[1] Publishing and marketing of books is a business. It’s about making money and the last thing you want as an author is to have someone sell you products and services that have little or no value in the marketplace. Evaluate the cost versus the number of copies you must sell to be profitable. If the math is fuzzy then walk away because the value is not there.

[2] If you decide that New York is where you want to be as a writer and author keep in mind the business is interested in good stories written by prolific writers, not great writing. Having the literary skills and talent to write in a way that defies description is wonderful, but that alone doesn’t sell books. Publishers are looking for the only thing they can sell which is good stories written on a consistent basis.

[3] There are clearly two parts to being an author. The first is improving your writing and storytelling skills to the point where you are ready to publish. The second is you have to be willing to actively market and promote your book. Publishers require it, your audience demands it, and there is no other way around it. If you want to do nothing but write, keep your day job because that is not the road to success in publishing.

[4] Place yourself in a position to succeed. Become a student of the marketplace so you can speak intelligently about the business. Bookstores are your laboratory, visit regularly and observe. The more you visit the quicker you will start to see changes in the market. Read your competition, not the bestsellers but the authors you never heard of who occupy a place on bookstore shelves in the category in which you write. Learn to position yourself and your writing. The question you must be able to answer is: where do you belong on store shelves and why?

[5] You have choices on how to publish your work; don’t be foolish, but follow your heart. Your choice depends on your personal goals, so follow your dream. Anything is possible. It takes information, knowledge of the market, and learning how to evaluate what makes financial sense. The more information you obtain from reliable sources, the better decisions you will make.

[6] It is very easy to get published, but extremely difficult to market and sell books. Make good decisions based on solid information, and you will not fall victim to experts looking to make a buck on your vulnerability. Be willing to invest in professional advice before you spend time and money in a venture that won’t get you where you want to go. Be willing to market aggressively and consistently.

[7] There are no guarantees in publishing, never, not one. Put all the pieces together and it still does not guarantee success. Do not allow anyone to take advantage of you as an unsuspecting writer. Be smart, seek advice and counsel from those you respect and never ever give up on your dreams.

It’s not about just getting published; it’s about getting published correctly in a manner that makes sense in the marketplace and one that fits your personal goals as an author. We’re not launching rockets, just publishing and marketing books. Follow the successful path, seek expert advice before you make financial decisions, and you’ll save both time and money in the process. Remember, as an author the possibilities are endless and the opportunities boundless. You can become anything you want with the right information.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend Book Expo (BEA) it will give you an entirely different perspective on the business and open your eyes to the competition, both as an author, publisher or service provider. I’ve had the privilege to attend many as a publisher and for any serious publishing professional it is an investment that gives you a first-hand account of what the marketplace has to offer.

Tickets, travel, and accommodations are never cheap however if you are serious about wanting to become a successful author, dedicated publisher or provide services to the industry, the BEA offers many great workshops, seminars, and the chance each year to view the publishing industry at work. For more information about Book Expo America as an author, publisher or service provider, follow the link:  Book Expo America Questions & Answers.

Book Expo America is the annual showcase for the largest publishers in the world. It’s a place where companies rent booth space to display their goods and services. The convention hall includes publishers and related businesses both large and small that offer products and services to industry professionals directly or indirectly related to the industry.

2) Someone reading this might wonder? Why would I attend BEA? Do you think it benefits anyone in publishing to go to an event like this and if so, why?

If you’ve never attended it is fun to attend at least once just to get a feel for what the bigger world of publishing is all about. Depending on your particular situation either as an author, publisher or business person, it is the one place where all related companies gather to display their offerings so if you want to see what the industry is all about and how you or your business might fit, it’s worth the visit. Book Expo can be as much or as little as you want out of it, but if you derive your revenue from books, publishing, or anything related, you should attend at least once.

3) Can you explain the set up of BEA? It seems that the big 6 New York publishers are always taking center stage of this event, is that true? Is it a case of “whoever can throw the most money at this event gets the biggest booth”? Or is BEA generally a primary focus of corporate publishing?

BEA is focused around the six big publishers, no doubt, without them the BEA would hold little relevance to the general public. As it stands today, the media is interested simply because of the celebrity authors and future bestsellers that are on display. Each of these big companies may spend well in excess of $1 million on this show so it is a big deal for them and they spend a lot of time in New York preparing.

Booth placement is key for this show and the sponsors do the best they can to make everyone happy. Size of the booth is indicative of how much money the sponsors are receiving from the big publishers. Having attended more than 20 I would have to say that the BEA as it now stands is as much representative of corporate publishing as anything else.

4) Let’s say I’m a small publisher looking for more exposure for my books. How would I strategize BEA to my best advantage?

For small publishers BEA becomes a necessity to attract the kind of attention it takes to build your business and sell books. If you are small and do not attend, then industry wide you are not seen as a “player” in the publishing business. The best way to strategize if you are a small publisher is to make sure your booth reflects who you are or who you want to be as a publisher. You have to promote your company to the industry, such as agents, authors, and other publishers. It’s important for you to put forth the perception that you publish quality product and are serious about your own development as a company. The BEA is the place where you have an opportunity to capture the attention of the bigger players regardless of their area of expertise. This is especially true if your books rarely get reviewed in the traditional media and if you are not based in Manhattan.

5) As a small publisher, what’s my best plan of attack? How should I prepare for this event?

The first thing you have to do is make sure you have developed an image you want to portray to the industry. If your focus is quality fiction then you need to have large images of your covers, with free and review copies available, and complete marketing plans, including promotion, publicity and advertising. You have to mimic what the big publishers are doing which gives the impression you can compete even if you are on a smaller scale.

6) If I’m a vendor, looking to acquire more business. Let’s say I’m a publicist or marketing person…why would I want to go to this event and how could it benefit me?

The first thing I would do is walk the halls and get the lay of the land, in other words, where are the big publishers located and what are all the other booths about. It’s one thing to read the BEA catalog or read Publishers Weekly for the convention layout, it’s quite another to walk the hall to see for yourself what each of these businesses are all about. The employees of all the big companies constantly walk the halls looking at their competition, and not just the big publisher booths, but the entire hall.

As a vendor trying to acquire more business, I’d gather as much free information in the form of handouts as you can possible carry, including catalogs from everyone. I would also gather as many business cards as you can and shake hands and speak with as many people as you can meet. Then at night in your hotel pour over all of this information looking for opportunities. I’d pick up as much competitive information as possible and then use this information in acquiring more business.

7) As an author, how could BEA impact my career? How could BEA help me?

Depending on where you are in your writing career attending a BEA for the first time should open your eyes to the possibilities. The books you see from the biggest publishers could easily have been written by you, it‘s all about understanding the market, positioning your manuscript, having knowledge of what the big guys are looking for, how they purchase rights to publish books, and then knowing how to market yourself as an author. As you walk the hall you will get a sense of just how big the industry, how serious you need to approach your writing, and how extremely important it is to know how the business operates. The books you see in the catalogs of the big publishes are no more talented than you, but they know something about the business and how to market themselves and their writing. If you’re serious about a career as a writer, you can learn what you need to know to be successful by keeping your eyes open and developing your plan.

As someone who’s attended many of these events, what are some insider tips you can share about event networking and attracting new business at an event of this magnitude?

The idea that you can walk into any booth and make a cold call on an editor, publisher or any business and accomplish something is the easiest way to be seen as an amateur. As a result no one will take you, your business or writing seriously. The BEA is not the place to try and transact business, it’s the place to meet people that will hopefully allow you to transact business in the future. The only way for anything to get accomplished at BEA is to have established some contact prior to the show and then set an appointment to meet during the show. That is the only way. Dropping in on people and sticking your hand out with a business card is the quickest way to ruin what reputation you might have established.

9) Many people say that “deals are made at Book Expo” but is that true, are there deals made on the event floor?

The biggest deals the largest publishers make is international rights transactions. I can’t say that deals are never done on the floor, but if there are, then BEA is the end point, not the beginning. Discussions are held that lead to business being conducted, but rarely do agents and authors, service and product vendors initiate contact at BEA that result in business being conducted at that moment. The atmosphere is more festive and most executives hate to have serious discussions on the floor. BEA is the place for introductions, exchanging of information, but not serious business.

10) As a service provider, publisher, or author – what are some things to look for in book placement, catalog placement, or promotional piece that might clue me into new trends, or vendor’s one might want to connect with…

First of all depending on the product or service you provide, you need to scope out the competition. Who else is offering the same and how are they presenting themselves to the public. This is very important. If you are looking for opportunities from publishers catalogs, look for books that are similar to ones you have worked on in the past. Particularly check out the marketing of these titles and make a mental note on those which you have something to offer that is new and exciting for the publisher.

If you are a small publisher again, take note of the competition. Publishing is about perception, compare your presentation to your competitive publishers. Does your catalog compare? What about marketing plans? Prices? Page counts? What are they doing different? The goal is to figure out how to compete effectively.

As an author, there are tons of free and review copies available on the floor of the big publishers at all times, these are the titles they are heavily promoting. Pick them up and read them, this is what is selling today, compare the story, not the writing and pay attention to what publishers are doing to promote their books. Regardless of how you publish, there are plenty of marketing ideas floating around, right in front of your eyes, pay attention because chances are you can take those ideas back home and use them.

11) What type of information gathering do you recommend someone do prior to the event? What’s the best way to prepare for Book Expo?

Remember, the BEA is not the place to transact business, it’s the place to meet people who you can eventually do business with.  It’s okay to have a plan on how you want to tour the hall, especially if your time is limited. But the best preparation is hunting and gathering as I’ve discussed before.  The BEA has plenty of information to share, take advantage of the free offering in one location, and it happens only once per year.

The best way to prepare for a BEA is REST! Attending a BEA can be exhausting, go in with your eyes open and don’t let the show overwhelm you. It can be daunting to walk in and see all the huge displays and walk away feeling like your lost. This is the place to see what’s going on in the world of publishing. I tell my clients that the bookstore is their laboratory, where they can find out what’s being published and how books are being marketed. If the bookstore is your lab, the BEA is the PhD program for students of the business. There is a lot to learn and much you can gather at a BEA.

As a final note, let me share with you what the Independent Bookstores around the country are looking for when they attend BEA. There are searching for non-book product that is compatible with their store and shows promise of selling. They are not looking for books. Yes of course they drop by the big publisher booths and visit but they rarely make appointments. If they do, they typically are promoting their stores to the publicity department asking for more author events. For those book professionals BEA is not all about the books, but the industry as a whole.

As publishing has changed over the past decade, so has the way in which a publisher markets books. Regardless of where or how your book is published you will be expected to assist with the marketing of your book. Unless you have some clear idea, who is most likely to be your audience, you are not going to be able to make a positive contribution to the marketing effort. This means your publisher will be making all the decisions, and this is where authors begin to get in trouble.

This is not a suggestion you write to fit an audience or particular genre, it simply means as an author, once your manuscript is complete, you need to give consideration to who will be your potential audience? The more you can target the person or group, the better you will be able to help your publisher and yourself to focus attention on the one area where it will do the most good. And at the same time, sell more books.

The Internet is an open playing field for new authors and eBooks are the future. The cost to publication is lower, the problems with distribution are much less and the fact that marketing mirrors the entire system of buying, downloading and reading quality content as an eBook makes it a hand to glove situation. Going from manuscript to eBook is faster and can be done as much for testing the market for content as for being one piece in an entire publishing program.

Any author struggling to print copies rather than invest in a quality eBook conversion and marketing is making a big mistake. It is difficult enough to reach an audience but printing to satisfy a very small group of fans is fast becoming folly. Limited budgets represent limited opportunities which in turn place more relevance on maximizing the way you spend your dollars. Rather than focusing on an all out publishing program try creating steps beginning with eBook followed by print after your digital success pays for the entire program.

The publishing industry is changing, the print marketplace is shrinking and the new digital eBook revolution is just getting started. Continuing to think as an author or publisher the way business operated ten years ago is wrong; if you do not change you will become just another footnote in the system. Take one step at a time, allow your success to guide your future, focus on eBooks first and market on the Internet. You will not only maximize your investment but will also increase your chances of becoming a successful author and publisher.

The only way to achieve success in this area is to understand the basics of what is going on in the marketplace within your own genre and also behind the scenes with your publisher. If you have no idea what is working competitively or how your publisher manages your manuscript from acquisition to on sale then you are risking your career as a published author. Publishers have motivations and pressures to generate revenue that may not always be in step with their authors.

All publishers survive on actual copies sold however there are many ways to achieve sales that could in fact become a very big negative for the author. If a publisher decides to over sell your book they can achieve an increase in gross copies shipped but they also increase the return levels for each title. In the business high return levels are clearly at the expense of the author and not the publisher.

If you have no concept of the market for your genre, the marketplace, how or why books are returned then you need to do some research. If you have no understanding of why publishers would over sell titles then you need to begin the process of understanding the basics of publishing. This could literally save your career as a published author.

[1] Rushing to Publication

The first is rushing a manuscript to publication before the editorial process is complete or when the manuscript doesn’t deliver. Editors working in-house are under pressure to deliver on a very tight and strict deadline to meet a publication date. The problem is that the manuscript may not be ready and ultimately will fail because of that fact. With self-publishing the pressure is off and yet too often writers tend to proceed to release date rather than correct the editorial problems.

Nothing can kill a books potential faster than rushing to publish a manuscript that is not ready for release. That same principle holds for the self-published who have revised and rewritten their manuscript to death and it still doesn’t work. In that case the best approach is to avoid publication. Simply place the writing on a shelf and start something new. Rather than make a publishing mistake of this magnitude the best advice is to delay, not destroy.

[2] Improper Categorization

The second mistake is placing the wrong category on a book which ends up in a spot where readers are not able to locate the title. With big publishers this happens more than you can imagine because their goal is to segment each category into as many subgenres as possible to gain a competitive advantage. The problem with that thinking is retailers and online sellers have caught on and now refuse to separate general categories into several sub-categories thus making it more difficult for consumers to find individual titles or authors.

The same problem holds true for online sales where they are not fighting shelf space but still hesitate to slice and dice too many mainstream categories. This is difficult to understand but the idea seems to keep things as simple as possible so readers will be forced to browse rather than go directly to what they want. The web site search engines help but online booksellers are smarter than we give them credit for and have learned to throw as many titles in the face of the searcher in hopes they will purchase more than one title.

[3] Title Mistakes

Bestselling authors seldom worry about titles, their notoriety can withstand just about anything. Not so for the relatively unknown writer searching to expand their audience. For both fiction and nonfiction, titles must provide direction for the reader. Romance writers cannot get away with titling their love story The Amazing Race, or Guns for Hire. These titles send the wrong message and savvy consumers will often rush right past regardless of the quality of the manuscript.

Title problems are especially troublesome for nonfiction where subtitles play a major part in the success of the book. If the title does not imply an immediate position for the reader then often times the book gets passed over. If you are writing a particularly narrow niche manuscript that screams for example business finance then the title should hit that nail squarely on the head. In addition the subtitle should bring the subject into focus making selection quick and easy. With titles the publisher and author gets one chance so a mistake in this area can be fatal.

[4] Package Mistakes

Once the title is secure the package or cover must convey the same message. The best advice is to browse the aisles of a local bookstore for comparison packages of similar titles and take notice of the colors, font, placement of title and author name, whether photos or illustrations are used as opposed to simple title design without illustrations. In this case following the lead of the major publishers is a good idea. If they do one thing well it is package books because they have a tremendous advantage when it comes to knowing what consumers want.

Never get sentimental about specific designs that your friend or relative created for you. While a sweet gesture, if the cover misses the mark the publication may never recover. Once the title is out in the market, trying to recall for a new look is not difficult but costly. Plus the issue with pulling one title from the market and eventually replacing with a new one is time consuming. Leave the package to the experts and allow them to create a unique design for you with your specific direction. This is the best approach to book packaging.

[5] Pricing Mistakes

Writers value their work at a much higher level than the average consumer. While every work has value the truth is that the market sets the price, not the publisher or author. If fiction titles in your category are generally priced in a range separated by four dollars, it is wise to stay from the middle to the bottom of that range. Especially if you are relatively unknown and building a readership. Trying to price yourself at the high end means you will compete for the same dollars as bestselling or notable and more experienced writers.

When it comes to pricing it is easier to go up rather than go down. A reduction in price often indicates a fire sale when it comes to books and that screams failure. Special promotions with price reductions are fine but it still signals a potential problem. Consumers are smart when it comes to disposable income and they know the market when purchasing books. Price right from the beginning and avoid these issues.

[6] Format Mistakes

Not every manuscript should be published and not every format works for every publication. Although this mistake is largely an issue for traditional publishers there are mistakes that self-published authors make with regard to format. For example, print should not always be the first choice. Digital publishing makes a lot of sense when the budget is small and the readership is nonexistent. The question to ask is: why spend the majority of your budget on print when eBook can produce the same result for much less?

Formats are the various designs for which a publication is produced and include hardcover, trade paper, mass market paper, for the sake of the self-published a print-on-demand publication, audio and finally eBook. Publishers and authors need to consider the cost of producing each format versus the availability of distribution to reach the intended audience. Print distribution is costly and largely ineffective for the self-published. While eBook distribution is easy and open to all, print is not. Access to the marketplace combined with the marketing budget and intended audience should help to determine the format. Print often results in over-printing which is one of the most costly format mistakes.

Publishing a paperback simultaneous with an eBook is almost standard for new writers and while both serve different markets, the marketing often cannot support both formats. The shotgun approach of publishing in many formats at once does not often work and failure in one format rarely ends in success in another. Each format requires a different marketing strategy, an approach that does not hold water for every format. Add the category and price into the thinking and it turns out not to be as simple as most think.

[7] Failure to Market

If a publisher or author makes mistakes in any of the six previous areas then no amount of marketing will overcome the obvious errors in publication. If the publisher or author makes a serious mistake in any one of the six areas then the marketing task is made more difficult. In a marketplace that is highly competitive publishers and authors cannot afford to make even one mistake and expect to overcome the problem with marketing.

For many publishers the most common mistake is inadequate marketing; failing to provide the title with sufficient exposure to generate sales. In that case the title is abandoned because the schedule means more new titles are coming quickly and there is not adequate time to recover. For the self-published failure to market means a re-start, pulling back and starting over. Books fail to sell copies for many reasons and here are the seven most common mistakes that result in failure.

Summary

Getting all seven points correct does not mean instant success because the competition is tremendous and the market is unforgiving. Getting all seven points correct gives the publisher and author the best opportunity at achieving success in a very tough environment. As a writer you cannot be discouraged but rather you need to be empowered with the knowledge that you know what it takes to be successful as an author.

Luck and timing always play a major role but the best chance at meeting your personal and professional goals is to put yourself and your publication in the right position to capitalize on what may happen in the market. Don’t be afraid and don’t give up! Writing and publishing is difficult but only those with industry knowledge, skill as a writer and a strong temperament can make it as a successful author.

Consider for a moment the larger New York houses where authors of all types are expected to do a certain amount of marketing and promotion on their own. Obviously, the more you are willing to do the better your sales. These companies cannot afford to spend resources on every book, so in order for you to be successful as an author, you must promote your own book.

The competition for book sales is intense, if you sit back and depend on your publisher to do everything; the chances of your book being successful are slim. Even the biggest bestselling authors work hard at writing and generating publicity for their book(s). They are always looking for ways to get their face in the news and let the public know they have a new book.

Most of the authors that I meet are less than enthusiastic about marketing themselves; it can be uncomfortable, but necessary in today’s marketplace. If you fit this scenario, you have to change. You must accept the fact that self-marketing and self-promoting is not only important, but necessary in today’s competitive marketplace.

Everyone wants to get his or her manuscript published, and that is certainly understandable. However, writing and completing a manuscript should be the goal, not getting it published. Stop and ask: Why are you writing? Do you enjoy the work? Or are you only interested in getting published? Every completed manuscript does not deserve to be published and being published should not be your primary motivation.

My writing is done to convey information that I think is important to writers. It is crude and often times grammatically challenged, however I am hopeful it sends the right message. My goal is to write each and every day to improve my skills and share information. Now ask yourself again: Why am I writing? Your answers may surprise you. Then ask yourself: Are you a serious writer?

Publishers buy large chunks of advertising, in newspapers, on television, and radio which make up the majority of the largest media markets in the United States. The competition for this advertising creates a demand that pushes the rates beyond the reach of small publishers and certainly self-published authors. The largest trade publishers can buy large blocks of ad space and time, which makes their cost most effective for promoting a list of seasonal titles.

If you are an author or small publisher and making decisions on where to spend your ad budget, concentrate on media markets beyond the top thirty. Even though you may still encounter outlets in smaller markets owned by some of the largest conglomerates the large trade publishers do not typically cover these market areas. The reasons are varied but the most common is that publishers are more concentrated on advertising, promotion, and publicity in only the largest markets, regardless of the author or title.

Be smart about where you spend your limited dollars, focus on smaller media markets and leave the largest to the bigger publishers. Your money will go farther and you will have much more of an impact if you concentrate your efforts on areas not typically within the range of the large trade publishers.