Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 1

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Lilybiz

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I'm glad to see you on the board, J.A. Konrath.

You guys might take a look at Konrath's article about book signings in the June Writer's Digest. It's an alternative perspective, it's positive, and it gives ideas on how you might do this with your own variations. (Although I'm not sure how good I'd be at approaching people, I could definitely do drive-by signings.)

Also, in the August issue, the first letter in Reader Mail is from a bookseller in Louisville who adds some good pointers.
 

James D. Macdonald

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Hi, J. A.

Your advice is good as far as it goes, but consider this: America is about 3,000 miles across. My driving range is about 200 miles. If I hit every single bookstore in my driving range it would be a fraction of a percent of all the bookstores in America.

Los Angeles alone has ten times more people than my entire state, and I'm not going to fly out to Los Angeles, rent a car, drive around to bookstores just to introduce myself, and so forth and so on.

And what do I do about my books for sale in Poland? I don't speak Polish and I sure can't afford to fly there just to drop by the bookstores.

Do it if it's fun, but don't go nuts if you can't -- or don't want to.

(BTW, it isn't true that only one in five books make a profit. It may be true that one in five earns royalties beyond the advance, but that's the way the system is designed to work. Publishers start making a profit long before the book earns out.)
 

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Actually, I have a good question for Jim...

My current novel I'm working on, is adult fiction. It has it's crime, violence, cheating, etc....

I have an older novel I want to dust off and complete too. This one is for children/young adult and is more of a philosophical nature.

Obviously, I plan to have a different Pen-Name for each. But here is the question... If I approach a publisher for the children's book after the adult is published (lets just assume I get lucky and the adult got published), would it be detrimental to mention this?

I had assumed that if a company knows I am already published and proven, then that would be a great boon. However, because of the vast change in genre, I may shoot myself in the foot by this perhaps? Maybe they are thinking, there's no way a person who writes THAT could do the other thing well. Or maybe they don't mind, but the fact it could come back to haunt them with other clients... I guess all sorts of things could happen, a big database of their buyers may be christian fanatics (add other extremists here), and they may cancel all their mass-orders if they found out so & so publishing is selling books from a deemed anti-christian writer, etc.

Maybe that's pushing it though. I'm curious if I'm just paranoid, and should by all means let them know of my other works, or not.
 

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I really don't think that previous publishing credits are detrimental. To me, it just shows diversity of talent and a knack for appealing to various markets. I just had a publisher ask me to "pump up" my bio information to reflect all of my writing accomplishments, even though they were extremely different in nature.

The trick would be to focus mostly on any credentials you may have that would be of particular interest in whatever specific project you are prosposing.
 

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Maybe that's pushing it though. I'm curious if I'm just paranoid, and should by all means let them know of my other works, or not.

I think you're just being paranoid. Your writing credits are to show that someone else thinks that you're writing at a professional level and is willing to bet money that total strangers will agree.

This is all assuming that the book sells to a decent market, of course. The credits that you're listing are your most recent and most prestigious. A string of 1/4 cent-a-word crudzines means that you're writing at that level and have been sucking bottom for a long time. That's more likely to fill an editor's heart with dread than someone with no credits at all, so I'd just leave them out. (I don't list my credits with "little and literary" magazines anywhere.)

There's no percentage in trying to game the system, though. Just tell the truth and go forward.
 

RG570

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This is all assuming that the book sells to a decent market, of course. The credits that you're listing are your most recent and most prestigious. A string of 1/4 cent-a-word crudzines means that you're writing at that level and have been sucking bottom for a long time. That's more likely to fill an editor's heart with dread than someone with no credits at all, so I'd just leave them out. (I don't list my credits with "little and literary" magazines anywhere.)

Okay, this is something I've been thinking about lately. Does this apply to small presses and electronic publishers? Will the "real" publishing industry shun you for having a novel out with a place like Mundania or Double Dragon to the point where you can't even mention it to them?

I mean, on one hand, I think to myself that it would only help one place the next novel with an agent, but on the other, maybe all it would do is lock you into the small press scene forever.
 

JA Konrath

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True, James. But with some time and some money, you can get to quite a few of them. In the past two years, a close author friend has visited over six hundred bookstores. I've been to over eight hundred different stores in two years.

You spend a lot of time writing a book. Why should you let its success or failure be determined by fate? The more booksellers you meet, the more books of yours they'll sell. Doesn't it make sense to invest in that?

Why wouldn't you travel to the West Coast and visit stores? Driving from Seattle to San Diego takes about ten days, and you can visit two hundred stores in that time. Depending on the number of friends you have in those areas who you could stay with, and if you use your own car, the cost can be quite low.

And while publishers can earn a profit before the book earns out, I've been told by several bigshot editors (over cocktails) that out of every five books published, two lose money, two break even, two make a profit. We weren't talking about royalties.

I would guess that the percentage of books that earn out and pay royalties are much fewer than 1 out of 5. Out of twenty or so thriller authors who I'm chummy enough to talk about money with, I'm the only one who has earned out.

Interesting that I'm also the only one of two who visits a lot of bookstores. The other author who visits that many bookstores earns ten times what I do per book, and is a bestseller.

Again, no one is forcing anyone to spend all of their time promoting. I didn't become a writer because I wanted to travel all the time. I certainly don't enjoy it.

I consider self-promotion to be an investment. A stitch in time saving nine. I don't want any book I've written to die a quiet death because no one knows it exists.

Can my efforts make a big enough impact in my sales to matter? Not directly. Let's say I fly to LA and visit the 40 bookstores in the area. Let's say it cost about $500 to do so.

To make back my money investment I'd have to sell 166 hardcovers (assuming the royalty is $3 each.) That's a lot of books.

Depending on how good your distribution is, and how many books of yours are still in print, you perhaps would sign anywhere from 40 to 200 hardcovers, plus a few hundred paperbacks.

Chances are, you won't. Some of the books you signed won't sell--they'll still be returned. And even if your publisher pays for the trip, we aren't taking into account your substantial time investment.

But immediate sales are only the direct, tangible effects. The intangibles are the important ones.

Becoming friends with a motivated bookseller is worth a lot. I know a dozen booksellers who have each handsold hundreds of my books. In some locations, they've sold as many as six hundred copies. How much is that worth?

I know over a hundred other booksellers who have handsold smaller, but still substantial, numbers.

Plus, these booksellers put me face-out on endcaps without my publisher paying coop. They pimp my books to reading groups and book clubs, and write about them in their newsletters. They invite me to speak at their sales meeting and conventions---I get these gigs from booksellers I've met, not through my publisher.

Add in the snowball effect---each handsold book reaches a reader who becomes a lifelong fan, buying many books and telling their friends and family about me, and suddenly the one week/$500 investment seems a lot smarter than a newspaper ad or printing up a bunch of bookmarks.
 

smsarber

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"And while publishers can earn a profit before the book earns out, I've been told by several bigshot editors (over cocktails) that out of every five books published, two lose money, two break even, two make a profit. We weren't talking about royalties."


But wouldn't that be six?
On the subject of what to tell a publisher, editor, etc... I will personally never tell any of them that I had a book published by PA. Some things are better left unsaid.
 

JA Konrath

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I don't recommend newspaper ads or printing up bookmarks, either.

Ads don't sell books. If you're a huge bestseller, ads are announcements that a new book is available, alerting the established fanbase. For new authors, they're a waste.

Bookmarks on their own are worthless. Handing a bookmark to a person after telling them about your book gives the prospective buyer something to look at, and possibly keep and use. But the meeting is more important than the bookmark.

If you want to sell books, figure out why you buy books. Think of the last ten books you bought, and your reasons for buying them.

I've bought books because they were recommended to me, because I know or have previously read the author, as gifts, when I see an author speak, or if I have read a review that tells me this is the sort of book I'd enjoy (it doesn't matter if the review was good or bad.) I also buy books by browsing and researching topics I enjoy.

I've never bought because of an ad, or some giveaway item. I have plenty of free pens with book titles on them. Love the pens, never bought the books they're advertising.

Advertising advocates will say that ads don't sell directly, but they are part of an indirect buzz that makes people aware the books exists. I disagree. We're so bombarded with ads, we ignore them. No one likes ads. We glance past them in newspapers, skip over them on Tivo, and forget billboards two seconds after we pass them on the highway. What was the last billboard you saw? If you remember it, did it make you buy what it advertised? How much do you think those things cost?

That's why I'm all for touring.
 

JA Konrath

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"And while publishers can earn a profit before the book earns out, I've been told by several bigshot editors (over cocktails) that out of every five books published, two lose money, two break even, two make a profit. We weren't talking about royalties."


But wouldn't that be six?
On the subject of what to tell a publisher, editor, etc... I will personally never tell any of them that I had a book published by PA. Some things are better left unsaid.

You're right. It should have said "one makes a profit." And the one that makes a profit isn't the megabestseller. At least, not at first. Publishers make money on their backlist titles--the ones that keep selling, year after year. A backlist title doesn't require upfront costs (editing, typesetting, cover design, marketing, advertising, coop.)
 

Dave.C.Robinson

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All forms of author contact make a difference. I bought Joshua Palmatier's and Kat Richardson's first books because I met them at a Con. I bought The Land of Mist and Snow because it's in Uncle Jim's sig. which made me aware of it.

Anonymity is the greatest foe any author will ever face.
 

NicoleMD

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You're right. It should have said "one makes a profit." And the one that makes a profit isn't the megabestseller. At least, not at first. Publishers make money on their backlist titles--the ones that keep selling, year after year. A backlist title doesn't require upfront costs (editing, typesetting, cover design, marketing, advertising, coop.)

What is considered break-even, I wonder? +/- $1000? $10,000? Does it include salaries of the publishers? If everyone's had a chance to fatten their bellies a bit, then I'd call it a success from a business standpoint.

(This is my first Uncle Jim post, though I've spent many hours here, so Hello UJ! :). Thanks for all the help!)

Nicole
 

smsarber

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Anonymity is the greatest foe any author will ever face.

It is my goal to be remembered and noticed. Anonymity is only useful when dealing with AA. They always say there is no such thing as bad publicity, and I tend to agree. That is why I tell people about my battle with alcoholism, my time in prison. I am not ashamed of my past, and people tend to remember meeting me.
 

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They always say there is no such thing as bad publicity,

I know a lot of people who claim this too. They also love going on the Jerry Springer show...
 

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True: Obscurity is a far greater problem for authors than piracy will ever be.

Meanwhile:

The reasons people buy books:

#1: Read and enjoyed another book by the same author.
#2: Recommended by a trusted friend.

All the other reasons fade into single-digit percentages.

That's why I say that the best way to promote your book is to write and publish another book.
 

smsarber

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Well, don't look for ME on Springer. Maybe Oprah's Book Club one day....

And if I could be self-serving for a moment; I am going in for a major surgery on friday the 20th. They will be removing a large (12 cm.) mass from my right lung. It's dead tissue as a result of embolisms, and an abcess. No cancer, or anything like that. But if any of you would mind saying a small prayer for myself and my family, I would greatly appreciate it.
 
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Ken Schneider

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I think it would cost you more to drive around to bookstores than you would profit from the book sales.

Write a good book and it'll sell.
 

JA Konrath

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That's why I say that the best way to promote your book is to write and publish another book.

That's true only you get a chance to publish another book. If your first book doesn't do well enough, book #2 won't sell.

Book #1 will only benefit from book #2 if book #1 is still in print.

Good, free advertising is selling short stories and articles. You reach new audiences, and people who like your writing will seek you out. I've bought many books by new authors after reading shorts by them.
 

JA Konrath

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I think it would cost you more to drive around to bookstores than you would profit from the book sales.

Write a good book and it'll sell.

"Good" is subjective. Getting published means getting the right book in front of the right publisher at the right time. There is no universal indicator of talent. Publishers think the books they buy are good, yet many disagree, and most lose money.

And as I previously mentioned, you don't immediately recoup your investment on tours. That's not the reason you should tour.
 

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I've bought many books by new authors after reading shorts by them.

The thing is, you aren't a typical customer. Neither am I. Extrapolating the behavior of the general book buying public from our own experience is fraught with danger. The average book buyer is more like a guy in Wal-Mart looking at the rack of books thinking "Should I buy this here book by Jim MacDonald, I like his stuff, or this one by some Konrath fellow, or hell, get me a six-pack and a DVD."
 

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That's true only you get a chance to publish another book. If your first book doesn't do well enough, book #2 won't sell.

The real gap is with book #3. Book #1 goes out, and it sells what it sells. Book #2 goes out, and you hope it sells better than #1. If it doesn't ... that's when there isn't a book #3 and you have to go to a pseudonym.



Book #1 will only benefit from book #2 if book #1 is still in print.

Write a book a year and this isn't a problem. The other nice thing about putting out books on a regular basis is that when the new book comes out the publisher will often reprint and resolicit your backlist.

Good, free advertising is selling short stories and articles. You reach new audiences, and people who like your writing will seek you out. I've bought many books by new authors after reading shorts by them.


Sure, if you're the multi-talented guy who can write shorts as well as novels. It's as much work to sell a short as a novel, though, and there aren't as many markets. But yes, people who like your short stories will seek out your novels. A short story is less of an investment in a reader's time, so readers are more willing to give a new author a try.

(And if you subscribe to Fantasy and Science Fiction now, you'll be certain to get my next short story ... coming soon!)

(Or, go to my webpage and read some of my stories absolutely free.)
 

JA Konrath

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The thing is, you aren't a typical customer. Neither am I. Extrapolating the behavior of the general book buying public from our own experience is fraught with danger. The average book buyer is more like a guy in Wal-Mart looking at the rack of books thinking "Should I buy this here book by Jim MacDonald, I like his stuff, or this one by some Konrath fellow, or hell, get me a six-pack and a DVD."

Yes and no.

I buy a lot of books. But I also meet a lot of readers. And I often ask them why they buy books, or how they heard of certain books.

I've done several experiments on my blog, asking readers why they buy, and getting people to hang out in bookstores and observe buying habits.

I've found there's no 'average' book buyer, but several different kinds of buyer, who buy books for different reasons. As authors, we need to figure out which group we want to reach, and how to reach them.
 

James D. Macdonald

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As authors, we need to figure out which group we want to reach, and how to reach them.

I really have to disagree. As authors we need to write the best books we can.

If you want to understand "giving the reader something on page one that makes him want to turn to page two" as marketing, well, yes, that's an author's job. If you want to understand "give the reader a last chapter that's so strong he wants to run out and get your next book," as marketing, that's a good way to look at it.

Any other marketing we do is invisible if the publisher isn't already doing its job. As far as running around to bookstores takes time and energy away from writing, it's counterproductive.

Do I do signings? Heck yeah. Most recent one was this last Sunday (and my book sold out, thank you very much). But selling eight, ten, twenty, forty books here and there ... I also saw a couple of movies while I was down there and ate some Indian food (the town where I live is so rural and remote that it's an hour's hard drive to the nearest stoplight), and that was the real purpose and the highlight of the weekend. Getting out of the house.

==========

Everyone: Go here: http://www.lulu.com/content/219003 Buy a copy of my book.
 
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