What publishers do to promote new titles.

Here’s what a publisher (non fiction) does to promote a new book (in this case a new edition):

“The promotion of your book began six months in advance of publication when details were circulated to the book trade and to key online booksellers such as Amazon. We participate in Amazon’s ‘Advantage Programme’ which ensures that your title is available for 24 hour delivery. Also, Amazon’s ‘Search Inside’ option enables potential buyers to view sample pages of your book.”

“Your title is featured on our website and can be seen at the following link [removed] Please include this link within your website, or circulate it to your clients and contacts within your e-mail auto-signature. If you would like help creating an email signature do let us know and, using the book jacket image we will see if we can help create one for you.”

“We are continuing to develop our author presence on our website and creating individual author pages within our main site. From here we can offer downloads and or, offer reader’s access to audio and video files. If you have any content or associated content do please let us know.”

“On release, your book can be seen on our current website home page for one month from publication, and thereafter, within the website catalogue.”

“Your book will also feature in our monthly ‘New Books’ e-newsletter to subscribers.
We can also provide a reciprocal link from our website to yours. Please contact me for details. “

Public Relations & Social Media

“We have excellent contacts across all media - magazines, journals, newspapers, websites, radio and TV. Each book receives individual treatment, and is sent to different media lists tailored to the specific title. We will send out about 200 press releases and 30 review copies. We then follow up with key media by phone.”

“We are delighted to work with authors, so if you have any media contacts, can advise of any specific publications who would review your book, or if you have any questions about publicity, please do not hesitate to contact us”.

“We have accounts with Facebook, Twitter and Wikipedia. If you are interested in having a Facebook/Twitter/Wikipedia account created to promote your book please contact us. “

“We are on Twitter and Facebook and can be found [Removed] If you are on either of these sites, please follow us and let us know of any news we could announce on these sites.”

Catalogue

“Your book will feature in our ‘New Books and Bestsellers’ catalogue which is circulated by our Sales Agents internationally to the book trade.
Book Fairs.”

“Your book will receive coverage at one of the two the major book fairs in London and Frankfurt”.

E-Marketing

“Your book will be included in our monthly new titles e-newsletter on publication, and in various other e-newsletters to relevant subscribers.”

Author Leaflet

“If you would like a flyer to help promote the book to your contacts, clients, or at any specific events you are planning to attend or speak at, let me know, and we can provide a pdf, or print leaflets for you.”

Associations

“Please advise us of any bodies or associations you maybe a member of, or are influential with. If your book is relevant to members, we or you can approach the relevant person with the aim of promoting the book to its membership. We already have links with a number of organizations.”

Conferences

“We attend a selection of conferences throughout the year key to a cross section of our publishing areas. Please advise us of any conferences or events you are attending, if you feel your book would benefit from a presence. For most conferences we can obtain coverage for books in other ways, for example, by providing display copies and placing inserts in delegate packs”

Most of those services are available to the indie author at little or no cost. It doesn't look as much like true promotion as it looks like blanket generic exposure.

I don't see anything in there about advertising, getting the book reviewed, setting up book signings, radio and TV author interviews, etc. In other words, anything that would cost the publisher any money. In other word, promotion.

The publishing industry has changed. They used to do a lot of that. When I discussed a new edition of a title with my publisher of programming books, I was surprised to learn that they were more interested in having me tell them how I would promote the book. Their idea of promotion is to put it in their online catalog.

It's nice that they do all the things in your agreement because it means that you don't have to do it, but the typical non-fiction author not writing textbooks, can get as much achieved with DIY. Assuming you're willing to do the work.

So far, the only thing I see remaing from the old days that dead tree publishers can do that I can't do is get the book into the large chain brick and mortar bookstores. That, in itself, would justify traditional publishing if your title is non-niche (has broad appeal).

.

Do you think the publishing world could be changing, LC? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

.

Only Wiley?

.

That was Wiley. My books aren't officially textbooks, although they have been used as such. I recently got a reversion of rights on my most recent Wiley title, which was in its 7th edition. I have all the digital files, including final PDF pages, which they sent back when the book was new so I could make the index. I haven't decided what to do with it yet. Self-publish, shop it to other publishers, let it fade away, I don't know.

Let's understand the difference between marketing and promotion. Here's my understanding of these terms:

Marketing is selling books. Sales. Fulfillment. Distribution. Online catalogs. All successful publishers have good marketing skills.

Promotion is getting the word out about books. Advertising, trade shows, reviews, interviews, and PR.

Al, your posts and philosophies make me think you might be suited for a publisher called Flat World Knowledge. Are you familiar with them?

LC wrote:

Al, your posts and philosophies make me think you might be suited for a publisher called Flat World Knowledge. Are you familiar with them?

I had not heard of them before. I found their website. Interesting concept.

Apparently they're developing ebooks that are more than just pdfs of printed ones. They're incorporating video and other features. A lot of schools have adopted their books. Their catalog is slim right now, as they started out with just the monster-number business classes, but they're soliciting for other fields, too.

Clearly you'd need to slant your book to one that would be considered for a class adoption.

LC wrote:

I haven't looked into what everyone requires. Does your husband hustle his book?

No. He hasn't even done so much as a book signing. If asked he would say no. He isn't hung up about sales the way lots of authors I come into contact with are. He puts an enormous amount of his free time into writing his books for the advancement of knowledge. If publishers want to make money out of his hard work and endeavour, then they will have to put their time and effort into making that money -- he isn't going to do the work for them.

I feel the same way about my books -- which is probably why sales are low. I enjoyed writing the books and if a publisher can make some money out of my writing then they can go ahead and do that -- so far no publisher has been convinced that my books would sell enough to make a profit.

Dear Shelagh,
For the first 5 years, I worked had at promoting. I spent a lot of money I do not have or did. The most rewarding things were the one's I never went out to get. The Duette School children were lovely. They all came here to meet Wooffer.

Every other thing I did was a dead loss. I spent a lot of money, and my royalty check was dismal. I have not even heard from Publish America for a long while. They have not sent me a royalty statement for this year. I do think that Rudy and James are in charge.

Love,
Betty

Too many books-too few readers.

We need the book burner to redirect his attention from the Koran to our competitors books. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

With fewer books our would stand out more.

That's the ticket, Alice!

Shelagh wrote:

That's the ticket, Alice!

Of course--if only I had thought of it sooner! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Oh well, "Better late than never!"

My small press publisher does a lot of the activity listed for the non-fiction publisher, and they are open to special requests. Probably the number of copies sent out for review is less. No promises have been made about book shows. These things are not in the contract; they just do them. At one time they did book trailers; but I think the number of books in production has reduced the book trailer part. They furnsh posters and a few marketing items in a "goody" package also. Marketing merchandise to match the book can be purchased at cafepress.com

alice wrote:

Too many books-too few readers.

We need the book burner to redirect his attention from the Koran to our competitors books. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

With fewer books our would stand out more.

I do the next best thing. When I see the competitor book to my nonfic in B/N, I kick it under the shelves or hide it behind books in a different area. I once checked up on it months later, and it was still there, hidden behind those other books! lol

LC wrote:

alice wrote:

Too many books-too few readers.

We need the book burner to redirect his attention from the Koran to our competitors books. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

With fewer books our would stand out more.

I do the next best thing: when I see the competitor book to my nonfic in B/N, I kick it under the shelves or hide it behind books in a different area. I once checked up on it months later, and it was still there, hidden behind those other books! lol

LC,

You are a hoot and as is usual, one step ahead of me. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I couldn't help but notice that name again, Publish America. I've seen and heard about it over the years, and even submited to them years ago, but the news was not all good. Has anyone here on this site heard anything to the positive end about Publish America? There was one incident on the local tv news about a man in Clovis, California who had written a story and he was delighted to tell the whole community he had been accepted. Thanks, Richard

I used PublishAmerica for my first book, A Myth in Action: The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy. I purchased a few copies for book signings, and for appearances at AM conventions, but for the most part, relied on online marketing and bookstores, and a few gift shops at museums and other pertinent public places.

As I said, a few minutes ago, on another thread, I was quite satisfied with the results. The book sold even better than expected. I even found a second audience that read the book from a different perspective. That source not only reviewed the book positively, they promoted it in their newsletter. For what was available at the time, for my purposes, they were a perfect solution. While the first three years were the best years, I still get royalties after almost seven years. The book has sold well over 1000 copies, which is about as well as could be expected considering the limited audiences.

At the same time, I will also be pleased next February, when my rights return to me. For a couple of years now, the book has been over-priced, and has not been available through the main sites at either Amazon or Barnes&Noble.

As soon as I get my rights, I plan to republish it, first as an ebook, and then, as a lower-priced paperback. I have had much encouragement from qualified sources who insist that sales will pick up again when that happens.

Bottom line - there are better options and techniques available today, IMO.

Good for you, Ann, I am thinking along the same lines

This is an old thread ...and I needed to delete a few things. LOL. Publicity, publicity ...I haven't been asked to hustle any of my books, but I'm sure if I did, it would help.

I see I mentioned FWK in this thread. Their textbooks are no longer free online. They learned free wasn't sustainable, what a surprise.