Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
I occasionally hear from disillusioned and even sometimes angry writers. “Why doesn’t the publisher promote my book? Why can’t they sell it without requiring so much of ME?”
The big pubs are under the gun to vastly overhaul their business models, and they are working toward just that. This is true for many, if not most, businesses today (not just publishing).
The state of book promotion, and the fact that it’s increasingly on the author’s shoulders, is a product of many changes in the business environment, most of them outside the control of publishers. Many of the conditions which used to support publishers’ promotion of books no longer exist.
Here are just three changes:
→ The disappearance of thousands of brick & mortar bookstores.
Consumers previously discovered new finds by browsing the shelves. That’s far less likely to happen now. And with fewer stores, the opportunities for advertising within those stores have declined (i.e. front-of-store placement, themed tables and end-caps).
→ The entire advertising, marketing and PR industry has changed—it goes far beyond publishing.
Every company that advertises a product or service has had to grapple with the fact that they can no longer “shout” messages at people. They’re taking a different approach to selling and it includes providing value around their product or service and truly engaging with the customer. Where the old buzz-phrase was “return on investment” and a company was limited only by the amount of money they could throw at an advertising campaign, the new buzz-phrase is “return on engagement.” Engagement requires a new level of creativity and a new way of thinking. This engagement requirement is where authors come in—people want authenticity and this means the author herself is the one doing the engaging.
→ Consumers’ behavior has changed.
♦ Book buyers are changing where they’re likely to come in contact with books, which is now far less likely to be a bookstore.
♦ Consumers are shifting the kinds of content they’re choosing to spend their time with, and doing much of their reading online.
♦ People’s attention spans are shorter. You can’t just provide a wonderful product. You have to convince people that your product (book) is worth their time, that it will add meaning to their lives.
♦ People are no longer willing to see themselves as targets for marketing. They’d rather “opt in” to call the shots on who they allow to market to them. With the internet, they have unlimited buying options, so they’re not beholden to any one product or company.
* * *
Every business that sells to consumers has had to rethink and overhaul the way they reach their customers. This isn’t a “publishing thing.” The music and book industries have been hit especially hard by the transition to digital, but every single consumer brand in the world is grappling with the new strategies required to get their products in front of people.
Publishers are figuring it out too—and greater involvement from the author is part of the new equation. Since it’s unlikely this will change, we all need to wrap our minds around this and accept it.
What do you think about publishers’ increasing platform and marketing requirements for authors?
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Jeanne Takenaka
One advantage of coming into this journey when the changes of responsibility had already begun is I am not expecting a publishing house to do all they used to do. I know much more responsibility is placed on an author. Reality says authors need to figure out the platform/marketing demands if they want to stay published.
I imagine it’s hard for published authors to make the time to write and to market their books as well. As a pre-agented, pre-published writer, I am studying what others are doing so I can hopefully come up with a workable plan if/when my turn comes for publication. I’m pretty sure, with that being said, that I’ll have more to learn as I walk further on this journey. 🙂
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
It’s okay with me. Just part of the job. I miss the primacy of bookstores, but what is, is.
I’m not sure about people’s attention spans being shorter per se; it’s perhaps more accurate to say that the attention they’re willing to spend on an item of potential interest is more limited. The onus is on the advertiser to make the point quickly.
I wonder if we have a ‘built in’ time tolerance for considering new possibilities, and the ore options that are presented, the less attention we pay to each>
It would seem to me that people are quite willing to devote attention to a quality product; look at the success of the Hobbit films (never less that 150 minutes) and the demand for ‘series’ books.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Typing one-handed is for the birds.
In the second paragraph of my comment, ‘ore options’ might well be a good investment, but it should have been MOIRE options.
Aarrgh. More, not moire. Sheesh.
And even I know that a > is not a period.
Wendy Macdonald
Andrew, our family is crazy about the Hobbit series. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen someone reading the book or watching the DVD. You make an excellent point about quality.
Peter Jackson and J.R.R.Tolkien are the best. I wish P.J. would redo the Narnia series instead of what Disney did (the 1st one was good). ❀
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
I agree – PJ would have done a better job with Narnia. He really understands those worlds.
shelli littleton
I have lost internet at home from storm. Using my phone. The author doing their own marketing raises a few red flags. It’s all good, but what about the element of surprise? I’ve always thought the unknown of the author/entertainer drew people to them more … to want to know more about them. If the writer is totally accessible, is something or a working strategy lost? Hopefully there is some remaining remnant of balance and protection for the writer.
Wendy Macdonald
Shelli, I hope you get your internet back soon. ❀
shelli littleton
Me too, Wendy. Thank you! I don’t like using my phone!! 🙂
Cathe
This is a very good article, and I agree with the points you made about consumer behaviors – they reflect my own behaviors!
As a new writer, I am finding it challenging to set up and maintain a platform that will be in place when I am ready to pursue publication and still have the time to actually WRITE!
Wendy Macdonald
Rachelle, thank you for explaining the book marketing changes in a way that helps us understand this is permanent. We need to be proactive about our platform if we want readers (and a publisher).
Personally,I’m more likely to buy a book by an author who keeps his/her online presence reasonably up-to-date and engaging. If I sense the writer cares about the readers, I’m more likely to take a chance on their book.
I used to work in retail. Good customer service was the key to securing faithful shoppers.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Elissa
I don’t have a problem shouldering more marketing responsibility. Still, I’m beginning to wonder if traditional publishers are bringing enough to the table to justify the paltry royalties they pay.
I have a writer friend who is making a six figure income off her self-published novels. She primarily sells eBooks, but she does make some print editions available. She hires experienced freelancers to do the editing, design, and cover art, and handles all the marketing herself.
She chose to be an independent author because she wanted complete control over her projects, not because she makes more per book than she would with a traditional publisher. She certainly earns every penny she makes.
I should add, she is an excellent writer and extremely prolific. Six novels a year in a few series is her average. I realize few writers (myself included) have the time and resources to match her output. But her example does show that an author who is willing to work hard can make a decent income without going through traditional publishers.
Kristen Joy Wilks
That is true. My generation wants authenticity. Reality TV really plays into that need. The way I buy books, I’ll try something out at the library. If I want to read it again, then I’ll buy it for my Nook. I also buy things on recommendation from friends, but only after I’ve tried them out from the library most of the time.
Jennifer Hallmark
It seems like we are called to be lights in the world so getting out more and marketing more would be an increased opportunity to reach out to a fearful, hurting world. Who knows the lives that can be impacted by this new trend? One on one relationship is what will touch lives…
Heather Day Gilbert
I really like the idea of “Return on Engagement.” Although authors will still have to invest in their books–if not money, then time. But one of the most beautiful things about being an author in 2014 is that you can have direct and immediate contact with your reader base. They can give input on anything from their fave cover art to which book they want you to write next. There are pros and cons to this kind of interaction, of course…Amazon reviews being one of them (often a pro and a con!).
Thanks for this post, Rachelle.
Sally Bradley
Agreed, Heather! It’s amazingly cool to have readers contact you the moment they finish the book. They’re excited, and so are we. We just have to make sure we convey that to them. We really have to engage with our readers, and I’m still surprised when authors don’t.
shelli littleton
You are so encouraging, Heather. You do this so well.
Heather Day Gilbert
Thanks so much, Shelli. And reading your comment above…yes, you do have to maintain some level of privacy for sure. For me, that means not posting many (if any) pics of my kids on Facebook or my author pages…trying to keep them off any search engines, etc. But you do reach the point where you feel you’ve blogged yourself out, talked yourself up, and thrown yourself out there way more than anyone should have to. 😉 It’s maximum burnout stage and it can really sap your energy to write.
Janet Ann Collins
Since most of the marketing is now on the shoulders of the authors, what about hiring somebody to do it for you – or at least help? How can you find a professional publicist that doesn’t charge a fortune?
David A. Todd
The main negative about an author being responsible for their own sales via platform building and other means (apart from being terrified of sales) is it could seem pushy to consumers. An author saying “Buy my book” is more pushy than a publisher saying “Buy his book.”
donnie & doggie
“If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality.”
Peter DeHaan
The changes publishers are making are understandable, but if authors need to do most of their marketing, aren’t publishers just pushing them to self-publish where they can make more per sale?
Jamie Rohrbaugh
I really enjoy working on my platform and engaging with people; so even though I haven’t published a book yet, I don’t mind the publishers’ expectations. It might be a function of my genre. I want to minister the love of God to people’s hearts, and the most fun way to do that (for me) is connecting with individuals.
Lonny Carey
Hi Rachelle. I am a first time author. Having written my first book, I am now on the adventure of discovery to get it published as I understand this is very difficult. I have created a blog about this journey to help others. My research has found that some of those who have published are unhappy with both the results and the experience while some just never get that far. So I figured that blogging about things with the fresh eyes of someone completely new to the industry has got to beneficial. Hopefully I am not breaking any protocols, but I would love to see comments from the wise and battle-hardened as to my thoughts and approach. It would be a great blessing to everyone. My blog is at http://www.firsttimeauthors.net/. Cheers