how to write a book and get it published

7/31/2019 How to Write a Book and Get It Published

1/51

HOW TO

WR I T E A

AND G ET IT

by Robert W. Bly

22 East Quackenbush Avenue, 3rd Floor, Dumont, NJ 07628

Phone (201) 385-1220, Fax (201) 385-1138

e-mail: [email protected], web: www.bly.com

Special Report $29.00


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TableofContents

Section1 MaybeYouShouldWriteaBook........................................ 3

Section2 FindingaGoodIdeaforYourBook ................................... 9

Section3 TheBulletproofBookProposal ........................................ 19

Section4 UsingPositioningtoSellYourBook ............................... 29

Section5 WhattoDoWhenYourBookGoesOutofPrint............ 32

Section6 Make$10,000amonthSellingEbooks............................ 43

Section7 Write,Design,andPublishYourOwnEZine............... 46


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Section1

MaybeYouShouldWriteaBook

Nowadays,itseemsasifeverybodyiswritingabookorwantsto.And,

becauseIhavepublishedafewmyself,manypeoplehaveaskedmeforadviceon

howtheycangettheirbookpublished.

Inthisreport,Illtrytoanswersomeofthebasicquestionsandpointto

resourcesthatcanhelpyoubecomehappilypublished.

SubjectMatter

AlotofthepeopleImeetinbusinesswanttowriteabookonsomebusiness

topicusuallyrelatedtotheirjob.

Althoughtherewillalwaysbeamarketforsolidhowtobusinessinformation,

thepublishingindustryworksincycles.Managementbooks,whichwerehotlast

year,havecooledoffconsiderably.Ontheotherhand,thedemandforbookson

directmarketing

(especially

online

marketing)

continues

to

be

strong.

The

best

waytogetafeelforthemarketistogotoabookstoreandbrowse.

Publishers

Askabusinesspersontonamethreepublishers,andchancesaretheyllname

JohnWiley,McGrawHillandPrenticeHall.

Thesegiantsdopublishalotofbusinessbooks,buttherearemanyothersyou

canapproach.OnegoodreferenceisWritersMarket,publishedbyWriters

DigestBooks(Cincinnati,OH).AnotherisLiteraryMarketPlace,knownasLMP,

publishedbyR.R.Bowker(NewYork,NY).


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Money

Unlessyourbookbecomesabestseller,youprobablywontmakemuch

moneyfromit.

Advancesforanonfictionbookthesedaysrangefrom$3,000to$15,000,with

$7,000beingatypicalfigure.Halftheadvanceispaiduponsigningthepublishers

contract,withthebalancedueuponacceptanceofyourmanuscript.

Remember,thisisanadvanceagainstroyalties.Soifyougeta$10,000advance,

andyouarepaidaroyaltyof$1perbook,youwontstartreceivingroyalty

paymentsuntilbooknumber10,001issold.

Royalties

range

from

10

percent

to

15

percent

on

hard

covers

and

6

percent

to

8

percentontradepaperbackeditions.Bookssoldthroughmailordertypicallypay

theauthora5percentto6percentroyalty.Mostpublishersbaseroyaltiesonthe

coverpriceofthebook,butafewbaseitonnetrevenuefromthesaleofeach

bookwhateverthatis.

AfriendtoldmethatthelateRosserReeveswasearning$25,000ayearin

royaltiesfromRealityinAdvertising25yearsafterthebooksinitialpublication.

Nice,butdontcountonit.

SellingtheBook

Dontsitdown,writeabook,andthentrytosellittoapublisher.Itworksthat

wayforfiction.Butnonfictionisdifferent.

Innonfiction,authorssubmitbookproposalstopublishinghouses,

andpublishersdecidewhethertheywanttopublishyourbookbasedon

yourproposal.

BookProposals

TheproposalsIsubmittopublishersallcontainthesamebasicinformation:

1. Abriefoverviewofthebasicideabehindthebook.2. Adescriptionoftheformat(length,organization,illustrations).


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3. Achapterbychapteroutlinedescribingthepurposeandcontentsofeachchapter.

4. Detailedtableofcontents.5. Marketingandpromotion,includingananalysisofthemarket

forthebookreasonswhythesepeopleneedthebook,and

suggestionsonhowtopromotethebook(throughpublicity,

advertising,directmarketing).

6. Listofcompetingbookswithadescriptionofeachandexplanationofhowthebookbeingproposedisdifferent

and

better.

7. Authorsbiography.SampleChapters

Ifthisisyourfirstbook,youmaywanttoincludeoneortwosamplechapters

withyourproposalasanexampleofyourwritingstyle.Thesesamplechapters

shouldbeChapter1andwhateverchapteryouthinkisstrongest.

Formoreadviceonhowtowriteabookproposal,readMichaelLarsensbook,

HowtoWriteaBookProposal(WritersDigestBooks).

Agents

Youdonotneedanagenttosellyourbook,butitdoeshelp.

Thelargemainstreampublishersaresooverwhelmedwithsubmissionsthat

manywillreturnunagentedmanuscriptsunopened.Othershaveslushpiles,

andrarelydoesamanuscriptthatstartsintheslushpileendupinthepublished

pile(althoughthereareexceptions).

Smallerpublishersareusuallymorereceptivetounagentedsubmissions.Also,

ifyouhavecontactsataparticularpublishinghouse,youmightbeabletoget

yourmanuscriptreadbyaneditorwithoutanagentsintervention.


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Agentsfeesrangefrom10percentto15percentofthemoney(advancesand

royalties)paidtoyoubyyourpublisher.Mostlegitimateliteraryagentsconsider

postage,telephonecalls,andotherexpensesasoverheadanddonotpassthese

chargesontotheclient.

LengthandTiming

Amediumlengthnonfictionbook,runningaround200printedpages,

containsapproximately80,000words.Thatrepresentsadoublespaced

typewrittenmanuscriptofslightlymorethan300pages.

Ifyourpublisheristypical,yourmanuscriptwillbedueontheeditorsdesk

6

to

9

months

from

the

date

you

sign

your

book

contract.

Once

you

hand

in

the

manuscript,itwilltakeanother4to6monthsbeforethebooksarepublishedand

distributedtobookstores.

Rights

Rightsdealwithhowthemoneyissplitbetweentheauthorandpublisher

whenthebookissoldtoabookclub,madeintoamovie,serializedinForbes,

reprintedasanarticleinthetradepress,madeintoanaudiocassetteprogram,or

soldasapremiumorincentiveitem.Author/publisherpercentagesplitsonthese

itemsgenerallyrangefrom50/50to90/10infavoroftheauthor.

AuthorsCopies

Mostcontractsspecifythattheauthorwillreceive10freecopiesofhisorher

bookandcanbuymorecopiesatadiscountof40to50percentofftheretailprice.

Ifyouareplanningtousecopiesofyourbookasgiveawaystopotentialclients

orasatrainingmanualinyourseminars,trytogetextrafreecopiesanda

slightlybetterdiscount.Thisisespeciallyimportantifyourbookisexpensive

($20ormore).


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Termination

Oneofthemostimportantclausestolookforinthepublisherscontractisthe

terminationclause.Thissimplysaysthatifyourbookgoesoutofprint(meaning

thepublisherisnolongersellingit)orthepublishergoesoutofbusiness,allrights

tothebookrevertbacktoyou,theauthor.

Permission

Nooneseemstobeabletosaywithauthoritywhenitisorisntnecessaryto

getpermissiontoreprintsomeoneelsesworkinyourbook.AndImnotalawyer,

soIcantgiveyouanylegaladviceonthisissue.ButletmetellyouwhatIthink

is

correct.

Iknowforcertainthatyouneedtoobtainpermissiontoreprintlines(evena

singleline)fromanypoemorsong.Youalsoneedpermissiontoreproduce

materialasavisualinyourbookforexample,toreprintadiagram,adrawing,

anad,orasalesletter.

Getpermissionifyourequotingmorethan50wordsfromanarticleormore

than300wordsfromabook.Useastandardpermissionform;askyourpublisher

toprovideone.

HandingIntheManuscript

Makesureyouhaveclean,readablephotocopyofyourmanuscript.Originals

dogetlostinthemail.

Acceptance

Thepublishermayacceptyourbookasisorrequestchanges.Thesechanges

canbeeitherminororsubstantial.Youarecontractuallyboundtomakethe

changesthepublisherrequests.EverybookcontractIhavereadcontainsaclause

whichineffectsays,Submityourbook.Wellreadit.Ifwedontlikeitforany

reason(orfornoreason),wedonthavetopublishitandwedonthavetopay

youradvance.


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Soinasenseyouarereallyatthepublishersmercy.Inreality,though,dont

worry.Thepublisherwantstopublishyourbook(thatswhytheygiveyoua

contract)andwillworkwithyoutogetitintopublishableform.

Thepubdateistheofficialpublicationdateofyourbookthedatewhenthe

booksupposedlywillbeavailableinbookstores.

Dontbedisappointedwhenthisdaycomesandgoeswithoutanyhooplaor

excitementwhatsoever.Thesadfactis,mostpublishersdontputmuch

promotionaleffortbehindmostofthebookstheypublish.Iftheyputoutapress

release,printupsomefliers,andgetthebookinsomebookstores,consider

yourself

fortunate.

Many

books

dont

even

make

it

into

the

stores

these

days!

DoItYourself

Asanauthor,youhavetobecomethepromoterofyourbook.

Whatcanyoudo?Sendsalesflierstoprospects.Giveawaycopiesasgiftsto

yourclients.Sendreviewcopiestobusinessjournalsthatcoveryourindustry.

Establishspeakingengagementsandtalkaboutyourbookatmeetingsand

conversations.Sendpressreleasestoyourhometownpaperandgetthemtodoa

storyonyou.Ifyourbookisaboutadvertisingormarketing,sendittoandIll

reviewit(maybe).

Gotolocalbookstoresandmakesureyourbookisplacedprominentlyinthe

businesssection,withthefrontcoverfacingout.Correspondwithpeoplewho

writetotellyouyourbookwashelpful.Behappythatyouareapublishedauthor,

andthatyouradviseishelpingsomeoneouttheredohisorherjobbetterand

moreprofitably.

Andofcourse,dontforgettodedicateyourbooktoyourmother.


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Section2

FindingaGoodIdeaforYourBook

Thejourneyofathousandmanuscriptspages(oreven150)beginswitha

singleidea.Hereshowtofindone.

Manypeoplewhoattendmybookpublishingseminarsalreadyhaveabook

ideainmind.Others,however,haveastrongdesiretowriteabook,butarestuck

oncomingupwithasuitabletopic.Ifyoufallintothiscategory,hereareten

sourcesofideasforbooksyoumaywanttowrite:

1. JOBEXPERIENCEAnobviousbutoftenoverlookedsourceofbookideasisyourjob.Thousands

ofexcellentbookshavebeenwrittenbyauthorsaboutaskill,expertiseorcareer

experiencegainedonthejob.

ThisishowIcametowritemyfirstbook,TechnicalWriting:Structure,Standards

andStyle(McGrawHill).Myfirstjobaftergraduatingcollegewasasatechnical

writerforWestinghouseElectricCorp.inBaltimore.Afterseveralmonthswriting

technicalmaterials,Ibegantofeeltheneedforawritingguidetoassisttechnical

writerswithmattersofstyle,usage,punctuationandgrammar(forexample,does

onewrite1/4or0.25oronefourthintechnicaldocuments?).Beingbookminded,I

wenttothebookstoresandfoundnothingappropriate.

Myideawastocompileastyleguidefortechnicalwritersmodeledafterthe

bestsellinggeneralwritingstyleguide,TheElementsofStyle,byStrunkandWhite.

Iwroteacontentoutlineandbookproposal,andbegantopursueagentsand

publishers.Iwasextremelylucky:ThefirstagentwhosawTechnicalWriting

agreedtorepresentthebook,andwithinthreeweeks,hesoldittothefirst


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publishertolookatit,McGrawHill.Theadvancewas$8,500notbadforafirst

timeauthorin1981forashort(100page)book.

NoteverybookIvewrittensincehassoldsoquicklyandeasily.But

subsequently,Ihavewrittenanumberofbooksbasedonskillsandexperiences

gainedinvariouscareersandjobs.

Doyouholdahighlydesirablepositionorworkinaglamorousindustry?

Thenyoucanwriteabooktellingothershowtogetintoyourlineofwork.

Haveyoudevelopedspecificandvaluableskillssuchascomputerskills

selling,marketing,finance,negotiatingorprogrammingskillsthatothersneed

to

master?

Theres

a

need

for

a

book

telling

them

how

to

do

it.

2. TEACHACOURSETherearemanyopportunitiesforyoutodesignandteachcoursestoother

peopleatwork,atadulteducationeveningclassesatthelocalhighschoolor

college,acommunitycolleges,atassociationmeetingsandevenonthe

universitylevel.

Ifyougettheopportunitytoteachacourse,keepinmindthatthetopicand

contentoutlineyoudevelopforthecoursemayhaveappealtoapublisherasthe

outlineforapotentialbookonthesamesubject.

In1981,aprivateseminarcompanyofferinglowcostpublicseminarsinNew

YorkCityaskedmetodoaneveningprogramonmarketingandpromotionfor

smallbusiness.ThepaywaslousybutIaccepted.Ayearorsolater,Itoolthe

coursetitleandoutline,turneditintoabookproposal,andsoldmysecondbook,

HowtoPromoteYourOwnBusiness,toNewAmericanLibrary.

Ifyouwanttowritenonfictionbookstherearetwoadvantagestoteachinga

classorseminar.First,indevelopingandteachingthecourseyouwill

simultaneouslybedoingmostofthelegworknecessarytoproduceabookonthe

subject.Therefore,onceyouvegiventhecourse,transformingitintoabookisa


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relativelyquickandeasynextstep(oratleastquickerandeasierthandoing,book

fromscratch).

Second,teachingthecoursepositionsyouasanexpertinthesubjectmaking

youmoreattractivetobookpublishers.Theyfigurethatanyonewhocangivea

courseonthetopicmusthaveasubstantialamountofinformationandexpertise

toshare.Ifyoutaughtthecourseataprestigious,wellknowninstitution,that

furtherboostsyourcredibility

3. TAKINGCOURSESTakingcoursescanalsogiveyoufreshinfusionofideasandinformationthat

can

become

the

basis

for

a

book.

ThesameprivateseminarcompanyIwasteachingsmallbusinesspromotion

seminarsforofferedanumberofcoursesindifferentcareerareas,whichasan

instructor,Icouldtakeforfree.Aftertakingseveral,Icameupwiththeideaof

doingacareerbookonhowtobreakintosomeofthemoreexciting,glamorous

industriesandprofessions,suchasmusic,film,advertising,travelandtelevision.

Thebook,CreativeCareers:RealJobsinGlamourFields,waspublishedbyJohnWiley

&Sons.

Warning:Whenyoutakethecourse,dontstealorplagiarizetheinstructors

seminar,reprintingitwordforwordasyourbook.Consideritastartingpointand

supplementitwithadditionalresearchfrommanyothersources(bookarticles,

interviews,otherseminars,etc.)

Iftheinstructordoeshavegoodinformationyouwanttoreprint(suchas

listsofcontactsandresources),gethispermissioninwriting.Youcanalsoask

theinstructorifheorshewillagreetobeinterviewedbyyouforinclusionin

thebook.


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4. WRITEABOUTYOURLIFEEXPERIENCESItisinthetotalityofexperiencereckonedwith,filedandforgotten,thateach

manistrulydifferentfromallothersintheworld,writesRayBradburyinZenin

theArtofWriting.Everypersoneverylife,isunique,andthisiswhysaythat

everyonehasatleastonebookinsidethem:Whathashappenedtoyouhasnot

happenedtootherpeople,andyourexperienceswillmakeforabookthatiseither

instructive,entertaining,movingoranycombinationofthese.

Thisappliestoeveryone.Forexample,ifyouhavechosentoremainsingleyou

canwriteLivingAloneandLovingItorasimilarbookonthejoysofbeingsingle.If

you

are

married

with

children,

you

have

unique

experiences

as

a

parent,

and

can

shareyourknowledgeandexperienceswithothersinanentertainingor

informativebook.Ifyouaremarriedbuthavebeenunabletohavechildren,you

havecredibilitytowriteabookoninfertility.Ifyouandyourspousehavenothad

childrenbychoice,youcanwriteabookonChoosingtoLiveChildFree.Ifyouhave

onlyonechild,youcanwriteRaisingtheSingleChild.Ifyoureasingleparent,you

canwriteStraightTalkandAdviceforSingleParents.

In1982,theNewYorkCityengineeringfirmemployingmetoldmeIwould

havetorelocate.MyfiancedidnotwanttoleaveManhattan,soIresignedand

startedanewcareerasaselfemployedindustrialwriter,producingbrochures

anddatasheetsforchemicalcompaniesandindustrialequipmentmanufacturers.

Thetransitionfromemployeetofreelancerwasaneducationalexperience,one

Iknewmanyotherswouldgothrough(orwouldhopeto,someday).Thisbecame

thetopicofmybook,OutonYourOwn:FromCorporatetoSelfEmployment,also

publishedbyWiley.

5. WRITEABOUTAPROCESSORTASKYOUKNOWHOWTODOThroughwork,leisureorlifeexperience,weallhavedonethingsthatmany

otherpeoplehavenotdone,andthereforeknowagooddealmoreaboutthese


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thingsthantheydo.Theinexperiencedwouldliketolearnfromyourexperiences

andavoidyourmistakes,andabookistheidealvehicleforthis.

Forinstance,afterresigningfromtheengineeringfirmandbecomingaself

employedindustrialwriterin1982,Iwasforcedtolearnhowtosucceedinthe

commercialwritingfieldonmyown;therewasnobooktoguideme.Imade

manyexpensivemistakesandlearnedfromexperience.

Tohelpotherwritersspeedthelearningcurveandavoidthesemistakes,I

wroteSecretsofaFreelanceWriter,publishedbyHenryHolt&Co.Thebookis

abouttheprocessofrunningafreelancewritingbusiness,coveringeverything

from

getting

started

and

finding

clients

to

setting

fees

and

negotiating

contracts.

6. WRITINGABOUTYOURHOBBYHobbiesthatfascinateyounodoubtfascinatealotofotherpeople.Asa

hobbyist,youhavemuchmoreknowledgethanajournalistorotheroutsiderwho

wouldhavetoresearchthefieldfromscratch.Whynotturnyourhobbyinto

profitcenterbywritingabookaboutit?

Oneofmyhobbiesiscollectingcomicbooks.IloveSuperman,Batman

Wolverine,andtheotherDCandMarvelsuperheroes.

WhenIgraduatedcollegein1979,Iburnedwiththedesiretowriteabookand

getitpublished.Istartedtwobookprojects.OnewasaHarlequinromancenovel,

whichIstartednotbecauseIenjoyHarlequinromancenovelsIvenevereven

readonebutbecauseIfigureditwouldbeeasytodo.Iwaswrong.Iwrote

40pagesoftheworstHarlequinromancenovelofalltimebeforeabandoning

theproject.

Butwritingthosepagestaughtmeanimportantlesson:Dontselectatopic

orformforyourbookjustbecauseyouthinkitiscommerciallyviableandwill

makeyoualotofmoney.Ifyoudo,yourlackofenthusiasmwillshowthrough

inyourwriting.


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Ontheotherhand,ifyouarepassionateaboutyourtopic,yourenthusiasm

willshowthroughinyourwriting.Thebookwillbeeasierandmorefuntowrite,

andthefinalproductwillbemuchbetterinquality.

ThesecondbookprojectIstartedworkingonwasatriviabookoncomicbook

superheroes,writteninquizform.Forexample:Whatarethesixtypesof

kryptonite?(Green,red,blue,white,gold,jewel.)WhatwasSpiderMansmajorin

college?(Physics.)

Iwroteashortmanuscriptand,havingnocontactsinpublishing,and

noknowledgeofthepublishingbusiness,sentittoeditorsatvariouspaperback

publishers

with

a

cover

letter.

It

was

rejected

by

all.

I

gave

up

and

put

it

in

adrawer.

Yearslater,whenIwascleaningoutsomefiles,Icameacrossthemanuscript.

Iwasgoingtothrowitout,butinsteadmailedittomyliteraryagentwithanote

saying,Doyouthinkyoucandoanythingwiththis?

Sixweekslater,shecalledandsaidshedsoldthebook.Iwasspeechless,The

book,ComicBookHeroes:1,101TriviaQuestionsAboutAmericasFavoriteSuperheroes

FromtheAtomtotheXMen,waspublishedbyCitadelPress.

ThesecondlessonIlearnedfromthis,experiencewas:Abookideathatdoesnt

sellnowmightselllater.Ifyougetrejectedbypublishers,dontthrowawayor

forgetaboutthebookproposal.Fileitandmakeanotetotakeanotherlookalitin

sixortwelvemonths.Sometimeyouhavesuccessonthesecondorthirdtry

becausethetimingisright.Othertimes,youseetheideafromafreshperspective,

rewriteit,andmakethesalewiththerevisedbookproposal.Whenaskedto

addressthegraduatingclassatOxford,WinstonChurchill,agreatwriter,stood

up,saidonlyNevergiveup,andsatbackdown.Thesethreewordsaregood

adviceforauthorswhowanttosellbookproposalstopublishers.


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Eventually,athirdlessonrevealeditself:Everybookpublishedgivesyou

credentialthatcanleadtomorebookcontractsinthesamefield.

Ienjoyedwritingthecomicbooktriviabook.Afteritcameout,Ithoughabout

doingtriviabooksonothertopicsinasimilarformat.

IwasalwaysabigStarTrekfan.ThisresultedintwobookswithHarper

Collins:TheUltimateUnauthorizedStarTrekQuizBookandWhyYouShouldNever

BeamDowninaRedShirt.Aspublishersbegantoseemeasawriterofpopular

culturetrivia,Ireceivedseveralmorecontractsalongthisline,includingWhats

YourFrasierI.Q.?,aquizbookontheTVshowFrasier.

Books

about

hobbies

can

be

how

to,

money

making,

reference,

specialized

or

generalinformation.Ifyouhaveaninterestintropicalfish,forexample,youcould

writeHowtoKeepTropicalFish(howto),HowtoBreedTropicalFishforFunandProfit

(moneymaking),AnIllustratedGuidetoAquariumFish(reference),Careand

BreedingofFancyGuppies(specialized)orYourFirstFishTank(general).

Noticethatthefirstsixmethodsonthislistinvolveyou,theauthor,having

somespecialinsight,experienceorinformationonthetopicofyourbook.Author

andpublisherDanPoyntersays:Writeaboutsomethinginwhichyouarea

participant.Theworldneedsmorebookswrittenbywriterswhoarealsoexperts,

notwriterswhoarejournalists.

Concentrateontheareathatinterestsyou,andifyourenotanexpert

now,youmaybecomeone,writesTomPeelerinTheWriter.Andevenif

theareaofintereststillrequiresconsultationwithrecognizedprofessionals,

specializationwillallowyoutodevelopregularsourcesandwillgiveyou

credibilitywiththem.

OneofGaryLarsonsFarSidecartoonsshowsanauthorautographinghis

bookatabooksigning.Thecaptionreads,Afterbeingfrozeninicefor10,000

years,Thagpromoteshisautobiography.Thetitleofthebook:ItWasVeryCold


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andICouldntMove.Obviously,nopublisherexpectsyoutohave10,000yearsof

experienceinyoursubjectmatter.Butwritingaboutsomethingyouknow,have

experiencedorhaveachievedisoneroutetocomingupwithabookideaa

publisherwillbuyfromyou.

7. COLLECTANDCOMPILETIDBITSOFSCATTEREDINFORMATIONAreyouinterestedinaspecificfieldofknowledgeorstudy?Andareyouthe

typewhoclipsarticlesandcollectstidbitsofinformationonyourtopic?Ifso,you

canconvertthispassionforinformationbycompilingyourcollectedknowledge

intobookform.

For

a

while,

I

became

fascinated

with

all

the

toll

free

consumer

helplines

and

hotlinesIsawadvertised,givingfreeinformationoneverythingfromAIDS

preventiontogardeningtipstostockmarketquotes.Ibecameanobsessive

collectorofthesenumbers,clippingarticlesandwritingdown800numbersI

heardonradioandsawonTV.Finally,Icompiledthemintoabook,Information

HotlineU.S.A.,publishedbyNewAmericanLibrary.

Similarly,afriendofmine,DonHauptman,isobsessedbylanguageingeneral

andwordplayinparticular.Donisacollectorofinformation,andbegan

collectingacronyms(suchasDNA,LSD,scuba,laser).Whenhiscollectiongot

largeenough,heturneditintoabookonacronyms,Acronymania,published

byDell.

8. FINDANDFILLANEEDORGAPINTHEREADERSKNOWLEDGEAnexcellentwayoffindingmarketableideasistotalkwithpeopleandfind

outwhattheywantandneedtoknow,thenwriteabooktosatisfythat

informationneed.

Forexample,anattorneywithgoodnegotiatingskillsheardmanyclients

tellinghimthattheytoowishedtheyhadgoodnegotiatingskillsandwouldlike

helpbecomingbetternegotiators.Theattorneybecameamillionairebywriting


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andsellingbooks,audioandvideotapeprograms,seminarsandtrainingsessions

innegotiatingskills.

Workingasabusinessconsultant,Isawthereweredozensofbooksonsales,

butalmostnothingonhowtogenerateleadsforsalespeople.IproposedTheLead

GenerationHandbook,whichsoldtoAmacom,thepublishingdivisionofthe

AmericanManagementAssociation.

AndwhenwemovedoutofNewYorkCityandboughtahomeinthesuburbs,

weknewnothingaboutplumbing,electricity,gardening,cars,aluminumsiding,

roofing,orthedozensofotherthingseveryhomeownereventuallybecomes

familiar

with.

I

thought,

Why

not

do

a

book

that

will

be

an

instruction

manual

for

firsttimehomeowners?

IwroteaproposalforabooktitledTheHomeownersSurvivalGuide.Noone

wasinterested,andIputtheproposalawayinafileandforgotaboutit.Several

yearslater,amajorpublisheroneforwhomIvenowwrittenseveralbookscame

outwithsuchabookwiththeexactsametitle.Anotherlessonlearned:Pay

attentiontoyourowngutfeelings.HadIkepttryingwiththisbook,asIadvise

youtodo,itmightverywellhavesoldwithinayearorso.ButIgaveuponit,and

nowanotherauthorsnameisonthecover.

9. TAKEANEXISTINGTOPICANDTARGETITTOASPECIFICAUDIENCE

Acommonsituationistheauthorwhowantstowriteabookonaspecifictopic

butfindsthefieldovercrowded.

This

happens

to

all

of

us:

You

get

an

idea

for

a

book,

get

excited

about

it.

But

thenyouvisitthebookstoreandfindtwoshelvesfullofbooksonthesametopic,

booksthatseemverymuchlikeyours.Youbecomediscouragedbythe

competition,giveupanddroptheidea.Dont!Youcanstillwritethatbook.You

justneedafreshslant,angleorhook.


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Oneoftheeasiestandmostsuccessfulmethodstofindingthisfreshslantisto

targetyourbooktowardaspecificaudiencewithinthemarket.Forexample,a

womanseminarleadertoldmeshewantedtowriteabookonpresentationskills,

butwasafraidtotrybecausesomanybooksalreadyexist.Shementionedatone

pointthatshetrainedmainlywomen.Iaskedherifwomenmakingpresentations

inthebusinessworldfaceadifferentsetofchallengesthanmendo.Ofcourse,

shereplied.

Then,Isuggested,thetitleofyourbookshouldbePresentationSkills

forWomen.

In

the

same

way,

I

wanted

to

write

a

book

on

selling,

but

found

the

market

overcrowded.Sincemyexperienceisinsellingservicesvs.products,Ioffered

HoltabookonSellingYourServices.

10.WRITEWHATINTERESTSYOU

Inadditiontofindingoutwhatinterestsotherpeople,anexcellentsourceof

ideasiswhatinterestsyou.Youareacurious,intelligent,creativehumanbeing,

constantlythinkingandwonderingabouttheworldaroundyou.Chancesare

whatinterestsyouwillinterestmanyotherpeople,too.

ImabigStephenKingfan,asaremanyothers.HavingwrittentheTVand

comicbookquizbooks,InaturallythoughtofdoingaquizbookonStephenKing.

MyagentpromptlysoldittoKensingtonBooks,apaperbackpublisherinNew

YorkCity.

Irecommendyoukeepanotebook,filefolderorcomputerfilelabeledbook

ideas,andwheneveranideaforabookcomestomind,writeitdownandsaveit.

Dontworrywhetherthebookwilleventuallyinterestapublisher.Creatingideas

andanalyzing/assessingideasaretwoseparateactivities,andshouldnotoverlap.

Dontholdyourcreativityback;lettheideasflowandquicklygetthemalldown


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19

onpaper.Lateryoucandecidewhichwontworkandwhichmeritfurthereffort.

Butfirst,youmusthavetheidea.

Section3

TheBulletproofBookProposal

Publishersaskfivekeyquestionsabouteveryprojecttheyconsider.Heres

howtomakesureyourproposalgivesalltheanswers.

Youhaveagreatideaforanonfictionbook.Yourspousethinksitsagreat

idea.Yourparentsthinkitsagreatidea.Evenyourneighborwhohatestoread

thinksitsagreatidea.

Butwillapublisherthinkitsagreatideaenoughtopayyouanadvance,

commissionyoutowriteit,andpublishandsellit?

Thatwilldependlargelyonyourbookproposal.Hereswhereyou

demonstratepersuasivelythatyourideahasmerit.Ofcourse,evenasolididea

andagreatbookproposalcantguaranteesuccess,buttheysurelycantiptheodds

inyourfavor.Butifeithertheideaortheproposalisweak,yourchancesofasale

areslimtonone.

Itsnosecretwhatbookeditorslookforwhenreviewingbookideasand

proposals.Youllimproveyourchancesofwinningapublisherscontractby

testing

your

book

proposal

against

the

five

key

questions

editors

ask.

Lets

look

at

thosequestionsandthebestwaystoanswerthem.

1.Istherealargeenoughaudienceinterestedinthistopictojustify

publishingthebook?


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ThemajorNewYorkpublishinghousesarentinterestedinhighlyspecialized

bookswrittenforsmall,narrowinterestaudiences.Ifyouwanttowritethe

definitiveworkonLAN/WANinternetworking,forexample,seekoutapublisher

oftechnicalbooks.

Bigpublishersareprimarilyinterestedinbookstorebooksthatis,books

thatappealtoageneralaudienceoratleasttoalargesegmentofthegeneral

population.Examplesofsuchaudiencesincludeparents,smallbusinessowners,

corporateexecutives,fitnessenthusiasts,moviebuffs,usersofpersonal

computers,teenagers,andotherlargeaffinitygroups.

A

book

aimed

at

a

major

publisher

must

appeal

to

an

audience

of

hundreds

of

thousandsofpeople,ifnotmillions.Tosellyourideatotheeditor,youmust

demonstratethatsuchanaudienceexists.InourproposalforHowtoPromoteYour

OwnBusiness(acceptedandpublishedbyNewAmericanLibrary),GaryBlakeand

Icitedstatisticsshowingtherearemorethan10millionsmallbusinessesintheUS

and250,000newbusinessesstartedeachyear.

OneexcellentsourceofmarketdataisStandardRateandDataService(SRDS),a

booklistingUSmagazinesthatacceptadvertisingandtheircirculations.SRDSis

availableatyourlocallibraryorfromthepublisher(tel.847/3755000).Ifyoure

proposingabookonfreelancewriting,forexample,youcouldlookupwriters

magazinesandfindthatthetwolargestpublicationsinthefieldhaveacombined

circulationofmorethan300,000;thisisthepotentialmarketforyourbook.

Butonlyasmallpercentageoftheintendedaudiencewillactuallybuyyour

book.Andamajorpublisherhopestosellatleast5,000copiesofyourbook.Soif

yourewritingabookthatappealsonlytothe44,171branchmanagersworkingat

banksnationwide(say,HowtoManageYourBranchMoreEfficiently),and2%canbe

persuadedtobuythebook,youvesoldonly883copiesnotnearlyenoughto

maketheprojectworthwhileforeitheryouorapublisher.


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21

2.Isthisabookoramagazinearticle?

Attheonsetofthe1991recession,IcameupwithanideaforabookIthought

wouldbeastrongsellerRecessionProofBusinessStrategies:WinningMethodstoSell

AnyProductorServiceinaDownEconomy.Itwastimely.

Ithadstrongmediaappeal.Anditcontainedvitalinformationreaders

desperatelyneeded.

But,asmyagentpointedout,thereweretwoproblemswiththebook.First,its

timelynature.Fromconceptiontobookstore,itcantake18monthstotwoyearsto

writeandpublishabook.IftherecessionwasoverbythetimeRecessionProof

Business

Strategies

came

out,

the

book

would

bomb.

Second,myagentwasconcernedthattherewasntenoughmaterialtofilla

book.Andhewasright.

Theaveragenonfictionbookisabout200pagesintypeset,publishedform,

withapproximately400wordsapage.Thats80,000words;about320double

spacedtypewrittenmanuscriptpages.Yourbookmightbelongerorshorter,

rangingfrom35,000words(aslim,100pagevolume)to200,000wordsormore.

Troublewas,whenIfinishedwritingeverythingIknewaboutrecessionproof

businessstrategies,Ihad5,000wordstooshortforabook,toolongfor

anarticle.Thesolution?IselfpublishedRecessionProofBusinessStrategiesasa

$7bookletandsoldseveralthousandcopies.Soabookletnotabookwasthe

rightvehicleforthismaterial.

Manybookideasseemstronginitially,butwiltundercloseexamination.

Forexample,a(tome)wonderfulbooktitlepoppedintomyheadawhileback:

HowtoSurviveaMidlifeCrisisatAnyAge.Mycoauthorloveditandwantedtodo

thebook.Butwhenwesatdown,wecouldntthinkofanythingtoputinit!We

soonabandonedtheidea.


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22

Howdoyouknowwhetheryourideaisabook,articleorbookletand

howdoyouconvinceapublisherthatyourconceptisabigone?Hereare

someguidelines:

First,seeifthereareotherbooksonthetopic.Theexistenceofafewsimilar

titlesindicatesthatthisideaisbigenoughtodeserveabook,sinceother

publishersboughtandpublishedbooklengthmanuscriptsonthetopic.

Second,gotothelibraryandseewhatelseiswrittenonthetopic.Ifyoufeel

overwhelmedbyallthemagazinearticles,newspaperstories,booklets,

pamphlets,surveys,reportsandstatisticsonyourtopic,thatsagoodindication

the

topic

is

meaty

enough

to

justify

a

full

length

book.

Forexample,Iheardapublicserviceannouncementdescribingatollfree

numberyoucouldcalltogetsafetyinformationaboutanycaryouwerethinking

ofbuying.Ithought,Thereseemstobealotofthesefreeconsumerhotlines;why

notorganizethemintoareferencebook?

Iresearchedthesubjectanddiscoveredtherewereindeedhundredsofsuch

hotlines.NewAmericanlibraryboughtthebookandpublisheditasInformation

HotlineUSA.IfIduncoveredonlyafewsuchhotlines,NewAmericanLibrary

wouldhaverejectedmyproposal.

Thethirdsteptoconvincingapublisherthatyourtopicisbroadenoughto

warrantabookistoorganizeyourinformationintochapters.Thinkabouthow

youwouldlogicallyexplainyourtopicorpresentyourinformation,andorganize

itintomajorcategories.Thesewillbecomechapterheadings.

Afulllengthnonfictionbooktypicallyhas815chapters.Ifyouroutlinehas

fewer,thepublishermaythinktheresnotenoughinformationtofillabookon

yourtopic.Shootforanoutlinewithatleast10chapters.

Onindexcards,organizeallyourresearchmaterialbychapter.Thenaddthe

mostimportantorinterestingitemsasbulletpointsinyourchapteroutlineto


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23

createacompletetableofcontentsforyourproposedbook.Hereshowmyco

authorandIdescribedChapter15inourproposalforHowtoPromoteYour

OwnBusiness:

Chapter15:OnWiththeShowTradeShowsandDisplays

Whydopeopleattendtradeshows? Howtoselecttheshowsatwhichyouwillexhibit Creatingeffectivetradeshowdisplays Fivethingsyoucandotoattractmoreprospectstoyourexhibit:

demonstrations,productsamples,freegifts,contestsandentertainment

Other

uses

for

your

display

materials:

retail

point

of

purchase,

malls,

lobbydisplays

Thistypeofdetailedtableofcontentsprovestothepublisherthatyourtopicis

appropriateforabook,notjustamagazinearticle.

3.Whatsdifferentorbetteraboutyourbook?

Thefirstpageortwoofyourbookproposalmustcontainanoverviewofyour

idea.Thisdescribeswhatthebookisaboutwhoifswrittenforandwhats

init.

Youroverviewmustalsotelltheeditorwhyandhowyourbookisunique,

different,orbetterthanotherbooksalreadypublishedonthistopic.Andyou

mustdothiswithinthefirsttwoparagraphs(ifyoudont,theeditorprobably

wontreadfurther).

Thehooktheanglethatmakes yourbookdifferentcantakemanyforms:It

mightbeaslanttowardadifferentaudience,abetterwayoforganizingthe

material,orinclusionoftopicsnotcoveredinotherbooks.Thekeyistomakeyour

bookseembothdifferentandbetter.

Forinstance,iftheotherbooksarentillustrated,saythatyourbookwillbe

andexplainwhythatsimportant.Iftheotherbooksarelengthy,promisetowrite


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24

amoreconcisebook.Iftheotherbooksareincomplete,describethetopicsthey

omitandtellhowyoullcovertheminyourbook.

WhenplanningHowtoPromoteYourOwnBusiness,mycoauthorandIhoped

towriteabookonadvertisingthatwouldappealtosmallbusinessownersrather

thanadvertisingagencies,PRfirmsandotheradvertisingprofessionals.Weused

thisasourhook;ourproposalbegan:

HowtoPromoteYourOwnBusinessisnotabookfortheprofessionalpublicist,

promoteroradvertisingprofessional.Rather,itisapracticalworkingpromotion

guideforthe10.8millionAmericanswhoowntheirownbusinesses,andthe

250,000

entrepreneurs

who

start

new

businesses

each

year.

Wewroteapreviousbook,TechnicalWriting.Structure,StandardsandStyle,

becausewebelievedtheexistingtechnicalwritingbooksweretoolengthyand

dulltobesuitableasreferencesforworkingtechnicalwriters.Wewantedtocreate

ahandbookfortechnicalwritersthatemulatedtheconcise,tothepointstyleand

formatofTheElementsofStyle,WilliamStrunkandE.B.Whitespopularstyle

guideforgeneralwriters.

OurproposalcalledourbooktheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwriting,

whichinstantlycommunicatedthekeyappealoftheconcept.Ouragentsoldthe

bookwithinthreeweekstothefirstpublisherwholookedatit.Interestingly,

McGrawHillalsousedthephrasetheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwritingin

publicityandpromotionalmaterialsdescribingthebook.

Anothersectionofyourproposalthatpositionsyourbookinrelationtoothers

onthesamesubjectistheCompetitionsection.Hereyoulistand

describecompetingbooks;eachlistingshouldemphasizehowyourbookis

bothdifferentandbetter.HereisanexamplefromourHowtoPromoteYour

OwnBusinessproposal:


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28

Market

Telltheeditorwhowillbuyyourbook,howmanyofthesepeopleexist,and

whytheyneeditorwillwanttoreadit.Usestatisticstodramatizethesizeofthe

market.Forexample,ifyourbookisaboutinfertility,mentionthatoneinsix

couplesintheUnitedStatesisinfertile.

Promotion

IsyourbookanaturalfortalkradioorOprah(berealistic)?Canitbepromoted

throughseminarsorspeechestoassociationsandclubs?Givethepublishersome

ofyourideasonhowthebookcanbemarketed.(Note:Phrasetheseas

suggestions,

not

demands.

The

publisher

will

be

interested

in

your

ideas

but

probablywontusemostofthem.)

Competition

Listbooksthatcomparewithyours.Includethetitle,author,publisher,yearof

publication,numberofpages,price,andformat(hardcover,tradepaperbackor

massmarketpaperback).Describeeachbookbriefly,pointingoutweaknessesand

areasinwhichyourbookisdifferentandsuperior.

AuthorsBio

Abriefbiographylistingyourwritingcredentials(booksandarticles

published),qualificationstowriteaboutthebookstopic(forinstance,forabook

onpopularpsychology,ithelpsifyoureatherapist),andyourmediaexperience

(previousappearancesonTVandradio).

TableofContents/Outline

Achapterbychapteroutlineshowingthecontentsofyourproposedbook.

Manyeditorstellmethatadetailed,wellthoughtouttableofcontentsina

proposalhelpsswaytheminfavorofabook.


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29

Section4

UsingPositioningtoSellYourBook

Youcaneasilyadaptpositioning,anadvertisingsalestechniquethatwill

makesubmissionsstandoutontheeditorsdeskandintheeditorsmind.

WhenIworkedasatechnicalwriteanindustrialequipmentmanufacturerI

decidedtowriteabookoftipsandacforfellowtechnicalwriters.Suchabook

hadntbeendonebefore.

OrsoIthought.VisitstobookstoresandalookatBooksinPrintrevealednearly

ahundredbookshadalreadybeenpublishedonthisratherspecializedsubject.

HowcouldIcompete?

WhenIreadafewofthetechnicalwritingbooks,Iwasstruckbyhowdull,

lengthyandpedantictheywere.Engineersandmanagersdontwanta400page

treatiseongrammarandsyntax,Iexplainedtoawriterfriendoverlunch.What

theyneedandwhatIdliketowriteisabrief,easytoreadstyleguide,a

handbooktheycankeepontheirdesksandrefertowhenaquestioncomesup.

SomethingliketheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwriting.

AssoonasIsaidittheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwritingwebothknewId

foundtheslantthatwouldsetmybookapartfromthecompetitionandsellittoa

publisher.Technicalwritingisunfamiliarterritorytomosttradebookeditors;by

comparingmyideastotheimmenselypopularElementsofStyle,Imadethegistof

my

concept

immediately

clear.

MycoauthorandIwrotea22pageproposalandtwosamplechapters.We

handedthispackagetoouragent;withinthreeweekshesoldthebookto

McGrawHillmyfirstsaleanywhere.Thebook,titledTechnicalWriting:

Structure,Standards,andStyle,waspublishedinhardcoverandtradepaperback


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31

towriteabookoncomputersforsmallbusinesses,Ipositionedmyconceptas

managementorientedratherthanhardwareoriented.Ibegantheproposal:

ThephilosophybehindHOWTOBUYTHERIGHTCOMPUTERFORYOUR

SMALLBUSINESSispracticalandstraightforward.Itisthis:Thepurchaseofa

smallbusinesscomputerisabusinessdecisionsimilartothedecisiontorentoffice

space,leaseacopier,installanewphonesystem,orbuydictatingmachinesforthesales

force.Thedecisionmakingprocessforallofthesesituationsisthesame.Onlythespecific

factsaredifferent.

Somanyhowtobuyasmallbusinesscomputerbookswereonthemarket

that

an

even

sharper

position

was

needed

to

sell

the

idea.

Eventually,

the

publisherboughttheproposalontheconditionthatIaimthebookatonespecific

industry.Ichoseapersonalfavoriteadvertisingandmybook,ThePersonal

ComputerinAdvertising,waspublishedbyBanburyBooks.

Sometimes,positioningcanmakethecompetitionworkforyouratherthan

againstyou.WhenwriterFrankEvanswroteaproposalforanencyclopediaof

computertechnology,hepositionedtheconceptascomplementingratherthan

competingwithexistingtitlesinthefield:

ComputersAThroughZ:AnEncyclopediaofDataProcessingrelatestothetwo

majorcomputerdictionaries,InternationalComputerDictionary(Sybex,1981)and

ThePenguinDictionaryofComputers(PenguinBooks,1970),justastheBritannica

relatestoWebsters:itexpandsuponthem.Itisfarmorefocusedthansuchscience

encyclopediasasTheMcGrawHillEncyclopediaofScienceandTechnology(McGraw

Hill,1971)inthatitprovidescompletecoverageofonespecializedareaof

technologyelectronicdataprocessing.

Topositionyourbook,clearlyidentifytheintendedaudience,showhowthe

bookdiffersfromorcomplementsanyrelatedbooks,anddrawananalogy


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betweentheproposedbookandsomethingthatwillformafamiliar,favorable

imageintheeditorsmind.

Andkeepthepositionstatementshort.Someoneoncesaidthateverygood

ideacanbewrittenonthebackofabusinesscard.Bycomingupwithasingle,

pithysentencetosummarizeandslantyourbookidea,youbreakthroughthe

clutterandquicklycommunicateyourconcepttoeditors.Asaresult,youmay

findyourselfinafinepositiontobein:thatofapublishedauthor.

Section5

WhattoDoWhenYourBookGoesOutofPrint

Practicaltipsforkeepingyourbookavailable,evenafterthepublishertakesit

outofprint,evenifthepublishergoesbankrupt.

WhenDodd,MeadpublishedmySecretsofaFreelanceWriterinJuly1988,I

didntexpect

the

company

to

go

out

of

business

four

months

later.

(After

all,

it

hadbeeninbusinessfor150years.)Peoplebegancomplainingtomethatthey

couldntgetthebookinbookstores,andbookstorescouldntgetitfromthe

publisher.Finally,IreceivedaletterfromDodd,Meadtellingmeitwashaving

lossesandcashflowdeficitsandlookingtosellitsassets.Inotherwords,itwas

goingbust.

ButevenmoreshockingwastherequestthatIbuybackrightstomyown

bookfor$2,500!

Naturally,Ihadassumedtherightsrevertedtome.Afterall,itwasinmy

contract.ButDodd,Meadfeltdifferently.Howweeventuallysettledthedeal

andhowyoucanprotectyourselfwhenyourbookgoesoutofprint(meaning,itis


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33

nolongeravailabletothepublic)oryourpublishergoesoutofbusinessisthe

subjectofthisarticle.

Abookrepresentsagreatinvestmentoftime,effortandenergy

aninvestmentrarelycoveredbyyouradvancealone.Unfortunately,most

booksgooutofprinttooquicklytopaysubstantialroyalties.

Buthavingthebookgooutofprintdoesnotputanendtoitsvalue.The

physicalinventorytheremainingunsoldbooksthemselveshavevaluetothe

author,bothasaproductthatcanbemarketedandsoldonitsown,andasa

promotionaltool(forconsultants,doctors,psychologists,speakers,expertsin

various

subjects,

and

others

with

professional

practices

in

the

fields

their

bookscover).

Evenmoreimportantaretherightstoreprintandrepublishthework.Evenif

youneversellthebooktoanewpublisher,youstillwanttobeabletousethe

materialaschaptersinotherbooks,asarticles,lectures,speeches,cassette

programs,perhapseveninselfpublishedmaterial.Ifyoudonthavefullandclear

ownershipoftheserights,yourmaterialmayremainunreadandunusedforever.

BEFOREYOUSIGNONTHEDOTTEDLINE

Tomakesureyouretaintherightstoyourbookafteritgoesoutofprint:

Makesurethepublishercopyrightsthebookinyourname,andnotinitsown.Althoughcopyrightingthebookintheauthorsname

isstandardpractice,numeroussmallerpublishers(andafewlarger

ones)willmakethemselvesthecopyrightholderunlessyou

insistotherwise.

Includeacontractclausethatstatesthatrightsreverttoyouwhenthebookgoesoutofprint.In1982,forexample,Ipublisheda

dictionaryofcomputerwordswithasmallpress.Whenthepress

wentoutofbusiness,IcheckedmycontractandfoundthatIhad


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34

neglectedtoinsistonaclausedealingwithrightsreversion(often

calledtheterminationclauseinastandardpublisherscontract).

Nowthebooksareoutofprint,theformerownerofthepublishing

housewontreturnmyphonecalls,andmyrightstoreusethe

materialareprobablylostforever.

Makesurethecontractdefinesoutofprintsobothyouandthepublisherknowwhenyoucanrequestreassignmentofrights.One

publisherscontractsaysthebookisoutofprintwhensubsequent

tooneyearfrompublicationdate,noearningshavebeenpayableto

the

author

during

two

consecutive

accounting

periods

(12

months).

Afterthat,thepublishermustrepublish,reselloractivelymarketthe

bookwithinsixmonths,orrightsreverttotheauthor.

Becarefuloftrickyclauses.Anotherpublisherscontractsaysthatrightsdont

reverttotheauthoruntiltheworkisoutofprint inallformsofmedia. This

meansthatifthebookgoesoutofprint,yetthepublishercontinuestosella

cassetteversion,avideotape,orevenasmallpamphletbasedonthebook,Icant

offerthebookitselftoanotherpublisher.

Makesurethecontractspecifieswhathappenstotheremaininginventoryofbooksandtheoriginalcamerareadycopywhenthe

bookgoesoutofprint.InmycontractswithDodd,Mead,this

clausereads: TheAuthorshallhavetherighttopurchasefromthe

Publisherallcopiesremainingatcostofmanufacture,andtheplates

andengravings(ifinexistence)atonehalftheircosttothe

Publisher,includingcomposition.

Gettingthecopiesisimportantifyouintendtosellthem,usethemas

promotionalgiveaways,orsimplywantthemasmementos.Gettingtheplatesis

evenmoreimportant,becauseanewpublishercanreprintyourbookdirectly


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35

fromtheexistingplatesorfilms,savingenormousamountsoftimeandmoney.

Andthis,frankly,isasellingpointwhenmarketingthebooktoanewpublisher.

Chooseareputablepublisherwithagoodtrackrecord.This,Iadmit,canbedifficult.Forinstance,intheearly1980s,Ipublished

sixbookswithBanburyBooks,asmall,entrepreneurialpublishing

firmthatwasasuccessfulpioneerincomputerbooks.Whenthe

computerbookmarketwentsoft,Banburywentoutofbusiness,and

mysixbookswentoutofprint.

Ivowedtostickwithmajorpublishers.Then,afterpublishingtwobookswith

Dodd,

Meada

firm

that

had

been

in

business

since

1839it

folded

in

1989,

and

twomorebookswereoutofprint.

Meanwhile,myfriendRogerParkerhascompletedsomesuccessfuland

lucrativebooksforasmallpublisherIhadneverheardofVentana.Rogers

bookscontinuetoselllikegangbusters,andbothheandVentanaaremakingalot

moremoneyinpublishingthanIamrightnow.

Still,alarge,establishedpublisherlikeRandomHouseorSimon&Schusteris

probablylesslikelytodisappearthanasmallpresswithonlyacoupleoftitlesin

itscatalog.

WHENTHEBOOKISPUBLISHED

Thebestwaytoprotectyourselffromyourbookgoingoutofprint

istohelpthepublishersellitsothatthereisaconstantdemandforit.

Somesuggestions:

Whenfillingouttheauthorsquestionnaire,givethepublishercompleteinformation:onthebook,itssellingpoints,andany

resourcesormediaoutletsforpromotion.Thestaffatthepublishing

housegetsitsinformationfromyourcompletedauthors


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36

questionnaire,notthebookitself(whichtheydonthavetimeto

read).Sodonttakethisdocumentlightly.

Ifyouredetailedinyouranswers,theauthorsquestionnaireformwontgive

yousufficientroomforyourreplies.Itypethequestionsandanswersonmyword

processor,whichgivesmemoreroomandallowsmetoinsertentiresectionsof

mybookproposalintotheappropriatesectionsofthequestionnaire.Thisgives

thepublishersstaffthesamepowerfulmaterialthatsoldmyeditoronthebookin

thefirstplace.

Volunteertowritepromotionalcopyforthepublisher.Writeyourown

catalog

blurb

and

press

release,

and

give

it

to

your

editor

and

publicist.Usuallytheywillbeonlytoohappytousewhatyou

supplyandhaveyoudothework.

Cooperatewiththepublicityandmarketingdepartments.Thesedays,themostcommoncomplaintamongauthorsisthatpublishers

dontdoenoughtopromotebooks.Sowhenthepublisherdoesget

youaspeakingengagementorbookyouonatalkradioshow,dont

bedifficult.Andleteveryoneknowyouareeagerandavailableto

domoreofthesame.Gettingpublicityforanauthormakesthe

publicistlookgood,soshewillworkwithyouifyouencourageit

andifyourbookispromotable.

Conductyourownmarketingcampaign.Politelyfindoutwhatthepublisherintendstodoandwhatitwontdo.Then,consider

takingupsomeoftheslackyourself.Ifyouhavewrittenabookon

management,forexample,andhavesomecontactsatmajor

corporations,seeifyoucansellthebookinvolumeasatrainingtool

orpremium.Giveseminarsorlecturesatwhichthebookcanbesold


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toattendees.Thiswontmovelargequantities,butitwillhelp

spreadthewordaboutyourbook.

Keepatleastadozencopiesonhand.Ifthebooksuddenlygoesoutofprint,andyoucantbuytheremainders,youllneedthesecopies

tosendtoprospectivenewpublishers.And,onceyoufindanew

publisher,hisproductiondepartmentwillprobablyneedtwoor

threecleancopiesofthebooktoprintfrom,assumingyoucantget

theplatesorfilms.

Keepupwiththepublishingindustry.SubscribetoPublishersWeekly

and

Writers

Digest.

If

you

read

or

hear

rumors

that

your

publisherisinfinancialtroubleorisatargetforacquisition,callyour

editorandbuyatleastahundredcopiesofyourbook(atyour

authorsdiscount,ofcourse).Onceapublishinghousesmoney

problemsarebadenoughtobecomepublicrumor,financial

collapsewhichcanresultininaccessibilityoftheirinventorycan

happenfasterthanyouthink.

Anotherwarningsignthatyourpublisherishavingfinancialdifficultiesislate

royaltypaymentsandstatements.

WHENYOURBOOKGOESOUTOFPRINT

Soonerorlater,despiteyourbestefforts,yourbookwillgooutofprint.Either

thepublisherwillnotifyyou,orroyaltystatementswillindicatethatthebookisnt

beingsoldanymore.Ifyouveprotectedyourselfbyincludingthecontractclauses

Isuggested,youreingoodshape.

Notsurewhatyourcontractssay?Gotoyourfilesandcheckallcontractsfor

yourexistingbooks.Theresagoodchanceyourcontractscontaintheseclauses.If

youdonthaveaclauserevertingtherightsofyouroutofprintbooktoyou,the

goingwillbetougher,butnotimpossible.Somepublishersespeciallyfinancially


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38

soundoneswillbereasonableandgiveyoutherights.Othersusuallysmall

onesgoingoutofbusinessmaynotrespondtoyourrequestatall.

Hereswhattodo:

Sendalettertothepublisherrequestingthatallrightsreverttoyou.Ifyourcontractcontainsareversionclause,sayso.

Considerbuyingtheremaininginventoryofbooksandtheprintingplatesorfilms,butatareasonableprice.Includeasentence

inyourletterthatindicatesyourinterestwithoutmakingyouseem

tooeager.Forexample:Ifyouareinterestedinsellingthe

remaining

inventory

and

the

plates,

I

may

be

a

customer.

Ifalliswell,thepublishershouldrespondbyofferingyoutheremaining

inventoryatareasonableprice(welldiscusspricinglater).Youshouldgetthe

books,thefilmsorplates(ifavailable),andaletterstatingthatallrightshave

officiallyrevertedtoyou.

WHENTHEPUBLISHERGOESOUTOFBUSINESS

Afarmoreseriousproblemariseswhenthebookgoesoutofprintbecausethe

publisherisgoingoutofbusiness.Youmightthinkthat,becausethebookisoutof

print,tirerightsautomaticallyreverttoyou.Butbeware.Thereappearstobea

generalmisconceptioninthepublishingindustrythatifapublisherfailstoremit

royaltiesorbecomesthesubjectofeithervoluntaryorinvoluntarycourt

supervisedliquidationproceedings,authors contractualrightsreverttothe

authors,statedDodd,Meadinalettertomeconcerningmybooks.Webelieve

thattherightsundertheauthors contractsdonotreverttohim.Infact,insuch

recentproceedingsastheSteinandDaybankruptcycase,authors contractswere

soldtothehighestbidder.Therefore,youshouldnotrelyonanyautomaticright

ofreversion.


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41

notinexpensive.Igotaquotationfromafulfillmenthouse,whichwouldnot

onlystorethebooksbutalsohandleincomingmailordersandshipbooksto

customersforme.Storagealoneforthe2,000bookswasintherangeof

$55$100permonthwhichwouldquicklyeatintomyprofits.Istoredthe

booksinmybasement.

Sellingtheinventoryisachallenge.But,beingawriter,youmaybeabletofind

creativeandprofitablewaystodoit.Manyauthorsselltheirbooksbymail.

Thesellingmethodyouusedeterminesthemaximumyoucanaffordtopay

foryouroutofprintbooks.Ifyousellthematseminars,forexample,where

selling

costs

are

low,

you

can

pay

up

to

50%

of

the

retail

price

and

still

make

a

handsomeprofitbecauseyouronlyadvertisingcostisholdingupacopyofthe

bookfromthepodium.

But,ifyouwanttosellthebookthroughmailorderadvertising,youneeda

higherprofitmargintocoverthecostofadvertising(classifiedisbest),mailing

salesliterature,andshippingbookstocustomers.Themostyoucanaffordtopay

is25%oftheretailprice,andyoureallyshouldbelookingtopay1020%ofretail

orless.

Formosttradepaperbacks,thiscomesto$1$3percopy.Whensellingthe

booksmailorder,add$2totheretailpriceforshippingandhandling.Thishelps

relievesomeoftheburdenofyourhighsellingcosts.

KEEPINGTHEBOOKINPRINT

Assumingyouaresuccessfulatsellingyourbooks,theinventorywillsoonbe

gone.Thenwhat?

Iftherightsbelongtoyou,youhavetwochoices.Youcansellthebookto

anotherpublisher.Or,youcanpublishityourself.


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Theauthorwhowantstoselfpublishhisoutofprintbookhasabigadvantage

overotherselfpublishers:Namely,thebookhasalreadybeendesignedandset

intotypeeliminatingthousandsofdollarsintypesettingandcompositioncosts.

Ideally,yourprintershouldprintfromthepublishersoriginalplatesorfilms.

Butinmostinstancestheprintercanproduceanacceptablefinishedproductusing

existingcopiesofthepublishedbookashiscamerareadyartwork.Forthis,he

willneedtwocleancopiesingoodcondition.

Howmanycopiesshouldyouprint?MostselfpublishingexpertsItalkedto

recommendedafirstprintrunof3,000copies.Printingfewercopiesdrivesupthe

cost

per

copy,

while

printing

more

could

leave

you

with

a

warehouse

full

of

books

ifitdoesntsell.

Fora128pagetradepaperback,trimsize51/2x81/2inches,abook

productionhousequotedmeapriceof$6,488.09for3,000copies,or$2.16per

book.Icouldprobablyhavegottenalowerpricegoingdirectlytoaprinterand

handlingtheproductiondetailsmyself.Besuretogotoaprinterspecializing

inbooks.

Selfpublishingoffersyoutheadvantageofcontrolcontroloverjacketdesign,

pricing,marketinganddistribution.Youmightwanttogetintothe

booksellingbusinessthisway.Ididnt.AndwherewouldIstore3,000books?

Soinstead,IchosetoreselltherightstothepublisherwheremyDodd,Mead

editornowworked.

Willyoubeabletoresellyourbooktoanotherpublisher?Itmaybedifficult.

Publishersaremoreinterestedinsomethingnewthansomethingold.Unlessyour

bookwasabigseller,mosteditorswontgetexcitedaboutit.Butifyouquery

publishers,youmayfindonelookingtofillaslotinitscatalogwithabookjust

likeyours.Ormaybeaneditorwhopraisedthebookinthepastwouldbehappy


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43

toacquireitnow.Ifyouroriginaleditorhasmovedtoanotherpublishinghouse,

heorshewouldbeyourbestbetforaresale.

Whatkindofadvancecanyouexpect?Probably50%orlessoftheadvanceyou

wouldgetforthebookifitwerenew.Ontheotherhand,itseasymoney;unless

yourbookmustberevisedandupdated,theresalmostnoworkinvolvedforyou.

Iftheresonepieceofadvicetofollowaboveallelse,itsactquickly.Those

authorswhotakeimmediateactionandpersistuntilthedealismadesufferleast

andprofitmostwhentheirbooksgooutofprint.

Section6

Make$10,000aMonthSellingEbooks

BeforetheInternet,therewasanicheinmailordermarketingthatinvolved

sellingbooksonhowtogetrichinmailorder,theaudienceprimarilycomposedof

businessopportunityseekers.

NowtheInternethascreatedanequivalentmarketofpeoplewhowanttoget

richontheInternet,andanequivalentniche:sellingebooksonhowtomake

moneywritingandsellingebooks.

MostoftheseebooksarespecificallyonhowtomakemoneyontheInternet,

anddealwithvariousaspectsofsellinginformationonline.Afewareonmore

generalmarketing

and

selling

topics.

Hardly

any

deal

with

subjects

outside

of

businessandbusinessopportunities.

Thebusinessmodelworksasfollows:Youwriteanebookonatopicof

interesttoyourpotentialbuyers(Internetmillionairewannabes)andformatitas

adownloadablePDFfile.


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Themodelforthisgenreofhowtogetrichonlinebysellingebookson

howtowriteandsellebooksiseBookSecretsExposed

(www.ebooksecretsexposed.com)byJimEdwardsandDavidGarfinkel.

Edwardsmakesahandsomelivingwritingandsellingebooks;hehas

sold5,000copiesofvariousebooktitlesrangingfrom$29to$49overthelast

12months.Keepinmindthatthemanufacturingandshippingcostsfor

ebooksiszero,whichiswhatmakesthemsuchanattractive,profitable

informationproduct.

Ihavetwoebooksthateachgenerate$10,000to$12,000grosseachper

month,

says

Edwards.

Another

does

$3,000

per

month

in

sales,

and

two

others

generate$1,200permontheach.Oneebooksold$43,000in30days.

Whattopicsworksbest?Topicsthataddressanurgentneedthattheprospect

isawareof,andthatyoucanmarkettopreformedInternetgroupsofprospects,

saysGarfinkle.Thesegroupsareusuallycomposedofezinesubscribersarean

affinitygroupsthatspendsalotoftimeonasingleWebsiteordiscussiongroups

thatallowsproductionpromotion. Hesaysthatebooksonmarketingandbig

ticketconsumeritemtopics(e.g.,howtonegotiatethebestpriceforacar,orhow

tobuyorsellyourhouse)workwell.

Andwhatwontsellintheebookmarketplace?Informative,evenvaluable

topicsaroundwhichthereisnopressingneedmostofthetime,

saysGarrfinkle.

Herecentlyadvisedanotheronlinemarketernottogoforwardwithaplanned

ebookforjuniorexecutivesonhowtoselltheirideastoothers.Thereason?He

couldntfindaninterestedcommunityontheWebofjuniormanagersthathave

spentmoneyoncareerimprovingtopics.Also,exceptinraresituations,

mostjuniormanagersdontfeelurgencyaboutsellingtheirideastoothers,

Davidnotes.


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Awordofcautiontothebuyer:Someebooksarequicklycompiled,shoddily

researched,recycledtrash,andaripoffoftheir$19or$29sellingprice.Reason:

Thebarrierstoentryinebookmarketingaresolow,anyonecandoit.Andsothe

marketisfloodedwiththinPDFdocumentswrittenbyamateurshopingtomakea

quickbook.

Yourbestbetifyouwanttobuyandreadmarketingebooks:Buyfromthe

provenauthorsmentionedinthisarticleJimEdwards,DavidGarfinkel,Fred

Gleek,JoeVitaleaswellasotherknownexpertsinentrepreneurialonline

marketingincludingTerryDean,CoreyRudel,JeffreyLant,andJimStraw.

Section7

Write,Design,andPublishYourOwnFreeEzine

Mymonthlyezine,TheDirectResponseLetter(gotowww.bly.comto

subscribeorviewbackissues),isnotthemostsuccessfulorwidelyreadezineon

theplanet.Farfromit.

Butmarketingresultsandcommentsfromsubscriberstellmemysimple

formulaforcreatingtheezinewhich,includingcopyandlayout,takesmejust

anhourortwoperissuetocompletefromstarttofinishworks.

Inthisarticle,Iwanttosharetheformulawithyou,soyoucanproducean

effective

e

zine

of

your

own,

sitting

at

your

computer,

without

hiring

a

writer

or

designer,injustasinglemorningorafternoon.

IfyouwanttomarketyourproductorserviceovertheInternet,Istronglyurge

youtodistributeyourownezinefreetoyourcustomersandprospects.Thereare

severalreasonsfordoingso.


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First,theezineallowsyoutokeepintouchwithyourbestcustomersindeed,

withallyourcustomersatvirtuallynocost.Becauseitselectronic,theresno

printingorpostageexpense.

Second,byofferingpotentialcustomersafreesubscriptiontoyourezine,you

cancapturetheiremailaddressandaddthemtoyouronlinedatabase.Youcan

thenmarkettotheseprospects,alsoatnocost.

Whetheryouaregeneratingleadsordirectsales,therearetwowaystosell

yourproductsandservicestoyourezinesubscribers.Oneistoplacesmallonline

adsintheregularissuesofyourezine.Theseadsareusuallyahundredwordsor

so

in

length,

and

include

a

link

to

a

page

on

your

site

where

the

subscriber

can

readaboutandordertheproduct.

Or,youcansendstandaloneemailmessagestoyoursubscribers,again

promotingaspecificproductandwithalinktoyoursite.

Whenyouaredealingwithafreeezine(asopposedtoanonlinenewsletter

whichthereaderpaysfor),peoplespendjustalittletimereadingitbeforethey

deleteitwithaclickofthemouse.

Iamconvincedthatmostsubscribersdonotprintouttheezine,takeithome,

andcurlupwithitonthecouchlatertoread.Therefore,Iuseaquickreading

formatdesignedtoallowthesubscribertoreadmyezineonlinerightwhenhe

opensit.

Inthisformula,myezinealwayshasbetween5and7shortarticles.Theyare

usuallyjustafewparagraphseach.

Everyarticlecanbereadinlessthanaminute,soitnevertakesmorethan

7minutestoreadthewholeissue,thoughIdoubtmostpeopledo.Youcansee

themostrecentissueatwww.bly.comtogetafeelforthelengthandcontentof

thesearticles.


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Iadviseagainsthavingjustaheadlineandaonelinedescriptionofthearticle,

withalinktothefulltextofthearticle.Allthisclickingforcesyoursubscribersto

doalotofworktoreadyourarticles,andthatsnotwhattheywant.

IdonotuseHTML;myezineistextonly.Thiswayitiseasyandinexpensive

toproduce.

Idontmakeaproductionoutofit;itsjuststraighttype.Manyreadershave

toldmetheylikeitthisway,andthattheydontlikeHTMLezines,

whichlook(a)morepromotionalandlessinformationaland(b)seemtohave

moretoread.

When

preparing

your

text

e

zine

for

distribution,

type

your

copy,

in

a

single

column,inTimesRomanoranothereasytoreadtypeface.

Thecolumnwidthshouldbe60characters,soyoucansetyourmarginsat20

and80.However,tomakesurethelinescomeoutevenly,youmustputahard

carriagereturnbyhittingreturnattheendofeachline.

Thereareavarietyofservicesandsoftwareprogramsfordistributingyoure

zineaswellasyouremailmarketingmessagestoyouronlinedatabase.Iuseand

recommendwww.globaltrafficpros.com.

Myfrequencyismonthly,thoughoccasionallyIdoasecondissueifthereis

majornewsthatmonth.

Iamafreelancecopywriter.Letmeshowyouspecificallyhowhavingan

ezinehelpsbringinbusinessforme.

Irecentlygaveaspeechonsoftwaredirectmarketing.Itwasrecorded,

soIhadaudiocassettecopiesmade.Inmyezine,Iofferedthecassettefreeto

anysubscribersinvolvedinsoftwaremarketingpotentialclientsformy

copywritingservices.

Within24hoursafterIdistributedtheezine,wereceivedover200inquiries

frommarketingmanagersatsoftwarecompaniesrequestingthe


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49

tape,manyofwhomneededcopywrittenfordirectmailandemailtopromote

theirsoftware.

Bycomparison,mostcopywriterstellmethatwhentheysendpostaldirect

mailtoalistofprospects,theyaveragea2%response.Atthatrate,theywould

havetosendout10,000piecesofmailtogeneratethe200leadsIgotinanhour

forfree.

Thatswhatanezinecandoforyou.Onceyoubuildyoursubscriberlist,you

haveanincrediblypowerfulmarketingtoolandthemostvaluableassetyour

businesscanown:adatabaseofbuyerswithemailaddressesandpermissionto

mail

to

them

at

any

time.

Abouttheauthor:

BOBBLYisanindependentcopywriterandconsultantwithmore

than20yearsofexperienceinbusinesstobusiness,hightech,industrial,and

directmarketing.

Bobhaswrittencopyforover100clientsincludingNetworkSolutions,

ITTFluidTechnology,MedicalEconomics,Intuit,Business&LegalReports,and

BrooklynUnionGas.AwardsincludeaGoldEchofromtheDirectMarketing

Association,anIMMYfromtheInformationIndustryAssociation,twoSouthstar

Awards,anAmericanCorporateIdentityAwardofExcellence,andtheStandard

ofExcellenceawardfromtheWebMarketingAssociation.

Heistheauthorofmorethan50booksincludingTheCompleteIdiotsGuideto

DirectMarketing(AlphaBooks)andTheCopywritersHandbook(HenryHolt&Co.).


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50

HisarticleshaveappearedinnumerouspublicationssuchasDMNews,Writers

Digest,AmtrakExpress,Cosmopolitan,InsideDirectMail,andBits&Pieces

forSalespeople.

Bobhaspresentedmarketing,sales,andwritingseminarsforsuchgroupsas

theU.S.Army,IndependentLaboratoryDistributorsAssociation,American

InstituteofChemicalEngineers,andtheAmericanMarketingAssociation.

HealsotaughtbusinesstobusinesscopywritingandtechnicalwritingatNew

YorkUniversity.

Bobwritessalesletters,directmailpackages,ads,emailmarketingcampaigns,

brochures,

articles,

press

releases,

white

papers,

Web

sites,

newsletters,

scripts,

andothermarketingmaterialsclientsneedtoselltheirproductsandservicesto

businesses.Healsoconsultswithclientsonmarketingstrategy,mailorderselling,

andleadgenerationprograms.

Priortobecominganindependentcopywriterandconsultant,Bobwas

advertisingmanagerforKochEngineering,amanufacturerofprocessequipment.

HehasalsoworkedasamarketingcommunicationswriterforWestinghouse

Defense.BobBlyholdsaB.S.inchemicalengineeringfromtheUniversityof

RochesterandhasbeentrainedasaCertifiedNovellAdministrator(CNA).

HeisamemberoftheAmericanInstituteofChemicalEngineersandtheBusiness

MarketingAssociation.

BobhasappearedasaguestondozensofTVandradioshowsincluding

MoneyTalk1350,TheAdvertisingShow,BernardMeltzer,BillBresnan,CNBC,

WinninginBusiness,TheSmallBusinessAdvocateandCBSHardCopy.Hehas

beenfeaturedinmajormediarangingfromtheLATimesandNationsBusinessto

theNewYorkPostandtheNationalEnquirer.

ForaFREECopywritingInformationKit,orafree,noobligationcostestimate

oncopywritingforyournextproject,contact:


51/51

BobBly,Copywriter

22EastQuackenbushAvenue,3rdFloor,Dumont,NJ07628

Phone(201)3851220,Fax(201)3851138

Email:[email protected]

Web:www.bly.com

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