Publisher’s Pet—It Takes More Than An Apple
It’s Monday, 9:01 a.m. I’m sitting in my office, feet up on the desk. I may look like I am doing nothing, but I’m actually thinking, and thinking hard, about which author’s book will get my attention first. The phone rings. Caller ID tells me which author it is. I ignore the call and let it go into voicemail. The phone rings again. Another author. Another ignored phone call. The phone rings a third time. I grab the receiver. Why? It’s my favorite author, Publisher’s Pet!
Teacher’s pet. Publisher’s pet. It’s a good thing.
No one gets more of my attention than an author who can help me do my job and make me look good doing it. I’m crazy about authors who can write well, understand marketing and sales, and will roll up their sleeves to promote “our” book.
I want a well-thought-out marketing plan attached to every book I have to launch, and I want it to come from the author, who should know his market even better than I do. Yes, authors fill out an Author’s Questionnaire, but these forms are rarely taken seriously and are often ignored. The marketing plan is as important as the quality of the book. Actually, with a great marketing plan an awful book can succeed! People will buy it, though they may not finish it! (I’m thinking Nabokov’s Ada, but feel free to disagree. I just don’t want to hear it!)
Last week I sat in on a writers workshop and listened to members read excerpts from their previous week’s writing. One aspiring writer had completed a lengthy, turn-of-the-century novel and was fine-tuning it by reading it out loud to the group before trying to find an agent. I talked to her about some of the critical sales tools she might use to separate her from the pack: the upbeat covering letter, exciting book outline, and smart marketing plan that would accompany sample chapters of her book. It never occurred to her to develop a marketing plan. Big mistake. And good luck finding an agent.
Unsolicited manuscripts “in them thar hills” of the slush pile may well get a serious read if you attach a marketing plan that proves you know your market and how to reach it with your book. Otherwise, the reader, associate editor, acquisitions editor or agent will just get another paper cut while shoving your manuscript into the self-addressed, stamped return envelope.
I’m good at sussing out a market and moving books, but I’m even better and faster with a helpful author who has taken the time to understand the book’s market (fiction or nonfiction), supplied me with every idea, from the harebrained to the brilliant, that he has, and then sat down to work with me, side-by-side, to combine my harebrained and brilliant ideas with his into a primo marketing plan virtually destined to bust through the competition.
But to really lock in the position of Publisher’s Pet, I want a proactive author. (Not a pest, asking me what I’ve done lately to promote his or her book and why I haven’t sent a copy to a friend of a friend who works in publishing.) I want someone “out there,” flogging the book with me, implementing those parts of the marketing plan to which he has committed and sustaining the effort.
James Brady, columnist and author of The Scariest Place in the World and The Marines of Autumn, gets it. We bumped grocery carts in Amagasett last summer and chatted. This author never, ever stops promoting his books. In a telephone conversation we once had, he told me ”flogging” his book came first.
William Hood, coauthor of A Look Over My Shoulder–A Life in the CIA, doesn’t get it. He’d been away for months, and I had assumed he was promoting his and the late Richard Helm’s book. Smart, I thought, but no, he had been summering in Maine. Bill told me he left the publicity entirely up to the publisher. Not smart, I thought.
Rigel Crockett, first-time author who wrote Fair Wind and Plenty of It, a memoir about working on a tall ship as it circumnavigated the globe, sort of got it. He booked himself on his own speaking tour at places like The Explorers Club and Mystic Seaport, but was hesitant to ask his publishing house for reimbursement of some of his expenses. After we spoke, Rigel went back to the publisher, and sure enough, the publishing house found a few pennies to help cover his expenses.
Sandy Jones, coauthor with Marci Jones of Great Expectations–Your All-in-One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth, gets it. She supplied me with well-thought-out marketing plans that included an analysis of her competition, lists of doulas, ob-gyns, associations, and radio and TV shows specializing in family issues. She targeted major companies manufacturing baby products and became a consultant. While Sandy was busy pitching in, I got her a multipage spread in Fit Pregnancy and a massive commitment for content exposure and links to Barnesandnoble.com on Ivillage.com, the #1 women’s network with “25 million unique viewers each quarter.” Sandy, my Publisher’s Pet.
When Publisher’s Pet calls, I reach for the phone every time. Pronto.
March 8th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
While one shudders at the thought, you are so very right in saying, “with a great marketing plan an awful book can succeed!” Far too many do. Writers don’t like to accept the importance of marketing and dread it because, naturally, they like to think of themselves as writers, not salespersons. This is why the bookstore manager (a marketer) can point out Danielle Steele or Maya Angelou in a second, but never heard of Nathaniel Hawthorne (“is she a Manga writer?”).
As I flirt with senility, I’m fortunate to have self-published my own dreck and am, thus, insulated and can blame no one but myself when I do poorly. For anyone truly wishing to succeed in the world of writing as it is today, however, I have to agree that marketing must be at the top of their list if they want to be successful…whatever that might be…
March 8th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
What do you mean I SORT OF GOT IT? Well, unfortunately, when I’d spoken to you about reimbursement for expenses, my editor had told me she didn’t think it would be a problem. But then guess what. That’s right; it was a problem.
The tour was excellent though. Each speaking event led to a more high profile engagement as I built a reputation and made contacts. I was delighted to wind up my tour speaking at the Egan Institute for Maritime Studies on Nantucket Island before packed house with a really warm introduction from Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea. I sold every book on the island that day and the next.
I also sought reimbursment from my US publisher for a direct mail campaign to the 100 bookstores belonging to the Council of American Maritime Museums. They wouldn’t loosen the purse strings, so I shelled out for that as well. I sent each store a poster, a letter and a Rodale order form. Good luck being THEIR publisher’s pet; you’d have to write another South Beach Diet. I had a much better experience with my publisher in Canada, Knopf, which was delighted to pay for plane fares and a direct mail campaign.
I do agree with Lynne, having both a marketing plan and the will to flog my book could have made the difference when it was time for my publishers to sign the contract.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: There’s a rumor afoot that Rigel’s book is under serious consideration for the Atlantic Canadian literary award for nonfiction! This is the calibre of writer who needs to be able to make a living from publishing so he can continue to ply his trade. Shame on Rodale–so shortsighted.
March 8th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Robert Benchley: It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.
Truman Capote: A boy has to peddle his book.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: I swiped these quotes from John Baker’s website!
March 9th, 2006 at 9:05 pm
“The marketing plan is as important as the quality of the book. Actually, with a great marketing plan an awful book can succeed!”
Are you saying that a good marketing plan is a necessary prerequisite before a book will even be considered for acquisition?
Is the answer is yes, then how do you explain the fact that most books are published, shipped, and yet remain virtually unknown to the reading public?
Publishers know in advance which books they acquire that they are going to frontlist and promote, the rest receive no advertsing or promotion from the publisher, and in most cases the writer doesn’t have the time, resources, or expertise to do much to effectively promote their book.
Still, even knowing this, the publishers publish these books.
March 10th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Hi, Peter!
Publishing houses take on books all the time w/o an author’s marketing plan. The editors guestimate the market based on their experience (such as it is), edit your book, and then pass it on to the marketing department who, based on their knowledge (such as it is), GO THROUGH THE STANDARD MOTIONS of launching your book:
1. Send out a few hundred copies to the usual suspects, who, as often as not, are addressed as “Book Reviewer” on the mailing label.
2. Put a small photo of your book jacket and a few lines of promo in the quarterly catalog.
The smaller the advance, the less individual attention is paid to your book by the marketing & promotion department.
If you can get the publishing house to commit in writing on your contract (like I did with St. Martin’s Press) to a dollar amount for marketing & promotion, you’ll know how important your book is to them, and that they expect to sell more than a few thousand copies. Track the expenditures to make sure the publishing house follows through on its commitment.
If you supply the research and spoon-feed the marketing department your ideas, your names, even your mailing labels, believe me, your efforts will pay off. Just make it easy for them, and be nice about it. (Don’t be one of those authors who annoy and harass the marketing department. That is a very, very dangerous thing to do if you want a successful book. Mark my words.)
The marketing department is a nightmarishly busy place. And no, one, repeat, no one, cares about your book more than you do.
Why are books published, shipped and yet remain virtually unknown to the reading public? Read my post about Barnes & Noble Books (January archive) and the attitude toward quantity-of-sales for an individual book. I also address this situation in my posting about work-for-hire.
Thanks for dropping by!
March 10th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Trenchant, depressing and inspiring, simultaneously, Lynne. Can’t help noticing you include fiction books in this call to action. One of my fellow writers’ group members, a seven-books-in SFFantasy author, sort of missed the reference and commented, “So much easier to flog non-fiction…” I had to lecture her a few hundred words. But, I’d appreciate you offering more comment on proactive-ness by novelists. I’m thinking you’re dead right and that I should, with my general marketing experience, spearhead my group’s development as self-marketers. By the way, my SFF friend is an active traveler and promoter, so she shoulda known better than to say that. Thanks for your good work.
March 11th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
http://www.vidlit.com/agent/#PLAY
March 15th, 2006 at 9:31 am
How does an aspiring writer learn how to market? I thought my part of the job was to write the best novel I can. That was difficult enough! I agree with you that no one will be as passionate about a book as the author. But as far as a marketing plan, I don’t have the slightest idea where to begin.
Do you (or any of your readers) have any suggestions?
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Begin by doing a search for ”how to write a book proposal” and “how to write a marketing plan” on the Internet. Adapt what you find to your book. It doesn’t matter whether your book is fiction or nonfiction. The point is to “think” like an agent or a publisher when you develop the marketing plan and do their research for them.
March 15th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I have no idea what the initial print run is [for my book.] [The editor] never told me, and I’ve yet to ask, maybe because they have all of one publicity person, and I imagine he’s terrifically busy. I don’t hear from him. If there’s a publicity plan for the book, I haven’t heard about it. I’ve just been contacting everyone I know and getting all the press coverage I can for the book.
I have not told my publisher about my second book, for two reasons: (1) I’d like to see if I can get representation before I broker a deal for a new contract, and (2) I’m not sure if I want to offer it to them.
March 15th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
The publisher doesn’t have the right to look at your next book? Check your contract.
Ask them what the print run is. Ask them what their marketing plan is so you can dovetail. Ask. Ask. Ask. And tell them what you are lining up for personal marketing and promotion. They’ll like that. It will encourage them.
You are not a second-class citizen, hat in hand. You’ve written a book that they are supposed to market. How they do it and even if they plan to do it, is something you need to know. Now.
You are not being a pest by calling them. You need to be involved. They will respect that.
And… it is easier to find an agent if you have a book already placed. Just cut a stronger deal between the agent and you with less of a percentage for the agent because he didn’t do the hard work of placing your book.
March 17th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Lynne,
Tough as it may be to swallow, this IS sound advice for novelists–though I do wonder how many agents are likely to take an actual marketing plan seriously at the query stage. The prevailing wisdom is to only make mention in the query that one understands their market (a paragraph). This may be because assistants and interns are screening most queries, and marketing is the least of things at this stage.
I think, though, that an author with a plan in place when an agent asks to see their full manuscript may well be regarded as an even more attractive client.
So many writers whine about how “unfair” it is that they must subvert their art in order to play the publishing “game.” Interestingly, I found that taking both my art and the business of publishing seriously was the formula for success.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): I’ve found that by developing a marketing plan, you actually get to find out if you have enough of a market to warrant publishing the book in the first place—assuming you’d like to make some money. In my posting about memoir writing, Rage-Writing as Memoir. Is it a Book, a Blog or just BS?, I weighed whether to write a book about Bela Szigethy v. Lynne W. Scanlon, a nightmarish legal situation in which I took a relentless pounding from a very rich guy for three or four years, all of which culminated in a trial by jury. The numbers and markets in my marketing plan did not warrant writing the book–yet. Yes, it is critical to sit down and work through a plan.