Category Archives: self publishing

Book Marketing: Post-Print Era Pt.2

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Tonight’s Confession:

10769745_sIn the era of Digital Books can a book marketing plan be successful without social media?

Judging by last week’s Book Marketing: Post Print Era Pt.1, I would say there could still be a glimmer of hope. Then again have you ever wondered why some books flop while others find success? Critics claim the difference lies in the quality of the writing. But, I think it goes beyond that—hello, remember Fifty Shades of Grey? I think we can all agree that the social marketing plan was the driving force behind its success.

Former Marketing Director Jeanne Crotty joins us again this time to provide insight about effectively marketing books with new and older technologies.

LG: What are your personal favorite marketing tools?

JC: I think emails are one of the most effective book marketing tools. When done well, they can move a huge number of books. By well, I mean they have an engaging subject line, are timed correctly, are going to the right audience, and that the format fits your audience. Remember that the most important component of a marketing email: is an engaging subject line. Other things to think of when creating an email: does your audience respond to direct marketing? If so then you should drive them directly to a store or online book seller. Does your audience respond to more indirect marketing? Then you should offer them free content or drive them to a social media account.

LG: HarperCollins hybrid model Authonomy gives fans the choice of which books get published.  Do you think this is the future for publishers? Should social media control which books get published?

JC: I think Authonomy is a great tool for both publishers and aspiring authors; I hope it’s the future for publishers. In my mind, HarperCollins has embraced social media and the power of self-publishing through Authonomy, and I think that’s the best way to survive as a publisher. I don’t think social media should control which books get published, but I do think it should influence what books get published. After all, as a publisher, you want to give your audience what they want and what they will buy.

LG:Jeanne thanks again for agreeing to be interviewed. Are there any parting words you would give new publishers? Any advice for self-publishers?

JC:For new publishers and self publishers, I would say find out where your audience and readers are, go there, and give them what they want through the channels they use. There is no longer one way to publish books or to become published. Embrace the new technology, marketing channels, book formats, and exploit them.

LG:I lied, there is one more question I have. Is there a difference between a marketing director and a sales director? Do the roles overlap?

JC:Yes, but they definitely overlap. Every publishing house is different though, so the division of responsibilities don’t always necessarily fall down along the lines I’m about to describe.

A sales director is in charge of making sure the sales force takes as many books as possible to ensure the book is in as many places—and on as many sites—as possible. Typical duties include selling-in books to accounts, working with a distributor and sales representatives, pitching books to buyers, helping set budgets, and bringing in custom projects. It is typically a bit more data driven than a marketing director’s job. The sales director also tends to deal with the trade more than with consumers.

In contrast, the director of marketing deals more with consumers rather than the trade. The director of marketing is in charge of figuring out the audiences for the book, the positioning and messaging of the book, and deciding which channels best convey that messaging. At some houses, such as mine, the director of marketing might also be in charge of marketing the books to the trade as well. Which involves writing and delivering sell sheets to the trade, working with publicity on picking out excerpts to send, collaborating with design on blads, and getting galleys made.

LG:When you explain in detail, the differences in the positions seem clear. Still they do seem to overlap a lot why is that?

JC:Both positions depend upon each other. The sales director often asks the marketing director for sales materials, such as sell sheets or sample content, in order to get accounts to order the book. The marketing director often asks the sales director for sales goals and expectations, so they can cater the sell sheet and marketing plan accordingly. Both deal with numbers, but the marketing director looks at more immediate numbers—how many books did x marketing campaign sell vs. y marketing campaign—and the sales director looks at overall profit and loss sheets as well as sales trends to determine how many books the trade should order and reorder.

LG: Thank you for clearing up that confusion and for taking time out of your busy schedule. I’ve truly appreciated this learning experience.

Join us on September 5 for an in-depth interview with The Atlantic Media Company’s Sr. Vice President of Finance & Digital Operations M. Scott Havens. He will explain why search engine optimization may be a thing of the past for book and magazine publishers.

 

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Book Marketing: Post-Print Era Pt.1

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Tonight’s Confession:

Does the Digital Age of Books era carry with it a different set of guidelines for marketing books?

Is there a dos and don’ts list that publishers should follow? Should I still be confused when poorly reviewed (and poorly written) books become overnight successes. Perhaps I’ve overlooked the value of  book marketing done right. Former Regnery Publishing Marketing Director, Jeanne Crotty, joins us tonight to help me understand the current state of the industry.

LG:Thank you Jeanne for agreeing to an interview. First, tell us a little about yourself. How long have you worked with books? What made you decide on a career in marketing?

JC: I worked in book publishing for five years, and I loved it. Admittedly, I fell into it. Originally I interviewed for a publicity position, but the president of the publishing house wanted me for marketing. I loved to write, I was creative, I was into technology, and I’d always been able to put myself in someone else’s mindset, so I thought, why not give marketing a shot? And I’m so happy I did.

LG: Are there any marketing tools that publishers cannot do without?

JC: Social media is a tool that publishers cannot do without in the Digital Age of Books. If people are going to complain, chances are they’re going to do it online—and as a publisher, you want to be able to address those complaints. Social media networks, be they Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Scribd, a blog, or some other online community provides publishers and authors with the best chance to get to know their readers and address their wants.

LG: When I attended BEA last month, I was surprised to know that publishers like Harlequin Teenencouraged new authors to take social media crash courses. Did authors do this at Regnery Publishing? Should new publishers encourage their authors to do this?

JC: We did encourage authors to take social media crash courses, and I recommend other publishers to do the same. Some publishers point authors to actual courses to take. (Mediabistro has some great ones). Our “crash course” however, came in the form of a social media guide. Some of our authors had never participated in social media before and those whom did, had no idea how to market a product through it. We also had authors who were social media geniuses. Our social marketing guide was designed with each kind of author in mind. For the beginners, we walked them through setting up a Twitter and Facebook account. For the intermediate users, we included tips on marketing a product to a social media community and for the social marketing geniuses, we just told them to keep doing what they were doing.

LG: What is your advice to authors without a Facebook or Twitter presence?

JC: Before I tell an author to get on Facebook or Twitter, I tell him or her to research all social media communities. Not just Facebook and Twitter, but other social media sites such as  LinkedIn, Goodreads, academic forums, popular book blogs, etc. It may be that an author’s readers are more active on one of those sites—you want your author to be where his or her readers are.

At  Regenery Publishing, we had some authors who just didn’t want to get on social media. They tended to be older or intensely private. For those authors, I didn’t see the point in trying to convince them. If they went on a social media network, chances are it wouldn’t be genuine or the account would languish. In those cases, I would just utilize our company’s social media accounts to promote their book.

In general though, I do think an author should get on at least Facebook or Twitter if his or her readers aren’t concentrated on another social media site. I would encourage Twitter because I think it is easier to use and lends itself to building a community a bit quicker than Facebook.

LG:Have you ever come across a quality self-published book with a poor marketing plan? What suggestions would you give the author? Stick with self-publishing or go the traditional route?

JC: I have not come across that personally yet. While I of course think there is a great deal of value to publishing houses, I would tell the person to consult with a marketing person and other successful self-published authors before going the traditional route. Getting into a traditional publishing is tough, and with the book industry as it is today, there is no guarantee that the traditional route will make your book a success. Moreover, there is so much more room and resources for self-published authors, so why not really try and give it a go before you turn to a traditional publishing house.

LG: Self-publisher Amanda Hocking became overwhelmed with marketing her own books, so she partnered with a traditional publisher.  Can marketing be overwhelming for self-publishers? Do you think traditional publishers are better suited for it? Why or why not?

JC: Absolutely. When you have a case like Amanda Hocking, I think it definitely makes sense to partner with a traditional publisher. If you’re a self-published author and people are clamoring for you book, it is in your interest to outsource marketing, printing (for now), and distribution to a company that can handle that kind of demand from both the trade and consumers. Traditional publishers are experts at getting huge sell-in and moving huge amounts of books when there is a huge demand for a certain title, so why not take advantage of their expertise? The benefits, exposure, and subsequent sales far outweigh the costs and portion of money that you give up. Even in a case like Amanda Hocking’s though, you don’t ever completely outsource marketing. It’s just as much of an author’s job to market a book as it is a publishing house’s job. Especially when it comes to someone like Amanda Hocking who has already done a great job marketing herself, the idea is to join marketing forces, not squash one in favor of the other.

LG: Well that wraps up the first part our interview. Thank you again for making time for us.

Join us August 15 for Part Two Book Marketing: Post-Print Era. Please submit your comments, questions or suggestions below.  Next time, Jeanne will share her thoughts about Authonomy and give us advice on creating the best email marketing campaign.

Thank you,

An EPublisher Confesses

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Book Expo America: An EPublisher Confesses’ Recap

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So this Book Expo America post is long overdue, but here goes. If you’ve read my previous post A New York Remedy then you know my last trip to the Big Apple was less than stellar. Though good things eventually came out of it, my time there was spent braving New York’s winter at HI-NY. My June trip however, proved to me an emotionally rewarding experience.

Basics

What is Book Expo America?

Book Expo America is the Comic-Con for book professionals, publishing companies, and book bloggers. If you love books, then I recommend marking this event on your calendar.  Everyone from authors to celebrities attend this yearly conference.

Tuesday Madness

Book Expo began and ended for me on June 5. I opted for the Day Pass to avoid overwhelming my senses and missing too much school. I highly encourage BEA attendees to do the same. Honestly, the main draw for me was the BEA Education Panels, which  publishing pros and newbies rely on for updates about the industry. It might be easier to digest if I divide my trip into three portions: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good

Adult Book & Author Breakfast - Bad breakfast. Great guests. So after getting less than five hours of sleep, the last thing I wanted to do was to eat cold bagels at 8AM. But Stephen Colbert helped me forget this minor annoyance. Or maybe I should credit Stephen Colbert’s penis, which he plugged about 20 times. Funny man!  Still, my award for favorite speaker goes to Norwegian author Jo Nesbo.  Talk about sexy and smart at 50. After Colbert’s naughty introduction, I was falling asleep. This is nothing against anyone, but I fell asleep at 1AM and woke at 5AM. So panelists keep it spicy, keep it funny, and keep me awake.

Clearly, Jo Nesbo was my fix. Not sure if it was the Norwegian accent or his stock trade/ rock star story, but I was mildly turned on by his delivery. More importantly, I was turned on to reading his books. What a great start to my morning!

Beyond The Hunger Games - At this point everyone knows The Hunger Games was pretty amazing! For a teen movie, you’re definitely getting you’re $15 worth. Seems everyone agreed because the session was jammed packed. Luckily, panelists anticipated this and fully delivered on my expectations. I honestly walked away with a clearer idea on how publishers successfully market YA titles. Next year, I highly encourage attendees to mark the Bookstores Today Track on their calendar.

Understanding Metadata In The Digital Age –  Absolutely loved this panel! By far one of the most educational sessions I have ever attended (including my GWU courses). Bill Newlin of Avalon Travel and Fran Toolan of Firebrand Technologies explains the metadata basics:what it is, why it’s important, and how to make sure the metadata on your books effectively enables both discovery and transaction. If you’re interested in further teachings on this subject please reach out to Fran Toolan directly.

BEA Floor Plan – Not much to add here. Just shouting out sales reps at amazing booths. Here’s to you Slice Books, Libre Digital, and Typefi Publish. And a special shout to James Patterson’s In-Booth Autographing Session. I didn’t get an autograph, but I did have a great conversation w/ a movie producer. Fun times!

The Bad

Discovery, Recommendation, Serendipity - My heart breaks to put this panel into this category. However, it was not good. While initially, I got grasped the idea of having emotions connect readers to new finds, I was lost in the last 30 minutes. Truthfully, I was not alone. In fact a librarian bluntly stated that the method was a waste of time and she would not recommend it to—anyone. Not sure I completely disagree with her. Discovering books through emotional book scenes sounds good, but I’m not convinced it’s realistic or profitable.  If this panel reappears at 2013′s conference, I would be interested in seeing how panelists directly address its critics. Sadly, this year this session left me with me more questions than answers.

The Ugly

BEA Floor Plan - Advanced Reader Copies are easy to get, but hard to carry. Why can’t Book Expo America invest in wheel carriers? It’s so much easier to have a discussion with a sales rep or author if your back is not breaking.Yes, FedEx ships your books, but what if you’re planning to carry your stack back to your hotel? Not sure why this system hasn’t been updated, but next year I’m renting a wheel cart. I would have stayed longer if my shoulders and back didn’t hurt so badly.

Javits Center Wireless - Bad, it was very bad. Internet went in and out…all day. I wanted to upload so many pictures, but a las no service. Not sure what I can do next year to resolve this. Just disappointing.

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