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Now
that you’ve finished authoring the great
American novel, what are you going to do next? Going to Disneyland on
your royalties? Sorry to pop your bubble, but your profits probably
won’t even pay for the ticket to get into see Mickey and friends. The
reality is that your book is likely to cost you money. Believe it or
not, the world is not chomping at the bit, waiting for your book to hit
Amazon so they can get their copy. Don’t believe me? Check out these
stats about book publishing and reading found on www.parapub.com, the
Web site of self-publishing guru Dan Poynter.
1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest
of their lives
42 percent of college graduates never read another book after
college
80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year
70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last
five years
57 percent of new books are not read to completion
70 percent of books published do not earn back their advances
70 percent of the books published do not make a profit
A successful fiction book sells 5,000 copies
A successful nonfiction book sells 7,500 copies
Of readers:
53 percent read fiction
43 percent read nonfiction
The favorite fiction category is mystery and suspense, at 19 percent
55 percent of fiction is bought by women, 45 percent by men
In the U.S. in 2005, 172,000
books were published. The total for the
world was over a million. Those numbers have mushroomed since then
because of the explosion of self-publishers. I saw one figure of over
400,000 for 2008. The competition is way beyond fierce. The jungle
perhaps pales in comparison with the book marketplace. And you as a
naïve, probably uneducated in the nuances of marketing, and extremely
exuberant new author are set to launch your little rowboat into an
ocean full of riptides, sharks, and icebergs, oh my. Alfred E. Neuman
would grin and say “What, me worry?” It’s important that
self-publishers have realistic expectations. If not, you could find
your heart and spirit crushed and perhaps your checking account
depleted because you sent good money after bad.
Maybe you have written your life
story and expect to earn enough to
retire. In my limited experience as a publisher, I’ve been privy to a
few memoir manuscripts. Most dealt with their own lives and included
problems they dealt with. Unless there is some resolution in the book
that gives me encouragement to think I can be an overcomer, I really
don’t want to wallow in someone’s self pity. It reminds me of the “I
was so poor” jokes. You know the ones like “When I was a kid we had to
sleep five kids to a bed.” Another kid says, “You had a bed?” Unless
you’ve become a celebrity of sorts or at least are very successful in
some field of endeavor, nobody really wants to know how poor you were
or how difficult your life was. They want something that will enhance
their lives. Make sure your book provides that.
I just received a manuscript
from a mother abused by her husband and
then by the government. This kind of thing needs exposure to the world.
It’s not just about her story but rather the plight of battered women
everywhere. Though she will probably not make a lot of money on this
project (which she has pledged to orphanages), if one young girl can
avoid a nightmare of such an existence by reading this book, the author
has succeeded in her goal.
Writing your memoirs may be
therapeutic for you. I recommend you use
this therapy in conjunction with prayer to make it more effective. In
any case, since you have written a book; how might you make at least a
small splash in the publishing pool?
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First,
I would counsel you not to spend money
that you can’t afford to part with on advertising. Be aware that with
the explosion in the number of self-publishing companies there will be
a corresponding explosion of businesses that cater to those who want to
sell those books. Many of these firms are in startup mode and are not
in a position to be of much help. And even established firms may not be
able to return enough money on your investment to pay the costs. Don’t
be talked into a second mortgage on your house by a snake oil salesman
who promises they can get your book on the bestseller list. To
paraphrase the Good Book, many are written but few are chosen.
There are inexpensive ways of
getting the word out about your book.
Be aware that many others are doing the same things, which somewhat
waters down the effect. This is a link to a Web site hosted by an
author who has graciously provided an astounding amount of information
on free or cheap marketing:
http://www.bauuinstitute.com/Marketing/Marketing.html.
If you visit the Web site,
you’ll find ways, such as these, to promote and market your book. #1
Press Releases
#2 Radio/TV shows
#3 Local newspapers
#4 Social networks
#5 Post videos on tangle.com and Youtube.com
#6 Take a volunteer or low-paying writing gig at an online site
#7 Reviews
#8 Book Trailers
#9 Personal Blogs
#10 Book Tours
#11 Self-pub co-ops
#12 Your Web site—a requirement for any self-pubbed author
#13 Newsletters
#14 Bookclubs
#15 Giveaways
#16 Speaking engagements
By now you realize that
promoting a book is a daunting task. The
good news for us as Christians is that we are not alone. God has a
stake in our lives. If He has given you a word for the nations, that
word will not return void. Divine appointments will arrive to help you
weather the promotional storm. I caution you, though, that it will
happen in His timing and not yours. You must submit and commit your
writing to Him, just as you did your life, and don’t worry about
success. If you have carried out His will, it does not matter how many
books you sell. Would you rather receive the reward of profits or a
prophet’s reward? Be mindful that promoting and marketing takes a great
deal of time and could suck you into a time consumption that cripples
other ministry you might be involved in. Seek the Lord’s will in all of
your endeavors in this arena.
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