Author Marketing Questionnaire - An Author's Most Important Writing Assignment
"Books do not sell themselves," says book publishing attorney Lloyd Jassin. This article on book marketing includes a questionnaire he used while Director of Publicity at Prentice Hall, to help authors provide the publisher with sales, promotion, and publicity opportunities for the book. "Someone has to bring (books) to the attention of booksellers, libraries, and the reading public," says Jassin. "However, before consumers can be educated about a book’s qualities, or enticed by reviews, the author must educate and entice his publisher." Even for self-published authors, filling out a questionnaire like this can help provide ideas for use with all aspects of marketing, including the content for building an author website.
See Lloyd Jassin's article and questionnaire at the Small Press Center.
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Newly Published Humor Author Wins WD Best Writer's Web Site Award
5 Revelations on the road to getting published; 10 Tips for building a great author website
Tim Bete is a funny guy, and he can write, too. His humor column about parenting caught the attention of a Catholic publisher in 2002, and an editor asked him to create a book concept and send it to her along with some marketing information. “Why not?” he thought, blissfully unaware of the difficulties he would face as he began the long, hard journey of the Unpublished Book Author.Bete (pronounced "beet") knew enough not to create a compilation of columns, feeling he didn't yet have a large enough reader base. He felt his book needed a theme to tie the columns together, and that this “hook” would be critical for getting the media to cover it. “If someone asks you what your book is about and you say, ‘It's a bunch of columns,’ it begs the question, ‘Well, who are you?’ If you're not already famous, why should anybody care?”
“On the other hand, if you write a book called 101 ways to keep your children from playing in the toilet, the first response isn't ‘Who are you?’ it's ‘What are some of the ways to keep my kids from playing in the toilet?’”
In other words, says Bete, your book needs a theme that begs people to ask questions. A compilation of columns rarely does that, so he knew he would have to rewrite and reformat his material. He came up with the theme of "minor miracles in the life of a parent," and sent a rough outline to the editor. “Unfortunately, I didn’t do my homework, and didn't have a formal book proposal with sample chapters at my fingertips,” he recalls. The editor liked the concept but wasn't sold.
Revelation #1: Write a book with a good hook. The theme should beg readers, reviewers and reporters to ask questions.
Bete contacted a book marketing guru, learned about query letters and agents, and after sending out another batch he got useful feedback from the rejections. “I learned how to create a better proposal and book concept,” he says. “Because several agents wanted to see a complete proposal and sample chapters, I was forced to create the proposal I should have done in the first place.”
Revelation #2: Be prepared, but be flexible. Learn from your mistakes and keep building a better book proposal.
His book concept already had a large "faith element," and he thought making it more explicit would help. He pitched the new package directly to Christian publishers, and suddenly three publishers requested a proposal and sample chapters. Once he found the right niche, it went from no interest to lots of interest. SunCreek Books offered him a contract.
Revelation #3: Zero in on the proper niche and your true market. Publishers know what sells for them, and authors need to fit into publishers’ expectations.
“While it sounds like the book contract fell into my lap because the publisher solicited me, nothing could be further from the truth,” he says. “It took years for me to create the foundation to sell the book -- writing clips, media clips, my website, online subscribers, etc. It also took about a year from the time SunCreek Books first contacted me until I signed the contract.”
Within a few months of signing his contract, SunCreek was purchased by Ave Maria Press/Sorin Books, and although they were excited about the book, they had to push off the publication date by 12 months. Bete’s book was finally published in Jan. 2005.
Revelation #4: Selling a book to a publisher as an unknown author is very hard work. The time and energy it takes to get established can be huge, and very discouraging. But the eventual payoff can well worth the effort.
As all newly published authors know, the real work begins after the book gets published, and Bete was no exception to this rule. He did tons of legwork lining up reviews, and worked with a publicist about to get news stories on four wire services and dozens of websites and magazines. “The more effort I put into the book, the more effort my publisher put into marketing it,” he says.
Another important aspect of his marketing plan was his online home www.timbete.com, up and running almost five years prior to the book’s release, and now boasting 4,500 subscribers and about 30,000 visitors annually. Writer’s Digest recently honored the site as the Best Writer's Web Site of the Year
"One hundred percent of the success I've had is because of my website," says Bete. "My book publisher came to me because of it. I'm a big believer in e-marketing and creating your platform online. It's the only true way to have a national presence without a huge budget."
Revelation #5: Build your platform online. It’s the best way to reach a large audience on a small budget.
Bete’s "For Editors" page on his website tells his story as a published author, listing:
Bete gives some of the credit for his site’s effectiveness and manageability to Web software available at www.homestead.com. "Writers don't want to get caught up in technology. You don't want to spend so much time on your website that you're not writing."
“Don't write for money or fame because it's unlikely you'll get either of those. But you can get the satisfaction of interacting with those you touch with your books. It's all about a connection with the reader. Enjoy the process."
10 Tips for Creating a Successful Writer's Website
1. Brand your name by creating a Web site that uses your name (e.g., www.TimBete.com)
2. Use a simple design that's easy to navigate.
3. Include a short bio so readers and editors can get to know you.
4. Feature writing samples, clips and book excerpts.
5. Add reader testimonials so editors will know you can connect with their audience.
6. List where you've been published to give editors confidence you've done this before.
7. Add editor testimonials so prospective clients will know you can deliver what you promise.
8. List awards you've won -- everyone likes an "award-winning writer."
9. Use a conversational tone to add personality to your site.
10. Pay for a service, such as Homestead.com, that allows you to create a site with a minimum of effort. You want to focus on writing, not technology.
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All the details of Tim's publishing adventure can be found at http://www.timbete.com/FirstBook.html
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ABOUT TIM'S BOOK
Tim Bete understands that in the midst of the challenges of parenting there’s always a chance to smile and recognize the miracle of the young life that is yours to care for. His real life stories will make you laugh out loud and they’ll fill you with a sense of gratitude to God for this marvelous calling. Permeated by a sense of faith but never preachy, In the Beginning…There Were No Diapers will open your eyes to the little miracles of daily life — when your child finally goes potty in the toilet, eats a vegetable, or finds first base. And once your eyes are open, the lessons begin to arrive every day.
Tim is married with four children and has 19 combined years as a dad -- 133 in dog years -- which makes him an expert at answering the questions, "Are we there yet?" "Why?" and "What's that smell?"
Formerly the editor of Early Childhood News magazine, Tim has written advertising copy for General Mills, IBM, Rayovac and Worldbook. He is currently the director of the University of Dayton's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. His hobbies include pushing his luck, skating on thin ice, and fishing his kids' toys out of the toilet.
In The Beginning...There Were No Diapers: Laughing and Learning in the First Years of Fatherhood
Sorin Books
ISBN: 1-893732-87-8
192 pages paperback; $12.95
Released April 2005