It amazes us that physical bookstore distribution – once the most standard way of getting books to market – is no longer a critical part of a book’s success story. Some authors and publishers can devise a winning publishing strategy based on online bookselling and alternative market channels.
Today we spoke with a writer who asked, “Doesn’t every author want a bestseller?”
Believe it or not, the answer is no.
We work with people who publish books for a wide variety of reasons: some want the additional revenue of a book; some want to share information as broadly as possible; some want the credibility a book can confer that may lead to bigger speaking engagements, more consulting contracts, and a higher profile in their fields.
Publishing coffee-table books with photographs and illustrations can be a complicated and costly endeavour especially if you’re creating an edition with high production values. Here are some insider tips from our brilliant art director, Peter Cocking, on how to save time and money when producing high-end books:
Use your designer wisely
If you have the budget, hire an experienced designer to design your book.
When you have a thriving business, it’s always easy to put off that book you’ve been meaning to write. There are only so many hours in a day, and writing can seem like a low priority when you have presentations to prepare, hectic family schedules, a health and fitness routine, and maybe, just maybe, a social life.
Our client Michael Bungay Stanier is one of those savvy authors who knows how to write brilliant books and who also knows how to make the most of the support he enlists to produce them.
Writers ask us regularly if they can float a book idea past us to see if it might attract interest from publishers. If we know the writer, or they have a lot of credibility in their fields (whether as a writer or a professional in something else), we’ll usually be keen to hear it.
Publishing a book is a complex experience. While some people enlist the help of professionals to support their self-publishing plan, many also reach out to friends and family for support.
For authors who want to publish at a professional level, self-publishing is a misnomer. Usually you will end up hiring publishing professionals to help you with your book. Those may be individuals, such as freelance editors and designers, a hybrid publisher, or a publishing services company like Page Two.
Many authors have excellent book ideas and great credentials but they don’t have the time or expertise to handle all of the writing themselves. Following a series of interviews and extended discussions, an experienced ghostwriter can write a book to the author’s specifications, capturing the author’s voice and form of expression.
What’s driving the explosion of audiobooks?
Over the last year, the publishing industry has reported that audiobooks are the fastest-growing book format. According to the American Association of Publishers downloadable audio grew 31% the first half of 2015 compared with the previous year.
When it’s done well, interior book design can have a great impact on your reader’s enjoyment. Good interior book design in a book isn’t usually obvious: the thoughtful decisions the designer has made in placing and presenting text are often invisible to the reader, and that’s the point.
Choosing a publicist to promote your book is an important decision. A book publicist who fits your working method – and book’s subject matter – can significantly increase your book’s chances of receiving media coverage, and also ensure you have a positive experience.
