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CHOOSING A PUBLISHER & MARKETING STRATEGIES

by Ruth Baker  
7/06/2009 / Writing

What a wonderful feeling it is to have completed a book! However, that is just the beginning for the author. The first question you may have is, how do I get my book into print? Another question is, how do I know which publishing company should I choose to send my manuscript to? Perhaps you will do as many others do, search the internet for just the right publisher for your book. This is the quickest and easiest way to conduct a search. Nevertheless, there can be unseen problems since there may be conflicting realities between the initial information one receives and what will be actually be done as outlined in the contract. My goal is to help you to discover what steps to take and questions to ask before actually signing a contract with a publisher.

When you find a prospective publisher for your manuscript, there are many aspects of publication that need to be seriously considered. This is especially important to the first-time author, especially when you will be required to pay an up-front fee when the contract is signed. The most crucial aspect of publication is a publisher's marketing strategies. So you should begin your investigation with this most important question in mind: What does the publisher do regarding marketing and what is expect of you in the marketing area.

The first and basic step one should take is exploring the publisher's website to see what claims they make regarding the publication of a first-time author's work. Among the items you should look for is:
What are the requirements for manuscript submission
Is there a fee connected to publication
What is the author's royalty fee
See if the publisher includes all the editing, cover design, and other steps of the publication process in an author's up-front payment.
Once you find claims to the above items, print them off, read it carefully, and keep it.

The second step a new author should take is to ask the publisher if they have a set of "Most Frequently Asked Questions" along with their response to these questions. Sometimes this is provided on the website; at other times they are sent via email. In either case, print them off, read them carefully, compare this set of data to the first material acquired from the website's claims as mentioned above. Always make sure that the information you gather is in written form: from the website, via email or conventional mail. Do not ask questions via the telephone, this may later be considered "casual conversation" and later stated that only what is in the contract is valid. Print this information and keep it.

In the event that questions and answers are not provided in either of the two above mentioned venues, don't be hesitant to email a set of questions you may have to the proper authority at the publishing house and request that answers be returned via email or conventional mail. Keep it.

In either event, here are a few questions regarding marketing strategies that you may want to ask the publisher or look for on their website:
1. Where does the publisher distribute booksworldwide, just in the United States, Canada, etc.?
2. Does the publisher actively seek out placement centers for their books and physically place books on bookstore and library shelves?

These two questions are vital to the life and sales of your books. Why? Because many first-time authors may confuse distribution with the actual placement of books in retail outlets. Distribution is merely the shipping of books to a person or place. It has nothing what so ever to do with marketing a book. Also don't be confused with such a statement as, "books will be available at all book stores." More often than not this really means that the book can be ordered through a bookstore but is not and will not be physically available in any particular store. This can potentially hurt book sales because people generally don't want to wait and may not order the book.
3. Does the publisher make efforts to send pre-release copies of your book to important reviewers, such as the Library Journal? Many of the big reviewers require this review copy at least three months in advance of the book's release. Most authors are not made aware of this requirement and a crucial opportunity is lost for their book to get in a major nationwide catalogue with a credible review.
4. Will the publisher find other reviewers for you books which can be posted in major websites? Again, many authors are not aware that the publisher requires the author to find any and all reviewers and to find a way to get the review to the public. This can be a daunting task.
5. What promotion will the publisher provide for your book on major websites like Amazon?
6. What type of press release marketing will the publisher do for your book?
7. What is the geographical area will the press releases be made in? Many authors are not aware until well into the marketing phase that these releases are only made with a fifty mile radius of their homeand a fifty mile radius period! All other publicity and marketing avenues and strategies are expected to be the responsibility of the author, both physically and financially. This is nearly impossible for an author to accomplish unless one has a pocketful of cash and nothing else to do in life.
8. If the publisher accepts your manuscript and it gets to the marketing phase, how many authors will your representative be handling while they are working on yours? You may discover at some point that your representative is responsible for six hundred authors. When this is broken down over just one month of four forty hour workdays, the average time that a representative could give one book is less than twenty minutes for the entire month. This fact can be quite shocking when one finally realizes why their book has received minimal and inadequate attention.
9. Finally, and this is vitally important, if you decide to submit a manuscript to a publisher and it is accepted, under no circumstances or promptings from the publisher's agent should an author read, sign, and return a book contract with your payment until you see a contract lawyer!
Please pay close attention to this advice because of several reasons: the material on the website may be misleading and couched in ambiguous terms and language; the material in FAQs can be misleading and couched in ambiguous terms and language. The danger will rise up and bite you because one will undoubtedly read the contract through the veil of information that one has previously received. It must be stated that although a contract looks like it is right up front, it may also be couched in equally ambiguous terms and language. Warning! The bottom line is that the contract will stand regardless of any misconceptions, deceptions, or ambiguities that have been given to an author in previous or will be given in later material or statements.

It is therefore cheaper to spend a few hundred dollars to have a contract lawyer to analyze a contract than to spend thousands with a publisher and consequently suffer months of frustration, hard work, financial layouts, and ultimately, major disappointments. You may find your money is gone with little to show for it!


Ultimately, each author is responsible for the time and effort to search for and research a publishing house. Then the decision is his and his alone to choose a publisher for his manuscript. It is my hope and belief that this article will help any number of new authors in the decision makingto make an informed decision.

Please allow me to leave you with two jewels of wisdom:

A book can contain a lot of valuable information or entertainment to a great many people, but, if no one knows it is on the market, they can't buy it.

Sometimes it is wiser for an author to reject a publisher who wants to accept your manuscript.

May blessings and guidance come your way!

copyright 2009. Ruth Baker is author of Knock, Knock: Shedding light on Jehovah's Witness at the door, copyright 2007. http://www.livingproofofhope.net

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