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Feature

The Value of a Book: An Infographic

Revenue Stats, Bestsellers, and More

by Jillian Bergsma Manning / May 2015

In honor of World Book Day last month, the folks at Lulu.com put together an incredible infographic that discusses everything self- and indie publishers want to know: dollars, titles, pros and cons of DIY, and more. Titled “The Value of a Book,” the infographic is included in this article below so you can see for yourself how it’s possible for a self-published author to earn FOUR times the revenue of a traditionally-published author. (Impressive, no?)

I spoke with Lulu.com’s Vice President of Marketing, Dan Dillon, to learn more about the remarkable—and uplifting—statistics and facts presented in the infographic. Read on to see why even writers who aren’t out to make the big bucks can find plenty of amazing benefits from going indie.

IP: How did this infographic come together? What part did you find most surprising or interesting?

DD: The infographic came together from our observations around the tendency for content to become devalued, especially in the eyes of the creator. If you make something, you should derive value from its use. You should also derive value when other people use it. This is the value that Lulu.com is based upon. The part of the infographic I personally find most interesting is the piece I gleaned from Dana Beth Weinberg, showing what an author can make via traditional publishing and self-publishing when they apply the same level of effort and address the same market. It’s head turning when you realize just how much more upside there is when an author chooses to self-publish.

 

IP: I think a lot of folks will be surprised to see the potential revenue opportunities of self- and indie publishing. What are some ways people can capitalize on these opportunities either on their own or working with a company like Lulu.com?

DD: We help people find their audience in a number of ways. At Lulu.com, we have packages to help authors promote themselves and their books with everything from one-off creation of press releases, author websites and book review submittal to full-scale marketing campaigns. It is critical that every author has a marketing campaign that is full of these elements, whether they decide to go the DIY route, use a friend or work with a qualified professional. 

 

IP: What insight can you give about the “Top 3 Things That Sell Books” section?

DD: When it comes to packaging a book, most everything can be thought about as a marketing element. The cover, the quotes about how great your book is, and even the price can be considered variables an author can tweak to get as many readers as possible interested in and reading their book. A couple of the things we see as standouts that really help authors sell books is when they give away a chapter for free to draw readers in and when they have written five or more books, be it in a series or otherwise. Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that all authors need to set aside time each week to promote themselves.

 

IP: Can you speak a bit about the last panel of the infographic, “If Money Isn’t Your Thing”?

DD: The last four points in the infographic may be the most important of all, and these are the things that primarily draw in most authors to self-publishing. These elements—creative control, speed to market, immediate reader feedback and content ownership—represent a very important piece in the decision to self-publish to everyone from those just looking to share their story with family to established authors who make the switch to self-publishing because they can’t have these things when they publish via traditional means. In the end, for so many people publishing their story is the realization of a dream—and with Lulu.com’s publishing platform, our goal is to give authors an easier and better way to share their stories and make those dreams a reality.

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