Eric Kampmann - The Insiders Guide to Book Publishing Success

THE
INSIDERS GUIDE
TO
BOOK PUBLISHING
SUCCESS

ERIC KAMPMANN
MARGOT ATWELL

Copyright 2012 by Eric Kampmann and Margot Atwell

FIRST EDITION

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kampmann, Eric.

The insiders guide to book publishing success / Eric Kampmann and Margot

Atwell. First edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8253-0687-7 (pbk.) ISBN 978-0-8253-0623-5 (ebook)
1. Publishers and publishingUnited States. 2. Authors and publishersUnited
States. 3. Self-publishingUnited States. 4. BooksUnited StatesMarketing.
5. SellingBooksUnited States. I. Atwell, Margot. II. Title.
Z471.K357 2013
070.5dc23
2012033488

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Beaufort Books
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New York, NY 10011
sales@beaufortbooks.com

Published in the United States by Beaufort Books
www.beaufortbooks.com

Distributed by Midpoint Trade Books
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Printed in the United States of America

Interior design by Jane Perini, Thunder Mountain Design
Cover Design by Zak Deardoff

THE
INSIDERS GUIDE
TO
BOOK PUBLISHING SUCCESS

Introduction

Many authors think that writing their book is the hardest thing theyve ever done. Then they try to publish it. They quickly discover that their work is not even half done.

Book publishing is incredibly complex and requires many skills, such as design, sales, and marketing, not to mention finance. Our aim with this book is to give you a road map to the complex process of publishing, and help you manage all the details that are required to launch your book successfully.

There are many different ways to publish a book. The best choice for you will depend on what you want to achieve by publishing your book. This guide begins with an overview of the publishing options for authors, then describes all the elements that will make up a books publication, no matter which option you choose. The Insiders Guide to Book Publishing Success will take you through the maze of decisions that will be required throughout the process. Of course, we want you to avoid common mistakes, but more importantly, we want to equip you to make the right decisions for your book.

We believe that building a strong team is an essential first step. Most people starting out just do not have the tools to keep all the necessary activities in balance. It takes experience, knowledge, and judgment to maneuver a manuscript through proofreading, cover design, typesetting, marketing, sales, distribution, and finance. As we discuss in the Editorial section, sometimes an author is too close to the material to be able to assess how to edit it. The same holds true throughout the whole process. Having a few talented people you can trust on board can make or break your project. The Insiders Guide will describe how to find people for your team and explain how they can make a difference.

The next step is to prepare the product. This is one place where your team can be invaluable. It is great to have an extra set of eyes on the manuscript, cover, jacket copy, and all the other components of the book. It is easy for one person to miss errors or overlook something important. Making every facet of your book great is going to give you a leg up when it comes time to promote it.

After you have prepared your book, it is time to figure out how to sell it: both how to physically sell the book, which might require a distributor, and then how to reach out to your market to excite interest and convince potential readers to buy it. Marketing and publicizing your book can be challenging but it can also be a lot of fun and a great opportunity for you to exercise your creativity. At the same time, it is easy to overspend by chasing your market. Sometimes patience and perseverance are the best marketing tools you have at your disposal.

In our experience it is important not to give up on your book prematurely. There is no deadline for when promotion should stop, and sometimes it can take months, or even years, for a book to find its market. Many great success stories start with For the first six months, nothing happened. But then I started to see more sales... Dont get caught up in the blockbuster mentality and expect your book to succeed on its publication date. That is unrealistic, and a recipe for disappointment.

This book should give you an overview of the whole process, and the knowledge to make the right decisions for your book. Even if you do not personally engage in every single activity, it is important to have a working knowledge of all the parts of the publishing process. It is our aim to help you increase the odds of success in your favor. We cannot guarantee success but we can take a great deal of mystery out of the publishing process, making the experience more enjoyable and profitable at the same time.

Publishing Overview

In his novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens wrote, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... Many people look back longingly over the decades and conclude that the best of times for authors has passed us by and that we are dealing with a much more difficult environment today. We do not believe that is true.

Today, more options exist for authors than ever before. As a result, more titles are being published, which has created a whole new set of problems. But here is what authors need to remember: How to publish a book is the authors choice, and in many respects, the method chosen should depend on what the author wants for the book.

In this chapter we outline many viable options open to authors for publishing their books, along with some of the benefits and drawbacks of each method.

Traditional publishing is what most people think of when they think of publishing their book. Literary agents are almost always required for most traditional publishers to consider a manuscript. The process of finding a literary agent can be as long and difficult as finding a publisher, but it is pretty much the only way to get a contract with a major publisher.

Once the contract is signed, the publisher does most of the work and the decision-making in bringing the book to market. It controls the process of making the book, selling the book, and marketing the book. It also controls all aspects of the financial arrangement, including how much money it is willing to advance the author, when the royalties will be paid (which is detailed in the contract), and how much money and time it will commit to promoting the book.

But whether an author is working with Macmillan, Random House, HarperCollins, or any other traditional publisher, they can be assured of the companys professionalism and strong market presence. These companies have the ability to reach almost any market in the world, and they have a proven ability to sell a vast number of books. When they are good, they are great. The biggest downside to being published by traditional publishers is that a title can easily get lost in the pack, creating the probability of very disappointing results.