Why Won't My Publishing Company Market My Book For Me?

It seems funny, right?

You're the author. You just write the book. Then everyone else should do the rest of the work.

Really? Really?

Please don't tell me you think that way.

I hope I don't have to explain how backwards that is. It's your book. Why would someone else sell it for you?

And yet, so many authors assume that they don't have to market their own book. I'm not sure why. It's probably because they see in movies some author sitting in their nice house, clacking away at the type writer. They are creating their next big hit, which they send into their publisher. And that's it--they're done. They never have to lift a finger, only to write another book.

Sigh. Come on. All of that is fiction, people.

A publishing company is supposed to publish your book. That typically includes editing, formatting, and producing a bound copy. Did you see the work "market" in there somewhere?

And yet, authors expect publishing companies to market. So some publishing companies have marketing people or departments, because after all, the publishing company stands to make a profit if the book sells. But really, they started the publishing company because they love books and editing and making books.

Here is the problem--no one knows if your book is going to sell. And with limited staff and budgets, publishing companies have to put their time and money into books they know will sell.

It's really a Catch-22. And for new authors especially, who have never done this before, they just simply don't know. So many new authors give up way too early. Publishing a book is such a huge risk.

It's a gamble for everyone involved. Everyone wants to see the book succeed, but the person who cares most is the author. The author needs to be the one to jump start this thing.

Think of it as a business. The author starts a small business, and the product is the book. The author takes it to a publishing company to make it shiny and ready to sell. The publishing company has other products to prepare, so it's pretty busy. But it wants the author's book to sell well, because that means job security for them, because they get to keep making the book and earning money too. But they don't know if the public is going to like it, they don't know if it's what people want right now, and they don't know of the author is going to get on TV talk shows or in newspaper articles in order to launch sales.

The publishing company can tell the author what to do, educate them on what works, how the industry has changed, how it has worked for other authors, but they can't DO it for them. The author has to do it. Because no one knows this author's book so well, or no one has developed contacts in this author's genre like they have, or a publishing company is not what people want to see in the interview chair next to Oprah--they want to see the author.

So, author, here is what you do--you make that happen. You prove to the publisher that your book is going to sell. Pound the pavement and get it sold. Give copies to the media so they will review it and write articles about it. Get on local radio and TV, then regional, then national. Get a following via your blog/Facebook/Twitter. Get a website with lots of info and free stuff, and interact with your readers. Give books away as prizes, give talks at events, and keep copies with you wherever you go. Read books about how to be a salesman, because that is what you must do.

Do all this, and don't give up. Keep going for at least a year or more.

Once you produce some numbers, the publishing company will relax a little. They will know that you aren't a risk. "Hey, people actually like that book. And that author is serious about selling it and connecting with people." Those are good words to hear. The publishing company will change its mind about you and your book, and it will clear some space for you and join you in your quest to continue (not start) marketing your book with you.

Writing Articles to Promote Your Book

Your publisher has asked you to write some articles to promote your book.

"Wait, didn't I just write an entire book? Isn't that enough?"

It would be if you were already a famous author (ouch!).

If you're not famous yet, you need all the publicity you can get. Especially free publicity. The media is the perfect place for new authors to be. Ideally you want the media calling you and interviewing you for TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. But it takes time for these media people to realize you exist.

You need to get noticed. Right now, your best bet is to write your own articles (that's why your publisher probably asked you in the first place). Just think-- if you can get an article published, think how many people could read it and then perhaps buy your book.

Hopefully you're convinced that writing your own article is a good idea. Now, the next step is figuring out what to write about.

Your topic is very important. Think about this carefully.

"That's easy... my book. I'll just summarize my book."

Um no. Please don't do that. As a journalist by training and profession (on a freelance basis now that I have three little kiddlets at home), I can tell you that no one will accept an article like that. This is what they want: news. Something that is current. Something that people are talking about. They are very picky, trust me. Only the most current and exciting news will get published.

Obviously your topic should relate to your book somehow -- but only bits and pieces.The rest should be news. When you pick a topic and write your article, a good balance between NEWS and BITS RELATING TO YOUR BOOK is the most ideal. It can help a new author get published while getting the word out about his/her book. Does that make sense? In essence, you are proving, through writing a news article, that your book is news. That this media outlet should publish your article and pay attention to you.

"But my book just came out. Isn't that 'news' enough?"

Nope. Sorry. Do you realize how many books come out EVERYDAY?  A book coming out isn't news in and of itself, unless it's by a famous person OR relating to something that's already in the news. Get it?

You need to write an article. And make sure your topic includes news.

How do you find out what is "news" right now? Read the New York Times. Watch the evening news. Go to Google News and type in key words that also describe your book. Then head to Twitter and do some searching.

Come up with any topics yet?

One new author, Adele M. Gill, wrote up an article for American Book Publishing, the company that published her book 7 Pathways to Hope. She recently wrote an article called Top 10 Healing Benefits of Prayer and ABP published it on their company blog.  The article mentioned and linked to a recent news story about a boy who almost drowned. It was very current but also tied back to her book's topic very well.

Through marrying a topic similar to what she talks about in her book along with some real news, the blog post was able to get some attention through other media as well. This is just what an article should do. 

Author Interview

Mormons: Tall Tales & Truths
By Jenni Rose Maiava

About the Author:
I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and my husband and I are raising our family there now. I graduated from Brigham Young University-Hawaii with a bachelor's degree in information systems and computer science. I met my husband while in our junior year--he's from American Samoa. We have lived in Hawaii, Washington twice and Arizona. We have five (amazing, lovely, talented) children. 

A few years ago, I went back to school to get my master's degree in public administration. During my last year in school, as I was turning 39 and feeling angst about 40, I decided to submit one of my manuscripts to a publishing company. American Book Publishing company contacted me 4 weeks later with an offer to publish my book! I currently work for the Providence Medical Group as their EMR Manager; I just had my 15 year anniversary with Providence. I was raised LDS and we are raising our family in the church.

Book summary:
Mormons: Tall Tales & Truths is a book about myths and misunderstandings abound about Latter-day Saints and our faith. My book shares stories and experiences I have had over the years with people curious about the Mormon religion and attempts to clearly define what we do believe. 

Excerpt: 

Do Mormons have horns?!? 

...tails, or religious tattoos?

These are a few of the more bizarre assertions I’ve heard over the years. I included them because as odd as they are, I’ve heard them each several times.

We have friends that throw a Halloween party every year. Most of the guests dress up. One year, my brother and his wife showed up as a devil and an angel. My brother’s costume was pretty simple; he had on a red shirt and little stick-on horns. One of the other guests wasn’t sure what he was and asked about his costume. Before he could answer, I said, “He’s a Mormon!” The funny thing was that just about everyone laughed and admitted to hearing that a time or two themselves.

There isn’t much difference between Mormons and everybody else. Just like there are lots of really wonderful Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, etc. out there, there are lots of good Mormons too.  Mormons are just regular humans. Promise.  No tails or horns included.

Why did you write this book?
My friends were always asking me questions about Mormonism. They started joking with me about writing a book called “Mormonism for Dummies.¨ For years they would say, here’s another chapter for your book! Eventually I started writing down the questions people would ask me. I kept this “journal¨ for ten years before deciding to put it into a manuscript and sending it off to a publishing company.

Tell us about your experience writing. Challenges? Good times?
Writing is fun! I just tell stories. I like to talk a lot, and so writing is, for me, a conversation. As I’m writing I imagine I’m chatting with my husband or friends and the stories flow out of me.

What was the publishing experience like?
Publishing is nothing like you think it’s going to be. It’s complicated and time consuming and exciting. Getting published definitely felt/feels like a great accomplishment.

How many editors did you work with (before, during, etc) and how did that go?
I had the chance to edit a book before having my manuscript picked up for publishing. I like to think that gave me a unique perspective. I had one editor, Sarah, who was just wonderful. She guided me through the process and helped me refine my book and my writing. Sarah was the first “objective¨ person I’d shown my book to. Her feedback and edits were critical to the final product. Most importantly, remembering my experience editing an author¡¦s book, helped me to not take the edits and changes “personal.¨

For other first-time authors, give your tips on marketing.
As an author you will be given lots of advice on how to best market your book. It can be overwhelming! My advice is to find what works for you and your personality. I’m not a born sales-person. But, I love to talk with people. For me, emailing and calling people and chatting about my book is the best way I’ve found to generate interest and garner sales and reviews. My brother, Josh, gave me great advice once when I was frustrated. He said, “view book marketing as a marathon, not a sprint.¨ Rather than trying to do 10 marketing strategies at once, employ one or two at a time and as those gain momentum, add new tools and methods. Realizing that marketing your book is something you will be doing for many years rather than all at once can make it feel less daunting.

Do you have plans for other books in the future?
I have two other non-fiction books in process and I have 10 completed children’s books that I am currently submitting to publishing companies. I would love to have more time to write, but right now it’s mostly in the middle of the night!

What do you like to do for fun?
I really enjoy being with my family. We play sports, go for bike rides, hikes, and just plain hang out together. I also love to read lots of books and blogs. Every year my family puts on a community lu’au. Planning and prepping for it is a lot of work but sitting down to watch the show is one of my favorite moments of every year.

Don't Date Yourself (in your book!)

I have three children, all 5 and under. Let me tell you, it gets a little crazy sometimes.

Two of my little monsters angels are boys, and I'm just going to say it right now--boys are different. They come with their own set of challenges. I grew up with three brothers, so I thought having boys would be "easy." Most of the time they are wonderful, but there are still things I do not understand.

"Why do you have to roll around in the dirt?"
"Why do you need 12 toy cars?"
"Why did you pee in the yard?"

Someone recommended I read So You Want to Raise a Boy? and while ordering it off Amazon.com I realized it was very, very old. Only used copies were available. Mine even has a ripped jacket (see?) and a lovely inscription from a grandma to her son and wife, who I assume also have a rambunctious boy or two of their own.

I cracked open the book recently and have already read up to age 4. It contains some good insight into the different stages a boy goes through as he ages, but one thing really stuck out to me. This book really dates itself.

What I mean is, the book uses specific words and explanations that are so different from the modern norm. Comments sprinkled here and there that seem to shout, "This was written in the 1950s!" In its defense, some things can't be helped, like explaining that the father waits anxiously in the waiting room while the baby is delivered, for that was a social norm of the time. And words like "orgy" and "fondle" didn't used to have negative connotations like they do today. But I still find myself giggling. Then I gasped at the explanation of spanking, which of course is less-than-politically-correct these days.

What can we learn from this? If you want to make your book timeless, watch what you write. Consider leaving out popular modern words or phrases that are just a fad, and if you can, keep out references like fleeting technology gadgets and the like. Because readers should be focusing on the story or the information in the text, not the time period in which it was written.

You Must Do This

I just finished editing a really great fantasy novel for a friend, and the author asked my advice on getting it published. As it turns out, this author had already been trying to get it published for the past few years.

Years, people.

Being an author is not easy, but that is ridiculous. Here he has a completed, well-written manuscript. He even has a whole series that follows it.... which I am excited to read. And yet, it remains unpublished. He has sent it to countless publishers and agents, only to get rejection letter after rejection letter, or in some cases, no response at all. 

He said it was obvious most had not even read his work. So disappointing! For a book that has been swirling around in his head since he was young, and for pages that took hours and hours to write, it saddens me that it just sits.

Naturally, being in the publishing business, he asked my advice. "What do I do now?" I told him that publishing companies are in business to make money. Especially these days, they need a "for sure" book to make money. They need assurance that the book will be liked. That means you need followers.

"If it was non-fiction, it would be a no-brainer. You should build up a following via a website/blog/Facebook page by making it an information center focused on the subject of your book." Once you have a lot of followers, it would show publishers that you have people ready and waiting to buy a book. Then it becomes less of a risk. Dollar signs are there.

But his book is fiction. How the heck do you gain followers when your book is fiction? How do you prove that your fiction book will sell? Let me share with you what I shared with him.

Besides writing your book and getting it published, if you don't do anything else..... you must do this.

Get an awesome endorsement.

We're talking Oprah, a reporter at the New York Times or the Today show, or anyone equally famous. Movie stars, well-known experts, or basically anyone who most people in America would have heard of. Get them to read your book and write up an endorsement, and people will notice you. People will take the famous person's word for it and probably buy your book.

Don't know any famous people? Ask around. Mention your book to everyone, see if someone "knows someone" or knows someone who knows someone. Or knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who.... you get the idea. Don't rest until you've tried everything. Ask yourself, how badly do you want this? And then press on.

Turning up empty? Look for lesser known "famous" people too. Like already famous authors within your fiction genre. In the case of my friend, he really needs to get a good endorsement from someone in the fantasy world. Ideally, he needs an endorsement from a best-selling fantasy author. So he needs to find someone who knows one. As it turns out, I know someone who might know someone, so we're going to explore that channel.

Knowing people is really key. It is what it takes in so many aspects of our lives... why would this be any different?

So get started now. Does it take a long time? Yes. But just imagine how much good it could do. A foreword by X or a short blurb endorsing your book written by Y could give your book the boost it needs to get published and eventually make some money.

Writing Challenge -- 500 words per day

I am writing a Young Adult novel, and it's been in the works for about a year. Why so long? Well.... I write sporadically. If you are writing a book, you are probably writing sporadically, too. Here and there, when you can. Which isn't much.

Thus, my Writing Challenge! Write 500 words a day. That's it! Just sit down and type--no editing allowed. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish. Do it starting today until Friday. That's only five days, but times that by 500 words and you'll have 2500 words.

Do it!!

Update: I did three out of the five days. But on one of the days, I did 1,000 words! When you sit down to type, it seems like more just comes out than you expect. Which is why it's good to sit down often.

I Am Not a Writer - Part 2

In the I Am Not a Writer Part I, I talked about how many people have ideas for a book they want to publish, but they don't write it because they are "not a writer."

Honestly, do you know how many non-writers have written books? Probably a book you are reading right now.

Very few people can call writing their profession (journalists, etc), and few people who aren't professional writers consider themselves to be "writers" per say... and yet there are millions of books out there. How did they all do it?

First, they came up with a concept. Then they ellaborated. If you have a good concept, that is half the battle right there. What is a concept?

A concept is the meat of the book. Explain the book in a few words, and that encompasses your concept. If it really captures people's attention, you might have something.

Now, if you have an awesome concept, the only thing that lies between getting it published is writing the darn thing. And if you are not a "writer" there are ways of getting your concept to print.

Dictate Your Ideas. Maybe typing or the physical act of writing doesn't work with your brain. If speaking is better, get a recording device of some kind and start talking.

Hire a Ghost Writer. Basically someone else writes it for you, but you retain the credit.

Hire a Writing Coach. If you simply don't know where to begin, this is your option. A writing coach is someone, perhaps an editor or another writer, who can help you write it yourself step by step. Picture them sitting there with you, asking questions and helping you form ideas, but you are the one actually writing. I like this idea best, because during the process of working with a coach, through the discussion and exchange of ideas, the creative process flows and amazing things can happen.

Write What You Can, Then Hire an Editor. This is what a lot of people do, and it really works. An editor has some sort of natural ability to see what a manuscript needs and make it better. But how do you find a good editor? Hmmm I think I'll write up a post about that...


Forget About Your Concept. This makes me sad. A great concept is not being written! You owe it to yourself and to the world to publish a book on your awesome concept. Don't let the fact that you aren't a "writer" hold you back.