Introducing Inside Publishing Month at WU
By Writer Unboxed | January 31, 2014 |
…or, as Porter would have us call it, Inside the Industry-Industry Month.
What is this madness, you ask, and will it be sponsored by Campari?
All of February will be dedicated to publishing topics here at Writer Unboxed. You’ll hear about the process of copy edits, use of limited giveaways to help with book promotion, the challenge of learning your print run is going “all e,” the possibility of risk aversion in publishing, and the digital revolution. You’ll hear about a phenomenon we’ll call “post-partum publication disorder,” and what it’s like to be published in three different North American markets at the same time. You’ll hear about bookstore trials, and the state of the industry as it relates to Barnes & Noble. You’ll hear about one author’s emotional ups and downs, and what it’s like to be a hybrid author with one foot each in trad- and self-publishing. You’ll hear from a Big Five editor on an array of topics, and a guest agent on guiding authors’ careers.
And you’ll hear a lot more.
What would YOU like to know about Inside Publishing? Add your burning questions here in comments, and if any of us–or any of you–would like to chime in with answers, we’ll all be wiser for it.
1: Take your beating. Get an agent. Accept advance and trad “enslavement?” (POV someone with track record of agents but no contract.) The biggest downside to indie for me is not having what can be an amazing relationship with an agent. I confess, Porter Anderson has me twitchy about traditional publishing.
2: Pen names. Is there any way to assure you won’t get outted? After the Rowling flaff, whether staged or not, writers who work in multiple genres want to know.
Great idea!! Thanks so much for doing this!
I’ve read all the articles on book promotion, tried all the suggestions, offered my books for a limited time period for free or reduced rates, tried to get book reviews, etc., but am still having trouble getting comments on my blog and improving my sales. Have tried using catchy titles and tagging all articles, trying to get my friends on Face Book and twitter involved, but still no luck. Any new ideas for me and other Indies struggling to break through?
First, after rereading Dee’s post, and the Dee and Porter Show that the comments became, I’d like to cast a vote for a Dee and Porter Week here on WU. Good Lord, that’s funny stuff.
As for an industry question (and I already threw this one out there on your thread about The Industry, the Industry Month over on the fb group page, T), I’m curious as to whether agents and editors are seeing, or expect, any sort of paradigm shift in the way they find and procure new manuscripts. Or will the standards of query letters and slush piles continue? Is the digital revolution already changing the submissions process (beyond speed and a reduction of printing and paper)?
We always hear these stories about writers starting with self-pub, finding some success there, then getting noticed by traditional houses. I’ve got to believe this is a exception, but is there a noticeable drift toward this type of evolution for an author’s career? Keeping in mind that many established, traditionally published authors seem to be evolving toward a hybrid career. Or is it the case that self-pub for a previously unpublished author could somehow be perceived as a negative, or as a step back from traditional publishing?
Looking forward to The Industry, The Industry Month. Fingers crossed for The Dee & Porter Week. Thanks, T!
Oooh, this sounds great! I’d love to hear about the challenges of distribution for indie authors — getting paperbacks into bookstores without having to go the consignment route.
Maybe it’s just the accountant in me, but I’m always interested in figures – statistics may be dull, but there’s a wealth of information in cold hard facts. What sort of boost in sales is it reasonable to expect if you properly execute a giveaway? What rate of return does one get from doing book signings and what are the related consequences of the e-book revolution? And so on. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of data in this field, and I wouldn’t mind having some more math thrown at me.
Can I vote for Lori’s idea too please? More hard evidence and less, however well-meant and experienced, opinion.
Isnt the real problem that we all dont talk – or even ask – about that elephant in the room: money!
Wonderful idea! I’d be most interested in a traditional publisher’s perspective on what they look for in a manuscript: writing style, originality, word count, etc. Also what can writers do to enhance their chances to get published. I look forward to learning more about the industry! The industry!
This is gonna be fun!
So, how does one actually PUSH their book(s) without being PUSHY? It’s a fine line. Sell, but don’t sell. Talk about it, but don’t talk about it. And where are the numbers that actually prove any of it works?
Denise Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth and GOT
I am glad you plan to include the topic of the digital revolution in February. As Vaughn Roycroft stated above, “I’m curious as to whether agents and editors are seeing, or expect, any sort of paradigm shift in the way they find and procure new manuscripts.”
Is advertising considered Inside Publishing? If a indie-pubbed author has a small budget to invest in advertisements, where would be the most effective place to spend it? Internet? Newspapers? Book Review sites? Blog ads? Amazon ads? Goodreads/LibraryThing/Shelfari? What’s the strategy for advertising when you are a small fish in a big pond?
Thanks for opening the floor!
As an editor for a small publisher, I’m interested in learning more about the book production process at some of the traditional houses. Something like a step-by-step post that explains a bit about the different stages of editing that occur would be insightful and educational.
I’d like to know what publishers would like to see their authors doing as far as promoting their books. Do they make recommendations or are we just on our own? I’d like to know how to be some publisher’s “perfect” salesman.
How to get those first 1000 books sold. I’ve heard that THAT’s when you know you’ve made it.
I’m with the numbers and statistics group. Return on investment is ultimately important. I’m too old to reinvent the wheel, so I’ll have to piggy back on someone else’s experience. I won’t live long enough to make and correct all the possible mistakes myself.
Great idea! I’m curious to know what aggregators self-publishers peeps have experimented with and what they like, or don’t, about working with them. Thanks!