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Volume 5, Issue 5 May 2007
The BookMark is our free monthly newsletter featuring news and information of use to publishers, authors, retailers, and others involved in the publishing industry. On the first of every month, The BookMark will deliver useful tips, helpful news, and upcoming events directly to your electronic in-box. If you would like to receive a free copy of the The BookMark in your monthly e-mail, please visit http://www.bookmasters.com/subscribe.htm and complete the subscription form.IN THIS ISSUE: Industry News & Events
- 11 Tips to Avoid Self-Publishing Traps
- BookMasters/AtlasBooks at Book Expo of America
- BookMasters/AtlasBooks at London International Book Fair
- Upcoming Events
11 Tips to Avoid Self-Publishing Traps
by Marilyn and Tom RossSelf-publishing used to be the Rodney Dangerfield of book publishing. It didn’t get “no respect.” Today that’s all changed. With originally self-published books monopolizing bestseller lists, do-it-yourself publishing is very much in vogue. To be successful, however, it’s mandatory that you adhere to certain guidelines. By following the tips below, you’ll avoid the pitfalls and enhance your chances of flourishing.
1. Educate yourself. Self-publishing is a business. Approach it as such. There are informative books on the subject, seminars offered, and associations where you can learn the ropes and network with the more experienced. This can be very lucrative if properly approached. Conversely, you can waste thousands of dollars by blundering along without knowledge or a plan.
2. Study the competition. Don’t add more to a subject that’s already glutted. Be sure the topic hasn’t been overdone. Just checking a local library or bookstore is not adequate research. Look in Books in Print Subject Guide and Forthcoming Books in Print Subject Guide. You’ll be amazed at how many books there are on the topic. Yours must be better than what’s already available. Make it shorter, longer, easier to use, more informative, funnier, richer in content, or better organized. For fiction, try to tie into a hot topic so you have a “hook” for publicity.
3. Write what other people want. Catering to your personal desires often makes for lackluster books nobody buys. The fact is, few care about your life history or your deep-felt opinions. Personal journals and impassioned tirades are best saved for family and friends, not foist upon the general public.
4. Think “marketing” from the very beginning. The time to generate marketing ideas is before you write the book, not after you have 3,000 copies in your garage. Identify and target your market. How can you reach them? Start folders of ideas: what catalogs might be interested, which associations reach your potential readers, what magazines and newsletters are relevant? Can you sell the book as a premium to companies that would give it away as a gift to entice new customers—or use it internally for training? Think about who else reaches your potential customer and how you can partner with them. Do you have contacts who have national name recognition and might write an advance endorsement?
5. Get professional editing. No, we repeat, no author should edit or proofread his or her own work. You’ll miss the forest for the trees, overlooking things that are obvious to you, but unclear to your reader. And it’s so easy to pass by the same typo time after time.
6. Create a snappy title. The right title can make a book, just like an uninspired one can be a death peal. Short is best. While clever is nice, don’t sacrifice clarity. For nonfiction, be sure to include a subtitle as it gives you extra mileage in helping readers know what the book is about.
7. Include all the vital components. Just as a cake falls flat if you don’t add the right ingredients, so do books. Yours needs an ISBN, LCCN, EAN Bookland Scanning Symbol, BISAC subject categories on the back cover, etc. (If you don’t know what these are, refer back to #1!)
8. Have a dynamite cover. The cover is your book’s salesperson in bookstores. Get it designed by a professional who understands cover design . . . not just somebody who does nice logos or pretty brochures. You have enormous competition—and a wonderful opportunity to stand out.
9. Make the interior inviting. Go to a bookstore and study the interiors of books. Find one with clean, “user-friendly” pages. Use this as your model. It may not make sense to purchase and learn typesetting software if you’re only doing one book, however. In that case, consider hiring an outside vendor.
10. Use a book manufacturer for printing. Don’t expect your corner print shop to have the knowledge or technical capabilities to turn out a quality book. Book manufacturers specialize in this type of printing and can save you enormous grief and considerable money.
11. Publicize, promote, publicize, promote. Eat, sleep, and talk your book. Nobody cares about it as much as you do. Ongoing, enthusiastic marketing is the real key to success. Never quit. Keep your antenna out for new review opportunities, freelancers who write articles on your topic, etc.
Marilyn and Tom Ross are the coauthors of 13 books including the best-selling Complete Guide to Self-Publishing and the award-winning Jump Start Your Book Sales. Visit www.SelfPublishingResources.com and sign up for their free monthly ezine on how to make more money selling books—plus get a free downloadable copy of 15 Smart Strategies for Self-Publishing Success.
If you would like additional information on advertising and promotions, please contact BookMasters' Marketing and Distribution Department at 1-800-537-6727 and ask to speak to a sales representative for assistance. Visit www.bookmasters.com/atlasdistribution/index.html for more information on services we offer!
BookMasters/AtlasBooks at Book Expo of America
Don’t forget to visit BookMasters and AtlasBooks Distribution at this year’s Book Expo of America in New York City. We would love to discuss with you any upcoming book projects. This year the BEA will be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from May 31 through June 3. We will be located at booths 3156 through 3163 of the PMA section.
BookMasters/AtlasBooks at London International Book Fair
Operations Manager of Publishing Services Deb Keets represented BookMasters at the London International Book Fair held April 16–18, in London, England. While attending, Deb had the opportunity to meet with many of the foreign publishers that we partner with. She also met many new overseas publishers searching for U.S. publishing services. Deb heard many wonderful compliments from our foreign partners about our staff and the services we provide and it was great seeing the overwhelming interest BookMasters’ services generate in the global publishing community.
ClearWater Special Project
Great Britian
Suzanne Stutje of Pepin Press
Netherlands
RSM Press
Great Britian
June 1–3, 2007
BookExpo America, New York, NY
http://www.bookexpoamerica.comJune 6–8, 2007
Society for Scholarly Publishing Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA
http://www.sspnet.orgJune 8–11, 2007
BookExpo Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
http://reedexpo.ca/bookexpo/June 9–10, 2007
Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair, Chicago, IL
http://www.chicagotribune.com/extras/printersrow/June 14-17, 2007
Association of American University PResses Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN
http://www.aaupnet.org/programs/annualmeeting/July 5–8, 2007
Tokyo International Book Fair, Tokyo, Japan
http://web.reedexpo.co.jp/tibf/english/October 10–14, 2007
Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany
http://www.frankfurt-book-fair.comNovember 9–11, 2007
Miami Book Fair International, Miami, Florida
http://www.miamibookfair.comNovember 10, 2007
Kentucky Book Fair, Frankfort, Kentucky
http://www.kybookfair.comThis calendar was up-to-date and accurate as of May 3, 2007. Information was culled from a number of sources. BookMasters cannot be held liable for the accuracy of the information within. Please visit the listed Web sites for more information.
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