A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: The Odd Effect of Subsequent Publications
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.
First book starts to sell again -- and outsells the second and third books (Rose and Sword - no competitions or awards; How to Live from the Heart; not always the off effect - some second and third books have outsold earlier ones
Earlier posts become more popular than current ones. (Greenebaum's older post same day as new post posted)
Today's post addresses an interesting phenomenon in which subsequent publications improve the sales of previous publications, sometimes with previous publications outselling the new books.
Books in Series
It stands to reason that subsequent publications will bring in better sales for all books in a series. Readers who discover the new books often want to return to the earlier books in the series. Sometimes, they need to in order to more fully understand the characters or plots.
The first book of a series, if it is well received, positions subsequent books for good sales.
Marginally related or unrelated books
The same effect can be noticed with marginally related or even unrelated book topics. An author might write a novel or a self-help book followed by a memoir. Alone, the memoir might not sell as well; it is not a particularly lucrative genre, especially for unknown authors. Together, with another book, however, both books often pick up readers. Those who like the novel or self-help (or other) book often want to find out more about the author and therefore read the memoir. Those who have read the memoir might want to know more about the things the author writes about.
Blog Posts
Similarly, subsequent blog posts can promote earlier blog posts. Some of our most popular blog posts were actually earlier posts about similar (or even the same) topics as later posts, with the earlier post subsequently attracting more and more readers.
Bottom line: If you want your book to sell, think about writing another one.
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. Also available as an e-book and an audiobook.
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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