A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Do Not Overlook the Power of Small

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 suggests not underestimating the power of small. As in your book niche; as in your publisher. Take a look at it:

Being in a small niche is not a bad thing. 

• While there may be fewer overall members of your target audience, you are not going to sell to every member of your target audience, anyway. For example, if your niche is parenting, yes, you have a lot of possible buyers BUT you have a proportionately greater number of competitors; unless you have a recognizable name, you may not be able to get your book "seen."    
• Some niches are easier to dominate than others. So, for example, the parenting category, into which a number of MSI Press books fall, is very difficult to poke through into the top 100, given 60,000+ books in that category.
• Whenever your book is in a big niche, it is good to have your third category (each book is allowed three category placements) be the smallest, applicable niche.
• Note that it does not take thousands of book sales every day to reach the top of these lists. You just have to have more book sales than everyone else, except for the others in the top 100. In small niches, that can be just a few sales, and in medium niches, it could be luck of timing (if in one hour you sell two books when no one else sells any, up you go—then, the next hour 200 people sell three books, and down you go). Large categories are truly tough; there you do have to sell a lot of books daily.
• Want your books to be discovered more readily? Use keywords from narrow niches.

Being with a small publisher has some advantages over large publishers.

• Large publishers can often do things that authors dream of (and that, frankly, small publishers also dream of), like stock the shelves of most bookstores and have the money to sustain the loss when 33% of those books are returned without having been sold (the current rate of return, which could put a small publisher or self-published author out of business); the flip side is that large publishers will "float" a large number of books but only continue with those that actually sell well. A small publisher is likely to stick with an author long after a larger publisher would have backlisted a book. 
• Small publishers are typically more able and willing to give personal attention to authors, following their leads or suggestions for marketing possibilities, helping them out with their book signings, answering questions, and much more.
• Small publishers are generally more willing to hold the hand of a new author, helping the author to understand better both the writing business and the publishing business.

Bottom line: Bigger is not always better.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Do not underestimate the power of small.

See more Publisher Conversations with authors HERE.

 Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore.

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.

                             

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