Soto Publishing Company

Many aspiring authors believe that the creative process of writing is the most difficult task of all. There is some truth to this statement, but it doesn’t apply to writers from whom words flow freely onto paper or through a keyboard. Regardless of your efforts, or absence thereof, you’ll find – given you’ve completed your manuscript – that the greatest barrier to your creation was not writer’s block or the torment of serial denials in finding a suitable publisher. In reality – and the majority of published authors will agree – the battle lies in the process of marketing your book, of letting others know it exists.

There are many paths to marketing. The path you choose, however, may not be very receptive, especially if you’re the new kid on the block. It takes planning and an abundance of commitment and perseverance to make it work. So what’s the first step, you ask? It begins with word of mouth. Spread the word about your book to family and friends, to colleagues at work, to people you meet at the coffee shop or at the bookstore … to every person you meet. Have someone create a business card for you, with your contact information, with an image of your book on the front and a summary on the back. A business card is a very effective method for promoting your book and a great way to build a network. Nowadays, you can have 2000 cards made for under $20.00. Hand one out to everyone you meet. You may find that your ROI (return on investment) is worth all the effort.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for getting the word out. A simple author website – one page containing your biography, an image and summary of the book and how to go about ordering it – can do wonders for selling copies of your book. But first, you need to drive traffic to your website. This is where networking comes into play. If you’re not already socializing on Facebook or LinkedIn, or tweeting away on Tweeter, start now. Sign on to several of the most popular social networks and join groups closely associated with the subject of your writing and what you do, e.g., writing, and introduce yourself. Be sure to include your book’s title, i.e., author of X, in your signature block. Talk about your book and your experience as a writer. Give sound advice. But don’t attempt to hard sell your book; instead use your expertise to make people want to learn more about you and about what you do. Eventually they’ll surf to your website or become curious about your book (remember that title in your signature block) and will seek it out. In the end, curiosity turns into a sale.

And then there’s blogging and blog tours, book reviews (on-line and off-), author book signings … newspaper articles (local, regional and national) about you or the topic of your book, or both. The wonderful thing about the methods of marketing mentioned so far, barring the business card, is that they’re FREE (use WordPress to build your author website – it’s free too). The possibilities for marketing are endless. Your cost is time and effort. Your reward is having your book published, and if you’re really “lucky”, fame and fortune.

If you follow the publishing industry closely you’ll find many articles relevant to the future of book publishing, many of which predict the demise of the print book. Others go further, enlightening their audience as to the domino effect that would follow; for instance, without print runs, book printers would tumble; and left with empty shelves, brick and mortar bookstores would cease to exist.

Enter the Information Age, the Post-Industrial evolution of how information is transmitted. eBooks have been around for several decades – four to be exact – but in the last couple of years their momentum and popularity have reached new heights. As a result, we’re witnessing a publishing revolution. But, by no means does it mean the END of the print book. True, print book production and sales have diminished, and ebooks are beginning, in many respects, to outsell and outperform its counterpart, but ebooks are unlikely to completely replace the look and feel of a print book. The print book has evolved and survived many a millennium; it’s doubtful it’ll disappear in the near future. Indubitably, this author feels, they’ll become luxury items, like paintings and sport cars, available to the few that can afford them.

To survive in the Information Age, booksellers, publishers and printers alike need to evolve. Some booksellers are doing just that, offering electronic books on their store websites while keeping their physical doors open for clients with a preference for the traditional book. Publishers are converting back- & front-list titles into electronic versions, offering clients the best of both worlds, while others have adopted electronic-only publishing. Let’s not forget the Espresso Book Machines that are materializing at brick and mortar bookstores offering clients instant gratification if the physical book is not available on the shelf; any digitally accessible book can, within an hour, be converted to a print book.

The publishing revolution seems to be aspiring towards one goal – finding a balance (though it may lack symmetry).

Some boring statistics first. In the United States alone, there are more than 85,000 book publishers. The majority of these publishers are small presses and self-publishers (writers who publish their own books). Approximately three to four thousand of these eighty-five thousand are medium-sized, while only six are considered to fall within the realm of large publishers.

Many small presses receive more than a hundred manuscripts during any given month. Medium and large publishing houses are known to reach submission numbers that surpass several thousand, if not tens of thousands, during the same time period. Within a year, a small press can easily accumulate well over a thousand submissions; yet, they only publish a handful of these. Remarkable!

What then are the odds of getting published with a small press? Using this information and a little bit of math we arrive at a probability of less than 0.5%; that’s less than a 1 in 100 chance of getting published. The odds actually look pretty good. Right? Not really. It’s not that simple.

You see, manuscripts don’t accumulate just over a one-year period; they continue to accumulate over several years. And, as a press builds its reputation, submission numbers increase proportionally; on the other hand, many small presses fail. We haven’t considered simultaneous submissions, and let’s not get started on the issue of how many manuscripts are not up to par; regretfully, many writers submit unedited manuscripts that are difficult to decipher or require substantial editing. If the story is not captivating enough, the odds continue to dwindle. But, if your manuscript ignites interest and doesn’t fall under these categories, the odds begin to look a lot better.

Let’s say you’ve passed this first mark. What’s next? If it’s non-fiction: what value do you offer? What are your credentials? Do you have direct experience? If it’s fiction: what makes your story stand out? Who are your readers? Do you have a following? Few writers pass this second mark. And if you happen to be one of the lucky few, then it’s time to consider the next set of vital factors that are involved in getting your manuscript accepted for publication: your ability and your enthusiasm for marketing and promoting your book. Come on! You can’t say you’re short on enthusiasm! They’ll stop you in your tracks! So lets skip this factor and move on to the next: your ability.

Any writer who has been published should know what it takes to succeed (if you don’t, you won’t last in this business): first, you have to start with a great and properly edited manuscript (publisher’s prerogative), second, ENTHUSIASM for your product (your book), and third, but not necessarily last, the ABILITY to get out there and promote the heck out of it.  A good publisher, be it big or small, will lead you in the right direction and get you started with some advertising and publicity, BUT after that, you’re on your own. You have to spark the BUZZ that’s keeps your book at the forefront of your potential readers’ minds, your reviewers’ articles, your bloggers’ blogs, and others who can virally spread the buzz.