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Feature

Women in Publishing Part I

Award Winning Duo Talk Independent Publishing

by Jillian Bergsma

Spend a little time with Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett, and you’ll soon realize, “these ladies have the indie publishing world figured out!” The pair are co-authors of Rosie’s Daughters: “The First Woman To” Generation Tells Its Story, a 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award winner and a stirring “collective memoir” that honors the women exemplified by World War II-era “Rosie the Riveter,” and their daughters who came of age in the Sixties.

Their second book, the recently released Writing Alchemy: How to Write Fast and Deep, is a much-anticipated guide for aspiring writers, built from their popular writing seminars and social science research. Butler and Bonnett learned much about blogging and social networking with the promotion of Rosie’s Daughters, and their inclusive style and collective spirit of publishing and marketing bodes well for sales of the new book and the launch of their new imprint, Knowledge Access Books.

With years of experience in writing, marketing, and innovating, Butler and Bonnett are the perfect duo to give advice to indie authors and publishers. In my Q&A session with these two remarkable women, they offered invaluable insight into eBooks, connecting with readers, using social media, creating an imprint and more.

CREATING AN IMPRINT

IP: What made you decide to start your own imprint?

Butler: Our instinct, and it was probably a good one, was to initially publish with a small, independent publisher. We had a fair amount of freedom since we worked so closely with our publisher. For example, we had total control of production, which was important to us. The experience also gave us the chance to watch the whole publishing process up close. In the end, we decided that this was something we could do ourselves, and because we knew we would be writing more books, we believed it made good business sense to establish our own imprint.

IP: What is the difference between self-publishing and creating an imprint?

Butler: We decided to go the professional route--create our own imprint and buy the ISBNs. This makes a very different statement than going through a self-publishing service like Lulu or AuthorHouse. This is not to take anything away from these operations; they provide a useful service to many authors. But the publishing industry is still in transition, and among some readers the self-published book can raise concerns and skepticism. While the negatives are disappearing, we have to admit that not all books are equal. For one thing, not all self-published work is professionally designed and well edited. We felt that just because we wanted to be in charge of the process did not mean we could skimp on the production.

IP: Who should consider starting their own imprint?         

Bonnett: If you’re planning to publish more than one book and are willing to take on not just the writing and marketing of your book but the business aspect (the publishing), then I think it makes a lot of sense to start your own imprint. The key, however, is to remember that even though you have your own imprint and technically can print anything you want, this is not a license to lower your standards. Professional cover design, a good editor/proofreader and a book proposal are all critical.

IP: What are some of the challenges of running your own imprint?

Bonnett: Marketing the book is probably harder than writing it. It certainly takes more time. But it’s something you’re going to have to do no matter who publishes your book so you might as well do it under your own imprint. I feel that as writers we have an advantage when it comes to marketing, not only because no one knows our subject better than we but also because we already know how to write. The trick is to learn how to write marketing copy. This doesn’t mean pushing your work with glowing hyperboles. It’s about writing to build relationships and rapport with an audience of prospective readers.

CHANGES IN MARKETING

IP: How has the digital revolution complicated classic book marketing?

Bonnett: Because it’s harder to meet your audience face to face, it’s a bit more of a challenge to build rapport. It’s not as easy to get out there and shake hands, exchange a few words and let prospects size you up and gain confidence in you and what you have to offer. In a digital world, we are all somewhat anonymous. People can’t just drop into the local bookstore and thumb through your book and make the decision to buy.

IP: What are some important marketing steps indie authors should take?

Butler: Agents and publishers are interested in seeing what you have done to build an online audience. It’s much easier to sell a book when you can point to a well-established following because it demonstrates that you are a person who can sell books. It’s called platform building, and having a strong platform from which to connect with an audience of prospective buyers and readers is what agents and publishers are looking for. So while this early marketing effort is critical to building your own business should you decide to publish your own books, its equally important when trying to secure a publisher--either a large publisher or one of the thousands of smaller, independent publishers.

IP: Where does the author stand in the marketing game?

Butler: Writers must embrace the fact that we can no longer remain removed from the marketplace. We have the capability to make of our work what we want, but we must grab the opportunity and go out onto the Internet and forge relationships with our readers. And once we start down this path, we must continue. We can’t forge a relationship once then drop our responsibilities when we start selling. If we’re going to be in the marketplace then customer service is essential.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA

IP: What is the best approach to marketing via social media?

Bonnett: You need to find new ways to connect with your audience, and most of that is going to happen online. First an audience has to find you. Positioning yourself on popular sites like Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and Twitter can improve your chances of being found. When you’re planning your marketing program, marshal your limited resources. Don’t think you can blog, Tweet, comment on other people’s blogs, create videos, post audios and participate in half a dozen online forums and do everything well. It’s better to pick one or two venues and make a big impact.

IP: When should authors start the social media promotion?

Bonnett: We tell people to start marketing with content-rich communications the same day they begin writing their book. Blogging, using social media, creating simple little videos on YouTube are all free tools for us to use – save, of course, for the time we invest. In the business world this investment is called “sweat equity,” and it’s a critical component of making it in a digital world. It’s tempting to compartmentalize and say, “First I’ll write my book and then I’ll start marketing.” That’s a huge mistake. It’s 20th-century thinking, and it can sink your chances of success. So start your blog and your social networking the same day you start writing your book. By the time you’re book is finished, you’ll be a long way toward your goal of platform building.

IP: How do you choose the “right” social media outlet?

Bonnett: As for selecting your venue, there is no right or wrong choice. Select your outlet based on your strengths. For example, if you love writing book reviews, then start posting meaningful reviews on Amazon. If you have a penchant for video, dedicate yourself to posting videos on YouTube. If blogging is your thing or commenting on other people’s blogs, then do that. It’s the volume of your output, the consistency of your effort and the usefulness of your content that will separate you from the pack.

IP: What are the benefits of blogging?

Butler: You need to provide a central gathering point for your followers. Most often this is your blog. You want to have a location where you can post your information, offer free downloads, invite people to sign up for notifications such as when you have a new post, a new video or audio that you want to give away for free. Only on your own site can you exchange free content for a follower’s name and email address. This is how you build a list, which gives you the only legitimate, legal, non-spam means for building a mailing list and enabling you to connect directly with your audience.

IP: How do you use a blog to your advantage?

Butler: Your content needs to be unique. Don’t draw your content directly from the book you’re writing or you won’t have anything new and fresh to sell. What authors and publishers have discovered is that once the information is out there and has been consumed for free, there is very little interest in buying the same material in book form. So you want to plan up front just what is going to be free content and what will go into the book. For example, if you are writing a memoir about your experience as a caregiver for aging parents, make yourself an expert on the subject. You can post interviews with other caregivers. Talk with people in the healthcare industry. Invite people to share their knowledge. Tell funny stories about your experiences, but make sure you use anecdotes that will not appear in the book.

WORKING WITH EBOOKS

IP: What are the pros of indie publishers going with eBooks?

Butler: As sales statistics show, eBooks are growing steadily. The good news is there is revenue to made, and more importantly there’s a lot of profit in eBooks since distribution and mailing costs disappear as do the costs of printing and storing physical books. So while the price of an eBook is significantly lower, it’s almost all profit – minus your investment in marketing and promotion. Kindle, or perhaps I should say eBooks in general also offer opportunities to get into the foreign marketplace in a much simpler way than with print books.

IP: What about eBook pricing?

Butler: If you reformat your print book for the Kindle, you will probably price it at $9.99 because that’s the accepted standard. A favorite royalty option with Amazon is 70 percent minus the cost for delivery. We have one book that has a large number of graphics and therefore is almost 4 MB. The delivery cost to the Kindle is $.59. So in this example, a $9.99 Kindle eBook sold nets the publisher $6.99 - $.59 = $6.49. And what about the print version? Let’s say that you price the 250-page book at $19.99. If you give Amazon and other retailers the standard 55 percent off, you get $8.97 - $4.15 for printing, which equals a profit of just $4.82. Although you need to be in both the print and the electronic marketplaces with your book, consider which is easier--marketing a $9.99 book to potential customers with the result that you get $6.49 or marketing a $19.99 book with a net profit to you of $4.15.

If you want to learn more about Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett, check out IP’s article “Women in Publishing Part II: Writing for Women and Writers” in next month’s issue. And be sure to visit Butler and Bonnett’s website at http://womensmemoirs.com
 

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Jillian Bergsma is a writer and contributing editor for Independent Publisher. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English. She welcomes any questions or comments on her articles at jbergsma (at) bookpublishing.com.          

 

          

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