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How Real Publishing Works

Cathy C

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Any B&N or BAMM people here that can chirp in? I'd love to know the nightmares associated with this kind of bargaining if it is true


I'd like to know this too. The managers I spoke to were with Waldenbooks and Hastings (a southern chain). They both indicated that they had instructions of which books to face out on regular shelves, from their national/regional managers. We don't have B&N or BAMM down here, so don't know about them.
 

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Canada James said:
ny B&N or BAMM people here that can chirp in? I'd love to know the nightmares associated with this kind of bargaining if it is true.

Canada James

I know that the Very Large publisher of the consumer computer books I edit gives substantial discounts on quantity orders of newly published books if B and N agrees to specific placements--including face outs, end caps, and sometimes, exclusive "table deals," where the books are put on an exclusive table for thirty days.

The publisher marketing and editorial folk (usually the acquisitions editor) meet and decide which books to feature. It's a big deal--and makes a noticeable difference in sales, and hence, often, royalties.
 

DaveKuzminski

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Just share what you know and believe is important. I think we'll all recognize that there are variances within the industry if something's not true for every publishing house.
 

Cathy C

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Absolutely, Teresa! If I'm mistaken in anything that I've posted, I would certainly like to know, and I'm sure others feel the same. I try to provide the best information I can from as many sources as I can find. (BTW -- WELCOME to AW! :) )
 

MacAllister

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Oh--don't disappoint us, now. The TNH! squeeeeeeeeeeee PMs have been flying since you registered.
 

Cathy C

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Yes, I have absolutely kept Anna apprised of every effort of my marketing campaign since long before I started it, including sending copies of text. She's been happy to assist in my efforts where she can, including sending promo items to forward to third parties. I never tried to imply that I was doing more than the publisher's efforts and, in fact, stated that I've been very pleased with the efforts on behalf of the line. As for my numbers -- I'm only stating what information has been presented to me. I'm sorry if you feel that I've said something out of line. I think Tor's doing a great job. But I do believe my efforts have helped our particular books a bit.
 

MacAllister

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Oh, dear--just forget I said anything, then.

Really.






...I'll just go and cancel that order with the tech people for the giant flashing banner over your user-name.
 
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DaveKuzminski

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SC, you really are flustered! You labeled one question with a letter and the other with a digit. ;)

I can answer the second question. It is yes. You should purchase two more mirrors and a back up warning signal. ;)

I'm not certain about a), but I believe you were supposed to bundle those up and send those to Frederick, Maryland where there's a giant repository for those. They then recycle those and sell them to wannabe editors.
 

CaoPaux

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SC Harrison said:
a) What the heck am I supposed to do with all of the "hads" I've removed from my writing?
Not sure about your neck of the woods, but my city has occasional hads-ardous materials collections. :e2tomato:
 

LucindaLynx

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I am not any published writer, but....

Storyteller5 said:
Thank you for the rundown. It's sometimes easy to forget all the stuff going on at the other end! :)

I must say I agree. And if things are like that in your time zone, it must be that way in here too.
 

Canada James

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Medievalist said:
The publisher marketing and editorial folk (usually the acquisitions editor) meet and decide which books to feature. It's a big deal--and makes a noticeable difference in sales, and hence, often, royalties.

It's the face outs that I just can't see being done. Yes, they can make a difference in sales but even then just to a point.

There are always certain books you want faced out, but that's more to keep the shelves looking fresh and new rather than to comply with a co-op deal.

Canada James
 

HapiSofi

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Canada James said:
It's the face outs that I just can't see being done. Yes, they can make a difference in sales but even then just to a point.

There are always certain books you want faced out, but that's more to keep the shelves looking fresh and new rather than to comply with a co-op deal.
It's my impression that every imaginable placement deal will sooner or later be made, and that most of them have already been imagined.
 

MartyKay

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What is going on in this thread? Cathy is replying to the questions of no one, and there is mention of Teresa, and yet no posts by any such person.
If messages have been deleted, shouldn't there be "message deleted" entries?
 

CaoPaux

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I feel the meat of this post in another thread oughtta be reiterated: Commercially published books aren't bought by bookstores. It's all on credit until the book's taken to the cashier by the consumer.

IMHO, understanding this not only allows one to untangle some of the Mysteries of the Publiverse, but also provides more clues to spot "publishers" which don't know squat.
 

John Wolf

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Jenna,

I was wandering what your put is on Publishing-on-Demand approach to publishing? I started writing seriously when I was sixty, and that was only last year, therefore, I don't have years to wait for the publishing world to digest me and issue a product. I found, what I would say is, a fair and equitable publisher with Infinity Publishing - a POD.

I find the fact that the author keeps the rights to the book a wonderful relief. I don't want to fight that battle. My publisher doesn't mess with me. He makes his money selling my books - that's it. Well, of course, there is the up-front initial cost, which I though was reasonable ($399).

With the POD approach you are responsible to market the book and get the ball rolling, yourself. I have another question for you in this regard. For the first-time author does the major publishers really delve out that much time and money on your marketing campaign? I see it as the author's responsibility. We all just want to write and to heck with the marketing end, but books don't really sell themselves without a famous author or a controversial topic that in is the news. I see a long road for the novel writer of your average sex, violence and demonic hero as the main character type story.

One final volley - how do see the path for someone like myself, who has a novel published by a lesser house, to be seen by the big names in publishing? My stategy was to have a book finished, published and ready to date. I'm ready to be courted. I have read too much dribble about - your not important enough for the industry to even glace at you, until you're published. Well, duh. It's the chicken or the egg dilemma, no?

Vielen Dank,
 

victoriastrauss

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John, read Jenna's original post in this thread. It details what commercial publishers do for their authors in order to get their books to market and into the hands of readers. Companies like Infinity, which are perfectly honest and reliable but are printers, rather than publishers, don't do any of that.

Then pay a visit to the Print on Demand page of Writer Beware, which discusses the challenges that authors who choose companies like Infinity can expect to face.

- Victoria
 

James D. Macdonald

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Commercial publishers don't consider books from places like Infinity to be publishing credits.

It is absolutely untrue that major houses don't publish first-time authors. They do so every day.
 

Bufty

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John, I started later than you. So far, two novels rejected and unpublished. My third will be better. If your book's any good you'll make it. I'll make it - my writing just isn't good enough yet.
Pop a chapter into the Share-your-Work Forum - there's a lot of helpful folk around here, and having a crack at critting other folk's work can reveal a lot. It's far easier to spot flaws in someone else's writing and it tends to discipline oneself a tad more in one's own writing.
 

HapiSofi

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CaoPaux said:
I feel the meat of this post in another thread oughtta be reiterated: Commercially published books aren't bought by bookstores. It's all on credit until the book's taken to the cashier by the consumer.

IMHO, understanding this not only allows one to untangle some of the Mysteries of the Publiverse, but also provides more clues to spot "publishers" which don't know squat.
Feel free to duplicate it here, or in any other thread where it's useful.

I find that fake agents and fake publishers put most of their work into creating the appearance of plausible editorial procedures. It's when they're talking about sales, marketing, distribution, and accounting that their foot-in-mouth disease is most virulent.
 

Gratian Gasparri

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Hi folks. Sorry I haven't dropped by for some time, but I've been quite busy between signing a contract for a sequel to my first book and having another manuscript sell. (Also, I had to undergo special therapy after I read an entire chapter of one of HB's books).

John Wolf said:
With the POD approach you are responsible to market the book and get the ball rolling, yourself. I have another question for you in this regard. For the first-time author does the major publishers really delve out that much time and money on your marketing campaign?

In my experience, yes. (Including an all-expense paid trip to a beautiful golfing resort to sign books at a trade convention). And my book was not published by the "big 20", but by a mid-sized niched publisher.

Remember your publisher wants you to succeed as a first-time author because your publisher is hoping this will signal success for future books as well.
 

James D. Macdonald

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The myth that major publishers don't promote their books is just that -- a myth.

What, are they nuts? Don't they want to sell their product? Don't they want to make a profit?

It's like saying that the Ford Motor Company doesn't promote their cars.

Publishers promote books in the ways that they find the most effective. Usually that's by promoting them heavily to bookstores.

If you personally don't manage a bookstore, though, that promotion may be invisible to you.
 

aruna

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Originally Posted by John Wolf
With the POD approach you are responsible to market the book and get the ball rolling, yourself. I have another question for you in this regard. For the first-time author does the major publishers really delve out that much time and money on your marketing campaign?

As a matter of fact, my first books got the MOST publicity money. HarperCollins gave my first book a marketing budget of £20000. My later books got far less. And I was an unknown author.
My French publisher gave my first book a matketing budget of €100000, the second far less. That's because they like to jump start the author. It's a myth that frst books don't get promoted.