REALITIES OF “MARKETING” Part II

A Continuation of Self-Publishing and Piranhas

This follow-up article continues James Watkins newsletter article on Self-Publishing And Piranhas . He is graciously allowed me to share this information with you. Feel free to visit Jim’s web pages filled with wise thoughts about writing, publishing, and marketing at:
http://www.jameswatkins.com/marketing.htm.

Realities of “Marketing”
The first part of this discussion covered warnings for writers considering self-publishing on the many scams and poor choices that are beckoning to eager writers. Jim pointed out questions to ask the publisher and to consider using their own wisdom. Always check the excellent link:
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealp.htm  which provides information about problems reported on publishers, agents and all kinds of issues dealing with the publishing world. The link is extremely helpful. Her are questions Jim poses in regards to “marketing.”

Does the Publisher Have a Minimum Number of Books That must Be Ordered?
When the average book in America sells only 500 copies, asking an author to pay for one thousand should be a red flag. With Print On Demand (POD) technology, which is basically a million-dollar photocopy machine, books can be printed in increments of one. (Lulu.com, for instance, can produce a book for as little as $5.) And POD books look virtually identical to traditionally printed books.

An author can expect to sell books to about 10 percent of his or her audience. So, if you're speaking to 10,000 people per year, it's likely you'll sell one thousand books in a year. Don't overestimate the number of books you can sell in one year.

There are professional and ethical self-publishers, butthere are also piranhas and pariahs preying on authors. Please check out the Better Business Bureau and a helpful site called Preditors [sic] and Editors. (P&E also is a good clearing house for royalty publishers and agents.

I would suggest self-publishing only if you can answer these three questions. (And yes, I know how eager you are to get your book published. The scam artists know that all too well!)

• Has a royalty publisher praise your book but said there isn’t a large enough market for them to publish it?
• Do you have a way to reach that niche market?
• Do you have the money to produce it professionally? Can you afford to go with a reputable self-publisher that will produce a professional-looking product or do you have access to design and typography expertise to do it yourself? (A poor cover and interior design will cripple your sales. It must be able to compete with mainstream publishers.)

Self-publishing is a wonderful way to reach a narrow market (and become a big fish in a small pond) or to prove to royalty publishers that there is indeed a market for your work in the larger pond (one of my self-published book was picked up by Tyndale House).
But do stay away from the piranhas!

Copyright © 2009 James N. Watkins from his WILL WRITE FOR FOOD resource site noted above.

SEVEN QUESTIONS TO ASK A PROSPECTIVE AGENT

When I have a friend who writes a good article, I ask permission to share it with you. Many of you are considering or seeking agents, and Jim Watson's article is excellent to help you make wise decisions. Jim comes from Christian publishing experience, but these tips are good for secular work as well. Each of the questions he proposes will safeguard you in making a wise decision about obtaining an agent.

SEVEN QUESTIONS TO ASK A PROSPECTIVE AGENT

James N. Watkins

Finding an agent is difficult. Finding a GOOD agent is even harder. In the general market, legitimate agents are members of the Association of Author’s Representatives. However, in the Christian market, there is no such accrediting agency. Unfortunately, this has led to several cases of unethical and incompetent behavior in Christian agenting.

So, it's important to get the answers to these questions—in writing—before signing with an agent:

1. DO YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE IN PUBLISHING AS A PUBLISHED AUTHOR, EDITOR, OR SOME OTHER PUBLISHING-RELATED RESPONSIBILITY? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AGENT?
You want someone who knows the business. And equally important, someone who is KNOWN in the business. Their Web site should include those qualifications.

2. DO YOU CHARGE ANY FEES OTHER THAN A PERCENTAGE OF SALES?
Agents used to charge incidental fees for postage and overnight deliveries, but with virtually all transaction made online, these are obsolete charges. If the agent charges reading or editing fees of ANY kind, do NOT consider them. A legitimate agent receives compensation only from a percentage of their client's sales.

3. DO YOU SUBSCRIBE TO BEST FINANCIAL PRACTICES?
Do you maintain accurate financial accounts for clients so there is no commingling of clients' and agent's funds? Do you deposit funds received on behalf of clients promptly upon receipt and pay authors within ten days of receipt? Are books open for client's or his/her representative to examine at any time? If there is any hesitancy, do not consider them.

4. DO YOU RECOMMEND REJECTED CLIENTS TO SPECIFIC EDITING SERVICES OR SELF-PUBLISHING VENUES?
The correct answer is NO. Many agents are simply fronts for these kinds of services.

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY OUTSTANDING OR UNRESOLVED COMPLAINTS WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OR OTHER CONSUMER RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS?

6. HAVE MANY BOOKS DID YOU CONTRACT WITH PUBLISHERS DURING THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS? WITH WHAT PUBLISHERS?
Their Web site should include this information.

7. WILL YOU PROVIDE A LIST OF CLIENTS? MAY I CONTACT THEM FOR A RECOMMENDATION?

Again, if there is any hesitancy, RUN!

Of course, a smooth scammer will tell you anything you want to hear. So, make sure you check them out thoroughly with:
The Better Business Bureau
Preditors & Editors (An online watchdog group)
Writer Beware (Another watchdog)
Anyone you know in the publishing world: editors, authors

Like schemes in so-called "Christian" self-publishing (see http://www.jameswatkins.com/selfpublishing.htm ), there are plenty of posers and piranhas in "Christian" agenting, so writer beware!

(c) James N. Watkins from from my writers' resource page at www.jameswatkins.com/writing

Links To Check Out Scams for Writers

Publishing is a difficult industry. Authors have a multitude of choices that are confusing and can help or hinder a full-time career in writing, if that's your goal. I've been trying to provide information on traditional, self-publishing and the smaller publishers of POD (print on demand) publishers. Many POD publishers are legitimate but for all three options, authors need to know the ups and downs of the business. None of them are perfect.

The sad part is that scammers have taken advantage of the situation. They know the eagerness of writers to be published0--some of them whose work isn't ready to see the light of day--and some who are close, and few who could sell to a traditional publisher with a good agent. But how do you know the difference.

Study, networking, asking question, and know what to ask is the answer to that question. When I was looking for an agent, I talked to fellow writers and learned the good, the bad, and the ugly. I hard names of well-qualified agents, and I began submitting. Yes, I was rejected by a number of them, but the one I really wanted I continued to pursue and she continues to be my agent today.

When you don't have a solid network, who do you turn to? That's the difficult question - but you can ask them on blogs and if you attend conferences, you often have the opportunity to hear agent panels and publishers panels which will help you make good decisions.

One method for sorting out scammers that I use and suggest others use are the two links below. They are good sources for information. Yes, I have seen an error or two on the site, but in most cases, they will warn you and tell you the truth about agents and publishers of which you need to be wary.

One that I've used for a long time is: Editors and Preditors (notice the spelling at Click here:
Click here: P&E: Literary Agents http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm They take a look at agents, publishing houses, magazines, and more.

Another is: Writers Beware at http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/agents.html

This site defines agents duties, suggests questions to ask an agent and defines things to beware of. It also describes pros and cons of various kinds of publishing and things to watch out for that signals a scam publisher

Both sites are worth checking.

One more article on Self-Publishing and Scams

Since I've been offering information on forms of publishing, I wanted to share this article with you. It has some very important information and will give you something to think about.

Disagreements often stem from disucssions about the way in which a book is published, and yes, traditionally published authors can get rather snobby about books that aren't "approved" by a marketing team. They feel that way for valid reason, but the attitude needs to go. Many self-published books are poorly written by writers who have no idea how to write a book. But some of the books are well written and didn't make the cut with a traditional publisher because the story didn't have a broad appeal to sell books. Niche books are more difficult to sell. Remember publishing is a business. They want to make money.

But so do self-publishers and as this article points out so well, authors who choose self-publishing need to beware. The article you'll find on the link below was written by James Watkins, an editor with a tradtional publisher but also the author of fourteen royalty-published books and three self-published books. This article makes some excellent points well worth reading.

http://jameswatkins.com/selfpublishing.htm

Just beware and do your homework. You can locate many sites that lists scam publishers, agents and publishing related businesses. Some will provide you with good service and some are out to do anything to make money.