A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Twinning

 

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. 

This week's conversation addresses the benefits of "twinning" as a book writing and publishing option. Twinning refers to when a new book resembles an older book. MSI Press has several such twins in its book collection. Let's look at ways twinning at help with book sales -- and what are the various models for twinning, noting upfront that twinning is not the same as producing a series since, with twinning, the books are by different authors. Here are some twinning options among MSI Press books.

Using other (successful) books as models for format

In this case, an author follows the formatting (or approach) of another author. An example of this is the book, He's a Porn Addict...Now What?, written by psychologist, Tony Overbay, with his client, Joshua Shea. They were taken by and followed the format of Healing from Incest, written by Geri Henderson (patient) with her psychologist Seanne Emerton (for which they had to get permission from the Nebraska State Board of Ethics for psychologists.

Using other (successful) books as models for content

Currently, Lauretta Avina is writing a cultural memoir associated with regional recipes (Italy) -- watch for the book release in the fall -- similar to the popular book, Syrian Folktales by Muna Imady.

Paralleling famous books

In similar ways, Larry MacDonald chose to parallel John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley with his now-award-winning book, Travels with Elly.

Using an established book as a spin-off

Marsha Franklin is currently working on a book, Survival of the Catholic Caregiver, as a spin-off of the more general book, Survival of the Caregiver by Janice Snyder.

Writing a series, based on an existing book

When the well-respected socionics author, Ekaterina Filatova (Understanding the People around You), died, her friend and colleague, Kacee Quinelle, undertook the writing of a series of a books based on "Katya's" book. The plan is to finish one book for each of the 16 socions. To date, she has published four: Understanding the Critic, Understanding the Analyst, Understanding the Seeker, and Understanding the Entrepreneur.

Imitating a book cover

Andrew Harvey, author of the award-winning book, Tucker and Me, fell in love with the book cover of Bennett Easterling's award-winning book, Of God, Rattlesnakes, and Okra. Easterling's book cover was a brown parchment design (as used in a diary) with a childhood photo in an oval frame. Harvey's book cover is exactly the same design, but in green, also with a childhood photo in an oval frame.

Bottom line: Twinning can be a great way to organize/frame a book in a way that has already proved successful. One author can also ride the coattails of another in this way -- and that can be of benefit to the twinning author. As for the author of the original book, mimicry can be the greatest form of flattery. (Just don't copy or plagiarize the work of another author! Using parallel features is fair; copying actual work is not.)

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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Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.

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Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.

   

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