Dan L.’s Post

Why do authors spend so much of their own money to make their books successful? Is this just a case of publishers not doing all they should be? There are many arguments, but my one-time boss (and ongoing mentor) Steve Piersanti presented a simple four-point argument as to why this is happening industry-wide: 1. The dollar volume of the book publishing marketplace in the US and most other countries has not grown substantially in the past 25 years, and, when adjusted for inflation, it has actually shrunk. 2. During these 25 years the number of books being published each year has increased by 10 times compared to previous annual numbers of titles being published, mostly because of the huge growth of self-publishing. And most books published during this period are still available for sale through Amazon and other booksellers. 3. The marketplace cannot absorb all these titles and has become saturated; as a result, average sales of new titles has plummeted to around a thousand copies lifetime. 4. Therefore, publishers’ publication and marketing budgets are severely constrained, and it takes a lot more author marketing outreach and investment just to sell a few thousand copies of most titles. The best overview of what is happening especially in nonfiction publishing can be learned from his simple article "The Ten Awful Truths About Book Publishing": https://lnkd.in/eX-x4FAU #publishing #authors #books #writing

Every so often I see moaning and groaning about how publishing works. Most of the time, these complaints come from authors saying that only celebrities get published or that books sell poorly because publishers do nothing to support authors and the books being published. There’s a kernel of truth here, because ✨both of these things are true.✨ Celebrities do get published, often, because there’s a track record of those books selling lots of copies. And often, books and authors do flounder for a lack of support. But that’s not always the case. I don’t work with celebrities, but have helped my clients — entrepreneurs and experts — land dozens of book deals. I know what literary agents and editors are looking for — and because I am super careful about who I decide to work with. Some recent data about sales comes from Kristin McLean, an analyst at NPD Bookscan (which tracks book sales nationwide). She estimated that 51.4% of new books sold less than 1,000 copies. In contrast, the four books my team and I took from idea to published in 2023 have sold over 160,000 copies total. Lesson being: You need to consider the source when you are trying to learn about publishing. As an insider, I can acknowledge that the moans and groans are partially true — particularly for fiction (which is not what my team and I work on). Our authors are successful — partly because of themselves. Their proven concepts, their engaged audiences, their ability to market and sell that’s been honed over time is what sells each copy. What my team and I bring is the publishing know-how that transforms their ideas into a book that is an Editor’s Pick on Amazon, that receives dozens of 5-star reviews, that makes our authors’ dreams come true and maybe — just maybe! —  that hits a bestseller list.   So — when you hear that: 📚Publishing is dying 📚There’s no point in chasing your dream of becoming a traditionally published author 📚You have to be an influencer to get a book deal Know this: The stats don’t have to be you. #publishing #authorsoflinkedin #nonfiction #bestselling #bookdeals https://lnkd.in/gYDuezv3

Every so often I see moaning and groaning about how publishing works. Most of the time, these complaints come from authors saying that only celebrities get published or that books sell poorly because publishers do nothing to support authors and the books being published. There’s a kernel of truth here, because ✨both of these things are true.✨ Celebrities do get published, often, because there’s a track record of those books selling lots of copies. And often, books and authors do flounder for a lack of support. But that’s not always the case. I don’t work with celebrities, but have helped my clients — entrepreneurs and experts — land dozens of book deals. I know what literary agents and editors are looking for — and because I am super careful about who I decide to work with. Some recent data about sales comes from Kristin McLean, an analyst at NPD Bookscan (which tracks book sales nationwide). She estimated that 51.4% of new books sold less than 1,000 copies. In contrast, the four books my team and I took from idea to published in 2023 have sold over 160,000 copies total. Lesson being: You need to consider the source when you are trying to learn about publishing. As an insider, I can acknowledge that the moans and groans are partially true — particularly for fiction (which is not what my team and I work on). Our authors are successful — partly because of themselves. Their proven concepts, their engaged audiences, their ability to market and sell that’s been honed over time is what sells each copy. What my team and I bring is the publishing know-how that transforms their ideas into a book that is an Editor’s Pick on Amazon, that receives dozens of 5-star reviews, that makes our authors’ dreams come true and maybe — just maybe! —  that hits a bestseller list.   So — when you hear that: 📚Publishing is dying 📚There’s no point in chasing your dream of becoming a traditionally published author 📚You have to be an influencer to get a book deal Know this: The stats don’t have to be you. #publishing #authorsoflinkedin #nonfiction #bestselling #bookdeals https://lnkd.in/gaRi7kB4

We’ve lost the plot when it comes to books. First, ebooks are great but now we never remember the cover art or title. Tactile books sit on a bedside or coffee table and demand to be read. The latest history or thriller are like unfed pets, they cannot be ignored. Books on Kindle are like farts in the wind (an ineloquent descriptor but accurate). I agree with digital books environmentally but we need something to hold. Here is rant #2. Do you know that a business book is deemed a bestseller if it sells over 5,000 copies? That’s a low bar. Bestseller lists are crap. The New York Times Bestseller list has been criticized for years and the Wall Street Journal recently stopped running its top hits list. In the ghostwriting community, we laugh at the manipulation of publication, publishing house, marketing forces, to disingenuously push a book up a list. Years ago, Bain & Co. got caught buying thousands of copies of a business book from their firm. It vaulted them to the top of BusinessWeek’s list. That soon became standard practice. Books became brochures with the author buying up most copies to scam the public. Vox dug deep on this issue and concluded, “All best-seller lists are compromises and guesses and interpretations of fuzzy data, including the New York Times best-seller list. They’re just very important, very prestigious, hotly debated compromises.” My last rant involves publishing. Self and assisted-self publishing have created a democracy and inclusiveness that has sacrificed quality. If you want a better chance of success, traditional publishing houses are the way to go but they remain entrenched, impenetrable bastions of arrogance. Yet, they ensure high standards. Writing a book is tough, getting it published is tougher, getting it read…a lottery. That’s what makes it so satisfying!

📗 Long, medium, short - today almost any book length goes. Depending on your genre, subject matter, approach and more, you may find yourself writing and coordinating a written project that's a 'size' that may have been a difficult sell years ago. Most notably - a small book, the kind that's like an Amazon 'Short Read,' or perhaps part of a collection. 📗 Some such books may be only around 50-75 pages, and read more like a long article. That may suit your particular inclination. Obviously, such books don't involve huge amounts of reading time. They also have a price point attractive to many customers. And they may suggest a unique little series! There also are many 'short books' in library systems. In fact, that's where I first became aware of this publishing 'trend,' over 10 years ago. 📗 But if you have a lot to say, a lot of research to incorporate, a big story, and prefer a more traditional approach, a longer book may be right for you. Take some time to check out other books in the genre/subject you're writing in. Whatever's there may indicate what works well...or where there's room for a departure from the norm. 📗 And overall - your book should be as long as it needs to be. But how do you make that decision?? Have questions about writing, editing, publishing and media/marketing/ promo? Please comment/DM/connect with me! Pic Credit: https://lnkd.in/eVv_Edf3

📗 Long, medium, short - today almost any book length goes. Depending on your genre, subject matter, approach and more, you may find yourself writing and coordinating a written project that's a 'size' that may have been a difficult sell years ago. Most notably - a small book, the kind that's an Amazon 'Short Read,' or perhaps part of a series. 📗 Some such books may read more like a long article. That may suit your particular author inclination. And such books don't involve huge amounts of reading time. They also have a price point attractive to many customers. There also are many 'short books' in the library system. In fact, that's where I first became aware of this publishing 'trend,' over 10 years ago. 📗 But if you have a lot to say and a lot of research to incorporate, and prefer a more traditional approach, a longer book may be right for you. Have questions about writing, editing, publishing and media/marketing/ promo? Please comment/DM/connect with me! Pic Credit: https://lnkd.in/eVv_Edf3

l've been doing a lot of research, trying to decide if I should self publish my book or go the traditional publishing route. My dream is to get my book into the Sands network. There are pros and cons to each. I'm not sure if I want to wait the years it takes to go the traditional route. Plus worry about losing autonomy over my creation. Self publishing is quick and cheap, but I would assume that it would exclude me from certain opportunities. I don't have an answer for now, but I know it's a big decision l'Il have to make soon. Which route would you choose? #selfpublishing #newauthor #firsttimeauthor #wellingtonnz #thefirstafter

Publishing Series (Part 1): Traditional Publishing v/s Self-Publishing Publishing books is very easy nowadays, but it is very difficult for the author to decide if they want to go for traditional publishing or self-publishing.  Both traditional and self-publishing have its pros and cons, and we can find really successful authors in both these fields. You will also notice that few authors opt for traditional publishing for certain books and self-publishing for others depending on the storyline and the genre. But what will be the best for your book? Let’s try and figure that out with our new series of posts: Publishing Series on LinkedIn. In this series, I will share the entire information about Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing, and my unbiased opinions. Also, this series will help the authors to decide which path to choose for your book. I am Sneha, a Publishing consultant, and based on my four years of experience I will guide you through the process of publishing.  For work-related queries connect with me at: lumimagin@gmail.com Designing Website: www.snehdesign.com  #PublishingJourney #SocialMediaMarketing #KindleDirect #ContentCreation #LiterarySuccess #AuthorBrand #ReaderEngagement #CreativeEntrepreneur #WritersSupport #Amazonkdp #Selfpublishing

Publishing a book should not be so hard! Why does it have to be so complicated? It is because the publishing world thinks about a single source of income - the book! The book is only the jumping-off point for owning and distributing your knowledge.  Being an author enables you to provide a perspective based on your experience - it give you authority on a subject matter. Here are a few things that you need to understand about publishing a book: 1) You can do it on your own; however, you will not get the "authority" that you are looking for unless you already have a massive audience 2) It is incredibly costly for you to become an author, you will need editors (several kinds), designers and several more people 3) Most publishers do not even help you promote your book - this is on you! There are many things to learn about; however, if you want to publish a book, it can be a fantastic path - it does not have to be the torture I have put myself through. I am working on a project, and I am looking for some people who are interested in building authority through book publishing. Reach out if you are interested in talking and sharing some ideas

If you’re writing your first novel, you might wonder what word count is appropriate. The answer first and foremost is that you need to focus on the content and make sure the quality is there. Stories take time to develop (and by time, I mean words). Characters also need to be explored and developed (again, this takes words to accomplish). Readers of different genres expect different word counts. In general, a book is typically between 50,000–100,000 words. Most first-time authors keep their books between 40,000–80,000 words, though. Shorter books can be easier to pitch to a publisher. After all, longer books are more expensive to print. Again, the word count for a novel isn’t as important as the words themselves. Write well and readers will be pleased. If you’re curious about the standards for the word counts for a novel of varying genres, please click on the link in the comment section to read the entire article.