Angry Booksellers, Angrier Bookmakers, and the Indie Art of War

Book industry trade publications are not generally known for their attention-grabbing headlines, and booksellers are not generally known as war-mongering hot-heads, but this morning’s email greeted me with one of the most intriguing subject headings this book marketing chick has seen in quite a while: "Angry Bookseller’ Speaks Out at GLIBA."

Read the article and you’ll learn that Publisher’s Weekly isn’t above sensationalizing an email subject heading in order to increase their open rate.

Read the comments following the article and you’ll find that there appears to be a growing disconnect between indie booksellers and indie publishers/authors.

While I don't think so-called "Angry Bookseller" Carol Besse (co-owner of Carmichael's Books and outgoing GLIBA President) could rightly be labeled as anything more than perhaps mildly perturbed (at least not based on anything revealed in this little article. I mean come on, there were no chairs thrown, no hair pulled – I've seen angry – this is not angry; this is maybe miffed), her "call to arms" (in preparation for war against Amazon.com) did manage to catch the ear, as well as the ire of some indie publishers and indie (ie: self-published) authors who feel they’ve been too long ignored by their bookselling brethren.

Rather than argue as to which literary indie group has the most to be angry about, let's just assume that these days there are plenty of problems to go around in the independent literary community, and it sounds like everyone has more than their fair share.

What was it SunTzu said in (what could be considered his best book on the subject ever) The Art of War? Ah, that's right (thanks Google): "Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems."

Or something like that.

Point being -- maybe the problems that indie publishers, indie authors, indie distributors, and indie booksellers are facing individually, might collectively present a big fat opportunity.

Maybe, if we all put our indie heads together, indie publishers and authors could work with indie distributors and booksellers to form mutually beneficial relationships.

Maybe we could even involve the likes of the indie book and publishing associations such as Independent Book Publishers’ Association and SPAN; and indie print reviewers like Foreword Magazine and Midwest Book Review; and while we're at it we could include the indie book blog-o-sphere, etc. to bring readers' attention to those lesser-known, but deserving, self-published & indie-pubbed titles.

Maybe in this war of indies and locals versus big-boxes and online giants, the best defense for all of us indies is a collective, customer-focused and value-rich offense.

I'll take my comments off the air…

Authors Offer 'Four Ingredients' to Self-Publishing Success

Recently, Beyond Hall 8, a blog about the Frankfurt International Rights Fair featured a post on two extremely successful self-publishing authors from Down Under.

Rachael Bermingham and Kim McCosker's cookbook 4 Ingredients has so far sold 820,000 copies, primarily in Australia and New Zealand, where it is the biggest selling book of the past year.

What the authors say about why the book has been such a tremendous success should interest independent authors everywhere:

'One - it's a very marketable [and classicially simple - AW] concept. Two - the book came out at the right time. It's a cookbook for busy people who wish to save time and money in the kitchen so they can get out and do the things they want to do rather than have to do. Three - you have two very driven, very passionate and very energetic women who have remarkable professional skills behind this project. Four - and this is the most important key of all - marketing! Rachael's background is in marketing and it's been invaluable to the success and growth of the '4 Ingredients' books, business and brand.'

For any author considering, or already committed to self-publishing, the take-away lesson from Bermingham and McCosker is clear: to be successful it's vital to be passionate about your project; create the most professional product possible; and--whether it's through your own blood, sweat, and tears, or those of a hired-gun, put everything you can into crafting and executing a targeted marketing plan.

Happy Book Marketing!

(A special thanks to Mike Cane for tweeting a heads-up on this post.)

The Best Books Begin with Good Writing & Editing

I work in marketing, so you may not expect that I'd chime in on such things as plot and character development, grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, etc. But, the most basic truth about book marketing is, a poorly written and edited book is both difficult and embarrassing to market.

If you are hoping to see some success with your book, take your time with the editing process. And don't just make sure you've dotted your "i's" and crossed your "t's," have someone else--ideally someone qualified in such matters--take a thorough look at your manuscript.

For frequent and fascinating discussions on the nitty gritty of writing and editing, I urge you to visit The Blood-Red Pencil Blog. And remember, a book is judged not only by its cover, but on its insides too!

Happy Publishing!

Why Authors Should Twitter

Lovely post by Mark Bertils of Index // MB's Minding the Gate touting the benefits of blogging for publishers. For all you authors out there, read the blog post substituting "author" for "book publisher." As Mark says, "Twitter is great at driving attention. The end."

As free technologies for conversing with the world about you, your book, and whatever else is on your mind go, Twitter can not be beat. You can find like-minded (or not) readers, writers, and thinkers, follow them - share your ideas and casually spread the word about your book while you're at it.

I'd say it's at least worth a try.

Happy Book Marketing!

How Blogging Benefits Your Book Marketing Campaign

Here at Wheatmark, we often encourage our authors to use blogging as a great way to reach readers and garner visibility for their books. Blogging can benefit authors in a multitude of ways.

Blogging during the writing process (before publication) can be a wonderful way to find support for your writing among those who share an interest in the subject of your book. By blogging about your book before you have completed your book, you can increase awareness of your writing, and even receive valuable feedback that you can incorporate into your final book.

By blogging after the publication of your book you can inform readers of any marketing activities and events you have going on, and can encourage readers to post reviews of your book on their own blogs or in other online locations. A resourceful author might include blog posts on material that didn’t make it into the final edition of your book, and post on any ideas for forthcoming publications.

For inspiration on getting started on your own blog, check out these popular author blogs, care of the Internet Writing Journal.

More Online Book Marketing Help for Authors

Hey all you authors in search of marketing help -- there's more free and valuable stuff for you. Hopefully you have already downloaded Wheatmark's free Marketecture Workbook and found it helpful (give us some feedback - we're here to please!).

Well, if you liked that you'll be happy to hear (via the fabulous Mr. Joe Wikert) about the free downloadable PDF that Penguin Group USA has made available to all authors. It's called Internet Advice for Authors: Getting Started, Getting Online, and Getting Noticed and we're told it's a great guide for authors in need of online marketing know-how. Kudos to Penguin for sharing the love!

Now you authors have plenty to do! Happy book marketing to you and have a great weekend!

How to Determine What's Copyright Protected

Planning to quote extensively from someone else's work or looking to republish a book that's (hopefully) in the public domain? Here's a quick tool you can use to determine what's protected by copyright, what you need permission for, and what's in the public domain. (Thanks to Michael Brewer at the University of Arizona Library.)