Welcome the editor!

JennaGlatzer · Feb 15, 2005

I have a treat for you.

My favorite editor, Lauri Berkenkamp at Nomad Press, has offered to answer questions writers may have about book publication.

She's been around the boards for a while, so you may have already "met" her. To check out Nomad, visit http://www.nomadpress.net.

To give a briefing, Nomad is a small press in VT. (First word of caution: Do not confuse "small" with "less-than-legit." Small just means that they don't publish hundreds of books every year; it does not mean their books aren't successful!) They publish an "eclectic" mix of nonfiction books for adults and children, so far in the parenting, how-to, sports and adventure, and teaching categories.

Lauri has amazed me because of how well-rounded she is-- she's knowledgable about so many aspects of publishing. She's the one who acquired and edited Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, so if you liked that book, she's the reason you read it. (They're also publishing my next book for writers.)

Lauri's also an author herself; her own parenting books (the Go Parents! series published by Nomad) have sold remarkably well and won all kinds of awards.

She's fabulous with publicity (have I EVER said that about any other publisher?) and cares a great deal about every book she works on. One of the advantages of writing for a small press, in my opinion, is that they care about making each book successful. (At big houses, if a book isn't doing well out of the starting gates, they often let it drop and focus on other books that might become bestsellers.)

I'll let her do the rest of the introducing and setting up any rules she may have. Really, I just wanted to tell you that I love her and I'm thrilled that she's going to do this. Thanks, Lauri! :snoopy:

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

Hi there,

I'm Lauri from Nomad Press. I've posted on several of the boards, and really enjoy them. I'm happy to answer any general publishing and specific nonfiction publishing/editorial questions you have. One word of caution: my expertise and experience is with nonfiction publishing. I really can't speak about fiction, since we don't publish any fiction and it seems to be a whole different world.

I hope I can help!
Lauri

Cate · Feb 15, 2005

Wow

Terrific Lauri!
What a great offer! I am sure that you will be inundated with questions . . .
I will have some of my own later in the year as I intend to work on a non-fiction book. Not ready yet tho--just thought I would welcome you and say thanks for being here!!

maestrowork · Feb 15, 2005

Welcome, Lauri! I appreciate your posts here. And I'm sure we'll all benefit from your knowledge and insight! Thank you for offering your time here. And kudos to Jenna.

My own book is coming out later this year, so I'm sure I'll have some questions for you.

Chacounne · Feb 15, 2005

Question Already

Hi Lauri,

I've enjoyed the posts you've made on other threads and look forward to your contributions here.

I'm curious; what do you think of the following outline for resellers on a
small non-fiction publisher's website?

Books available expedited directly from us or from our distributor, Baker & Taylor
Sliding discount schedule based on total books in the order
Payment via invoice (with account), or (coming soon) online via PayPal or credit card
Free (book rate) shipping on orders over $500
5% bonus for prepaid orders on forthcoming titles
Cooperative marketing programs available
High-resolution Adobe .pdf pre-release flyers & title artwork
Very early advance email notification of new titles & recently signed authors

Thanks for your comments,
Chacounne

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

Hi Chacounne,

Well, I think all of the things they are offering are great, except that their setup requires the bookseller to do all of the work. Baker and Taylor is not a distributor, it's a wholesaler, which means that they don't have sales reps out pitching books. B&T orders books from a publisher or distributor (in our case), and then they fulfill orders from bookstores when bookstores contact them. That's fine, but it puts the onus on the bookseller to contact the wholesaler (or publisher) and place the order. It also means that unless the bookseller hears about a new book published by small publisher through a great review in a trade or national publication, they are unlikely to hear about it at all.

The way we look at it, the booksellers are our clients, so it's in our best interest to make ordering books as easy and appealing for our clients as possible. Using a distributor also means getting our titles in front of the buyers, and having sales reps talk them up for us. For small publishers, especially, getting books noticed and placed in the big chains is a challenge, and for us it makes more sense to have dedicated sales reps pushing our books rather than waiting for the stores to contact us.
Hope this helps

ChunkyC · Feb 15, 2005

It keeps getting better and better around here....

Hi Lauri! Thanks so much for doing this. I'm sure us fiction writers will gain valuable insights from what you can teach us about the editor's role.

Have fun!

John Ravenscroft · Feb 15, 2005

Hi, Lauri:

I recently wrote a piece - Tongue Tied - about stuttering / stammering:

http://www.toowrite.com/toowrite_story.asp?sid=608

... that was published in a newspaper and picked up by the British Stammering Association.

http://www.stammering.org/

On the basis of that piece, I was asked to take part in last year's International Stuttering Conference.

http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad7/isadcon7.html

The level of interest and feedback made me think there may well be a non-fic self-help book lurking somewhere here.

My questions to you are:

1. Do you think the idea is a possibility?
2. If so, who might be the best publishing people to contact?
3. If you were in my shoes, what would be your first step?

Cheers,

Chacounne · Feb 15, 2005

Thanks Lauri

Thanks Lauri,

Yes, that helps a lot. So I need to ask them which distributor they work with, or is it unlikely that they work with both a wholesaler and a distributor?

Being naive,
Chacounne

victoriastrauss · Feb 15, 2005

Nomad said:
Baker and Taylor is not a distributor, it's a wholesaler

Lauri, since this is such an important distinction (and so many people don't realize that it is a distinction), could you expand on the difference between a wholesaler and a distributor, and why it's important for a small publisher to work with both? Thanks--

- Victoria

katiemac · Feb 15, 2005

Lauri, thanks a lot for doing this! Already I can tell it's going to be a great help.

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

Hi John,
I can't speak for the market on books about stuttering or whether or not you have enough material for a book about it, but it would seem to me that if you have been asked to speak at a convention on a topic and lots of people were there, it's probably worth investigating. The first thing I'd do is do an Amazon search for what else is out there. If there are books out there on handling stuttering, check out what publisher did them, when they were published, and whether or not they are still in print. That will help give you an idea of how well they were received in the marketplace, and whether or not the market is ready for a new take on the subject. The publishers of those books can be your starting point. If you can't find anything published on your subject, that's usually not a good thing: it often means that while the idea is solid, there just isn't a big enough market to warrant spending the time and money to publish a book on it.
Good luck!

John Ravenscroft · Feb 15, 2005

Thanks, Lauri.

Useful, practical advice.

I'll take it!

Birol · Feb 15, 2005

Thank you for agreeing to do this, Lauri. It means a great deal that you are willing to spend the time to answer our questions.

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

Hi Chacounne,
It sounds like they don't have a distributor, but you could always ask. It sounds like they are working to get their books out there, though.

Kudra · Feb 15, 2005

Welcome to the board, Lauri. Good to have you here. :welcome:

MacAllister · Feb 15, 2005

wow! Lauri, thank you so much for doing this!

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

victoriastrauss said:
Lauri, since this is such an important distinction (and so many people don't realize that it is a distinction), could you expand on the difference between a wholesaler and a distributor, and why it's important for a small publisher to work with both? Thanks--

Hi Victoria!
We work with a distributor (Independent Publishers Group) to sell our books to the book trade. They act as our sales force: they have sales reps throughout the country that call on accounts at independent stores, the big chains, specialty venues (such as museum stores, school supply catalogs, mail order catalogs, sporting goods, etc.), and they also exhibit at all of the major trade shows. They help us with marketing, give us great feedback, and act as our partner to get our books into bookstores and other special sales locations.

Our distributor sells to the big wholesalers, Ingram and Baker & Taylor. The wholesalers take orders from bookstores and ship them out, take returns, etc. The major difference between a distributor and a wholesaler is that the distributor is out there marketing and selling the books actively, while the wholesaler waits to receive orders.

Some small publishers don't have distributors, but rather rely on the wholesalers. That's fine, and it's up to them, but I would imagine they have to work that much harder to get noticed by the book trade, and therefore, receive orders for their books.

However, if you are an author and your publisher sells only through its own website, be wary. It's hard enough to sell books when you have distribution, ad dollars, and good marketing experience. Without it, it's almost impossible, however well intentioned the effort.

Uncarved · Feb 15, 2005

Hi there and welcome.
I'm a nonfiction writer only and it seems that section is really starving on this forum. I'd like to ask you about marketing and the smaller presses. If you were going to run your own book marketing campaign and limit it to one state, what key sections would you stress doing? I'm limiting it to one state due to the fact that the book is a one state regional title. My other books will require much more, but I'm focusing on the first one to hit the shelves.
I thank you for your time,
tina

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

Hi Tina,
I'm not quite sure what you're asking: key sections meaning media, or sections of the state?

Uncarved · Feb 15, 2005

key sections of book marketing to focus on, as in signings, ads, readings, a flyer campaign, etc... What top three things would you focus your energy on to get your book's info "out there".
Sorry I was unclear, I don't "Wake up" till about nine pm

tina

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

Oh! Sorry--I've been up since 4:30 am and am losing steam.
If you have a regional title, go for the free publicity first: write up a release and send it to all relevant state media. If there's a great local event happening that you can piggyback your release on, do it, or anything else newsworthy to which you can relate your book, do it.

Another thing that really works well for us is to offer free, relevant excerpts of your book to newspapers and regional magazines in exchange for author, book, and publisher credit.

If you're an expert in a subject (and if you've just written a book on a topic, you qualify as an expert), offer to give talks to the relevant associations, organization, book groups, school groups, etc. in your state--and then you can write a release about that for your paper, and the organization will also announce it in their publications, too.

Ads are expensive and it's hard to tell how effective they are--but if you have a venue that you know would be effective for you, go for it!

I have very mixed feelings about readings and book signings. As an author, I think they can be fun or stressful, depending on how many people show up and how much time I've put in to preparing. They don't usually sell all that many books, but they can make you feel good. As a publisher, I have had mixed success. We've had authors do readings/signings in their hometowns where friends, family, and acquaintances have come and bought books, and those work very well. Signings alone are usually pretty unsatisfying.

And even if your book has a regional focus, it's subject matter might also appeal to a much wider audience than you'd think. For example, if you're trying to promote your Georgia Native Plant Guide, send review copy pitches to all of the major gardening mags and publications--they need content, and their readership is national, which would include Georgians! Offer them excerpts, as well. You never know what publications will pick up as filler or sidebars.

Hope this helps!

Uncarved · Feb 15, 2005

Yes it does. Thank you.
The Georgia Native Plant Guide is suppose to be reviewed by Walter Reeves, Andy and Sally Wasowski, The Georgia Native plant society, the Georgia Botanical Society, and the Georgia Wildlife Federation. The foreword is written by a member of GWF so I am hoping for many horticulture society acceptance if these all back the book.

I am taking all your advice into my marketing plan and thank you immensely for answering so thoroughly.

tina

Lauri B · Feb 15, 2005

Well, luckily I've had a lot of caffeine. Some days I'm much less manic.

awatkins · Feb 15, 2005

Nice to meet you, Lauri! I look forward to learning a lot.

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