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Feature

Publishing a Better Book, Seattle Style

Elton-Wolf gives self-motivated authors an alternative

by Jim Barnes

That's right, we're talking about self-publishing. But E-W marketing director Hazel Cox insisted we stop using that four-letter "s" word, because the Elton-Wolf staff doesn't use it anymore. Cox says the current company originated on the premise of an older "self-publishing" company and that new management quickly identified what NOT to do. Once you've leafed through a few of their books you realize they do deserve a more dignified classification. But it certainly takes more than great packaging to make a bestseller. What does Elton-Wolf do that other custom publishers don't?

A visual inspection of their books places them among the typical bestselling and award-winning books being published by mainstream publishers today. In many respects they surpass the quality of the usual bestseller in paper, binding, graphics - even though you may not recognize the author's name - but that will be changing, if Cox has anything to say about it.

"We pinpointed and focused on the problems and immediate needs of authors -- editing, design, marketing, distribution -- found the solutions, and voila' you have our ever-changing, never-as-good-as-we-will-be-tomorrow, publishing company," she says confidently. "Our books are distributed nationally and sales levels as of May of this year are 42% above the entire year of 2001. My personal goal is to increase that margin by over 100% by year's end 2002."

E-W was founded by Elton Welke, former publisher at Microsoft Press and executive editor of Better Homes and Gardens and Sunset magazines. Welke is the author and/or senior editor of 12 books, and prior to joining Microsoft, he was vice president of Livingston and Company Advertising, where his clients included Chevron, First Interstate, Aldus, Microsoft and Pacific Northwest Bell. Such a background offers clues to the enlightened company philosophy.

Two of E-W's fiction novelists recently won "IPPY" awards, and chatting with these folks quickly reveals that they are serious about their writing and publishing. The books are not exercises in vanity - their authors have a business-like approach and are motivated to succeed and to sell lots of books. They're also smart enough to know it takes more than motivation and pretty books to make an impact in the marketplace. E-W has a different approach to marketing than most custom publishers - they actually do some.

"My feeling about publishing and book distribution is that it needs to be turned upside down and shaken on its ear, especially where the conglomerate publishers are concerned," says Cox. "If you boil book publishing down to its essentials, it really is nothing more than a science. Given the proper attention to formula (editing, layout, design, production) and extreme attention to the details of marketing and distribution, a savvy author and their publicist can SELL BOOKS. The best defense against the big guns of publishing is a good, no make that great, offense."

"In a nutshell, we do not fool around - we get right down to business. An author presents their ideas and goals for their book project, we analyze 'what makes sense' for the book, the author contracts, and we go to work. It's really that simple. We help authors break the 'rules.' In a lot of respects the underestimation of independents by traditionalists is a huge benefit. While some authors are waiting weeks and months on end for the big guys to place value on their manuscripts, independents are busy producing the book. If it doesn't fly off the shelves right away, the independent author can change marketing strategies. Autonomy is the rule."

One of the Ippy Award-winning authors, Terry Stanfill (whose The Blood Remembers was a finalist in General Fiction and edged out by Peace Like a River) has high praise for E-W. "Rather than write a paragraph I should compose a sonnet! I'm not a control addict, but I did have a definite vision of my book -- its cover art, the feel and weight of the paper, the typeface, the maps drawn in sepia ink. Beth Farrell, who leads the team at Elton-Wolf, was attentive to every detail. Now that the book has been published, Hazel Cox has been by my side, always helpful with suggestions, pointing out unique ways to market the novel. It's hard to imagine working with another company," says Stanfill. "Though the services we provide are fee-based, authors get more than what they pay for in our performance," says Cox. "Excellence is not optional at E-W. From the earliest stages of discussions to the post-production services, books are tailored to the individual's goals for the book. It is a very coordinated and strategic process, right down to distribution, and there is not one person involved with E-W's process who does not have a vested interest in the success of the book. We love our authors, we love our books -- we love what we do."

"The perfect E-W author has a global perspective on their book goals. They've written a book, yes, but that book has a goal and a mission and the author has the ability to invest their energy, time, and cash into actualizing their dream with their book. Some are tenacious, as in the case of Victoria Zackheim, author of The Bone Weaver, who is single-handedly publicizing her book with consistent response in sales. Others are well connected, such as Elizabeth Jeffett, author of Silent Partners, who held her first launch party in the home of H. Ross Perot and continues to 'party' with countless other notables, resulting in extremely successful sales."

"Many of our authors are highly educated, like Randy Gerl (An Introduction to Relativity Physics), John Cogan (The New Order of Man's History), Terry Axelrod, (Raising More Money), and Kurt Linn (The Trouble with Mutual Funds). Some authors are simply lovely, as in the case of (the aforementioned) Terry Stanfill, Carol Tuttle (Remembering Wholeness), and Monique Wells (Food for the Soul), who have written wonderful books and are outstanding and humane individuals. The beautiful aspect of our authors is that they each share all of the qualities listed above. We are not only fortunate to, but also insist upon attracting brave, talented, innovative, savvy authors who mean business.

"We live by the philosophy that you'd better judge a book by its cover! Our creative process is a team project with the author's goal as our driving force. Many authors have only a rough idea of their goals, just as many authors have specific agendas from the onset. We work with authors to flush out the ultimate goal of the book no matter the author's level of knowledge. Once goals have been determined and the author has given an outline of their ideals for the look and feel of the book, we assign a designer who is made aware of the criteria for the cover. The editing and interior design is handed off concurrently."

"We can't necessarily assure marketing viability -- nobody can. Because we are so strict with the excellence rule (excellence is not optional), we know the product is going to be as viable as is humanly possible. We are very strategic in the retail marketing and distribution of a title, making sure that the book is working where it should be working in the distribution system and as it feeds into bookstores. It's all about positioning. All of our authors are asked to compile a list of bookstores they feel their book absolutely must be sold in. Sell sheets are sent to a corporate list of stores, in addition to the lists provided by the author. Samples are provided upon request. The main emphasis is to get the word out about a title -- and to get it in the right places. You can write the best book ever, but if nobody knows about it, it simply will not sell. Some books are not even appropriate for retail distribution. Just as in the design and production phases of a book, we tailor the distribution to fit the individual needs of a book/author and encourage the author to do what makes sense for their book."

"Because of our insistence on excellence, finding and attracting good authors is one of the most difficult aspects of what we do. We have a very small sales force, get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals and are constantly looking for a better, more successful way of reaching our author. At this point in the venture, people need to know that we are here and what the alternatives to conglomerate publishing and 's***-publishing' are."

So, here you go Hazel... Attention Authors! Elton-Wolf www.elton-wolf.com has an alternative for you -- check them out!