Proposed merger between Borders Books and Barnes and Noble

Borders Books takeover bid for Barnes and Noble

Yesterday the book industry was met with the astounding news that the number two bookseller, Borders, was bidding for ownership of industry leader, Barnes and Noble. On the news B&N shares shot up nearly 20 percent as investors weighed in on the proposal.

Why would the two largest book chains merge?

First, sales of physical books sold in conventional stores have been falling. This is because online sellers like Amazon.com have been grabbing huge chunks of book sales and major retailers, such as Walmart and Target, have been selling large numbers of bestselling book titles at discounted prices. Add to this the growing number of electronic (e-book) book sales To put it mildly, this has caused a perfect storm for traditional brick n' mortar booksellers who have always prided themselves as the place to go to find books. Now, more and more, the least profitable part of their business is book sales with more profits coming from their in-store coffeehouse along with ancillary sales coming from gift items and greeting cards.

If this deal goes through it will be reminiscent of the merger of K-Mart and Sears over six years ago as orchestrated by real estate investor Edward Lambert.

Depending on whether you were a customer or investor, the results of that merger could be telling when it comes to the proposed Borders - Barnes and Noble deal. In the Sears - K-Mart merger, operations were consolidated in the Sears headquarters in suburban Chicago and the corporate offices of K-Mart in Michigan were shuttered. They then changed the name to Sears Holdings to reflect the ownership of its real estate. To Ed Lambert the Sears - K-Mart deal was all about leveraging their properties by closing underperforming stores then selling the property. This drove the stock price up and satisfied most investors.

On the other hand, the surviving physical stores operating under the Sears and K-Mart names continued to languish right up until today with their stores continuing to lose any competitive advantages. Other than hard goods lines like Craftsman and Kenmore, there are few reasons to shop one of their stores.

If a Borders - Barnes and Noble merger result in similar results, over time there will be fewer bookstores filled with fewer book titles. Some have imagined their bookstore of the future consisting of a cafe, gifts, periodicals and a small number of books. Rather than look through stacks of books customers will instead be ushered to download stations where they would be able to purchase e-books while sipping on a cup of coffee.

Stores would be half the size of today with fewer employees.

However that would be a short term situation as other big box chains such as Walmart and Target add their own download stations.

That could force the Borders - Barnes and Noble stores to downsize once more resulting in a Panera Bread style cafe with gifts and book downloads.

Whatever happens, for some time it has been speculated that the end of the conventional bookstore was on the horizon. All of which has been hastened by the technology that has led to eBooks and eBook readers.

The difference between "push" and "pull" marketing in book publishing

Having worked with hundreds of authors I can say there are few who understand the differences between marketing a typical small press book and one published by a New York publishing house.

First, a major New York publisher has the ability of placing huge numbers of books in brick n' mortar stores while smaller presses try to avoid all the hoopla and instead publish books that appeal to a distinct market niche. This is because the book business differs from most because it is an industry that allows retailers to return unsold books for credit. And since small presses use distributors (rather than selling direct as many larger publishers do) a book that is returned is generally replaced by one from another publisher while books sold by the big houses are replenished by books they themselves publish. That in itself is huge when it comes to a publisher's bottom line.

What large publishers do is "push" massive numbers of books into the marketplace with the hope a good number will sell. If they don't they can always replace one book title with another.

Smaller publishers instead try to create demand for a book prior to producing large numbers with the hope customers will become interested and order a copy. Classic "pull" marketing.

For pull marketing to work a book needs to create interest through events (such as signings and speaking engagements) or occupy a distinct market niche that is search friendly.

Both push and pull marketing are viable ways to market books. The important thing for prospective authors for them to determine which will work best in their own situation. For example, if you have written the next great novel, but do not want to be bothered with marketing it, then you will want to hire an agent and pursue a major publishing house. If, however, you like getting up in front of a crowd, have a way to engage the public and realize your book has its own distinct niche, then you might better pursue a small press or self publish because you will be far more successful than if published by a major publishing house.

Bottom line: There are viable opportunities with both the push marketing of a major publisher and the pull marketing of smaller presses or self publishing. Key is knowing the difference between the two types of marketing and not trying to force the wrong kind of marketing into the marketplace.

Biking and selling your book

This may be a stretch, but follow my logic.

Yesterday I biked the White Pine Trail which runs over 90 miles from Cadillac, MI to Comstock Park just north of Grand Rapids. The trail is part of the Rails to Trails Conservancy which is transforming abandoned rails to bike trails. http://www.railstotrails.org It is a tremendous program we should all support.

For myself I have experienced some issues with the systems of trails. Mostly it is because rail lines were built on a flat plain so trains did not have to endure the ups and downs of conventional roads. As a result when riding on these trails you do not experience the normal climbing and descending of the natural terrain. It is almost as if riding a stationary bike with moving scenery.

This experience reminded me of authors marketing their books. There is a common perception among authors (and publishers) that if a book is properly marketed upon release, after an initial high rate of sales it will settle down to an even rate that it will maintain throughout its lifetime.

In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth.

I have found that books have sales cycles that begin with great promise as the first copies are sold. But then, after that initial period of exhilaration, there is a slowdown as a book begins to find its long term market. In my opinion this is the most crucial time in the life of a book and when the author must be most involved, even if a book is published by a traditional publisher.

This is because a book, like any new business start up, starts its sales journey with some initial marketing intended to make the market aware of its existence. But, unless a book is continually marketed, it will soon disappear from the consciousness of the market. This is because every second of every day, someone else is also launching their book (or product). As a result the general public is overwhelmed with new marketing messages which then get in the way of you selling your book (or product). Even in the case of having your book published by a traditional publisher, they will only market your book during its first publishing season before moving on to its next list of books.

It is like the comparison of riding a bike along an abandoned rail as opposed to riding on the open road. Marketing can be compared to dealing with the challenges a bike rider experiences when riding the natural terrain. It is easy to descend a hill but hard to climb back up the other side. Those who have the willpower and strength to learn to climb hills enjoy the ride much more than those who do not. Book marketing (or any other type of marketing) is not like riding on flat ground. One cannot expect good results unless they are willing to do the hard work.

That is what marketing is. It is all about the things you do once your book (or product) is available. Yes, there are initial steps that are taken prior to its launch which need to happen with every new venture. But today it could be argued that good marketing is all about what is done on an ongoing basis.

Does Proctor and Gamble stop marketing its Crest brand toothpaste just because it dominates sales in its category? Absolutely not. I imagine the company spends at least as much now to promote its Crest brand than ever before. That is what good marketing is all about.

If you are an author or publisher are you still marketing your book as much now as you did the day it was released?

Take Away Points:

Selling a book (or any product or service) requires continuous marketing.

Books (and many other products) do not have due date nor do they expire on a particular date.

As I've said before; sadly, authors are usually the first to give up on their own book.

Sales cycles are like roads with rolling hills. Those who push hard when sales tick downward will have the most success.

Blogging: Note to Self

I fear that I've become like the plumber who fixes his own house last. In January I pledged to myself to post a new blog every week throughout the year. But, as we reach the beginning of the last quarter of the year, I am averaging less than two per month.

Seems the doctor is not taking his own advice.

Each day, during conversations with colleagues, I tell them to keep writing their blogs.

Yet, I seem to find every excuse not to post new blogs of my own.

Like...

riding my bike


Or...

shooting photos


Or even....

walking the dog

But no matter the excuse, obviously I am not taking the time to follow through on my own promise to myself.


Take Away Thoughts:

What excuse do you use to avoid doing what you promised to do?

How will you get back on track?

Do you have a plan that is doable?

Amazon Kindle sales stats easily misinterpreted

You may have seen the headline earlier this week: E-Books Top Hardcovers at Amazon in the New York Times.

Sometimes it is important to dig a bit into a story to see what is hype and what is reality. While the information is true and, amazingly, in just a couple years Kindle sales have skyrocketed resulting in huge e-book sales at Amazon and other online merchants. However book sales consist of several formats and are not all hardcovers. In fact hardcovers are around one third of book sales with other sales divided between trade paper and mass market paperback. Also, Amazon has been selling Kindle versions of bestselling hardcovers at around ten dollars compared to the normal average list price of twenty-five dollars for a print copy. Many decisions for purchasing a Kindle download are made at point of sale. In other words, the customer is shown two choices. They can buy the print version or save a substantial amount by downloading a Kindle copy.

So while this is certainly worthwhile news it is not as earth shattering as what Amazon would like us to believe.

Will e-book sales continue to grow? You bet.

Is the printed book going the way of the dial tone? Not at all.

If one drills down into the statistics they will find that some genre sell extremely well as e-books while others are best suited as print copies.

Let's say you want to read the latest novel from John Grisham. You may be tempted to buy the e-book and load it onto your reading device so you can bring it along on an upcoming trip.

For other books you may want to have them in your library as a reference. In those cases you may prefer to have a printed copy.

Bottom line is that e-books are a great option and we, as consumers, like having choices in how we access our media. Rather than e-books being the way all books will someday be acquired, instead we will have multiple ways to access written content. What is important is that we embrace both future, present and past technologies so that the consumer can receive written content in whatever way they wish.

It would be a mistake to embrace one technology and cast off all others.

Will these changes in how written content is accessed make our lives more complicated. Absolutely. Get used to it.

Today we have so many choices in how to broadcast our intellectual content. From starting a blog to publishing conventionally, and everything in between, there has never been a time when we have had so many opportunities to share information.

Truly a great time to be alive!

Not Famous? Try Piggyback Marketing

When advising authors I try to find ways to use whatever media or organizational platform they have to extend their sales potential. More often than not, the author lacks relationships with large media or organizations. In order to develop a platform for promoting their book I often suggest piggybacking with others who are more well known.

In the May 23, 2010 issue of USA Weekend, the second largest circulation Sunday newspaper insert publication with over 22 million circulation (Parade magazine is the largest with 32 million circulation), there is a wonderful example of piggyback marketing. On the cover is a photo of actor Ashton Kutcher holding barbeque tongs with the headline, "Me. Like. Grilling." and the subhead "Ashton Kutcher reveals the secret to making all your cookouts taste brilliant."

I was intrigued by the idea of a young actor posing on the cover of a national magazine talking about outdoor grilling.

Upon further investigation the actor spends much of the interview, written by Brian Truitt, speaking about his upcoming film releasing next week titled "Killers." He only briefly talks about his interest in grilling, which mostly takes place during his growing up years in Iowa and how his family enjoyed their outdoor grill. Next to the article are recipes and tips written by cookbook author Pam Anderson. Below the photo of Mr. Kutcher are plugs for two photographers, the stylist in charge of his grooming, the prop artist, the company providing his blue jeans and the maker of his t-shirt.

Perfect piggyback marketing. Everybody wins:

• USA Weekend is provided with a great cover article for the beginning of summer
• The actor gets a cover shot on a national magazine while plugging his new movie
• The writer of the article receives great exposure
• Each of the two photographers get a nice project to place in their portfolios
• Both clothing companies receive national advertising
• The stylist also gets good national exposure
• And the author, Ms. Anderson, receives a great plug for her cookbooks

This is a great lesson for new or lessor known authors looking to promote their book. By piggybacking with others looking for publicity it is much easier to gain the attention of well known publications. The same kind of piggybacking can also work in other venues. For example, how about approaching a large retailer with an idea for promoting one of their services. Or think about helping a manufacturer looking for a way to get their product in front of new customers. Piggybacking can also work with organizations wanting to extend their own audience. All it takes is someone with an original idea willing to do the legwork to pull the promotion together.

For example, you are the author of a self-help book on improving relationships between spouses. Why not approach a large circulation magazine with an idea based on the six ways to build a loving relationship with your partner. You convince the editor to use their influence to attract a well-known personality who is in a long successful relationship and is about to star in a new television series. The magazine could also use its connections to find the right combination of writer, photographers and stylists to provide the main cover article while you write a sidebar article affirming how great relationships are maintained. Bingo! You receive national exposure in a large publication which would have otherwise been unachievable.

Take away points:

• If you are not well known you need to piggyback with others to gain exposure
• Magazines and other media are constantly looking for celebrities to feature
• Product makers are interested in placing their products where they will be seen

Achieving quality in all aspects of the book publishing experience

Okay, why am I writing about customer service on a blog that is mostly dedicated to book publishing?

I'll answer that in a minute.

First, today's encounter. I am an avid bike rider. My bike shop, Rock n' Road Cycle, is located here in Grand Haven, Michigan. This past weekend my bike began making grinding sounds. Fearing the worst I took it to my mechanic, Phil, at Rock n' Road. He took one look and determined my two year old bike needed a total rehab from a complete tune-up and the replacement of several key parts. To make matters worse, it would cost nearly two hundred dollars and would take the entire week to repair. This is something I expected since I ride my mountain bike around a hundred miles a week, mostly on dirt roads, and takes a quite a beating. Still, I wished I could have it back sooner.

Today, on the day I expected the bike back, Phil called to say the bottom bracket connected to the pedal mechanism unexpectedly needed to be replaced. And, he would have to order the part and it wouldn't arrive for nearly a week. He assured me, however, that I could ride the bike this coming weekend though I'd have to put up with a terrible grinding sound.

Late this afternoon I headed to the bike shop expecting to pick up a bike that was not quite right. To top things off, when I arrived at the bike shop, Phil was busy with another customer. He asked if I could wait. I replied rather caustically that I was getting used to waiting.

When Phil finally got to me he had a smile on his face. He told me he knew from my voice earlier in the day, that I was disappointed and decided to take one more look at my bike before I arrived. As a result he had found what had caused the noise and fixed it. My bike was now one hundred percent. He also noted on my receipt if the part in the bottom bracket gave me a problem he would repair it for free.

I left the bike shop giddy with excitement looking forward to tomorrow's ride.

Had I purchased my bike from a catalog or large chain store I probably would not have received the same kind of service.

Now, let me attempt to connect the dots between my bike story and book publishing.

Great books done right will provide readers with a satisfying experience. In the world of book publishing, where more and more books are self published, it becomes the job of the author to see to it that the reader (customer) is provided with an exceptional product (book). This means the book has to be well written, expertly edited, properly proofed, designed professionally, superbly printed, priced right and delivered on time.

Beyond the quality of the book it is also important to identify exactly who the target audience is and then efficiently engage that audience through effective marketing.

Sadly, today many authors are publishing through large self publishing houses that will pretty much release any book regardless of quality. Their junk in, junk out mentality with little emphasis on quality can result in a bad experience for both the author and reader.

Like Phil at Rock n' Road Cycle, it is important to go that extra mile to assure maximum satisfaction.

Take away thoughts:

• Are you providing great customer service?
• Do you give proper attention to quality in all aspects of the publication process?
• Have you identified your target audience and developed a realistic marketing plan?

The price of chasing your dreams

There are over two thousand Olympic athletes gathered from around the world in Vancouver for the 2010 games. Each athlete has a story and most have involved great sacrifice on the part of their families, friends and themselves. One such athlete is twenty-nine-year-old pairs skater Mark Ladwig who, with partner Amanda Evora, placed tenth in this years' Olympics.

Mark Ladwig was born and raised in Moorhead, MN, just across the Missouri River from Fargo, North Dakota. Like many kids in his town, Mark first laced on skates to play hockey but switched to figure skating when he was twelve. While in high school he met future wife Janet and they attended prom together, but just as friends. After graduation they stayed friends as Janet went on to college at North Dakota State and Mark pursued his dream to become a Olympic skater and moved to Bradenton, Florida to begin training at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. They married in 2006 and their son Holden was born this past September.

Since leaving home ten years ago, Mark has worked as a busboy and server in several restaurants, driven the Zamboni at the ice arena and even was a part time disc jokey at a country radio station all the while training full time. A typical day finds him starting his training at 7 a.m. completing just in time to work at the Beach Bistro restaurant from 4 p.m. to midnight. Wife Janet worked as an interior designer until being laid off early in 2009 eventually taking a job at a local Target store. To pay for his training, which runs about twenty-thousand dollars a year, the couple has had to juggle finances and credit cards plus work odd jobs to make ends meet.

Mark and Janet Ladwig are just one example of what it takes to chase a dream.

In publishing, each day I receive several submissions from prospective authors. While some understand what it takes to achieve their dreams it is amazing how many have no idea that the road to publishing success is filled with hard work, sacrifice and even street smarts. Writing a book is just the beginning. Making the book content as good as can be requires a talented support team of editors, designers and proofers. Success in the marketplace is often dependent on the author's willingness to invest in and to work countless hours to get his or her book content in front of the right audience. It is every bit as difficult as the dream millions have of one day becoming an Olympian.

Take away questions:

• What are your dreams?
• Are they realistic?
• How are you pursuing them?
• Do you have the willingness and determination to chase your dreams?

Final thought:

Ray dropped out of school at fifteen. He had many jobs from ambulance driver to salesman. In his early fifties he decided to chase his dream and talked the owners of a California drive-in restaurant to sell him a franchise. Today the restaurant chain Ray Kroc founded, McDonalds, has over 31,000 restaurants serving 47 million customers each day.

Don't give up, it is never too late to chase your dreams.

Breaking the double space habit

As someone who reads a lot of author submissions, one habit I'd like to see broken is that of double spacing after each sentence. For anyone born during the personal computer age this is not an issue but for those who learned to type on a typewriter it is a hard habit to break.

To give a little history, double spacing was common during the time when all typefaces were mono spaced. A typewriter did not distinguish between the line width of a period an N or an M. All were tracked at the same width. Users put in two spaces after each sentence because it looked better. During the same era, when printing text was set by a professional typesetter, the typesetting machines only required one space after periods because the machine set type according to width and double spacing left too much space between sentences.

Enter the personal computer and so called desktop publishing. The software used for both design and in word processing use proportional type. This eliminates the need to double space between sentences.

So if you are in the over 40 age group and still double spacing it is time to adapt to modern technology in order to make your documents more readable and more conducive for the Web, communications materials and manuscripts.

Take away points

• Change is difficult and old habits die hard

• Adapting to new technology is important

• Being up to date is crucial in today's tech driven world

How will the iPad affect book publishing

I don't know about the rest of the world, but this past Wednesday I was following the minute-by-minute reports posted by CNBC covering the announcement of Apple's iPad. As an Apple devotee and a Mac user since the mid 1980s, I have learned that Steve Jobs is a visionary leader whose company produces products that work right out of the box. Every Mac (or for that matter, iPod) I've owned has performed beautifully and held up nicely. As someone in publishing I also know that e-books represent the future of many genres of book publishing.

A couple years ago I was intrigued by the introduction of Amazon's Kindle book reader. I've followed published reports on the sales success it has had and have heard from many friends and colleagues who not only own one but also love it. Some of them thought they would never use it but soon found it to be indispensable. The only drawback for me is that the Kindle is a dedicated single-function device in a world that is increasingly wanting multiple functions in their technology products.

In contrast the iPad is a multi-use device combining a book reader with so much more. The iPad will also have an iBooks store that will operate much as iTunes does for music and videos.

The iPad display is full color with the capabilities of adding publisher content such as author interviews, study questions, videos, etc. This enhanced content will allow users to have an enriched book reading experience. Imagine, too, if audio were combined with the printed content so the user could switch between text and audio depending on what works for them at that moment. So, for example, let's say you are in the middle of a novel and needing to head to work. Imagine getting in your car and being able to listen to it? From a publishing perspective the capabilities are endless.

Bottom line: For book publishing the iPad represents disruptive technology at its finest. Roll over Guttenberg, the iPad is on its way.

Lessons from To Kill a Mockingbird

My favorite novel of all time is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. I’m not alone in my adoration of her book. In fact a survey in 2008 in Britain ranked it above the Bible by respondents.

In the years since its publication in 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird has sold over 30 million copies, been translated into 40 languages and never has been out of print. Perennially it is on the New York Times top 100 books in terms of sales.

To put it mildly, To Kill a Mockingbird has been a phenomenal success.

From a marketing perspective what lessons can we learn from Harper Lee’s classic?

First, to provide a little context I’ve copied the following from its Wikipedia posting.

“Born in 1926, Harper Lee grew up in the Southern town of Monroeville, Alabama, where she became close friends with the soon-to-be famous writer Truman Capote. She attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery (1944–45), and then studied law at the University of Alabama (1945–49). While attending college, she wrote for campus literary magazines: Huntress at Huntingdon and the humor magazine Rammer Jammer at the University of Alabama. At both colleges, she wrote short stories and other works about racial injustice, a rarely mentioned topic on such campuses at the time.[3] In 1950, Lee moved to New York City, where she worked as a reservation clerk for British Overseas Airways Corporation; there, she began writing a collection of essays and short stories about people in Monroeville. Hoping to be published, Lee presented her writing in 1957 to a literary agent recommended by Capote. An editor at J. B. Lippincott advised her to quit the airline and concentrate on writing. Donations from friends allowed her to write uninterrupted for a year.[4]

Lee spent two and a half years writing To Kill a Mockingbird. A description of the book's creation by the National Endowment for the Arts relates an episode when Lee became so frustrated that she tossed the manuscript out the window into the snow. Her agent made her retrieve it.[5] The book was published on July 11, 1960. It was initially titled Atticus, but Lee renamed it to reflect a story that went beyond a character portrait.[6] The editorial team at Lippincott warned Lee that she would probably sell only several thousand copies.[7] In 1964, Lee recalled her hopes for the book when she said, "I never expected any sort of success with 'Mockingbird.' ... I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers but, at the same time, I sort of hoped someone would like it enough to give me encouragement. Public encouragement. I hoped for a little, as I said, but I got rather a whole lot, and in some ways this was just about as frightening as the quick, merciful death I'd expected."[8] Instead of a "quick and merciful death", Reader's Digest Condensed Books chose the book for reprinting in part, which gave it a wide readership immediately.[9] Since the original publication, the book has never been out of print.”

Discussion points:

• Note that Harper Lee took two and a half years to write her book proving the importance of dedication both in time and writing excellence manuscript. Marketing rule number one: there is no substitution for talent.

• Ms. Lee used her friendship with a well known friend, in this case Truman Copote, to gain access to a top literary agent. In return, her agent sold her work to a large New York publishing house. It is important to use whatever connections we have to reach our intended audience. Marketing rule number two: use your connections well.

• Her publisher was able to get her book into the hands of Reader’s Digest which, at that time, was the most influential publication in the book publishing world. From there the book went viral. Times have changed, today the blogosphere is the place to get the word out about a promising book. Marketing rule number three: going viral is key to sales success.

It would be presumptuous to think that the works written by most authors measure up to Harper Lee’s classic. But the takeaway points are instructive to everyone whether they are publishing a book or about to have a job interview.

In summary:

• Talent and determination are important
• Connections matter
• Getting the word out is vitally important

Big isn't always better

One of my favorite e-newsletters is Denny Hatch's Business Common Sense. Normally his newsletter is filled with great marketing ideas. However, his newsletter published this past week voiced his frustration with the self publisher he had recently signed with to publish his forthcoming book. He titled his article: Amazon.com: brilliant bookseller, lousy publisher. In his newsletter he shares his personal experience with BookSurge the self publishing unit of Amazon which is in the process of changing its name to CreateSpace. His frustration comes from the way Amazon.com handled the transition from BookSurge to CreateSpace in that his representative at BookSurge did not contact him personally to give him a head's up on the transition. Behind Denny's concern is the fact that the business of self publishing is huge and that the large players in the business (AuthorHouse, Lulu, iUniverse, etc.) are actually big impersonal companies who see authors as a commodity. While there is some merit to what these self publishing companies do many of their promises ring hollow.

In my opinion the reason so many authors are taken advantage of is that they expect their publisher to care as much about their work as they do. In reality most self publishing companies are only interested in selling their services and could care less about the quality of the author's work. Behind all their promises there is one driving force. It is greed, plain and simple. They lure an author with an unrealistic low price offer of some kind and then build a "relationship" over the phone and through email. They know exactly what the unsuspecting author is wanting to hear so they compliment the author on their work, tell the author how much money they are going to make and make the author believe that by publishing with them they will automatically sell their book to a waiting public. It reminds me of the old joke about the unsuspecting tourist buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

So what's an aspiring author to do?

From my experience there are many reasons to self publish a book. However, unfortunately, there are no short cuts to publishing success. A book has to be well written, expertly edited, wonderfully designed, perfectly printed and shamelessly promoted. To do this an author needs to partner with someone who can help them along the way to make good decisions based on facts not fiction.

Publishing a book is not rocket science. That said, publishing well is even more complicated in many ways. Using a formulaic program from a big self publishing corporation does not often end with good results. There is a reason for the "self" in self publishing. As a self published author you are the CEO of your own publishing venture. This means hiring the best for each aspect of the operation. You are not going to get what you intend by hiring amateurs to do the work of professionals.

Take away points:

• Self publishing can be a good thing if done well
• Never hire an amateur to do the work of a professional
• Don't believe what the salesperson at the self publishing company is telling you
• There are small niche custom publishers who can provide hands on professional help
• Always create a marketing plan before publishing so everyone involved understands your goals

Jerry Springer on the importance of personal branding and how his comments apply to book publishing

Today I read an interview with talk show host Jerry Springer in brand guru Dan Schawbel's blog, PersonalBrandingBlog.com. Love him or not, few would fault Jerry Springer on his ability to self promote. In this blog I will excerpt parts of that interview and comment on its importance as it relates to authors and publishers. To read the entire interview, which I recommend, follow this link http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/personal-branding-interview-jerry-springer/

Q Dan Schawbel: In a world where there are unlimited choices for media, such as TV, radio, blogs, newspapers, etc, how can you get your name out there? What’s the best way to do so?

A Jerry Springer: Well, it depends on what you’re trying to get your name out there for. The important thing is to recognize what your niche is and then that will in a sense define where you should go for your audience...

...Figuring out who your audience is the first thing you have to do and then you have to figure out how much you can afford. If you can’t afford much, then how can you make news with what you’re doing. Again, target the audience. That’s the most important thing and where most people waste most of their money.

Comment: In book publishing authors often think that putting their book on a bookstore shelf will automatically result in sales. Nothing could be further from the truth. You must first determine your niche then determine how to engage it. Many times the worst place to sell your book is in a bookstore. One of the most important things for an author or publisher to do is to have a book marketing plan. Your marketing plan will determine your market niche, establish goals and provide action steps for achieving the goals. If you lack the experience to write a marketing plan there are sample plans available on the Web or, if within budget, retain someone with book marketing expertise to help write the plan.

Q Dan Schawbel: Once you get people’s attention, how do you get them to come back for more?

A Jerry Springer: Well you gotta be good. It has to be something they want. It’s not like the early days of mass advertising. By now, people are inundated with hundreds of messages a day. We’ve all become experts. We are so sophisticated in knowing when we’re being played, when we’re being tricked and when there is something of substance worth paying attention to. Very rarely can the public be fooled...

...The most powerful advertising is word-of-mouth because when you hear it from a friend or someone you’re passing by on the street or doing business with, they don’t have a hidden agenda in telling you that. So therefore you give their statement credibility. If you see something in a commercial, you know they are trying to sell you something so you put up your defenses right away...

Comment: Springer hits on two important points. First, being good. If your book is not well written, well edited and well designed there is almost no chance it will sell. While self-publishing companies stress that anybody can publish a book they fail to disclose they are primarily in the book printing business. Therefore anything that keeps their presses running is okay by them and the ultimate quality of the books they publish is not their concern. Publishing a top quality book requires a talented support team of great editors, compositors, proofers and designers. These are one time only costs which ultimately will determine how good the end product is. Authors and publishers who skimp on these costs will end up paying in the end with fewer sales, especially in the long term.

Second, word of mouth advertising. Jerry Springer is exactly right, there is nothing better than receiving good word of mouth. In book publishing it means getting people to read your book and then talk about it with their friends and associates. Part of getting good word of mouth is having a marketing strategy that focuses on engaging readers through blogs, social networking, aggressive Web promotion and opt in newsletters. Each of which should provide a "buy" button that allows the book to be purchased easily through an online retailer such as Amazon.com.

Q Dan Schawbel: Is all press good? Why or why not?

A Jerry Springer: Obviously not all press is good press, but it depends on what the product is. All press gets you recognized, but again, just being recognized means therefore that people are going to like what they hear or see. Momentary bad news can be overcome if it’s a good product or service. All press gets peoples attention but it doesn’t necessary make the sale.

Comment: One thing that is changing quickly is the importance of generating reviews from the traditional media. There was once a time when a favorable review in a good size publication immediately could be translated into sales. That is no longer true. While favorable reviews generate some activity they no longer result in a large number of sales. Part of reason is because fewer people are tuned into traditional media as demonstrated by the falling number of subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. Even radio and TV numbers are down. More importantly, people are relying more on blogs and reviews by individuals rather than paid reviewers. Many people upon hearing about a particular book will look it up on Amazon.com or other sites to see what others are saying. Others will Google a book or author to see what is being said by bloggers.

Bottom line, the world has changed and what worked at one time no longer works today. At the same time the quality of a book's content and the niche the author engages provide exciting new avenues for authors and publishers.

Take away points:

• Develop a book marketing plan prior to going to market and follow it
• Assemble a top notch team of editors, compositors, proofers and designers to help produce a high quality book
• Promote good word of mouth advertising through blogs, online reviews, and search engine optimization

Promoting my book is my publisher's job

When discussing the promotion of their book I've had several authors tell me that marketing is the responsibility of the publisher, not theirs. My response is that nothing could be further from the truth. Just look at what bestselling authors do to promote their books.

Mitch Albom author of the bestselling Tuesdays with Morrie, The 5 People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day and the current New York Times Bestseller Have a Little Faith is a marketer's dream. Not only has he been a columnist for the past 24 years with The Detroit Free Press he also has his own syndicated radio program, is a regular contributor on ESPN and has founded three charities. Albom also has found time to launch his own website http://mitchalbom.com

Bestselling business advisor, Jim Collins author of Built to Last, Good to Great and the newly released How the Mighty Fall, started as a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He went on to found a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado in order to conduct research and to train business executives. He uses his experience and connections from his management firm, articles he contributes to periodicals along with speaking engagements to promote his books. Collins maintains an active Web exposure at http://www.jimcollins.com

Novelist Nicholas Sparks was a pharmaceuticals rep writing in his spare time after being rejected from law school and a job working for a publisher. He was discovered by a literary agent who rescued his first novel from the slush pile. To promote his first book he traveled tirelessly around the country appearing at 56 events in 45 cities. The resulting word of mouth were instrumental in his novel moving up the bestseller list. Today he keeps his readers informed through his website and newsletter at http://www.nicholassparks.com

The truth is that behind the success of pretty much every successful author is an inspiring story of hard work, a bit of luck and tremendous talent.

Are there books that have achieved success without promotion on the part of the author? Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule. For example Walden by Henry David Thoreau which chronicles his two year experiment in living alone is an exception. So too, obviously, is The Diary of Anne Frank. But in most cases to be an exception to the rule requires an exceptional work coupled with exceptional circumstances.

Bottom line, if you are an author be prepared to tirelessly publicize your book. In fact, be prepared to take the lead role in the overall marketing of your book.

In future posts I'll discuss specific ways authors can market their books.

Takeaway points:

• Pretty much all bestselling authors take an active role in marketing their books

• It is essential to have your own book marketing plan

• Your marketing plan will determine whether you will maximize your income through traditional publishing, self-publishing or custom publishing

Sadly, authors are often the first to give up on their own book

Having signed many authors to their first book contract I am always sure to ask how committed they are to their own success. Without exception authors tell me they will work hard to establish themselves no matter how long it takes. Yet, a year or so later that same author has more often than not lost all enthusiasm for their own book. Why is that so? I feel it is due to several factors but mostly to impatience. We live in a world of immediate gratification and something that takes time to develop does not compute in today's society.

Eliminating bestsellers from New York publishers which are in a whole other category, if the truth be known many books take years to reach their sales potential. Why is that? One reason is because there are so many new books released each year (somewhere around 300,000). As a result, books that eventually get noticed have to find their own distinctive niche in the marketplace. How to find that niche is the trick. Some titles are adopted by groups or organizations, others are search engine friendly and still others spread by word of mouth.

The important take away point is that however a book eventually finds its audience will depend on the efforts of the author (perhaps with some assistance by the publisher, but don't count on it).

So how might an author go about finding a book's niche or audience?

• Start with a well thought out marketing plan written prior to the release of the book.

• Be prepared to change, rewrite or rethink your marketing plan if the initial plan isn't working.

• If you are not comfortable writing your own marketing plan consult with someone who can help.

• Give your plan the time and effort required to work its way into the consciousness of your intended audience.

You poured a lot of time and effort into the writing of your book. Getting the word out is a large part of the process. Be patient, it can take a year or more for a book to get noticed. If you believe in the content of your book don't give up, it generally takes time for a book to find its market.