First Word

1. Did you know that even including a numeral like "10" is a way to sell books ? Yes, readers like numbers in titles like 112 ways to market or 303 ways to run a business. Technically that is one of my 10 things you should know about publishing a book. 2. Editorial forgiveness goes so far . People understand one or two mistakes might get missed. Even the big publishers release books with mistakes. "One, two, three, four now my mouth is on the floor. Five, six, seven, eight, now it just isn't great!" Okay, that is being cute with a song lyric to make my point. All books whether published through a publisher or self-published should be thoroughly edited for the greatest result. And yes! Readers know the difference. 3. Great covers win even when content might be okay . I know no writer wants to hear the cover is the sales point. All writers want to think content is king. And yes, content is important. Story matters. The content though can't be read unless t...

The most successful authors who consistently sell books are the most persistent and tenacious -- and they understand it's a business. The book business is a challenge. You have a lot of competition out there. The self-publishing and eBook business have invited the average person to publish a book. The biggest mistake I see any author make let alone a self-published author is to release it on Amazon and wait ... and wait ... and that's usually about the time the author shows up on my doorstep and says, "I've sold a few books. Why aren't they selling?" I tell authors the flat reality of publishing: it's 50 percent writing and 50 percent business . As writers we sometimes get so into the process of writing and love doing it, we falsely believe our books will just sell. Voile! Books don't magically sell on their own. Behind every top seller is a marketing and public relations campaign. That some books are received better by the buying public is the ma...

If I were to survey and ask authors, "What is the most important part of the publishing process?" The answers would vary but most likely be missed. Is it the book? Is it the story? Is it the character development? Is it the content for a non-fiction book? Is it the subject matter? Is it the genre? What is it? None of those things. It is very simple and one word: marketability . Can we successfully market your book to an audience that will not only buy your book but tell all their friends to buy your book? You can write a brilliant tome. Your writing can beat the competition. Your book can be captivating, award-winning, and well done; but if we can't find its audience and attract their attention enough to buy it -- none of those things matter. And for authors who feel only self-satisfaction in the idea they wrote books and don't want to take the next step, which is to sell and promote the book, then a book is all you will ever have in your hands and not cold, hard cash...

Authors often get so caught up in the process of writing and publishing their books that they often forget that the book is only 50 percent of the game. In fact, of equal weight and importance is the marketing and promotion. Truth in storytelling: you can publish a well-written, award-worthy book but if no one knows it exists than what's the point? It will gather dust on the bookshelf. So, here are three mission-critical tips to promote your book: Virtual Blog Tours -- the blogging world has grown exponentially. The book review bloggers are an underground wealth of sales. Diehard reviewers from small one-person blogs to larger blogs such as Fresh Fiction can build a ground swell of interest in your book. I like to call this grassroots attention. You start with the smaller bloggers who like and recommend your book and then you get the attention of the larger blogs. It's like she told two friends and so on and so forth. A virtual blog tour also means you don't leave your ...

You know running a business can often be fraught with mayhem. I think, though, now things are a little more organized and running and smoothly -- especially since my new operations manager, Bo Bradley took over the 3L Publishing functions that I hate to do. Well, my last person who sat in the chair that Bo now occupies did not post the California Girl Chronicles title correctly in the distributor Bakers and Taylor catalog of titles, which equals disaster on sales. The bookstores didn't have the correct information. I was slightly distraught when no orders came in and I couldn't understand why until Bo informed me of the huge  and costly mistake (this among some other egregious and costly mistakes ... ah, the perils of business). Well, now that the problem has been rectified, we finally received our first official bookstore order. It was a higher than average number! Now it makes sense. California Girl Chronicles has always, in my opinion, been the type of book that if you pu...

Our new VP of Marketing, Victoria Andrew is our rock star and goddess of publicity for 3L Publishing's authors. She joined our team this winter, and I hired her because I have never seen a publicist kick major behind the way this woman does. Not only does she bring an incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm to my team, but also she is incredibly passionate about literature and publishing. When you can find someone who is just as passionate as you are about your company then you've found the ideal person. So, here is why she makes other publicists' skills dull in comparison to hers (and if you're an author what to look for in an ideal publicist): 15 Years in Publishing -- Victoria knows more about the publishing and book business than even I do. When we first started talking, she brought up refreshing ideas about how to approach the publicity side of the business from an entirely new vantage point. While I've spent the majority of my career working on magazines...

Writers who are searching for the ideal home for the "babies" should realize that publishers are not a one-size-fits-all business. As you embark on your journey to find the right publisher, here are some tips. What types of books does that publisher produce ? Approaching a fiction publisher with your non-fiction book means you will probably be turned away. It doesn't mean your book wasn't any good. You need to research your chosen publisher. Check out their website. Look at their catalog. Marketability -- In my mind marketability trumps all. Will this book sell? Sometimes marketability is difficult to determine. Do some research into your book's market. Be prepared to defend your book's potential sales. Publishing is a business. Again, your book might be well written, but that doesn't mean it will sell to a finicky and unpredictable market. So, do your homework. Pitch your book based on market statistics and facts. Please don't survey your friends...