Featured

by Claudia Gere Claudia Gere No Comments

Book Fair Etiquette for Aspiring Authors

Book Expo America Book Publishers

 

Book Fair Etiquette for Aspiring Authors

Your primary goal as an author at a book fair should be to find the best fit between the book you’re pitching and the publishing companies at the show. That way, your goals are aligned with the agents and editors who are there.

I try to get as much information as I can about what publishers are looking for in their various imprints and what makes a book in their market successful. For example, I found out that most cookbook publishers will only take on a book that has scrumptious photographs of food; they know books showing a visual of the finished recipes sell far better than cookbooks with few or no photos.

The first time I attended a book fair, I remember not knowing what my job was…I honestly stood there and asked myself, “Why am I here?”

Read more

by Claudia Gere Claudia Gere No Comments

Publishers Fight E-Book Piracy, Is It Enough?

When first-time authors ask if they should include ebook publishing in their strategy, my first response is, “Yes!” It should be a no brainer. The cost of entry and the possibility of reaching more people, faster, make it an easy choice for most nonfiction books. (Exceptions can be books with difficult formatting.) When asked about piracy, my response has been, create a Google alert for your book title so you know if anyone is stealing it. Then you can send a cease and desist email or DMCA, but other than that, don’t worry about it.”

Somewhere I had assimilated the advice, “Those that download an ebook without compensating the author wouldn’t buy it anyway. So you’re not losing sales, but hopefully, you’re gaining free publicity.” Publishers are now taking ebook piracy seriously. And the problem deserves a closer look.

As author Sheri Qualters points out in her article, “Publishers Mount Strategies to Target E-Book Pirates,” (The National Law Journal, March 13, 2012. http://bit.ly/epiracy), the file size for ebooks are significantly smaller than movies and music, making it even easier to store and move ebooks. According to the article, “In 2007, there were 147,000 e-reader sales, compared with an estimated 18.7 million in 2011 and a projected 23 million this year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.” That’s a 22.8 million increase! The market continues to grow.

Qualters cites a case in Germany where, “…two services operated an illegal internet library where more than 400,000 e-books could be downloaded for free… estimates that the defendant operators might have earned about $10.6 million from advertisement revenues and sales of premium accounts for the pirated content during their roughly one year of operations.” This shows the high stakes in the fight against piracy.

Now some publishers are going after the big offenders, sending a signal that there are consequences to piracy. Will they be able to stem the theft as the market for ebooks increases?

Wonder if ebook publishing is for you? If you’d like help developing your publishing strategy, call me for a 15-minute, no obligation, consultation.

Claudia Gere & Co. LLC
Helping smart people become outstanding authors™

Be an Author Webinar
https://www.claudiagereco.com/speaking/be-an-author-webinar/

Follow me on Twitter: @claudiagere
Join me on LinkedIn
Claudia@ClaudiaGereCo.com
claudiagereco.com
+1 413 259 1741

by Claudia Gere Claudia Gere No Comments

How to Have a Comeback Book

One of the dilemmas many authors face is how to have a comeback book once the first one hasn’t proved successful enough for publishers to take the risk on a second book. As we all know, editors don’t like to take risks. Taking on a second book by an author who didn’t succeed with the first, is one way to to get fired or at least draw negative attention.

I’ve seen a couple of instances where a publishing company approached an author to write a specific book or asked authors to change the focus of their books. When the book the publisher requested isn’t successful, the author who wrote it falls into that category of unsuccessful published authors.

Now, as reported in the New York Times article (http://bit.ly/ywBRPo), Book is Judged by the Name on Its Cover (Julie Bosman, 2/22/2012), there’s a strategy that works for those authors. When famed literary agent, Esther Newman received rejection after rejection for author Patricia O’Brien’s latest novel, The Dressmaker, they used an old-time practice:

“Ms. O’Brien and Ms. Newberg had cannily circumvented what many authors see as a modern publishing scourge — Nielsen BookScan, the subscription service that tracks book sales and is at the fingertips of every agent, editor and publisher — with a centuries-old trick, the nom de plume. It has been employed by writers from Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) to Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) to Stephen King (Richard Bachman).”

Their strategy worked, for fiction at least. If you’re writing a nonfiction book to promote your business or yourself, using a pen name might not be the smartest strategy, but could be worth trying if it’s your only option, and you have your mind set on traditional publishing.

But also, keep in mind, when a publisher asks you to change your topic, your slant, or your focus, be sure the book you’re writing is true to your goals and your brand. You still have to market the book so that it sells or risk ever publishing with a traditional publisher again.

Let me know what you think. Is it ethical? Would using a nom de plume work for nonfiction?

Not sure if the book you want to write is the right book to support your goals? Let me know if I can help.

Claudia Gere & Co. LLC
Helping smart people become outstanding authors™

Be an Author Webinar
https://www.claudiagereco.com/speaking/be-an-author-webinar/

Follow me on Twitter: @claudiagere
Join me on LinkedIn
Claudia@ClaudiaGereCo.com
claudiagereco.com
+1 413 259 1741

by Claudia Gere Claudia Gere No Comments

Why Me?

Claudia Gere envisions a world where all aspiring nonfiction authors can write books that share their experience and knowledge to improve others’ lives. There are so many different ways to write a great book, and as an author consultant, speaker, literary agent, and author, Claudia is committed to helping business leaders, consultants, and other entrepreneurs find their best way. Her career has spanned a broad range of communications positions with titles of managing editor, project director, and vice president of marketing—working for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and in the Fortune 50 arena. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s in management. She serves on the board of directors for Hidden-Tech, a 2000-member organization of entrepreneurs, and is president of ProSpeakers, an advanced Toastmasters chapter.

Let me know how I can help you.

Be an Author Webinar
https://www.claudiagereco.com/speaking/be-an-author-webinar/

Follow me on Twitter: @claudiagere
Join me on LinkedIn
Claudia@ClaudiaGereCo.com
claudiagereco.com
+1 413 259 1741

Top