BOOK PUBLISHING 2020 SINCLAIR LEWIS WRITER’S CONFERENCE OCTOBER 6, 2018
TOPICS • BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY UPDATES • SELF-PUBLISHING OPTIONS • COMPELLING PROPOSALS • Q&A
FUN BOOK FACTS • WHAT IS THE BESTSELLING BOOK OF ALL TIME? • WHAT IS THE BESTSELLING SERIES OF ALL TIME? • WHAT IS THE LARGEST PUBLISHER IN THE WORLD? • HOW MANY BOOKS ARE PUBLISHED EACH YEAR? • WHICH COUNTRY PRODUCES THE MOST BOOKS EACH YEAR? • HOW MANY BOOKS DOES THE AVERAGE READER READ IN A YEAR? • HOW MANY INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES ARE THERE IN THE US? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE?
BUSINESS OF BOOK PUBLISHING Source: https://www.businessinsider.com /the-top-10-most-read-books- in-the-world-infographic-2012- 12
BUSINESS OF BOOK PUBLISHING • PUBLISHING IS A GREAT BUSINESS … BUT AN INCREASINGLY CHALLENGING BUSINESS • FEWER TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS DUE TO CONSOLIDATION • FEWER SALES OUTLETS (BORDERS GONE, B&N SHRINKING) • LOWER UNITS SOLD PER TITLE • FEWER OPPORTUNITIES WITH TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS • CONCERN ABOUT GENERAL TRENDS IN LITERACY/READING • BUT, HANG IN THERE, BECAUSE THERE IS GOOD NEWS …
BOOK PUBLISHING TRENDS Year Trade Higher Ed PreK-12 Other Total Professional University 2013 $15.13 $4.81 $3.84 $2.97 $0.30 $0.02 $27.07 2014 $15.43 $4.85 $4.27 $3.09 $0.30 $0.00 $27.96 2015 $15.82 $4.53 $4.11 $3.05 $0.29 $0.00 $27.80 2016 $15.90 $3.96 $3.73 $2.37 $0.28 $0.04 $26.27 2017 $15.95 $3.98 $3.62 $2.35 $0.29 $0.04 $26.23 US Publisher Revenue in Billions, 2013 to 2017 From: 2018 StatShot Annual Report, Association of American Publishers
RECENT POSITIVE TRENDS • OVERALL MARKET IS STABILIZING; POCKETS OF STRENGTH (KIDS UP) • MORE OPTIONS (EBOOKS, PRINT, LIBRARY, NEW FORMATS) • AUDIOBOOKS FASTEST GROWING FORMAT (+30%) • GREAT BOOKS INSPIRE READING – AS ALWAYS • AMAZON (I KNOW, I KNOW) • RESURGENCE OF INDEPENDENTS, BOTH PUBLISHERS AND STORES • SELF-PUBLISHING EXPLODING AND TOOLS ARE IMPRESSIVE
SELF PUBLISHING • EXPLOSIVE GROWTH: • UP 218% FROM 2011 TO 2016 • SELF-PUBLISHED TITLES REACHED 786,935 IN 2016! • PUBLISHING TOOLS/PLATFORMS ARE REALLY IMPRESSIVE • AMAZON CREATESPACE: 500,000 TITLES IN 2016 • LULU: 42,000 TITLES • AUTHOR SOLUTIONS: 19,000 • INGRAM SPARK: NEWER • SMASHWORDS: E-BOOK PLATFORM, 89,000 TITLES SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM/PW/BY-TOPIC/INDUSTRY-NEWS/MANUFACTURING/ARTICLE/75139-SELF- PUBLISHED-ISBNS-HIT-786-935-IN-2016.HTML
SELF PUBLISHING • TOOLS DO IT ALL -- SOUP TO NUTS • EASY-TO-USE AND IMPROVING • WHAT DOES IT COST? • SELLING PARTNER TAKES 40% TO 60% • COST TO PRINT 300 PAGE B/W BOOK IS APPROX. $4 TO $5 • DOES NOT INCLUDE WRITING, EDITING OR COMPOSITION (DESIGN AND LAYOUT) OR COVER DESIGN • SEE REEDSY BLOG BELOW FOR COSTS FOR THOSE HTTPS://BLOG.REEDSY.COM/COST-TO-SELF-PUBLISH-A-BOOK/ • EXAMPLE – JUST A GENERAL ONE: Book Price Print Cost Partner Distribution Share – Your Profit per 40% (can be higher) Unit Sold $15 $4.50 $6 $4.50
SELF PUBLISHING • BUT CAN I MAKE MONEY?! • MOST MAKE AROUND $3,000 BUT MORE AND MORE ARE MAKING A LIVING • SEE WRITER’S DIGEST AND DIGITAL BOOK WORLD STUDY (IN RESOURCES) • CONSIDER BOOK(S) PART OF YOUR OVERALL PORTFOLIO • FREE COURSE: HTTPS://BLOG.REEDSY.COM/LEARNING/COURSES/PUBLISHING/SELF-PUBLISHING-101 / • GOOD REVIEW OF SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICES: HTTPS://SELFPUBLISHINGADVICE.ORG/ALLIS-SELF-PUBLISHING-SERVICE-DIRECTORY/SELF- PUBLISHING-SERVICE-REVIEWS/
HOW TO MAKE A WINNING PROPOSAL 1. IT’S A BUSINESS 2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK • REVIEW COMPARATIVE TITLES IN TARGET CATEGORY • FIND BEST PUBLISHER FIT, OR THE BEST 4-6 OPTIONS • NETWORK – ONLINE OR IN PERSON – AND FIND A DIRECT CONTACT • FASTEST GROWING INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS HTTPS://WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM/PW/BY-TOPIC/INDUSTRY-NEWS/PUBLISHER-NEWS/ARTICLE/76544- FAST-GROWING-INDEPENDENT-PUBLISHERS-2018.HTML 3. DON’T BURY THE LEAD • CREATE A COMPELLING *WHY TO BUY* • MARKET NEED – WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR THIS BOOK IN THE MARKET • UNIQUE ANGLE – HOW WILL THIS BOOK BE DIFFERENT OR SPECIAL
HOW TO MAKE A WINNING PROPOSAL 4. MARKETING & SALES • WHY ARE YOU THE BEST PERSON TO WRITE THIS BOOK • EXPERTISE • SOCIAL MEDIA REACH • EVENTS, CONFERENCES • HOW MANY BOOKS CAN YOU SELL DIRECTLY? INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT 5. HAVE A POV (POINT OF VIEW) 6. FOLLOW THE FORMAT … AND SPELLING COUNTS • IF PUBLISHER HAS PREFERRED FORMAT, USE THAT • RE-WRITE AND EDIT AND PROOF • SUCCINCT, CLEAR, IMPACTFUL
HOW TO MAKE A WINNING PROPOSAL 7. SHOW YOU CAN DELIVER • TRACK RECORD OF HITTING DEADLINES • TESTIMONIALS • FOLLOW UP PROMPTLY ON ANY QUESTIONS/RESPONSES 8. FOR KIDS – EMPHASIZE JOY OF READING (A.K.A., LITERACY) • TOO MANY PROPOSALS SOUND ACADEMIC, BORING 9. BE CREATIVE … MAYBE 10. FINALLY, STAY POSITIVE, PASSIONATE, AND PERSISTENT!
HOW TO MAKE A WINNING PROPOSAL GENERAL PROPOSAL OUTLINE • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – A.K.A., THE ELEVATOR PITCH • TARGET AUDIENCE • ABOUT THE AUTHOR – WHY YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON ONE TO WRITE THIS BOOK • MARKETING PLAN – HOW WILL WE MAKE MONEY TOGETHER • COMPETITIVE TITLES – DON’T NEED ALL BUT CANNOT MISS KEY TITLES • CHAPTER OUTLINE – ALSO CALLED A TOC AT A GLANCE • SAMPLE CHAPTER
RESOURCES • WRITER’S DIGEST HTTP://WWW.WRITERSDIGEST.COM/ • PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM • ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT AUTHORS HTTPS://SELFPUBLISHINGADVICE.ORG/ • REEDSY, INCLUDES COURSE ON SELF PUBLISHING HTTPS://BLOG.REEDSY.COM/COST-TO-SELF-PUBLISH-A-BOOK/
MORE RESOURCES • RESOURCE – HOW TO WRITE A BOOK PROPOSAL HTTPS://BLOG.REEDSY.COM/HOW-TO-WRITE-A-BOOK-PROPOSAL/ • ADVICE IF INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR CHILDREN OR YOUNG ADULT • SPEND TIME READING CHILDREN’S BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE LAST 3 -5 YEARS AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE TYPE OF WORK PUBLISHERS ARE CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON • CONSIDER TAKING A CLASS FOCUSED ON WRITING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH AN ORGANIZATION SUCH AS THE LOFT • CHECK OUT THIS BLOG POST FROM CAROL HINZ – ONE OF EDITORIAL DIRECTORS -- FOR ADVICE. HTTPS://LERNERBOOKS.BLOG/2014/10/GREETINGS-FROM-PICTUREBOOKLAND.HTML • SHOULD I FIND/USE AN AGENT? HTTPS://WRITERSEDIT.COM/FICTION-WRITING/NEED-LITERARY-AGENT-DEFINITIVE-PROS-CONS-LIST/ • UNDERSTANDING WORK-FOR-HIRE VERSUS ROYALTY HTTPS://AWAYWITHWORDSWRITING.WORDPRESS.COM/2010/05/24/WORK-FOR-HIRE-VS-ROYALTY-WRITING/
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