A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: The Number 22



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 brief one, but a very important. It is about the number 22. In brief, 22 is the number (the new, the latest) number is the number of times someone has to see an advertisement of or reference to a book (on average, according to recent statistics) a hard-to-believe 22 times. So, what does that mean for a publisher/author?

  • Repetitive promotion of a book means more than 4-5 times (as in the past). This can be, in part, because of the way social media, which is the most frequent form of advertising (print advertising, in general, has, over time, lost the effectiveness it once had), presents information: mainly through scrolling down a page. In scrolling, unless a reader stops deliberately scrolling, items such as book information and graphics register only briefly; hence, the need for any one book to get attention so many times.
  • If sales are low, don't give up - chances are your book has not been able to rise above the noise in the book sales business; repeat, repeat, repeat -- and "advertise" in as many forms as possible.
  • Check all those other things that help, too: good book description, look inside features, credibility through other publications, SEO, and so on.

Bottom line: Don't give up if your book is not a bestseller right away; remember the number 22.                                                                     

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: "Advertising" a book requires extensive exposure: think 22.

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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