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Publishing is Not an Extension of Your Writing

by Patricia Fry

What causes more than three-quarters of all published books to fail in the marketplace? From my perspective as an author/publisher in the trenches for nearly forty years, the answer is simple, yet complex. Too many authors are entering into the business of publishing without the proper education. Some are in a deep state of denial. Typically, after months or years, an author emerges from his writing room with high hopes for the amazing manuscript he has just finished. He has one focus — to find a publisher. Few authors can see beyond this point. They can only imagine (and they do) that once the book is a book, people will step forward and buy it. Why wouldn’t they? It’s an excellent book, after all. The author’s friends and family agree. But what happens after the book is published? Here’s a common scenario: a few of the original fans actually purchase copies of the book and then it sits unnoticed in a couple of local bookstores. It is at this point that some disappointed and disillusioned authors will show up at a writers’ group meeting to hear a presentation on book marketing, subscribe to a popular publishing newsletter and/or listen to a podcast or teleseminar on book promotion. And they realize that they did not properly prepare for the daunting task of authorship. They jumped into the middle of publishing without a plan. How were they to know that publishing is such a very different activity than writing, and that book promotion is absolutely necessary in order to sell books? This is the point at which the mildly and wildly successful author parts ways with the three-quarters who fail. What makes the difference? In most cases it is the realization that successful authorship must be approached with a business head rather than a writer’s heart. Way too many authors write strictly for themselves and then they expect the public to embrace their work. They believe there is an audience for their book out there somewhere, but they don’t even consider who that might be until they have a book to sell. There are two questions the author should ask early in the writing process:

There are steps an author can take in order to be more well-prepared when they finally have a complete manuscript to show around. For example, don’t wait until you’re finished writing to learn about the next step. As soon as you realize you want to become a published author, start studying the publishing industry. Read books by the experts, visit their blogs and attend their workshops. Subscribe to appropriate newsletters — many of them are free. Write a book proposal. For the nonfiction author, develop a complete proposal before you even start writing your book. For fiction, prepare your proposal before your last self-edit. Based on what you learn about your competition and the needs/desires of your audience, you may decide to make some changes to your story or the organization of your nonfiction book. You will be required to think about your marketing plan and your platform. When you understand more about your role in promoting your book, you can start building on your strengths and planning your marketing strategies — and you should. Arrive at the door of the publishing industry with enough education and knowledge about how it works and prepared for the enormous task of marketing your book and you will have a much greater chance at publishing success.

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Patricia Fry is the Executive Director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) . She is also the author of 34 books, including Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author (Allworth Press, 2011). Available at Amazon.com and at the author’s website: . Follow her daily publishing blog:

• Who comprises the audience for this book?
• What’s the best way to reach this audience?
I think the reason that few authors consider these things is because they don’t understand that no matter which publishing option they choose, promotion is the author’s responsibility. Why is this furthermost from their minds? Because they don’t stop to realize that publishing is not an extension of their writing — that they can’t use the same mindset and skills in publishing as they did during the writing process. They don’t comprehend the fact that, while writing is a craft, publishing is a fiercely competitive, serious business and it must be approached as such. James Cox, editor-in-chief of Midwest Book Review says that, along with a good book and an understanding of the publishing industry, an author needs a “publisher’s hustle.” So true! Book promotion is not a sedentary activity. In the foreword to my latest book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author, I write, “What you (the newly published author) soon discover is that, in order to sell even a few copies of your book, you’ll have to pay at least as much attention to promoting it as you did to writing it. If you want sales to continue beyond those initial ones to family, friends and folks who read the nice article about you in the local newspaper, you will have to keep up your promotional efforts. If you want to reach potential customers in a wide range of arenas, you may have to market outside your comfort zone. Any successful author will tell you that marketing takes creativity and an enterprising outlook. And this is true whether you land a traditional royalty publisher, you self publish (establish your own publishing company) or you decide to go with one of the many hybrid pay-to-publish (vanity) services.” Hopeful, new and struggling authors, I have two pieces of advice for you:
• Know who your audience is from the very beginning of your project and keep them in mind throughout.
• Enter into the world of publishing with nothing less than a viable book, a valid business plan and enough energy to implement it.

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