So there's one of the downsides of selling your own books, a must regardless of what publisher you have. The weather is rarely your friend. When it is, you find people are doing something other than buying books!
I promised we would continue our discussion of small publishers. Not everyone finds advantages in going with a small press. Hand selling in venues such as beer festivals for me or book events allows writers to meet the reading public, but weather is a consideration and so are the long hours of work with sometimes little return.
What are some of the difficulites you've encountered with a small publisher and how have you handled these? Some writers find another publisher, others seek out an agent to get them into the larger houses, and there is always the choice of self publishing and/or epublishing. What has worked for you?
As for me, I dress in layers (wool socks are my friend), I am published with several small publishers, I epublished one of my books, published with an epublisher, and now have an agent. This girl does not put her eggs in one basket.
Let us know your strategy. Sharing what you've discovered may help other writers as they try to aovid the potholes in this bumpy road to publishing.
I wish I had a great strategy to share, but I don't. I think I've tripped over every one of the bumps in the road. Hard work and persistence have worked best for me. Large publisher, small publisher or epublisher, you still have to weather the weather and hope readers are in a buying mood. Doing presentations at libraries works well for me, and Internet marketing and promoting has made a difference.
ReplyDeleteIt wears me out just thinking about all the places I've been and people I've met, but it's worth it and I've talked to some wonderful readers (and writers). I wouldn't change a thing.
I think doing presentations at libraries are he best places to get the word out.
DeleteWell, I'm at the beginning of the bumpy road you wrote about, Lesley. The book launch for my first novel, "Mixed Messages," will be held next month and, two days later, the book will be released. I've been doing a lot of online pre promotion and, yesterday, I attended a local event to promote my novel.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post and many others along the same lines, I've decided to set goals but try not to have expectations and to choose my venues for in person promotion carefully. I plan to tailor them specifically to my book.
For example, yesterday was the Irish festival in Cincinnati - my main character lives in Cincy and she's Irish. I will also attend Oktoberfest, our German celebration, this year because two of my important characters are of German descent. Hopefully, having an "angle" will prove effective. Of course, I'm always open to suggestions!
Oktoberfest sounds like just my kind of place. It's great you're thinking in terms of an angle with your characters. Me too with my microbrewing. Can I join you at your beer festival?
DeleteHow about the newbie publisher who's retired and only in publishing for something to do? I made the mistake of going with a guy like this, because he was a longtime friend. He subbed as editor. Problem: mine was only one of two books he published, and he had nothing else to do but ask for editing changes. Not all at once, either. He dribbled them out over six months, right up to and including publication date. The result? The finished product was jam-packed with typos because he hadn't had time to go over the proofs. Ouch! Le horror story! Beware of hobbyists as opposed to professionals. Personally, he's a nice guy -- had no idea what he was wreaking. Just didn't have the experience. Phew. I could use a beer about now.
ReplyDeleteThat's a real horror story, Melanie. We writers try so hard to be professional, making certain our manuscripts are the best they can be and then we meet someone like your newbie who makes us look bad. I hope you found another, more professional publisher. Now, go get that beer.
DeleteI'm a fan of many small presses, and have discovered some wonderful reads through them. I agree that no matter how "big" an author you are, the hands-on contact is essential so I wonder if the disadvantages such as weather, etc. are particular to one's publisher. In general I see the advantages to a small press as being greater access for newer authors; an up close and personal feel, which can be had with a bigger house but is more rare; a longer growth cycle and investment in development for authors.
ReplyDeleteWith my first book in my hand, I approached a local librarian, telling her I had just published the book and asking her if the library would carry it. I expected her to say no and talk abut budget concerns. To my surprise, she said yes and remarked,as you did, about the wonderful work done by some small publishers, mine included. That made a new author's day!
DeleteMy first book almost didn't get published on time because the cover artist, who also happened to be the publisher's son, was killed. When it's a small publisher, there's not much backup. If someone gets sick or hurt or dies, [publication can slow down or ground to a halt.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel
Morgan, that happened to me, too. My first book came out on time, but because my publisher's business partner died unexpectedly, my book had a number of typos when it first came out. Fortunately it was POD and could be fixed!
ReplyDeleteI really think the big publisher/small publisher thing is a trade-off. Unless it's a big house that supports you with marketing dollars, it's a toss up as to which is the better way to go. Roll the dice . . .
There's big and small, and then there's too small. You'd like a small publisher who has a track record. Look at some of the books it has published already. Don't be the first out of the chute. Choose a small publisher, not the smallest publisher.
ReplyDeleteSmall publisher can go out of business just like the bigger ones. Then you are left with a pile of books and you get to do absolutely everything on your own like a self-publisher. I don't know how to avoid that risk but I wouldn't sign with a publisher who does not seem committed to the business.
ReplyDeleteMy small ePublisher does a good job of editing and artwork, but marketing is all on the shoulders of the author. Hand selling at events is too hard IMHO. Local events here like the ones you described always expect you to show up with one of those gazebo tents. I believe in social media. Ads on book review sites keeping to the ones with lower fees. Most ads in big markets start at $750. A newbie can't be expected to do that. Also, book pages more that personal pages, though having both is good.
ReplyDeleteAnd if your small publisher doesn't have FB pages, make one for them. Mine has a website, but I got them to start the FB page, and I upload all the books each month.
Oh, and to think I only thought I had to write books! :)
I find one of the biggest problems is not being able to get my print books into places like Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, and worse, Lifeway. Since I write Christian, that is one downside to going with a small publisher.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they did a great job on my cover and everyone who has read it gives it raving reviews. They were a lot faster than the big guys at getting it out. Same with the upcoming sequel.
So there's good and bad with a small publisher.
You've identified some of the significant issues with small publishers such as difficulty getting into bricks and mortar stores and the hard work of hand selling. Social media may be the way to promote, publicize and sell, but which sites do you find the most useful?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jim Callen -- check out what the publisher has done before. Don't pick the very smallest -- think a little larger than that before you make the commitment. Then cross your fingers.
ReplyDeleteMy friends published with the big presses still do their own publicity and personal appearances. Some of them have gone to the big outdoor local book festivals and sold only a few books, if any. Regardless of the size of the publishers, midlist authors are still responsible for their own promotion. An author who wants a publicist and a book tour pays for those "extras," not the publisher.
ReplyDeleteSally Carpenter