A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: The Hard, Long Road to Book Success

It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.

Today's topic is About factors that lead to book success (or note). Factos include pre-publication efforts and post-publication efforts. From the time you decide to write a book, factors that pre-date publication are as important as those that post-date publication--and unlike what all too many authors expect, factors that post-date publication are critical.

Pre-publication: Writing is the easy part; revising is the hard part.

  • Some authors think that once the last word is on paper, they are done. In reality, the last word is just the beginning of producing the manuscript that will become the book.
  • Revision includes reviewing the concepts--is everything well laid out? Here is where a number of other people can help, depending upon the nature of the book: potential readers to pre-read it and provide feedback (author circles can do this, too), editors can help and development editors may be needed.
  • Revision includes reviewing the words--the spelling, the grammar, the right turn of phrase. Here is where a good copyeditor comes in.
  • Revision cannot be skipped; it is the difference between a high-quality book and just another self-publication (likely not selling well) on the market.

Post-publication: The book launch is the easy part; long-term marketing is the hard part.

  • The book launch is exciting and can be concentrated into an easy-to-manage period of time, but generally does not catapult a book into good sales over the long term.
  • Actual marketing best begins before publication--a platform that is stable and strong for a period of time (2-3 years, but at last many months) is the best way to ensure a successful launch and continuing sales.
  • Far too many first-time authors think that all the marketing efforts belong to the publisher; experienced authors know that publishers alone cannot create book success--authors must help, and publishers expect them to (which is one reason that many, if not most, publishers will not take a risk on a new author without a platform and a plan and clear commitment; the risk is too high.

Bottom line: Book success begins with efforts prior to publication and depends upon long-term commitment.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Don't think only about the easy parts of writing a book; the hard parts are critical to book success.




 Read more posts about publishing HERE.





The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter

Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, and Instagram. 

Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?
Check out information on how to submit a proposal.

Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book
 in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book?
Contact editor@msipress.com.

Want an author-signed copy of this book?
Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25)
and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. 








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Memoriam: Carl Don Leaver

Image
  1948-2021 It is with great sadness that MSI Press notes the death of Carl Leaver, CEO of the Press and typesetter and graphic designer par excellence . Many authors have expressed not only condolences but also a sense of legacy from covers he designed that they love.  Here is his obituary: On August 16, 2021, Carl Don Leaver of San Juan Bautista passed into eternal rest. A forester with the US Forest Service in Idaho and Montana, he turned to nature photography while working in the Bitterroot National Forest. His photographs graced national magazine covers and on a weekly basis the local paper of Hamilton, MT, the Ravalli Republican. He later worked on photography projects for the US Army (AFEES) and taught photography at the New York Institute of Technology in Amman, Jordan. His final career change led him to computer graphics and publishing as co-owner of MSI Press LLC; his many typeset books and book covers have helped MSI Press authors win a large number of awards over t...
Read more

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Book Marketing vs Book Promotion

Image
It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  Today's post looks at the difference between book marketing and book promotion, two terms that are frequently confused. Leading to the confusion is that some of the same activities are needed for both. In fact, good marketing is dependent upon good promotion. Perhaps the essential difference is that marketing focuses on sales, and promotion focuses on awareness --  noting that without awareness, sales generally do not happen. Book Marketing Book marketing includes promotion, sales, and increasing awareness of the availability of the book. It generally starts with a marketing plan that identifies the target audiences and selects marketing ...
Read more