 500 companies. Interviews, combined with proven techniques, are provided to help executives find and land their next position. Author Bill Billiam has hired top New York PR firm, Blown Out of Proportion, and is the author of such previous works as: Better Dead than Unemployed and More Money for Less Work.
Try it and see what you can come up with!
Top Ten Reasons Why Your English Teacher-Mother-Neighbor-Friend-Church Secretary Cannot Edit or Proof Your Book
- An avid reader with a red pen is not a good substitute for an editor who knows how to polish and refine another’s writing.
- The amateur editor or proof reader does not know all the elements to look for.
- They have not developed the years of training it takes to catch almost every mistake.
- They do not know the proper arc and format of each type of book.
- They do not know The Chicago Manual of Style standards for book publishing.
- They do not know how to code a manuscript for the designers.
- Yes, they catch every spelling mistake in their daily lives, but they do not catch every spacing, line setting, page number, and margin error.
- They are not practiced in working in the publishing industry. They cannot offer the advice and guidance that a professional can.
- They do not have the software and computer skills to work as efficiently as a professional.
- Hire an amateur, and you will might lose your chance to publish a good book and end up publishing a could-have-been-good book.
D5 Creation