Online Sales Success

Some sage advice from a author/publisher in the process of launching his first book.  Ripples: post-corporate adventures: The writer/publisher – part 11.

I realized today that I have been writing about self-publishing without sharing some of the key factors that went into my decision to self-publish in the first place. Although I like breaking new ground, I am primarily inspired by the chance to make money doing so. Pioneering for the sake of getting there first does not pay the bills. Traditional publishing offers little or nothing for the first-time author. The new model of self-publishing is a lot more author-friendly. Writing is a creative act. Publishing is a business. To paraphrase Dan Poynter, a publisher is the one who puts up the money and takes the risk.The publisher assembles the book for the printer, gets it printed, and then markets it, hoping to make back more money than has been spent to produce the book. In short, the publisher is the investor. When you invest in something, you want a sure thing at the lowest possible cost, with a high rate of return, and you are prepared to cut your losses as soon as it looks like your investment is not going to fly. This is why traditional publishers screen hundreds of thousands of books every year, searching for those four or five that will sell enough copies to keep them in business. As a new author, you have almost no chance of getting their attention, unless you know one of their editors.

Are you willing to invest $2000 – $4000 in your new book? If you are not, then why should a publisher be interested?

You must do your homework and determine that there is a market for your book. Once you have done that, why go to the bother of trying to convince a publisher that you have a viable market? On the other hand, if you are selling your book like gangbusters, you will probably attract attention from a publisher who specializes in that particular market.

I will be directly involved in all aspects of the marketing and sales cycle and expect to ship books within one business day of receiving payment via PayPal. If Dan Poynter is right, I should make 4-6 times as much on every sale as if I were going the traditional route.

The one thing you have to realize is that it is the author who promotes and publicizes the book until it is selling well. Generally, the traditional publishing house puts it in a few ads with lots of its other titles and calls it a day.

If the book sells, it is you, the author, who accomplishes that. Why not fan the flames until the book is selling well and take the profits you deserve. At that point, if you have a runaway seller, you should have a much better bargaining position when a publisher or agent approaches you.

This is an area where you new writers may be able to achieve a stunning breakthrough. Getting a book out in 90 days and keeping a healthy percentage of the selling price beats waiting for eighteen months and getting 50 cents on the average sale, with the royalties paid quarterly. 

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