Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Location: Books & Such Central Valley Office, CA
Weather: Sunny, breezy and 82º
Remember those days when we worked so hard to get published? Did you ever think that publication would only be the beginning of a new set of worries? As aspiring writers we were fixated on the prize– representation and an eventual book contract. All we thought about was holding that first book in our hands. We longed for the day we could change “writer” to “author.” Heady stuff.
But dreams do come true. Let’s say the author finds the perfect agent, and she sells the book. The newly-minted author holds an exciting launch party, and everyone who knows him comes to celebrate. In the afterglow, he makes deep eye contact with his wife, takes both her hands into his and hums a few bars of “The Wind Beneath My Wings.” It doesn’t get much better than this, right? He makes it a habit to walk into bookstores looking for his book on the shelves. The only problem is that he rarely finds it. “We can order it for you,” the helpful clerk always says. Hmm.
Okay, so the first royalty statement is disappointing. Friends tell him about those famous “sleeper” books that start out slowly and build to bestseller status. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for him to realize that his book is not a sleeper. No, apparently it was DOA–dead on arrival.
His publisher acknowledges that marketing and sales mistakes may have been made. The editor offers another contract. A second chance! This time our author is practically paralyzed with fear. Will it be good enough? But eventually book number two releases. Everyone says it is good but, sadly enough, sales are still lackluster. Bookstore employees see the author’s name over and over as they pack up his books to send back to the publisher.
What’s an author to do?
When we talk about career planning, the stalled career is one of the hardest things we tackle. Many authors are surprised to discover that editors will be reticent to take on a third book if the first ones did not sell well. But here are some quick suggestions for trying to get your career back on track:
- Write the book that simply cannot be turned down. You are going to meet with some formidable resistance because your first couple of books did not do well. (A rough gauge of success –your book should earn back its advance within the first year.) Don’t forget, those bookstore owners are going to remember that your books sat on their shelves for a long time and then had to be sent back. They are not going to be eager to give you a second or third chance. If you want to resurrect your flagging career, you need to pull out all the stops. The idea has to be high concept and the execution near-perfect.
- Continue to market the previous books. With enough word-of-mouth excitement, a sleeper can always be awakened. If a previous book started to do well, it alone could jumpstart your career.
- Develop an innovative marketing strategy for the proposed book and communicate this to potential editors. The author with a stalled career must be able to overcome the reticence publishers may have, based on past sales.
- Put the numbers in context for a potential publisher. This is something your agent will do for you. Every time an agent shops a book, the first question out of the editor’s mouth is, “What kind of numbers did he get on his first book?” There’s no fudging–sales are sales. But your agent needs to discuss some of the possible reasons for the lackluster sales and explain why this book is different. Often the agent will need to explain some of the issues at the publishing house that may have contributed to low sales. This takes real finesse since there’s a fine line between trying to put statistics into context and breaking professional confidences.
- Try to be patient. When an agent is shopping a new book for an author with regrettable past sales numbers, it’s going to take all her skill and expertise to make the sale. She needs to be strategic and patient. This step could take longer than the first sale did.
This reminds me of John Grogan’s advice to an aspiring author. He said, “More than anything, believe in yourself and your voice. Write about what you know and care passionately about. Don’t write it for an agent or publisher or market niche. Write it for yourself. Write it from your heart. Write it without flinching. If you do, it will touch readers. And it will sell.”
This quote hung on my office wall (a.k.a. “fridge”) for a year and I read it every day. I believed it. I still do, I think. I just can’t help but wonder if Grogan would say the same thing to an aspiring author today.
It’s almost scary to read about low sells before you’re even published. Yikes.
But it seems that the number one remedy both for getting published and for help in a stalled career is to write that knock-out novel.
It’s quite a challenge, but I’m loving it. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Hi Wendy,
I would be curious to hear why you think some books end up DOA. If an agent and editorial team both get behind the book and feel that it will sell, then in your opinion why wouldn’t a “saleable” book sell? Maybe you’ve already adressed this issue in a previous post, but I’m curious to know some of the reasons why this DOA phenomenon happens. Can we chalk it up to poor marketing or are other factors at work? I’d love to prevent it happening to me!
Thanks, Wendy. I’m actually doing (or trying to do) all of the things you suggested. I guess I’m on the right track. I’m just not giving up because that would seem like the wrong thing right now. So I’ll keep plugging away!
Wendy, I’m glad you are tackling this topic because my career is currently stalled. Nine books in, and some books have good sales numbers while others don’t.
Here’s a few things I’m doing while Janet shops a new proposal for me (which I hope can simply not be turned down):
*Using Twitter and Facebook to connect with existing readers and keep them interested.
*Marketing for more speaking engagements.
*Attending a speaker’s conference for knowledge, networking and exposure.
*Teaching local writing classes to establish myself as the neighborhood author.
*Working with an SEO specialist to increase traffic to my website.
*Attending a blogging/vlogging seminar to find out more ways I can use the internet to build my following.
What am I missing? What else can I be doing to impress publishers while I’m waiting for Janet to work her magic? 🙂
Jody, you’ve asked the tough question. I’d love to hear others chime in on this one.
Sometimes a publisher takes a book because they just love it even though they’ve yet to find an audience for the genre or category. For instance, several have said that finding an audience for cozy mysteries in the CBA has been an uphill battle. If you can’t find the audience for your book, it can be DOA.
Other times, your book releases during a “perfect storm.” think about the books that released in September 2001. Our whole world turned upside down and people were too stunned to get excited about a book.
Sometimes changes happen at the publisher– say, a turnover in their sales department or a personnel shift in publicity or marketing– and the book doesn’t get the push it needed.
Or, the flip side, sometimes the author is distracted and doesn’t do the marketing he needs to do.
And sometimes, in this overcrowded market, a wonderful book just gets lost in the avalanche of titles. I know we can all name gems that never got their place in the sun.
So much in publishing is simply in God’s hands.
Shannon,
Your list could be a blueprint to being proactive. (I’m saving it.) It’s normal to have ups and downs number-wise when you’re building your brand.
It sounds like you’re doing everything right. We all know this is a quiet market right now but you’ve got a superb agent, you’re working hard on your brand and if you are writing your best-ever book, you’ll be poised for when things heat up again.
How encouraging, Wendy. I, too, don’t want to break professional confidences but had some good things happen and had some frustrating things happen. But after a hiatus that was also beyond my control, it’s good to be getting this advice in the face of some of the current publishing realities.
What do I think of “the industry’s preoccupation with success and sales numbers”? I think it’s very easy on the creative end to forget that publishing is still business. And like so many industries, we’re in leaner times where the competition is tougher. So we need to be smarter. And we need to trust even more that it will happen in God’s time. We just need to have done all the preparation we can so we’re ready when it happens.
Thanks for answering my question, Wendy! I so appreciate all of your wisdom! Your blog is such a blessing!