Tag: #publishing

Shifting the Focus of Your Book Post-Contract

Leave a comment

Often, books are contracted months or even years ahead of their release. As authors’ platforms and work evolve, they may find that the audience or topic they’re writing to is no longer the largest part of their business. To get the publisher’s support to change directions while keeping the contract terms intact, an author might consider the following:

  • Is the new focus marketable? Is it a buzz topic in the industry or news, ensuring that the book will sell?
  • Is the new primary audience the biggest following or clientele the author has? As I’ve said before (and so has Jeb Blount), people buy you. That means the author must write in their authentic voice and to the audience that they are in front of.
  • Does the publisher have a history of success in the new area? In many cases, the author is not shifting the focus or audience so much that this will be an issue. For instance, a publisher that sells books to teachers will most likely also have a good record with education leaders too.

When making the case to their publisher, authors should also note any new marketing or bulk sales opportunities to strengthen their case. Publishing is a partnership, and both parties must satisfy their objective.

Good luck!

Positioning Yourself as the Right Person to Write This Book

Leave a comment

A proper book proposal should position the prospective author as an expert or unique voice on the subject. After all, the writer isn’t just trying to convince the publisher to release a book on the subject but to contract the writer to author that book.

When making their case, the writer can include the following information.

  • Credential: Detail their level of education and institutions as well as training (internships, apprenticeships, jobs held) as it relates to the book’s topic.
  • Business: List any keynotes, presentations, or workshops they have put on about the subject. The writer must go on to share the audience size for these keynotes and workshops and how much they charge. Publishers want to partner with authors who can help promote and sell the book. Having a business that the book complements demonstrates that the writer can make a topnotch partner for sales and promotion.
  • Following: Add in social media followers or subscribers that turn to the author for news on the subject. Along those lines, include the location of those followers. Both Tik Tok and Instagram show its account holder what countries their followers are connecting from, which helps the prospective author demonstrate to a publisher that they have international reach. The writer should also share the open rate for their newsletter and emails.

The prospective author must show that they bring a unique and marketable perspective to the book deal.

Good luck!

Identifying Your Primary Audience

Leave a comment

Whether reading a proposal or discussing a prospective author’s book idea, there’s a point when my focus turns to primary audience—that is, the customer who will buy the most copies of the author’s book. It is quite common for authors who want their books to reach as many people as possible and undoubtedly to sell as many copies of their book as possible to say everyone is their audience. That is never true and actually paints the author as ignorant to the promotion and sells component of what makes a book successful.

Audience should strike the balance of (1) being large enough to make a book worth a publisher’s time but (2) narrow enough that the publisher knows how to sell it and (3) authors distinguishes themselves in the field. Since most of my career is spent in academic and trade PD publishing, I would urge authors who want to work with me to consider the following when determining their audience.

  • Who is the current captive audience? That is, what organizations, firms, schools, or other client are paying the author for keynotes and training—and renewing contracts for additional workshops? Who comprises the author’s social and professional network (i.e., academics, system and school leaders, or someone else)?
  • What audience will the author be presenting to in the coming 1–2 years?
  • What conferences is the author attending or panels is the author sitting on?

The answer to these questions = the primary audience. Anyone else is ancillary.

If the first book finds success, the author is welcome to focus the next book on this secondary audience.

Optimizing Online Presence to Attract Trade Publishers

Leave a comment

I’ll begin with a quote by bestselling author Jeb Blount (2010): “People buy you.” In this case, people encompass acquisitions editors—the party a publisher tasks with signing new authors to books that support publisher goals. Before an acquisitions editor invites a prospective author for a meeting or to send a book proposal, they will likely do an online search to see what they can learn about you and your work.

A few of the things I look for:

  • Publicity about the prospect—I consider, “Is the author mentioned in professional or local news stories? What is the context?” Prospect authors should do online searches for themselves to see what information presents itself. I do not care if you’re divorced, but I do care if you’ve been given an industry award. I want to sign content experts.
  • Personal or professional website—I look for a bio, upcoming speaking or training events, prices of those events, and list of speaking or research topics to name a few. I look to see whether the author is affiliated with any professional organizations, schools, or individuals whose support can help book sales. A prospective, or even published, author would be wise to include these elements. They should keep the information up-to-date to accurately reflect themselves.
  • Social media—I look at the author’s following, frequency of posts, follower engagement with posts, and more. Again, I want to know if there is an audience that would support the book. Along those lines, I also want to see if there are any red flags that suggest the author is not a good fit. Those flags entail posts that suggest the author’s passion no longer lies in the direction that I am interested in pursuing, posts that harass others online, or similar.

Online presence is an easy vehicle for self-promotion.

Citation: Blount, J. (2010). People buy you: The real secret to what matters most in business. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley

Choosing a Publisher for Your Book

Leave a comment

So, you have a book proposal (or a complete draft manuscript), and you’re ready to submit it to a publisher. With thousands of publishers all proclaiming that they can help a book find success, how do you know which is a good fit for you?

Drawing on my experience with scholarly and trade publishers, I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions to find the best home for your book.

  • Who are you reading for books on a similar topic? Consider who publishes the books you cite in your own work and who’s publishing the leading voices in the field. That’s a good indicator of the publisher’s interest. Publishers are strategic; it’s safer to market to their captive audience—an audience that trusts their reputation—than taking a risk on a first-time author writing to a new audience.
  • Who is the target audience? Many academic presses publish for scholarly readers; these books tend to be niche and written to advance the field of research rather than entertain the masses. Academic presses consider proposals from academics who have the credentials, resumes, and unique perspective to contribute to the field. A commercial trade publisher, however, generally caters to the general interest reader. While they still consider the author’s expertise and unique perspective or story, they often consider author platform and whether the author has an agent. When acquiring in a scholarly press, for example, I didn’t look at a prospects number of followers; but I definitely do as an editor for my trade publisher. In the latter case, I want an author who can promote their book to their followers while I support my publisher pitching the book to our retail partners.
  • What business model complements your platform and objectives? There are traditional publishers that take on the responsibilities of book production, marketing, and so on and pay authors royalties but rely on authors to help promote their books. Others offer to publish the work and book an author for professional development, which might be great for an author with a small profile and limited reach. Those with thriving businesses or consulting services might bristle at this arrangement. And of course, there are self-publishing models that charge an author for all expenses incurred or leave it to the author to arrange cover design, developmental and copyediting, and so on.

As an author, you have to know what your bottom line is. Once you generate a list of publishers that are a good fit, send your proposal to them all according to their book proposal requirements.  

Here’s a bonus for the academic author:  Visit the Association of University Presses (https://bit.ly/3X91dXI) to access a subject-area grid that lists academic presses and the subjects they publish in. The list is usually updated yearly.

Good luck!

Getting Past Imposter Syndrome for New Authors

Leave a comment

During a staff meeting, my colleagues discussed several newly signed authors who were hesitant to send in their draft manuscripts because they feared the content wasn’t good enough. They were missing submission deadlines and fretting over the layout and direction of their manuscripts. These authors concerned were perfectly reasonable—and to expected—from new authors.

However, my colleagues told their authors the same thing I tell my own. While we are not psychologists and can’t replace the work they do, we do have a bit of experience coaching insecure authors. That means reminding nervous authors that:

  • Authors are content experts whose been working in the field for years. They have a reputation of delivering quality research and work that their followers and industry sources trust, and that’s why the publisher believed in them enough to sign.
  • The editorial staff is an author’s safeguard. We employ project managers, developmental editors, copyeditors, peer reviewers, and more to ensure the content and quality of our authors’ work are top-shelf.
  • Authors aren’t going it alone, so they should take advantage of their publisher’s resources. Send ideas and sample chapters in for feedback and let the editor be their reality check
  • Authors should step away when feeling overwhelmed and reconnect with the “why” of their book. Who is the audience, what does the author want to communicate, what prior knowledge does the reader have, and what is the goal? Asking oneself these questions will help the author from becoming overwhelmed.

I guess my overall message is stop expecting perfection and embrace that you’re dope.

Good luck!

Coauthoring a Book: 4 Recommendations for a Smooth Publishing Experience

2 Comments

I noticed that quite a number of books that I acquired have multiple authors. Whether they’re longtime business partners penning their first book or previously published authors sharing a byline for the first time, coauthors can do the following to make the process easier on them and the publisher.

  • Have a clear, joint vision for their book: Successful books have a clear audience, message, and cohesive voice. Before submitting their proposals, coauthors should discuss and agree on these elements.
  • Know how they will split royalties: It is not a given that all parties will split royalties equally. If one is contributing more in terms of authorship, research, marketing, or celebrity, it is okay for that person to get a larger percentage of the royalties if coauthors agree. Or coauthors may want all royalties to be paid to a single entity like a charity or institution. Either way, they must notify their acquisitions editor, so she can add the proper designations to the contract.
  • Choose one party to be the primary contact: Especially if there are three or more authors involved, it will make for a more cohesive publishing process for editorial, design, and production if the managing editor or acquisition staff can contact one person to respond to questions or assign tasks. This does not mean all parties can’t be copied on all email correspondence. It is just more time efficient to have one person compiling and then communicating cover design considerations, for example, instead of the publisher receiving multiple emails that may state very different desires. That leads to the next point.
  • Designate collaboration time and assign tasks: Coauthors should create a schedule that gives them time to discuss their writing strategy, promotion and sales information from their publisher, deadlines, and so on. Along those lines, considerations when designating work include asking who will:
    • Solicit or compile endorsements
    • Review the copyedit and respond to editor queries
    • Review page proofs
    • Proofread the draft before sending it to their publisher

This is by no means an exhaustive list but does help coauthors plan for a smooth publishing process.

Naming Your Book

Leave a comment

A book’s title is arguably as important as its content. A vague title or one too common runs the risk of being overlooked by retail customers. A title that’s too niche is also unlikely to gain traction.

One must also make sure the book’s title complements the cover art. Simple, short titles look great on covers with little or with tremendous artwork. On the other hand, a long title (think more than seven words) on a 6 x 9 trim book or on a cover that already has a lot of images may look too busy and off-putting, especially as a thumbnail–the size the cover will as on online retailers.

The following are a few questions to consider to get a title that resonates on the market.

• Does the proposed title identify the book’s audience and the book’s goal?

• What key terms will buyers use to search retailer sites or inquire at bookstores about books on the topic?

• What terms are popular among leading competitors?

Authors shouldn’t consider titling their book a solo task. They should consult their publisher, which has access to marketing and sales professionals. The latter know which key words, title, or subtitle will best position the book for success on the market.

Good luck!

Bragging on Yourself, Selling Yourself

Leave a comment

Some see humility as a virtue, and I concede there is a time for it. However, that time is never when writing your proposal or pitching yourself to a publisher. When writing your proposal or pitching yourself, you as prospective author should detail:

  • Your expertise—What are your credentials? Have you received any national or international awards or appointments because of your work?
  • Your platform—How many unique views does your website, YouTube channel, or podcast receive each month? How many subscribers do your various social media? How many “shares” do typical posts or Tweets receive?

Brag about yourself! Learn to distinguish yourself early on because you’ll have to do more self-promotion when your book releases.

Preparing to Meet an Acquisition’s Editor

Leave a comment

Whether you contact the editor or she prospects you to discuss your book idea, you should bring your A game to the meeting. That is:

  • Be professional—Arrive on time, minimize distractions as much as possible, and be ready to discuss your work and your book idea. Editors often schedule meetings back-to-back so it’s a good use of both parties’ time to quickly communicate your goal, your vision for your book now and for years to come, and why you want to work with that publisher.
  • Ask questions—The meeting is your chance to assess whether the publisher is a good fit for you. One way to do that is to question those parts of the process you’re unclear about and see if the editor responds seriously, sincerely, and to your satisfaction.
  • Be coachable—While you may be a content expert, you likely aren’t an expert on matters such as best marketing practices, consumer buying trends, translation rights, and so on. If an editor tells you that it’s better to include reproducibles or reflection space in your book and bump its trim size to 7” x 10” instead of releasing a book and companion workbook, for example, heed the advice—but don’t shy from asking why. To have a successful working relationship, editors like myself will note how you respond to feedback. Are you engaged and coachable, or do you insist that you know best?
  • Sell yourself and your expertise—Be true to yourself. If you’re an introvert, lean into that. However, you must convince the editor that you are the perfect person to take a chance on—especially if discussing a scholarly or work-for-hire project. A publisher invests a lot of resources into a book, so it wants to know that you’re worth the risk.

Good luck!