This time, we talk to a gentleman who has written several books – the most recent being a charming story about a man and his (agility) dog. Meet Robert Rodi.
Whenever someone asks me for advice on getting published, the first thing I ask is, “Why?” In other words, what is it that’s driving you to seek publication? Do you want to sell a book because it opens a door to a career as a working writer, or do you want to sell a book because you have something you’re compelled to say—a story you urgently need to tell?
If you’re in the former group—the would-be careerist—then approach publication as you would any business endeavor. See what kinds of books are flourishing right now. Find the place where your own interests and expertise intersect with what the market is supporting. Maybe that’s a travel memoir, or a book about diet and weight loss; or it could be a historical novel about an English king. Then figure out what it is that you’ve got to say that sets your take apart from all the others. Work up a synopsis, write a few sample chapters, and then go to literarymarketplace.com and find an agent who has sold similar properties. Send him or her a query email asking for representation; if you get a positive response, send along the proposal and go from there.
Listen to your agent’s advice, and don’t be thin-skinned. He/she is as eager to make a sale as you are.
If you’re in the second group—that is, you’re compelled to tell a certain story, in your own way, on your own terms—then you’ve got a harder road ahead of you. Try to find an agent who has represented other highly personal or idiosyncratic books. There will always be a market for unique stories and distinctive voices, but it may not be an extensive one; a sensitive agent can help you shape and massage your project to find it the largest audience possible.
Some compromise will be necessary; it always is—ask any professional. Your alternative is to self-publish, which is immeasurably more viable an idea than it was twenty, or even ten, years ago. But it comes with a set of drawbacks, not the least of which is promotion; very few self-publishers have the kind of resources available to them that a major publisher’s marketing department can deploy. Just remember, this is your vision and your voice; that’s as much a responsibility as it is a privilege.
Good luck.
Editor’s Note: Robert’s web page is http://robertrodi.com – there you can learn about his book, Dogged Pursuit, and other projects. If you want to join the almost 5,000 others (!) you can follow Dusty the dog on Twitter.
Marian SchembariWe “sat down” with Marian Schembari – intrepid gal that she is, living in New Zealand, and working on online marketing strategies for authors (and others).
Our question:From your perch – marketing and social media “thug” for authors – what are the things that authors have to do differently with their marketing strategy?
The thing authors need to do differently? Actually use social media. You think the Twitterverse/blogosphere/whatever is overrun with authors and publishing hopefuls, but it’s really not. Most folks in publishing avoid the social web like the plague. The thing that will set you apart is to actually use and embrace it. Have a good attitude.
One of the biggest mistakes I see authors make is having a crappy attitude towards social media and this really comes through in their profiles, making readers not want to buy their books. So many authors think it’s “not their job” to take care of the marketing of their book, but guess what? Your publisher is busy with all their other authors and besides the bare bones of marketing/publishing, they’re not going to do shit for you.
If you want to make sure you actually sell your book, take some of the easy marketing into your own hands. Get on Twitter. It’ll help you find that community of readers who’s going to fall in love with your book. Create a Facebook fan page and spread the word. But don’t sit at your desk whining that it’s not your responsibility. The incredible power of social media is that you don’t need to be a marketing expert, you just need to have a passion for your book, be willing to learn the basics and have fun with it!
The second mistake I see too often is blatant self-promotion. While people will start following you on Twitter or become your fan on Facebook because they want to hear more about you, they don’t want to hear you constantly egging them on to buy your stuff.
Don’t know what to share with your fans/followers/readers? They want to hear where your next reading will be or get a link to your latest review, but they’d also much rather know about YOUR favorite authors, top writing tips, bonus info from your book. And, of course, you need to give love to get love. So retweet and engage others in conversation to get the most out of your online presence.
I’ll leave the advice on “finding a publisher” to the others. I’d rather share a one-two-three punch – some things you can do like, right now.
1. Lulu. Big-Time Advantage – Getting an actual copy of your stuff. For some people, tangible is great – hold it in your hands, dog-ear the pages. Some people like to read on a bus or a train.
For me, getting an actual copy of my stuff was done for THIS REASON:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfd_8Gp-kgo
Tangible Proof of Expertise. Positioning.
Not done for the sales numbers – checks are nice to cash, but that’s not the real reason for writing this particular book. This one was all about a means to position me in front of more real estate industry clients as someone who knows what I’m talking about.
2. Kindle.Big-Time Advantage – Selling Your Content Lickety-Split. I hang out from time to time in Internet Marketing circles – but not with the Social Media Tools but with people who share information that can actually help me do my job better. One such guy is a James J. Jones, and his techniques for putting together content that can be sold on the Kindle Platform are rather cool.
I’m not gonna talk about his techniques, though. Instead, I’ll share this bit of advice:
If you have written a book, or have even written a few chapters of a book, get it on the Kindle Platform NOW.
How easy is it? I sat in on a one-hour webinar from Mr. Jones and multi-tasked. While he was sharing his grand strategy, I was signing up to publish my book.
3. Nichification.Big-Time Advantage – There’s a niche you’re already in. Still a big fan of the term “Nichification.” Still eventually going to write a book on that very topic – Jim Alexander and I are still talking to people about it, doing interviews, blah blah blah.
But, while we went down the path of “write a mass market advice book on niche business marketing,” I would encourage you to take a look at “writing a niche-focused book on a niche topic that you know something about.”
It’s a big world out there – 400,000 Kindle titles published last year alone. And, if you’ve read the classic “The Long Tail,” you’ll know full well that there’s an audience for just about anything.
F’rinstance…real estate social media marketing.
Publishers – the types who want the next The 4-Hour Workweek – will need to see Social Proof these days. If you’re a Scott Stratten or an Amber Naslund and Jay Baer, your social proof is already evident in the last few years of, well, being you.
Your Social Proof can be – and, in this world, should be – seen in the fact that you can put your thoughts to digital paper, and put that digital paper into people’s hands. You don’t have to sell a million. Or even a thousand.
Do you have a publisher? No? Doesn’t matter – best way to prove your mettle as a writer is to actually get out there and write something. And use the three tactics above to, well, change your title from “writer” to “Author.”
We asked Shelly Kramer “having gone through the process of finding a publisher, what would you do differently the next time around.”
Shelly Kramer
My answer is a bit different, Dave, than what you might expect because my publisher sought me out. That said, it only makes the process a little bit easier.
I’ll answer the question you didn’t ask first. If you have an idea, you have to be prepared to sell it. A well-written proposal that includes not only your idea but also your ability to SELL BOOKS is key. Publishers don’t market, authors market. So bringing that understanding to the table will help you a lot – and including information in your proposal about why you’re uniquely suited not only to write this book, but to market and sell it, will go a long way.
I wouldn’t do anything differently. We wrote a great proposal and didn’t have to work hard to convince the publisher that our topic was timely and that we had the power to sell books.
After agreeing on a contract and ultimately submitting a table of contents (which is the first step), my co-author and I quickly realized that the book the editor wanted us to write and the book we thought was important and timely were two very different things. She wanted a primer and we wanted something with a bit more substance. Because we’re already busy on a day-to-day basis, moving forward and writing something we weren’t totally psyched about just wasn’t something we were interested in. You might think it odd, walking away from a book deal that was a lucrative one financially, but for us, it just seemed the right thing to do. We’re marketers – not book authors. And our real passion is marketing and communications. So writing a book doesn’t bring us validity or credibility – just doing good work does that.
[See, my answer is different than you probably expected. And I won’t be offended if you don’t use it.]
Bottom line – if your dream is to write a book, have a great, well-written proposal filled with exactly what the book will cover and why it’s timely. Include a sales pitch about why you’re suited to not only write this book, but to market and sell a LOT of copies.