-General Market

Most often these books are written with what is most termed as a secular world view. The target market is much wider and from my observations includes anyone who reads books. Content can be graphic but that is not always the case.

-Christian Market

What earns these books their section of a bookstore is their Christian world view. The target market here is readers who want some faith in their fiction. Content can be honest and at times gripping but is not usually graphic although that is changing.

As a writer (and a believer) I spend time and money in both sections because reading is my continuing education.

While I try to stay true to the story I’m given to write, I’m also a writer who wants readers, so I study the market on both sides of the aisle. I can spend hours learning from book covers. I will take time to write the title, author, and publisher in my notebook so I can check back and see what intrigued me enough to pull the book off the shelf when it’s time to design my next cover. I read the back cover copy - the blurbs that sometimes are just enough to make a reader buy the book. I check out the opening lines to see if I’m drawn in. Then I may take in the first chapter. If I enjoy the pace, language, and over all writing, I will either buy the book or add the title to my wish list. (I have a very long list!)

The first time I read a book is as a reader. No highlighter or pen although I might dog ear a page I know I want to come back to when I begin the reading as writer phase. The second reading is faster as I search for key spots the author delighted, scared, or disappointed me.

I’ve developed my own “code” for these places I’m drawn to and therefore learn from. A smiley face for places I found funny or that made me smile. A heart for a phrase I loved. A cross for a faith moment and a black dot for a spot that scared me spit-less. A sad face for a where the author disappointed me. An arrow means this is something I want to ponder, argue, or agree with. Question marks means there’s something there I didn’t understand and may want to learn more about. An exclamation mark means “right on!” in my short hand. Highlighted passages are those I want to remember either because they taught me something about writing or myself. I use a cross when the author is exceptional at writing about faith. These symbols become a word-less journal within the book.

As a reader and a student of writing, I’m picky about the books I purchase. If the books I buy can be both entertainment and text book, I get to double my pleasure.

As a writer and seller of my own books, reading books from both sides of the fiction market shows me what works for readers. This is not my main driving force when I sit down at the keyboard. The love of writing, the passion for my story, and staying true to the characters is far more important than writing for the markets. If a story is well-written, readers will cross-over.

I’ve also come to believe from reading that writers can put their faith all over their fiction. Bold authors are respected and read. Readers are savvy and unafraid of being converted. When an author writes a compelling book, people will buy it and read it if only to disagree. This kind of writing stays in the hearts of the readers and on the sales reports of bookstores for years.

The literary community hosts a myriad of book awards. These awards differ as to who can nominate a book for an award. For some awards, publishers or authors can nominate their books and a committee or select group of people vote on the nominated titles. Other awards choose to have a nominating committee decide which titles should be considered for an award. Some awards have a select group of people (such as retailers, teachers, or students) nominate titles. There are a few book awards that are based on the number of copies a title has sold or lifetime achievements of an author.

Small and self-publishers can pursue those awards that allow publishers and authors to nominate books. Generally, these awards come with an entry fee. These entry fees can range from $40 to $200.

While entering a book award contest is not a guaranteed win for your entry fee, it certainly more than pays off if your book is picked for an award. Some book award programs publish the runners-up as well as the award winners. If your book falls into either of these categories, you receive a marketing gem.

Book awards, like book reviews, can be harnessed to promote your title in endless ways. One benefit of a book award over a book review is that an award warrants press coverage. Newspapers, magazines, and newsletters like to highlight authors and books that have won awards. Another benefit of a book award is that consumers tend to want to read books that have won an award. An award tells a consumer that a book is worth the money to purchase and time spent to read it. An award signals booksellers to purchase the book for their stores as book awards almost always guarantee sales.

When a book award is bestowed, the award should be used repeatedly in your marketing campaign. In addition to alerting the press about a book award, any book award received should be posted on your website, printed on all your marketing materials, used in advertisements, and added to your book’s cover on subsequent print runs. Also, make sure that you let your distributors know about the award and send an announcement to those publishers associations and discussion groups where you are a member.

Following is a list of a few book awards that are geared toward small and self-publishers.

Large publishing houses publish multiple books each year. Then at the end of the year, they retire the books that did not meet their sales expectations and continue to keep the books that sold very well in circulation. The next year they repeat this process again. The books that sell well for the large publishing houses become their “backlist” titles. These are the books that continue to sell year after year. Many publishing houses make almost half of their profit off of their backlist titles. Their remaining profits come from their new “bestsellers.”

When small publishers follow this type of publishing plan, they inevitably fail. Many small publishers attempt to compete with large publishing houses and end up giving up too soon on new books when the do not sell as well they hoped the first year. Large publishing houses have the financial ability to place substantial marketing dollars behind every title they produce and to continue to publish multiple titles each year. Most small publishers do not have the financial wherewithal to compete with the large publishers.

For most small publishers, time, not money, is on your side. Most of the titles small publishers produce can be sold year after year as long as the subject matter is still relevant. Research shows that it generally takes a minimum of seven to twelve exposures to a new product before consumers will purchase. As a small publisher, you can take advantage of the time you have to continually market your titles to build up this required exposure over time. You do not have to have it accomplished in a year as the big publishers strive for. Your titles may never reach bestseller status, but steady sales add up over time.

Aim for continual steady sales. Don’t give up if your new books don’t sell as well as you expect the first year. Continue to market, market, market. Believe that you published the book for a purpose and that purpose is still being fulfilled. Hang in there like the tortoise. Slow and steady will win you the race.

The same is true for you. When you author a book on a particular subject, you become an expert on that subject. In marketing your books, you must accept this and proceed as an expert.

1. Think like an expert.

Experts don’t wonder who might want to read their books. Rather, they think, “Who needs this information?” “Who would benefit most from this information?” and “Who can help me access my book’s intended audience?” Thinking like an expert opens doors of opportunities for you. Experts seek out other experts in their field. They find others who are writing or speaking on the same subjects and network with them. Experts also think, “The world would be a better place if more people knew about this,” thus they take and make the most of every opportunity to educate and inform others about their subject of expertise.

2. Act like an expert.

Our actions flow from our thoughts. What you think influences what you do. If you are thinking like an expert, then you will begin to act like an expert. Experts approach others with confidence. Confidence engenders respect and trust. Experts make the most of every opportunity to alert others to new information without being overbearing. There is no need for arrogance or dominance when you know you possess knowledge, only a determination to help others learn the information also.

3. Talk like an expert.

Experts speak with authority. They don’t lead conversations with “I believe,” or “I feel that.” Instead, experts speak with conviction. They invite people to see and believe what they are presenting through clear reasoning. Experts say things like “Five reasons you need to know this information,” “Studies show or research indicates,” or “History reveals.” Speaking with conviction to an audience invites and encourages people to learn more on your subject.

You are an expert on your subject. Whether you are approaching a radio station to book a guest interview, speaking at a local bookstore on your book, or writing an article for a magazine, when you think, act, and talk like an expert, people will sit up and take notice. When you conduct yourself as an expert, doors of opportunity open for you to promote your book’s subject and increase your book’s sales.

Without the backing of a big name publisher, you need to immediately implement powerful, no-holds barred, book marketing strategies which are designed to sell your books quickly. The best advice is to market your book everyday. Any original book marketing idea you have that does not take away from the integrity of your work, use it.

The truth is, you can have a really fabulous book, but if know one knows your book is about to be released, then you won’t have a buzz. If you don’t create a buzz, then there isn’t any anticipation. No anticipation means it makes it just that much harder to sell your book when it is released.

Thank goodness for the INTERNET. The INTERNET is one of the best ways to create a buzz about your new book. The most surefire way to create that buzz is by implementing the following pre-promotion plan:

A. Get a website for your book or an author’s website about you the author.

B. Start a Blog and add it to your website: Start blogging about your book. If your book is on a particular subject matter, then Blog about that subject matter. Tell your blogging subscribers or readers about your experiences in writing your book. A Blog is simply a weblogged journal. Journaling about your experiences writing the book is a way to create a buzz.

C. Write Articles. Write articles and submit them to article directories about your book. You can write articles about the subject matter or you can write articles about book marketing, writing a book, or being a self-published author. In your author’s resource box or bio box, you can include a link to your website.

D. Write a small ebook with the first two chapters of your book included. Give the ebook away to people who agree to join your email or mailing list. Now, you have a list of interested people to purchase your book once it has been released.

With these book marketing strategies, you are sure to create a buzz about your book and tap into your target market for more sales once your book is released.

Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your field over and over again; you can use the same release. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories. Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’

Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive tons of traffic to your website while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords. Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media.

Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Make sure you have at least one good press release, written in AP style, which you can send out for the lifetime of your book.

Place free ads periodically for your book’s website on Craigslist in different categories to drive even more traffic to your website. Make five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book. Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline.

When you get a nice write up or feature about you and/or your book, have it laminated and set it up on an easel at trade shows. Create an online contest and list it in online contest directories to drive traffic to your website. Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches.

Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers. Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment.

Offer to trade writing a monthly column in a trade publication in your books’ genre, in trade for display ads on the same page. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs. If your book solves a problem, focus on this in your marketing.

If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books.

Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed. Make sure your sales letter or flier is first class; this is your formal presentation of your title to the prospective buyer.

Use your book promotion and book marketing dollars wisely; go after the free and cheap resources daily. If you apply yourself every day and you promote your book like crazy, you can achieve that ultimate goal of selling thousands of copies of your book, many self publishers have. Yes you can market and promote your book on a shoestring budget, just be careful about your marketing dollars.

There are a great many types of paper. Some are acid free archival quality. Some are made in part of recycled paper. Some reproduce photographs better than others due to the coatings applied. Here is where you might save a little money. If you are publishing novel or other book with few illustrations consider an uncoated archival paper. It might also be a little heavier which will add thickness to your book and reduce show-through. (If the paper is not opaque enough the text on the other side can show through.) Unless you’ve written a modern War and Peace, a little extra thickness can be a good thing.

Your paper decision will depend to a great extent on the printer and her presses since some presses work best with specific types of papers. And you don’t want any surprises when the book goes to press so it’s usually best to use a paper that your printer is familiar with.

I usually ask the printer for several samples that meet the project requirements and that she is familiar with. This way I’m not married to any particular paper and the printer will know what to expect from the paper on her press. Make your concerns known to the printer when she does the quote and listen to her recommendations.

Don’t be surprised if the samples you get are few. Generally a printer has a couple of business options. They can offer lots of paper choices and charge a higher price or a couple of choices and a very competitive price. Face it, choice costs more no matter what business you’re in.

Graphic designers will talk endlessly about lovely paper that they have seen and used. As a group we like to think of ourselves as paper experts, but the truth is very few are. Although I don’t consider myself an expert I love the feel of fine paper and appreciate its use in books. For novels I like paper that has an interesting texture. Text without pictures is best with an off white matt paper. The colour is a little less jarring than a bright white sheet and it will usually show pictures acceptably so long as great detail isn’t required. Paper for colour printing needs to be smoother to take the ink properly and whiter for better colour reproduction.

Now it will make life much simpler to go with whatever the printer recommends but it’s also nice to know what your printer is talking about. So let’s take a quick tour of common terms in the paper industry.

Paper comes in seemingly unending, confusing variety. Not only is the paper coated, uncoated, sized on one or both sides; it is matt, cover, offset, antique, text or newsprint and comes in a cacophony of weights and measures. Let’s try to make things a little simpler.

Paper in North America is usually divided into four broad types, newsprint, offset, matt and gloss. Newsprint is the paper used in newspapers; cheap, thin and short-lived. It does come in a variety of grades depending on how white it is and how heavy (thick). Offset is an average quality paper commonly used for printing of all sorts. Matt is a higher quality paper, usually smoother so it will take the ink more consistently. Gloss is exactly what it says. The very smooth surface takes ink very accurately and produces more vibrant colours. Each type is subdivided into grades normally referred to as book, coated and cover, depending on quality and thickness. There is quite a bit of overlap in these terms and you could easily find an offset-gloss that is better for your project than a matt coated. The industry isn’t consistent in using the terms and often dispense with them entirely in order to market a paper with a more or less descriptive brand name. You won’t find all grades in each type, for example there is no point in a cover stock for newsprint

Paper can also be classified based on the manufacturing method. Paper that has not been heavily calendered (this is a process of smoothing and flattening on large machine rollers) has more of a textured surface. It is usually thicker and is commonly referred to as antique. Machine finish papers are calendered to give a smoother surface and are usually thinner. The smoothest finishes are attained by coating the paper with a mixture of clay and glue then callendering. Depending on the type of calendering and the clay mix they can have a matt or gloss finish.

OK so you should now be thoroughly confused, but at least you have heard some of the industry terms even if they don’t have the meaning you might expect. Here are some examples of paper that might be used for various projects.

Letterhead: 50 lb offset (approximately the same as 20 LB bond, commonly referred to as book weight)

Flyer printed on one side in 4 colours: 45 LB gloss

Flyer printed on both sides in 4 colours: 60 LB gloss

Book jacket printed one side in 4 colours: 60 - 70 LB gloss

These examples show weight in pounds, unfortunately in North America text and cover paper is weighed differently. For example, a manufacturer might have an 80 LB text and an 80 LB cover stock. The cover stock is much thicker than the text because the standard sheet size that is being weighed is smaller. The 80 Lbs. refers to the weight of a standard number of sheets of a given size (this quantity is usually called a ream). Some manufacturers now show European measurements in addition to North American, so the 80 LB text might have a weight of 118 grams per square meter and the 80 LB cover a weight of 216 g/m2. It’s obvious from the European weights that the cover stock must be almost double the thickness of the text stock.

I’ve heard a number of different reasons why paper weights were based on different sizes of paper. I think the most likely is that the machines designed to print the inside pages were different that those designed to print covers. As a result what we think of as cover stock was supplied in a size that worked well for whatever manufacturing process or machine was used and it was simply weighed in the same way as text paper. Sheet size may also have something to do with the paper manufacturing process. If you are a fan of ‘which came first’ arguments then the paper came first and the press came later. However the press came before widespread use of machines for paper making so I still vote for the press size as the dominating factor.

The weight per square meter is a European standard. You can see a very concise article in Wikipedia on paper size. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size) The system is based on a sheet of paper one square meter in area with an aspect ratio based on the square root of two (longer on one side than the other). Various paper sizes are obtained by halving the sheet on the long side to create subsequently smaller paper sizes of the same ratio. It’s been around since early in the twentieth century (actually conceived in the eighteenth century) and it’s a much better system. Only Canada and the US have not adopted it. (Insert your snide remark here.)

Don’t get stuck on a particular make of paper. A printer might quote a particular make of paper for a job because she knows it will work and has the stock or knows it’s available. It’s quite possible that another printer would have to special order the same paper and be unable to get it in a reasonable time. Printers are the paper experts and unless you have something very special in mind, go with your printer’s recommendation.

I’ve said earlier that gloss paper takes ink more accurately and gives more vibrant colours, but don’t discount using a non-glossy paper for your book cover. I’ve seen some wonderful colour work done on uncoated and matt paper and it might give you the perfect feel for your book.

I strongly recommend that you use archival acid free paper. There is a greater variety of this type of paper available today than at any time in the last 50 years. Books made in the late 19th century and onward are generally poor in paper quality. This is one area where technology has failed us. While supplying enormous quantities of inexpensive paper to feed the information age, we limited the information’s life span to a few years. Books made two and three hundred years ago can be in wonderful shape where books made just 50 to 80 years ago are almost universally yellowing and growing brittle with age. Many books printed from 1850-1900 are beyond repair.

I hope this article helps a little. Paper is a complex subject, not because it’s difficult but because it has a long and distinguished history.

1. Offer a monthly newsletter that has useful content besides just information about your books. I have found that having a newsletter that offers something to both potential readers, and either aspiring or already published authors has increased my newsletter membership and sold more of my books.

2. Offer free reads. There is one thing that as both a reader and an author will make me stand up and pay attention; offer me something useful for free. People love getting something for free! My only piece of advice regarding this is just make certain that what you are offering is high quality. If you offer a story you wrote 10 years ago that does not reflect your current polished writing style, this is not going to get you book sales for your current books. Either write something new, or do polish up something you have already written, so it reflects your current style.

3. Have at least one of your free reads available through your publisher. Some publishers give writers the option of offering stories for free. Potential fans and readers do scan book catalogs for free reads, and sometimes publishers will advertise the free reads as well. If someone reads the free read you made available through your publisher, and they liked it, they are going to be much more likely to come back and purchase the books you have for sale.

4. As further incentive for someone to sign up for your free monthly newsletter, offer at least one free read (Or do like I did and offer two or three!), either a serial where you post a chapter a month (I’ve found this to be very helpful when it came to making sales!), or a novella. I started out checking my member list every day for new members and then sending them my freebies via e-mail, that is until I found the Files section in my yahoo group! Now I have all of my freebies in the Files section and all new members can just go there and download all my freebies to their computer. This saves time for you, and your new subscribers.

5. Write articles similar to this one on different aspects of being a writer, and the publication industry. Once you have done so, publish them in a few free high profile article directories such as E-zine Articles.com (my favorite), or Articles Factory for example. Because of the danger of duplication within the search engines I don’t suggest publishing duplicate articles at more than two places at a time.

6. Get your books reviewed. I can’t stress this one enough as it is one of the most important ways to get the word out about your books. There are many places online you can have your books reviewed for free. Do not pay someone to review your book! There are some very reputable organizations out there such as Coffee Time Romance (who incidentally review all different genres and even non-fiction; not just romance) and The Romance Studio to name two.

Strangely, the one technique which did not garner me many book sales that I am aware of, and which many beginning authors try is sending bookmarks with information about their books to book conferences. I’ve even heard some horror stories about authors who had friends that were at the conference talking about how they saw the other person’s bookmarks laying on the floor, or in the trash. If you can afford to have pens, or calendars or other more original/different items that are more likely to be picked up and taken home made, then by all means do so and send these items. From what I’ve heard though, bookmarks aren’t getting picked up anymore. If you follow the six techniques I’ve listed here, you will find your book sales do increase, and you will have many happy new readers as well!

Contacting An Agent: Most writers initially contact agents via e-mail. Agents like e-mail inquiries because they’re easy to answer. Responding by e-mail saves them time, which is critical because most of the queries they receive are about books that the agents don’t handle or are not interested in handling. A declining number of holdouts prefer to receive query letters sent via postal mail, but they’re in the minority. So check each agent’s Web site to see if it states how the agent prefers to be queried. Potential clients can also initially contact agents at conferences and other events. For information on writers’ conferences, see Writer’s Digest (www.writersdigest.com) and ShawGuides (http://writing.shawguides.com).

Many agents won’t accept unsolicited telephone queries, and if you call, their screeners generally won’t put you through. So, again, before you contact agents, check their Web sites to see how they wish to be approached. If, however, you do get through, most agents will ask you to submit something in writing: a query letter, a book proposal or your entire manuscript, if it’s written. Agents want written submissions so they can get a sense of the writers’ ability to express themselves clearly. Written submissions also let agents see how well writers are organized and their skill in presenting themselves and their ideas. Agents get a lot of their new clients through referrals from their existing clients and their publishing contacts.

Think Like an Agent: So you’re looking for an agent. Where are you going to find one? First of all, ask yourself this simple question: Where do agents go? To be more specific: What conferences do they attend? Where do they speak? What organizations do they belong to? Although we certainly aren’t suggesting that you follow them around, we do want you to start thinking like agents think. If you do, it will improve your chances of being at the right place at the right time. Research the literary and publishing scene in your local area. See if, when, and where any writers’ associations, publishers’ groups, and literary clubs meet. Are any nearby bookstores, libraries or cafes conducting interesting programs or hosting book signings? Are local colleges or universities offering lecture series featuring writers, agents, and/or publishers? Since many writers teach, investigate whether any well-known authors are teaching courses that you could attend in your area, even if it’s just to sit in. Go where book people congregate and make contacts.

The negative aspects of using POD instead of a large publishing house.

1) It will not have the label of a large publishing house on it.

2) It will not be distributed by a large publishing house to nationwide book stores.

3) You will not receive a royalty on sales amounting to maybe 3% of the profit per copy sold by a large publishing house.

4) You will not make the bestseller list of a large publishing house.

The positive aspects of using POD and having your book published yourself.

1) You can have your own publisher’s label put on your work if you like and it can still have an ISBN.

2) Your work can be made available to all of the online bookselling marketplaces and book stores nationwide through a POD global distribution service for about $100. They all receive regular notifications of new book put in print and in most cases, they will buy directly from a POD publisher directly and list the book on their marketplace. Since you will have established a price for them to buy it at (wholesale), you will get a known royalty per copy when they do buy from your POD publisher.

3) You will receive a royalty (that you decide) on the sale of every copy purchased by online marketplaces and book stores nationwide. Follows from (2) above.

4) You can make the bestseller list of any online marketplace that your book sells through based on your actual sales through that marketplace.

5) You can purchase copies of your own work through your POD publisher and become an online bookseller yourself which will yield the highest profit margins possible for you.

6) As an online bookseller yourself, you can set up your own website and sell your book through it.

Regardless of which sales scenario you choose, you are going to be doing the marketing and promotion of your book yourself anyway, why stop short of selling and mailing it too? Stuffing it in a padded envelope and shipping it to customers cannot be worth giving up over 90% of the profits after all the other hard work you have already done.