What would be included in a Marketing Plan? I didn't take marketing classes in college. I'm a lousy salesperson (e.g., You don't want to buy this, do you? I thought not).

Either we have no experience in marketing, are too shy to consider going door-to-door pushing our book, live clear heck and gone away from anyplace that could possibly take our book, or ???

Get yourself a copy of "An Idiot's Guide to Marketing" it should spur you in the correct direction. Marketing and sales are inter-related but two entirely different beasts.

Publishers will provide you with press releases, send out review copies, hep get your book insto bookstores, and attend conventions and conferences on your behalf.

YOU have to arrange public appearances, book signings, attend convetions and conferences, help find reviewers to look at your book, etc.

There are no personalized pens unless you make them. There are no public appearances unless you arrange for them. YOU have to do quite a bit of work and in that vein, there are now quite a few publishing houses that ask for a marketing plan. This does NOT mean they are vanity or POD. Vanity presses couldn't care less if you market your book as they make their money off of YOU, the author, in the first place. POD is a bit more complicatd than that as it is not a type of publisher but rather a method of printing books that is now utilized from many publishers from vanity to the major publishing houses.

I had to send in a marketing strategy to Twilight Times when I submitted my novel, "Touch of Fate." It was not complicatd or detailed. I sent her a bullet list of things I would do to promote myself to let her know that I knew that i would have to work hard to promote myself. If I get a chance, I'll dig it up, but basically I think there were four or five items on there, the last one tipping my hat to the publisher by saying that I would look to her for advice and guidance on any other marketing opportunities.

Do make sure your publisher is legit. If they take ANY money AT ALL from YOU to publish your book then this is a red flag and you should not do business with them. Check out Predators and Editors to see if they have any warnings or even to see if they recommend them. (They recommend Twilight Times, by the way, one of those publishers who asks for a marketing strategy.) But if all that is in order, then there is no reason in the world that asking for a marketing strategy is anything but good business on their part. They can help you, but you have to get your own name and until you do they aren't going to spend much money on helping you market your bok.

quote:

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Marketing Plan:

I am prepared to be quite active in the sale of this
novel. It will launch my career as a fantasy writer,
which has been a dream of mine for as long as I can
remember. Specifically, I am prepared to do the
following:

1. I will create an author's web site with links to
sites that sell the book and provides information
about the book, author, and Twilight Times Publishing.
I have a background in computer science and have no
problem tapping into that knowledge, as well as my
husband's more current knowledge, to set this up.

2. I will attend as many book signings as possible. I
understand that a personal connection with an author
is a great way to sell books. I will begin locally,
but as the book grows in popularity I will attend book
signings across the country.

3. Of course, the best way to start selling a book is
through word of mouth. If I can, I will even outdo my
mom in simply telling people about the book. I am
currently active on many writer's websites where I
will not hesitate to endorse my own novel. Also, as a
former student of Orson Scott Card I can ask him to
put the book on his web site. He has a page for former
students' successes.

4. I will attend conferences that will help me promote
my book.

5. I will write more novels (I have already begun
doing this.). People like reading works from prolific
authors because they find comfort in the familiar
voice. I will become prolific.

My role in selling this book is not limited to these
five things, but it will begin there. I hope to work
with your publishing company and those better versed
than I in marketing to make this book a big seller.

---

I just want to add that this tone/format may not work for you. It must have done something for me since I sold the book, but I'm no expert in creating marketing plans.

The last publisher I saw this was a Recommended on Preditors and Editors. No money from author to publisher for any of the editing, book design, etc. However, they are e-books primarily. They have an optional print contract, which does require the author to buy 25 books but at the wholesale price (cost to print). The purchase is direct from the printer. The publisher claims no profit to them on these sales. The idea is that the author uses this cache of books for promotion or to sell to friends and family.

I think I'm getting the idea, but how does one afford all this travel for conventions and booksignings if you're a starving writer? If you don't have a sugar daddy (or momma), you can't place your book? I'm sure this applies primarily to small presses, but not everybody can get a huge deal with a major.

Next, you should be aware that there are many free or nearly free things you can do at the outset. Book signings cost you gas and time. Try for an event at your local library. (One you might add to that list....my marketing plan is much more details now, BTW. I've started adding names and phone numbers to contact people when the book is released.) Web sites are very cheap, even if you aren't good with computers. Do a bit of looking around an dyou can find some templates out there to suit your needs. You can contact local newspapers (not just the big ones -- don't forget your county journal which would probably love to write a story about a local author...say LOCAL AUTHOR in big letters on the subject line), radio (even public acces). You can host web chats. I am paricipating in an on-line conference as a presenter in October. (I will be shouting about that more in two weeks when registration begins...it's free so I think everyone should at least check it out...there will be agents, authors, publishers, etc. all there.) Try local writer's conferences to start. The big ones may eat you alive at first anyway. IF your book is of a theme exploit that theme -- for example, if it's a historical fantasy do an event at the local history museum. Get involved with groups -- church groups, parenting groups, bowling groups. Anything to get as many friends/acquiantances as possible to tell about your book. I mentioned it at MOPS when I got the contract and they mad an announcement for me...I'll mention it again when it actually is in print and voila! several dozen buyers who will, of course, expect e to sign their copies. (Which I will be more than happy to do!) And don't forget Hatrack. We all want to know of your triumph and many of us will want to buy your book to support our fellow writer who we knew way back when...

That's just off the top of my head. I'd better get going now the LO needs lunch.

Simul-posted with pantros. Guess we were both thinking the same thing with this one.

http://dlsijpress.com/

I did check Preditors and Editors and it is recommended.

It isn't a vanity press, but it does emphasize ebooks. That is a new thing in the world. I would love to have a paper book, but if I have to start with ebooks, I will. A good friend of mine is an editor at an ebook publisher. It is totally legit and she has four books published that way herself.

Vanity presses want money paid to the publisher by the writer. I obviously would not do that.

They are a vanity press, though not an expensive one.

Basically, they provide a storefront for you to sell your Ebook. They are a little picky about what they will put in the store and they expect you to advertise and draw customers in to their store for them.

That is a perfectly legitimate business model.

The flags:
You must pay for your own copyright. - not a huge warning. Some authors do this for themselves, its true. Traditional publishing houses will do this once the final version is complete. (Always keep in mind that everything you write is already copyrighted by you. This is really just creating a legal paper trail and registering the book with the Library of Congress.)

They don't pay you for writing the book. They only pay royalties after the sale. - This is unusual. Most publishers will give an advance to even first time authors. This is what they pay you when they buy your book from you. It's really just an advance on your royalties. (Sometimes a first time author will get a flat payment and no royalties - you want royalties.)

from their FAQ:

quote:

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Q: 01. Isn't electronic publishing only for those authors who can't get published in the traditional way?

A: To put it bluntly, if you have to ask that, please do not submit your work to us.

---

E-books by new authors is not a huge market. DLSIJ press is a small company (perhaps a handful of people) who make money by dealing in very many authors selling very few copies per author.) There are a hundred other similar publishers out there.

Their goal is to get enough books that, even though each book sells only a few copies a month, the business sells thousands.

You, as an author, would do better to stick it out, keep to the traditional paper publishers, and keep improving your writing. In the end you will reach more people with your work and make more money.

It seems to me that if e-book is where you want to go, then this sounds like a good publisher. They are picky and they work with ou to edit the manuscript. They are small, but small does not mean bad. All businesses start out small and publishing is no different. Some business owners prefer to keep their businesses small, and that is not a problem either.

Now, if you have your heart set on having your book in print I might consider other options first. It's not even the 25 copies per se, but print books clearly do not seem to be what they specialize in nor does it even seem to be something the publisher is as eager to get involved with, if that makes sense.

Back to the original question, if you want to go with this publisher then you will want to consider ways of selling e-books in your marketing strategy since book signings and the like don't have a whole lot of relevance.

Here is something my publisher sent me about promoting e-books:

http://www.twilighttimes.com/practical_tips4.html

Personally, while I am glad that my book is coming out as an e-book since I think this is a legitimate FUTURE trend, I would not currently want to only see my book releasd as an e-book. Even now, when I tell people that my book is coming out as an e-book in a month or so and as a paperbook next spring they say, "I'll wait for the paperback." and ocassionally, "What's an e-book and how does that work?"

The only thing I didn't like on this publisher's web page with regards to their focus of e-books was the followin:

quote:

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Q: 01. Isn't electronic publishing only for those authors who can't get published in the traditional way?

A: To put it bluntly, if you have to ask that, please do not submit your work to us.

---

I thought this was an excellent question. It goes to the heart of the viability of e-books. Someone asking this question is trying to find out if they are going to make any money off of an e-book deal and I'd like to know the answer to that, too. Make no mistake: you are entering into a business relationship with them.

I'm gla I wasn't the only one who thought that question on the FAQ raised some red flags.

I do not believe this is a vanity press, though. I do not think you quite understand the definition of vanity press. This is an e-book publisher, and they make no bones about that. Vanity publishers CHARGE authors to publish their book and don't give a rip if any boks are actually sold. The presence or absence of an advance does not have anything to do with whether or not a press is a vanity press. Many small publishers cannot afford large advances, if any. The real question, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the real question is: DOES MONEY FLOW TO THE AUTHOR? It is NOT: "Is the author gauranteed to make money off this book?"

Actually, I had no intention of going with that particular publisher as I AM interested in print. I didn't care for their 'buy 25 copies' thing so I just scratched them off my list.

But, I'd seen the marketing plan request elsewhere, so I thought that was a more generalized question having to do with submissions, queries, etc.