Does My Book Have a Market? Find Out with a Web Marketing Analysis!

If you are writing a book—even if you're just thinking about writing one—your biggest concern may be whether there is a market for it, whether people would be interested in buying your book.

If you could answer the question, "Is there a market for my book?" how would that affect your writing? Chances are, you might rework your title, carefully select keywords and phrases, maybe even write a different book altogether!

How can you tell if there is a market for your book?

Enter the Wheatmark Web Marketing Analysis (WMA)! As of today, you can send us your manuscript or manuscript idea and we'll give you an analysis about your topic's market on the Web. Find out more about the Web Marketing Analysis here!

Wheatmark Chess Title Achieves Master Rank

Ray Cheng’s Practical Chess Exercises captures best position on Amazon!

Wheatmark, Inc. (http://www.wheatmark.com), the independent author’s most powerful ally, is proud to announce that Ray Cheng’s book, Practical Chess Exercises, has achieved a #1 rank in the Chess category on Amazon.

The best-selling title also cracked the 1,000 mark on Amazon’s Sales Rank for the first time this week, placing it among the elite of the millions of titles for sale on Amazon.com.

Mere months after its release, the book earned admission into Wheatmark’s coveted Great Expectations program (http://www.wheatmark.com/greatexpectations.cfm)—one of the fastest sales records for a title in Wheatmark’s nine years in business (http://www.wheatmark.com/aboutus.cfm).

Practical Chess Exercises is Ray Cheng’s first book.

“It has been an absolute joy to work with the Wheatmark team. They have been professional, thoughtful, creative, and responsive through the entire process of getting my book into print and into the hands of my readers,” he says.

For more information on Wheatmark’s services, including the Great Expectations program, and to get started on publishing your book today, call Wheatmark toll-free at 1.888.934.0888 or visit http://www.wheatmark.com.

Bad News for Borders

Speaking of Borders' financial troubles ...

Borders may put itself up for sale.

The company has also taken out a $42.5 million loan to help with day-to-day operations in the coming months.

This loan may complicate Borders' ability to sell all or part of its operations, however.

Barnes and Noble—the most likely prospect for buying Borders—may not be interested anyway. B & N recently reported that fourth-quarter profits had declined 9 percent.

To read more about Borders' financial situation, as well as the general pressure on booksales nationwide, click here.

Good News for Borders

Another update on the ongoing Borders kiosk saga ... this time, on prices.

Soon, customers at select Borders stores will be able to publish their books using Lulu's software at prices ranging from $299 to $499.

That's a pretty cool thing, but it's only part of the story.

My guess is that prospective customers will be especially intrigued by the possibility of their books being carried in Borders stores—which the new service touts.

I can't help but bring up the issue this raises, which I cited in my Feb. 15th post:

"A final note: I wonder how this move will affect Borders' relationship with its customer-authors? Barnes and Noble had a terrible problem regarding the customer service involved with this kind of relationship when it was a part-owner of iUniverse, another self-publishing service (customers kept asking when their books would be carried on B & N bookstore shelves; the answer almost always disappointed them).

"The problems were so severe, apparently, that they eventually led to B & N severing its relationship with iUniverse altogether last year.

"I guess Borders—a bookseller whose financial problems have been well-reported over the last few years (in large part because they completely missed the boat on online bookselling)—has decided that the possible rewards are worth the risks."

You can check out Borders' new program here.

Ebooks--Will They Work for You?

I have been following the development of ebooks for eight years now. The one thing I still remember from Book Expo America 2000 in Chicago is how the topic of ebooks seemed to dominate every single workshop I attended. Ebooks were the next big thing.

We've been publishing books for eight years now and converting to and distributing our titles as ebooks has always been in the back of our minds. (We were even fortunate to register the domains ebookpublishing.com and ipublisher.com in time!) Yet the big ebook invasion promised in 2000 never really happened. There are still too many competing ebook platforms and formats to choose from. (See the recently resolved battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD for high-definition DVD formats.) Digital rights management (DRM) is also a mess. Besides, we already offer superior book publishing services and distribution of paper books, and we will do the same with electronic books only if it benefits our authors and the sales of their books.

Having said that, this may be the time to reevaluate launching our ebook services and I need your help! Amazon has recently introduced its ebook reader, the Kindle. This device breaks away from the other competing technologies by including its own wireless distribution system: you don't need a computer or Internet connection to be able to purchase and read ebooks on the Kindle. As we look into the launch of our ebook publishing services, Amazon's Kindle will definitely be on the top of our list for available formats.

I need your help with the following: Assuming that you have written or are writing a book, post a comment below with your thoughts on whether you think your book would be well-served by distribution as an ebook. Do share with us also whether you have a strong preference for a particular ebook format: Kindle, MobiPocket, Adobe Reader, Microsoft Reader, Palm Reader, etc. If we were to provide you with your ebook, would you want it distributed and rights managed by Wheatmark (through Kindle, Amazon, online ebookstores) or would you just prefer to get a particular ebook file (e.g. PDF) that you would host and distribute on your own website yourself?

Any comment you have, please, share it with us by posting it below. Anonymous posts are OK.

Borders Kiosks

Follow-up to my post of February 15th, in which I noted that Borders bookstores would be installing kiosks using Lulu's software for self-publishing: the Guardian (seems to) report that the kiosks will simply mirror the experience of using Lulu online. To quote:

"Would-be authors will be able to go into the stores and use interactive kiosks to create their own books for the cost of a few hundred dollars. They can pay extra for editing, marketing and other services."

To read the whole article—which is a good summary of the new self-publishing universe in general—click here.

Better Writers: Better Books!

This morning I received an email from an author that really made my day. It was from Matt Arnold, author of An Open Universe and Crossroads. The gist of the email was this:

Since publishing my novels, I've made it a habit on occasion to search through the Wheatmark bookstore and have ordered at least a half a dozen books by fellow authors. Most of them have been amongst the best books I've read and it feels good to support other authors who have self-published. I've exchanged emails with a few of the authors and we've read each other's novels....

Now, in the business of self-publishing you sometimes hear the charge: If you publish anything, surely you must publish a lot of bad books, too!

As a professional self-publishing service, we publish books that our authors want to publish. We focus on finding great authors. It's true, within certain limits, we will publish what they write... And, as seen form the quote above, it appears that better authors invariably write better books!

Check out each other's books in your genre. You will likely agree with Matt and find books that will make it to your top-10 list as well!

BusinessWeek Wants You to Get Published

This just in: publishing a book is a smart move for your business. Yesterday, BusinessWeek ran a nice article about how to get a book published to help you grow your business.

To summarize:

1. You could try getting an agent and selling the book to a publisher of business titles.

2. You could publish the book yourself by getting an ISBN and marketing it online.

3. You could use a "transitional" publisher. (This, apparently, is a new way of referring to a "self-publishing service.")

It all sounds so simple!

All sarcasm aside, however, the article is a good introduction to the broad strokes of how book publishing works.

To read the full article, click here.

The Future of Print-On-Demand

What does the future hold for independent authors? How about access to the same unlimited shelf space—the kind of space that online booksellers like Amazon currently make available to all—only inside physical "bricks-and-mortar" bookstores, instead?

The day hasn't arrived yet, but all signs point to this happening over the next several years. How will this be achieved?

Basically, by installing print-on-demand printers inside bookstores. Then, if a customer wants a book that a store hasn't got in stock—presto! they'll just print out a copy for you.

Currently, print-on-demand printers take up a lot of space (think "the whole room") but engineers are hard at work "miniaturizing" the machines for retail space.

That means that one day in the relatively near future, any book ever published will be available to any bookstore visitor instantly—or at least, in the time it takes to drink a cappuccino while they're waiting for it to be printed.

The ramifications of this are enormous for independent authors and small presses competing with big publishing houses for retail space.

For more on these ramifications, check out the article at the following link by clicking here.

Bookstore Chain Goes "Long Tail"

Borders has announced that it's bringing the "Long Tail" of publishing into its stores, the first being a reworked 28,000-square-foot outlet in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The article notes that the new store concept centers around a "Digital Center" that will "enable customers to download books, burn CDs, self-publish their own books and research their family background."

I received a press release that gave me a little more insight into what the "self-publishing" part refers to: Borders has partnered with Lulu.com to provide kiosks in their stores for self-publishing.

I couldn't figure out exactly what that means, but I'm guessing that customers can upload files to Lulu's site, then order copies of the book to be picked up at the store at a later date.

I'll keep an eye out for further details, but it certain seems that—if nothing else—independent authors are going to play a major role in 21st century bookstores.

A final note: I wonder how this move will affect Borders' relationship with its customer-authors? Barnes and Noble had a terrible problem regarding the customer service involved with this kind of relationship when it was a part-owner of iUniverse, another self-publishing service (customers kept asking when their books would be carried on B & N bookstore shelves; the answer almost always disappointed them).

The problems were so severe, apparently, that they eventually led to B & N severing its relationship with iUniverse altogether last year.

I guess Borders—a bookseller whose financial problems have been well-reported over the last few years (in large part because they completely missed the boat on online bookselling)—has decided that the possible rewards are worth the risks.

To read the full article, click here.

A New Era in Book Publishing

As president of the Arizona Book Publishing Association, www.azbookpub.com, for the last two and a half years, and as head of the self-publishing firm Wheatmark, www.wheatmark.com, for the last eight years, I’ve talked to hundreds of publishers and authors, and read countless articles and studies on the publishing industry. This experience has made it clear to me that a significant transition is taking place in the book publishing industry. The era of the major publisher and the bestseller is ending, and the era of the independent publisher and the micro market is beginning.

Major publishers’ titles account for an ever decreasing portion of overall book sales in the United States, while independent publishers’ titles and self-published titles account for an ever increasing portion. Similarly, bestsellers constitute an ever smaller portion of the total publishing pie, while books selling in the few thousands or hundreds account for an ever larger portion.

This shift is the result of the advent of two major new technologies: the Internet and inexpensive digital short-run printing.

The Internet contributes to this change by allowing for infinite virtual shelf space for books online. Major publishers’ business models are built around the assumption that there is a limited amount of shelf space in bookstores. Major publishers compete vigorously with one another for this finite shelf space. In their worldview the publisher that gets its books placed in the bookstores wins, the publisher that doesn’t loses. This has, over the years, resulted in publishers making major financial concessions to bookstores and bookstore chains, including low list prices, huge discounts, 100% returnability, and high prices for premium in-store placements. The result: bookstores and bookstore chains have become the least lucrative place for publishers to sell books. Happily, thanks to the Internet, independent publishers and self-publishing authors are no longer limited to the shelves of brick-and-mortar bookstores. Even self-publishing authors with only one title can sell directly to readers. Major online bookstores like Amazon.com can carry every title that every brick-and-mortar bookstore carries plus every title any publisher or self-publishing service publishes.

Inexpensive digital short run printing technology contributes to the change in the publishing landscape by allowing publishers to publish more titles, and by allowing more authors to self-publish. Major publishers’ business models are built around the assumption that all print runs need to be fair-sized and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Major publishers, therefore, eschew books appealing to small or micro markets for fear that they will be stuck with unsold inventory. Thanks to digital short run printing technology, publishers can now afford to publish more titles in shorter incremental runs without this risk, and more authors can afford to self-publish.

Independent publishers and self-publishing authors can profitably publish books that appeal to micro markets however small or geographically dispersed. And they’re doing it – the number of books published has skyrocketed in recent years. And, there is evidence that book buyers are changing their buying habits as a result of having a broader range of choices. The number of weeks the average bestselling novel remains on the bestseller list has declined precipitously in recent years. Just as big hits are becoming less frequent and less “big” in the film, television, and music industries, so bestsellers are taking up an ever dwindling portion of the total book publishing pie. Bad news for the major publishers. Good news for the little guy.

Where the Publishing Industry Is Heading: A Testimonial

We do not generally post author testimonials on this book publishing blog, but this one from J Douglas Bottorff, author of many books, provides key insights into the future of the publishing industry. Here is the testimonial in its entirety:

I just received the author’s copies of my first novel, The Whisper of Pialigos, and I am extremely pleased with the quality of the final product. More than that, I couldn’t be happier with the service that Wheatmark provides. From submission to print, the company performed beautifully, flawlessly, and expediently, fulfilling everything they promise.

Working with [my editor] was a special treat. Throughout the process, she went above and beyond her call of duty to ensure that we ended up with a truly professional product. The people that have seen this book so far comment favorably on its eye appeal and layout, two extremely important aspects that are the product of [my editor's] professional eye. She was patient, always kind and gracious and it was a real pleasure working with her. Having been published twice before (nonfiction), I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of being included in the publishing process.

With a 98% rejection rate in the field of traditional publishing, self-publishing now makes total sense. Several years of impersonal rejection slips from agents and publishers made me weary of what began to feel like an assault on my integrity as a writer. My resistance to self-publishing was based largely on what I considered a credibility issue. However, with a mounting stack of rejection letters, it became obvious that the only thing less credible than an unpublished writer of fiction was the manuscript that lay unread and unexposed inside my computer. Wheatmark has allowed me to bring my project out into the light of publication, to make it instantly available to virtually every person who owns a computer, and to answer the question, “What’s your book about?” by handing the person a real copy.

Having a book in hand has made it possible to be featured in a local newspaper, set up book signings, and submit the book as the center of discussion in a local book club, all within a week of the book’s availability. I am convinced that if I continued to pursue the path of traditional publication, I would never be able to enjoy the benefits of these simple pleasures. Anyone considering self-publication should do their homework on where the publishing industry is heading. You will find that Wheatmark, with all the included services they offer, is an excellent choice for birthing your writing dream.

J Douglas Bottorff

Taking Vanity out of Publishing

pub·lish v. pub·lished, pub·lish·ing, pub·lish·es
v. tr.
1. To prepare and issue (printed material) for public distribution or sale.
2. To bring to the public attention; announce. (Source: American Heritage Dictionary)

The word publishing means to make something public. Though generally it refers to printed materials such as books, articles, and magazines, the definition also includes information online.

A book can be published (i.e., made public) either through the author’s initiative and funding, or through the initiative and funding of a publishing house or other outside investor.

It’s important to note that the term publishing does not imply how a work is made public. Thus, a book made public by its author is just as published as a book made public by a traditional book publisher, small press, or any other means.

The difference between the two is simply who initiated and invested capital in the publication of the work: the author or someone else. The end result should be the same: a published book.

Vanity Publishing

“Vanity publishing” is a term frequently used to describe authors who invest their own money to publish their books.

True, some authors hire a publishing service out of “vanity.” Who wouldn’t want to see their work in print?

However, many writers also choose to publish their own work because

1. they believe in it
2. they prefer to be in charge of their book’s brand

But let’s look at another aspect of vanity in publishing.

Why do most writers seek out a traditional publisher first? For many it is a quest for validation. They believe that a publishing contract “validates” their work as being worthy of the marketplace.

For this sense of validation (dare we say, vanity?) some are even willing to forego the rights to their book.

Whether an author invests in the publishing of his or her book or a major corporation pays for it, the book can still be a publishing success. Vanity does not have to be a part of publishing, no matter who foots the bill.

But does it follow that self-published books are of less value than commercially published ones?

Perhaps it’s useful to consider an analogy. For the sake of argument, let’s use higher education: when people go to college, some receive scholarships or other forms of financial aid, and others don’t.

So—if you paid your way through school and didn’t receive a scholarship, does that mean that you’re not educated … you’re actually “vanity-educated?”

We’ll leave you to consider that question on your own!

Why Self-Publish?

When I first talk with them about publishing their books, many writers ask me the same question: “Why should I self-publish my book?”

Why, they ask me, should I assume the ultimate responsibility for the content, marketing, and cost of production of my book – particularly since I’ve already invested a year (or two, or three, or ten!) writing it?

There’s one simple reason I advise almost all writers (and yes, that includes writers who have so-called mainstream or traditional publishing deals) to publish their own books:

Control.

When you sell the rights to your work to a mainstream publishing house, you give up control over your book.

You lose control over three major factors:

1. Time. Your book will be put on a production schedule and released at your publishing house’s discretion. Guess what? That means we may not see your masterpiece until 2010.

2. Marketing & Publicity. It’s a harsh truth, but one every writer would do well to keep in mind: marketing people don’t always understand the product they’re marketing. Never forget: no one understands your book and your book’s audience as well as you do – no one.

3. Profits. The vast majority of writers with mainstream publishing deals earn a royalty of about $1 a book. By contrast, it’s not unusual for writers who self-publish to earn five, ten, or even twenty times that.

Of course, the theory is that the traditional publishing house will print thousands and thousands of copies of your book, then invest thousands and thousands of dollars in marketing and publicity.

So what you lose on a per-book basis you’ll make up in volume, right?

Sadly, probably not. The mainstream house will release your book and give it a few months to succeed. If it doesn’t sell well? The books get returned, and that’s the end of it.

But don’t despair. In the last few years, incredible advances in technology have allowed writers to become their own publishers.

So if you’ve got a manuscript or two lying in a drawer somewhere, now’s the time to pull them out.

You don’t need anyone’s permission to publish your book, so what are you waiting for?

Publish your book today!

What Is Self-Publishing?

You've just finished your first book-dotted the final i, crossed the last t, brought your book to a fitting close with a final image that rivals that in The Great Gatsby.

Or maybe you finished your book last year, and have spent your time ever since trying to get agents and/or publishing houses to read your manuscript-to no avail (more on that in our next newsletter).

Or maybe you've already published three or four books with a big house-and you're tired both of not making any money and of not having any control over your work.

"Hmmm, maybe I should try self-publishing," you think.

But what is "self-publishing," exactly?

The truth is, it depends.

Only a handful of companies allow you to do professional quality layout work entirely on your own.

Keep in mind, though, that these companies don't offer much in the way of editorial services, and also generally charge a high cover price for their titles.

A good rule of thumb is that these self-publishing companies work great on projects where you're making a noncommercial book, such as an album of family photos that can be printed one at a time by family and friends.

Other self-publishing companies ask for a "camera-ready" file of your book.

This generally means that what you turn in to the publisher is what your book is going to look like.

This also means that the publisher is putting the burden of doing the layout and design on you-so this type of self-publishing works great if you have a background in print layout, or if you're simply the type of person who enjoys doing things yourself.

The last type of self-publishing is what might be called "assisted self-publishing." This generally means that you send your manuscript to the publisher and they take care of the rest.

This publishing solution may be a tad more expensive, but then, you're paying the company both for their expertise and to deal with any headaches that may arise.

Companies who specialize in assisted self-publishing often vary quite dramatically in the types of services they offer for your book, as well as the fees they charge for those services.

Make sure you define your goals for your book (both personal and professional), then ask the company as many questions as you need.