Why Even Self-Published Books Need A Proposal

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

No matter what method you choose in the publishing world, I encourage you to create a book proposal. Whether it is fiction or nonfiction, you need to create this document because it is your business plan for your book. Years ago, as a frustrated acquisitions editor, I wrote Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success. This book has over 150 Five Star reviews and many people have used it to get published. I also have a free book proposal checklist at: www.terrylinks.com./bookcheck and a free teleseminar about proposals at: www.askaboutproposals.com. 

I’ve read thousands of book proposals as an acquisitions editor and a former literary agent. I continually teach on the topic because I believe many writers don’t understand the critical nature of this specialized document called a book proposal.

On the traditional side of publishing, editors and agents read proposals. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written nonfiction or fiction because this document includes information which never appears in your manuscript yet is critical in the decision-making process. 

Many authors have not written a book proposal because have written a full manuscript. From my perspective of working in book publishing for over 20 years, every author should create a book proposal for their book—whether eventually they publish the book with a company where they pay to get it published (subsidy or self-publishing) or whether they find a traditional book publisher. In the proposal creation process, the author learns critical elements about their book concept plus they are better positioned in the marketplace.

Here are four of the many benefits of proposal creation:

1. You Define Your Target Market. Many authors believe their book will hit a broad target—everyone. No successful book is for everyone. Each book has a primary target audience, and the proposal creation process helps you define, pinpoint and write about this audience. It is important in nonfiction but it is also important in fiction. For example, romance is the largest fiction genre yet there are many divisions within the romance genre. The proposal helps to define this division and helps the publisher understand who will be creating the sales.

Every proposal needs a target which is defined—yet large enough to generate volume sales. You learn and achieve this balance when you create a page-turning book proposal.

2. You Understand Your Competition. Book proposals force writers to take a hard look at what is already on the market, and what if anything they bring to the conversation.  Many new authors believe they are writing something unique with no competition. It’s not true. Every book competes in the marketplace, and you will be a better equipped author if you understand your competition.

3. You Create A Personal Plan For Marketing. As you create a book proposal, you will include practical, specific and measurable ideas that can executed when your book enters the market. The proposal will be a valuable reference tool for you because you’ve done this important evaluation process.

4. You Possess A Valuable Tool To Pitch Agents and Editors at Traditional Houses. Literary agents and editors do not read manuscripts. They read book proposals. Even novelists need a book proposal for their initial pitch to an editor or agent. And if you self-publish and are successful with selling your book, because you own everything, if you receive an attractive offer from a traditional house, then you can move the book. Without a proposal you can’t properly pitch the concept and you’ve eliminated this possibility. 

Throughout my years in publishing, I have made multiple trips to New York City and met with some of the top literary agents and editors. Almost each time, I am asked, “Where is the next Prayer of Jabez or Purpose Driven Life or Left Behind or ______ (name the bestselling book)?” Each of these books sold millions of copies. The Left Behind books continue to sell over 100,000 copies a year—and they were originally published over 20 years ago. These professionals are actively looking every day for the next bestseller. Yes, they may be telling you their agency is full and they have no room on their list for your book—but the reality is something different. 

I encourage you to keep looking for the right fit for your manuscript. It’s part of the editorial search that every writer undergoes to discover the right place for their book to be published.

Tweetable:

Even if you self-publish your book, you need a book proposal according to this prolific writer and editor. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet) 

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Beginning Writers Do Get Published

 

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Over the last 20 years Greg Stielstra, author of Pyromarketing, marketed hundreds of Christian books including The Purpose Driven Life. During that time, he noticed a disturbing trend. Some Christian authors sought fame because they believed only celebrities could influence culture. What’s more, they thought to sell lots of book required hiding their Christian content. In a sort of publishing bait and switch, some authors thought they must achieve a platform with secular books—or at least books that minimized faith content before they could use their platform for good. The formula was, “First become famous and then make a difference.”

Greg saw things differently. He saw authors like Lee Strobel achieve tremendous success by writing books with clear biblical content that helped people. The formula was reversed; first make a difference and then the platform will follow. “Aim at Heaven,” C.S. Lewis correctly noted, “and you get Earth thrown in. Aim at Earth and you’ll get neither.”

It’s a myth that beginning writers do not get published. Because it happened years ago, many people forget about a brand-new fantasy writer who was looking for an agent named J. K. Rowling. There is a little discussed story about Harry Potter that I read originally in this article in The Observer (http://terrylinks.com/HarryPotter )

Almost everyone knows that J. K. Rowling was an unpublished children’s writer and single mother who wrote Harry Potter in a coffee shop and dreamed of getting published. How was the book discovered and brought into the publishing world?

J. K. Rowling overcame incredible hurdles to secure that initial book contract. Some of those hurdles she passed through with sheer good luck. There is no other way to categorize it. Rowling’s experience definitely fell outside the normal way of publishing.

Here’s the two key paragraphs (in my view) from this article: “The agency, run in ‘cramped’ and ‘near-Dickensian’ offices in Fulham, south-west London, was cash-strapped until touched by Potter’s magic wand. Literary folklore has it that Rowling, then a penniless 29-year-old single mother, walked into a public library in Edinburgh, looked up a list of literary agents and settled on the name Christopher Little because it sounded like a character from a children’s book.”

“Bryony Evens, the office manager at the time, has said that it went straight into the reject basket because ‘Christopher felt that children’s books did not make money’. But its unusual black binding caught her eye, prompting her to read the synopsis and show it to Little. He recalled: ‘I wrote back to JK Rowling within four days of receiving the manuscript. I thought there was something really special there, although we could never have guessed what would happen to it.’ He managed to sell it to Bloomsbury for £2,500, but later it reaped huge rewards from international rights and he has won a reputation as a brilliant deal-maker who puts Rowling first.”

With the current exchange rates, £2,500 is just a bit over $3,100. Also, this article mentions the agent has received an estimated commission of over $100 million. Not a bad return for pulling a manuscript with an unusual manuscript with black binding from the reject basket.

Don’t assume your material can go into this “other” category for how it becomes published. I’d encourage you to work through the normal channels as much as possible but be aware that sometimes a project will jump to the front of the line. 

Tweetable:

It may not seem like it to a new writer but beginning writers do get published. In this article, this prolific writer and editor provides encouragement. (ClickToTweet) 

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Increase Your Odds of Publication

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

We prize and value our books. They are permanent and have our names on the spine of the book and the front and back cover. Within the writing community, it is a myth that you are not a writer if you don’t publish a book.

If you’ve written a Christian book, then you need to get a copy of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace by Sarah Bolme. This book is packed with a wide range of information and resources. As someone who has been in the Christian market for many years as an author and editor, I appreciated the honest and forthright information in this book. Here’s some details Bolme mentions in her introduction:

• Almost half of the books published today are self-published.

• The average self-published book sells between 40 and 200 copies.

• These poor sales are often because the author doesn’t know how to effectively market.

Bolme writes, “When promoting the Kingdom of God, getting books into people’s hands is God’s business. All you can do is what you know to do. Do that and ask God to bless your feeble efforts. After all, if he can feed over 5,000 people with two small fish and five little loaves of bread, He can multiply your marketing efforts to reach thousands of people, if that is His desire. Marketing and selling books are not a sprint; it is a marathon. Too many authors give up too quickly when they do not see immediate results.” 

Publishing in magazines is an underused route for authors to reach readers. As a former magazine editor, I understand the power of reaching the audience. With one article, I have reached millions of people. When you write for periodicals, it builds your reputation as a writer with the editors. Also, through magazine writing, you increase your confidence to write for publication and your ability to meet target lengths and deadlines. There are many benefits when you write for magazines.

The bulk of my magazine writing is done on assignment. How do you get an assignment? You can get an assignment when you write a query letter which is targeted to a particular audience and publication.

Which magazines do you read on a consistent basis? Your familiarity with these publications and the types of articles that they publish gives you some needed background. Pull out the magazines that come into your home. Next organize several months from the same publication. Then study the contents. What types of articles do they publish? How-to articles? Personal Experience? 

After you have studied the publications, write the publication for their writers’ guidelines. Almost every magazine has guidelines for their authors. You can also use Google to find these guidelines online. Or use The Christian Writers Market Guide by Steve Laube. This guide is a critical tool if you are going to write for the Christian marketplace. After reading through the guidelines, you will have some additional information. Does the publication accept query letters or prefer full manuscripts? Some magazines have a query only system. This means that you have to write a query letter (one page) and get a letter of request from the editor, before sending the full manuscript. Other publications do not look at query letters but only completed manuscripts.

What’s a query letter? Entire books have been written on this topic and one of the best is How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool (Writer’s Digest Books). A query is a single-page letter which sells your story idea. It has a four-paragraph formula. The first paragraph is a creative beginning for your article. You don’t write the entire article—only the first paragraph which captures the reader’s interest. The purpose of this first paragraph is simply to capture the editor’s attention. Editors are involved in a multitude of tasks. Reading query letters is often done at the end of the day, late at night or in a carpool on the way home. It must be interesting.

The second paragraph of a query includes the main points of how you will approach the article. The third paragraph gives your personal qualifications for this topic and your writing credits (if any). It basically answers the question regarding your expertise which provides the basis for the article. 

The final paragraph outlines timelines and deadlines. When could you deliver the article? Make sure you give yourself enough writing time. For example, your query could say you will deliver the completed article “three weeks from assignment”). In addition, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope and mention you look forward to their reply. When I send my pitch, I often send it to as many as ten different publications at the same time.

Within the magazine business, there is an on-going discussion about simultaneous submissions (where you send the same finished article to several publications). If you submit the same work to many different publications at the same time, you may end up on the blacklist of authors. Each publication has a list of people that are blackballed. You don’t want to be on that list. Also, each publication has a list of authors they use regularly and call with ideas. Your goal is to get on the list of regular contributors.

A simultaneous query is not the same as a finished article. Go ahead and query several magazines at the same time on the same topic if you think you can write several different articles on the same subject. One magazine may ask for 500 words on the topic while another may approach it from an entirely different viewpoint and ask for 2,000 words. Your illustrations and information will be considerably different. If you send it to 10 magazines, you may get 10 rejections. On the other hand, perhaps you will get an acceptance or two, or at least a request to see the entire article on speculation. “On speculation” means that the editor is not under obligation to purchase your article if it doesn’t meet the periodical’s standards or expectations.

No one gets magazine assignments just thinking about it. As a writer, you have to take action and regularly pitch your ideas to editors and write query letters. Then when you get an assignment, write an excellent article and submit it on or ahead of the deadline. As you learn to write a query letter and take consistent action, you will increase your odds of publication and get published in magazines.

Tweetable:

There is an underused route to reach readers—magazines. In this article, thisprolific writer and editor provides the details to increase your odds ofpublication. (ClickToTweet) 

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Where Is The Easy Part of Publishing?

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Like an imaginary airline named “EasyJet,” I meet many authors who are looking for the easy aspects of publishing. I’m going to give you the truth upfront: it doesn’t exist. After being in this business for years, each aspect of this work contains aspects where your book can crash and not succeed. The unfortunate fact is many of these details are outside of anything the author can control. But don’t worry. In this article, I’m going to give you some insights and resources for your publishing journey--in particular follow my links in my bio at the end.

In the last ten years, the publishing world has changed. In the past, self-publishing was the poor stepsister to traditional publishing. These self-made titles often looked poor and were not accepted in libraries or bookstores. As book production has improved, this attitude is shifting. There are still poorly made self-published books and the average self-published title sells less than 200 copies during the lifetime of the book.

My bent in this area is to get the largest distribution and produce the best book you can produce. It’s why I continue to encourage authors to create a book proposal and work with traditional publishers as well as explore other models like Morgan James Publishing (where I’ve worked for over ten years).

While there are many ways and companies to help you create your book, at the end of the day, the key question relates to sales of that book. Is it selling? Are people buying it on a consistent basis? Are you as the author promoting your book consistently? One of the best ways to learn about publishing is to consistently read how-to books about writing or marketing. As you read these books and take action from the information, you will grow as a writer. I’ve got stacks of these types of books that I read.

Books that last and continue to sell in the market are rare. Traditional publishers are known to be fickle in this area. I have seen it when I’ve worked inside publishing houses (not Morgan James). You work hard to get a book published and into the market, then for whatever reason it does not sell, then a publishing executive writes a letter to the author or literary agent and takes the book out of print.

New Books Need Reviews

Several weeks ago, I was skimming on Facebook and noticed one of my author friends was talking about a new book. I wrote this friend and offered to review her book. She was going to ask her publisher to send me a book. I promptly pressed on to something else and almost forgot about it. Then the review copy arrived this week. I’m eager to write a few words of review to help my friend.

The publisher launched this book on March 1st. As a part of my process of getting ready to review this book, I checked the book page on Amazon. Nine days after the launch, it looked like my review was going to be the first one. There were no reviews for this book. Reviews are important to every author because they are social proof that readers love your book. It’s why I work as an author to ask others to review my book and also review books for others on Amazon and Goodreads.

I emailed my author friend about her lack of reviews. Now this author has sold thousands of copies of some of her other books. She has a full-time job—not as an author. Despite her years in publishing, I found her response interesting. Her email blamed the lack of effort on the marketing department of her publisher.

One of the best ways for you to take responsibility is to create your own marketing plans. Whether you self-publish or have a traditional publisher to get your book into the bookstore, these plans are important. Whether your book is launching soon or has been out for a while, you need to be creating and executing your own marketing plans.

A marketing plan from the author is a key element in every book proposal. The proposal is your business plan. If you have such a plan, are you taking action to execute it? Does your plan need adjustment and updating?

It Takes Author Activity to Sell Books

Before I began working inside a book publishing house, I had written more than 50 nonfiction books, ranging from children to adult books. I have only self-published one book  and in general worked through traditional publishers.

However, I was unaware of the financial production numbers for nonfiction books and I found it shocking—and something critical for potential authors to understand. The author never sees these figures for their books as the publisher doesn’t reveal them throughout the contract negotiation process. A publisher will produce these financial calculations as simply a part of good business practices. As an author, understanding these numbers helped me see publishing as a business. Authors have huge amounts of time and emotional investment in their words. When I saw these production numbers, I understood that the publisher, not the author, has the largest out-of-pocket cash investment in a book.

Inside the publisher, the editor will gather a sales projection about how many copies the sales department believes they can sell of your title the first year. That sales figure will be used to calculate the production costs of ink, paper and binding for various amounts of printing (5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 copies). As the initial print number is raised, the cost per book decreases.

You may ask, “So why not print a large volume each time?” The answer is, if the publisher prints a large number of copies, then he has to store those copies in their warehouse (read cost and expense), plus make sure they actually sell those copies within a year’s time frame. The cost of tying up financial resources in storing and warehousing books that aren’t selling is large. Also the federal government taxes publishers on each copy in storage. These tax rules have forced publishers to think long and hard about how many copies of each book to print.

Inside my former publisher, we calculated the overall printing details of the book (paperback with general publishing look or hardcover with jacket) and the number of books to print before offering a book contract. In short, publishers pour a great deal of work into their books and financial projections before they call you and offer a book contract. Understanding this process helps you see some of the reasons it takes such a long time for an author to receive a publishing contract.

Many writers focus only on the creative aspects of writing a book and getting it published, but the executives inside a publishing house are businesspeople who want to sell books and turn a profit at the end of the day. It’s a delicate balance between creating the best possible product and assuring that each product has the best opportunity to sell on the market and reach the target audience.

Tweetable:

Many authors on the publishing journey, wonder, “Where is the easy part of publishing?” This prolific writere and editor gives authors the honest answer and resources. (ClickToTweet) 

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Searching for the “Right” Fit

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Some days the odds of getting published seem impossible for anyone. Literary agents and editors receive several hundred pitches for books A WEEK. The sheer volume of material makes it hard to get noticed by publishing professionals.

Sometimes authors don’t get published because they don’t send in their material to be considered. It wasn’t the case with an author I met last year who had a beautiful, well-written book. She had crafted her story then paid an outside editor to hone her manuscript into a riveting personal story. Week after week she sent her query and pitch to literary agents. Many times, she didn’t even get a response or form rejection letter. Yet she continued to send her material. Finally, the manuscript landed in my in-box and I read it, enjoying the writing. I told this author about Morgan James Publishing who accepted her book and published it. 

Getting your book published is the first step in the process. There are many decisions in this area such as a traditional publisher or self-publish or a hybrid publisher. Every author has to put in the work to explore these options.

Your Pitch Needs to Be Electronic

I encourage every writer to keep growing and challenging themselves to find new avenues to enter the marketplace. As an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, I know the company receives many submissions. In fact, the company receives over 5,000 submissions a year. Out of that number only about 200 books are published. Yes, that is a high volume of rejection but as editors, we are always looking for the right authors and compelling material.

Every publisher requires the author to send an electronic version of their manuscript or proposal. It is the only way to get your material into the consideration process with an editor or agent. Submit your manuscript to the editor or agent in a format they can read. I’ve met authors who do not type. If you don’t type, then take a typing course or figure out your way around this barrier.

Make sure the format of your submission is not the issue. The reality is every editor and agent receives many submissions. Sometimes things do get missed and we are not perfect in this process. Just make sure it is not your issue before you reach out to someone else.

Follow the editor’s or agent’s guidelines. If you don’t follow directions, then you can’t get considered. Each of us need to follow-up to make sure we are giving the editor what they need. As editors and agents, we receive volumes of material and want to help but have limitations on our own time and resources.

As a writer, you are searching for the right fit for your submission. It will take effort on your part to find this. Good communication is important every step of the way. Sometimes it takes some digging to figure out why I am not connecting with an author. I will reach out to the author and encourage them, in any way that I can, to get their manuscript to me. 

I have good news for you. Editors and literary agents are actively looking for the right books and authors. Writers need to do their research and persist in this process to find the right fit.

Tweetable: 

If you are searching for an agent or publisher, this prolific writer and editor gives insights about the submission process. Learn the details here. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

What Is More Valuable Than Fame

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Many writers believe writing a book will make them famous. They believe getting their book into the market will make them well-known. This idea is a publishing myth. The reality is without the author’s promotion, something terrible happens—nothing. What are you doing to increase your connection to your audience? 

Within the publishing community, the buzz word is “platform” Agents and editors will ask writers, “Tell me about your platform.” In a speaking arena, a platform is a raised section and where the speaker talks to be visible and reach his audience. The word platform is a way of asking about your audience and your connections. There are many ways to build or have a platform. It could be through a social media site like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. An author can have similar or different connections on each of these networks. While there is no perfect number for these networks, the larger the better. 

My encouragement to you in the platform area is to have real numbers and not fake ones. Several years ago, one of my journalist friends had a major publisher releasing her new book. I knew she had a small twitter following yet one day I looked, and she had gone from a small following of hundreds to over 100,000. The sudden increase was suspicious because anyone can go to a website and purchase 100,000 followers. When you “buy” followers, your numbers certainly increase but they are not real followers who engage with you and actually buy your books. 

As an example, I have over 180,000 followers on Twitter which is an aspect of my platform in the market. This platform did not happen overnight. I’ve been on X / Twitter since 2009 and steadily building and increasing my audience. People follow me for several reasons. First, I give varied and targeted content for my audience. I also tweet 12-15 times throughout a day. The majority of my tweets point to additional information and each one includes an image for greater visibility. Through the years, I’ve worked hard and consistently at creating this content. The growth of my audience on Twitter did not happen naturally or organically without any effort. It’s another reality of publishing: you have to consistently work at building your audience or platform. Why?

You may not like or understand X / Twitter so it would not be a good place for you to build your platform. Pick one or two online places that draw your attention and are fun to use. You want them to be fun because you will be spending a lot of time on these places. Whatever sites you choose, begin right away. Internet marketing guru Seth Godin says “It is never too early to begin marketing.” 

Throughout my over 35+ years in publishing, I’ve learned one simple truth. Traditional publishers make powerful books. They have great distribution and attractive covers. Ready for the simple truth? Most of them are lacking in the ability to help their authors sell books. Authors can’t delegate that responsibility to their publishers. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you still need to be building your platform. Fiction is based on a great story and nonfiction is based on a great idea, careful research and storytelling. Both types of writing need to have excellent storytelling—but my contention is that every author will be better positioned to actually reach customers and sell books if they have built an audience or platform which is hungry for their work.

There are dozens of ways to build your platform and I’ve only given you a few possibilities. Your platform is important to every author. Why? Because even if you publish with a traditional publisher, it will be 80% up to every author to sell the books. Publishers will work with authors who have small or growing platforms, yet every publisher is actively looking for people connected to their readers.

This repeated exposure on your book using different methods is a key part of the platform building process and a necessity for every author. If you are not doing it, then take action, make a plan then execute your plan. Your connection to the audience is much more important than becoming well-known.

Tweetable: 

Connecting to readers with your book is important—even more valuable than becoming well-known or famous. This prolific writer and editor gives the details here. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Don’t Depend 100% on Your Publisher

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

In 2007, America’s Publicist Rick Frishman invited me to participate on the faculty of MegaBook Marketing University in Los Angeles, California. At that time, I was running a small literary agency and representing authors in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul was leading this event. Besides meeting with authors who pitched their books, I attended every single session of the event and took notes. Throughout these sessions, I learned that traditional publishers are skilled at making beautiful books with well-designed covers and interiors. Book publishers also know how to get the books inside the bookstore and available to the public.

My first book, a children’s picture book for David C. Cook, was published in 1992. Since then I had written over 50 books with traditional publishers, received a couple of six-figure advances yet most of my books had negative royalty statements. A little known but important publishing fact is ninety percent of nonfiction books never earn back their advance. All my books are nonfiction. 

While I loved writing books, I did very little promotion for my work. I had a small website (www.terrywhalin.com) but I had not blogged and had no social media presence or email list or consistent and on-going connections to my readers. I believed because I was working with traditional publishers, receiving an advance against my royalties (sometimes thousands of dollars) that my books were going to be selling. I had fallen for the myth that my publisher was going to promote and sell my book. 

During MegaBook Marketing University, I learned a key truth about publishing: publishers know how to make beautiful books and get them into bookstores, yet these actions are only one part of the process. The other key element (mostly up to the author) is actually selling the book to the consumer. Attending MegaBook Marketing University transformed my life. I could no longer assume the responsibility for selling my books would be in the hands of the publisher (or someone else besides me). I made a decision to change and take action.

Every writer needs to be able to tell stories and create an excellent book manuscript. The writing is a foundational skill for every writer. If you don’t have this writing skill, a developmental editor, ghostwriter, co-author or any other person in this role can help you create an engaging book. But marketing and selling yoiur book requires a different set of skills. . The good news is: every writer can learn to market their book. 

Writers are looking for a simple formula to sell books. If such a formula existed, then publishers would use this method and every book would make a lot of money. In fact, some unexpected books are hits while some well-written books do not get purchased. One of the keys to selling books is building relationships. John Kremer, the author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Book says marketing is about building relationships with your readers. 

Consider your reader or target audience. How much detail do you know about them? Where do they live? Where do they shop? What other books do they read? Are they active in book clubs? What are their needs and how can you write material that will meet those needs? Can you answer these and other audience questions?

One of the most effective tools for every book author is to create their own email list. As an author, you control your email list including what you say and how often you use the list. While not everyone looks at Facebook or a website or Twitter, most people open and read their email. If you email too frequently, they might not open your email or they might unsubscribe. When an author has an email list and uses it properly, it is the best way for them to reach their readers. If you are a brand-new author, how to you start a list and use it effectively?

As an author, you take control of what you can for your book. You cannot depend on your publisher to sell your book. You have the greatest passion for your book, so you need to show that passion and create an email list and different ways to connect with your readers.  

Tweetable: 

This prolific author and editor was lulled into depending 100% on his publisher to sell books. He learned this publishing myth the hard way. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Authors Need to be Realistic

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Over the years, I’ve met many passionate writers. One brand new writer told me, “My book is going to be a bestseller.” This confident boast intrigued me and I wanted to know more details such as the focus of the book and the publisher. 

When the author said, “Balboa Press” I knew this author was headed for a rude awakening. Balboa Press is a self-publishing company and a part of Author Solutions. From my years in publishing, I knew this company was going to publish close to 50,000 titles this year. For this author to break out with a bestseller would be nearly impossible. To become a bestseller, the book needs broad distribution to online plus brick-and-mortar bookstores who report their sales to a bestseller list. Balboa Press is online, and their books are not sold in brick and mortar bookstores. Also with the large volume of titles each year, it is common publishing knowledge that the bulk of Author Solutions (and Balboa Press) employees are in the Philippines. I’ve seen a number of books from these publishers and their covers are poor (And good covers sell books) and the overall production is not good quality. I hoped this author didn’t spend a lot of money to produce her book. I’ve met authors who have a garage full of books from these companies and have spent $20,000 to produce them (no exaggeration). It is heart breaking to witness such scams and authors need to be careful. 

Here’s three steps to avoid the wrong publisher:

Use Google to see what is online. Type: Publisher name + complaint then read a page or two of the entries. Are the complaints new or old? Are there many entries or a few? 

1. A reality of the internet is every publisher has complaints and anyone can write anything about anyone with it online forever. 

2. Speak with some of the publishers’ authors and ask about their experiences.

3. Read and get professional help on the contract. Make sure you understand it.

These actions will help you avoid many publishing pitfalls. The publisher you select has a lot to do with getting your book into the right places online and in physical bookstores. Some authors believe they can make money if their book is on Amazon. While Amazon is a large part of the book selling market, there are many ways and places that people buy books: bookstores, airports, grocery stores and much more. You want your book to be in the broadest possible number of places to succeed, sell and make money. The publisher controls much of this distribution. 

Because many of these financial details are outside of your control as an author, what steps can you take? From my 30+ years in publishing, it does not happen without the author taking action. No matter whether a major publisher releases our book, or you self-publish, as the author you will bear the bulk of the responsibility to market your book. If they are honest, every author would like to delegate this book marketing responsibility to someone else. 

One of my favorite books is The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. I’ve read this book several times and I’ve also listened to this entire book on audio. Canfield has spent a lifetime studying the principles that people follow to be successful, and I want you to be successful as an author. The first principle in the book says, “Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life.” 

This principle applies to the constant wish for every author to have someone else market your book. Are you reaching out to your target audience? Have you identified your target audience for your book? Where are they and how are you reaching out to touch them on a consistent basis? It does not have to be daily but it does have to be regular. Give them great content on your topic and in that process point them to more information inside your book.

One of the best ways for you to take responsibility is to create your own marketing plans. Whether you self-publish or have a traditional publisher to get your book into the bookstore, these plans are important. Whether your book is launching soon or has been out for a while, you need to be creating and executing your own marketing plans. Every author needs a dose of realism combined with consistent action to reach readers.

Tweetable: 

Authors need to be realistic and combine this realism with consistent action. Get insights from this prolific writer and editor. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

A Call for Writers to Find Balance

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Within the publishing world, I’ve often heard it is harder to sign with a literary agent than to locate a publisher. Because publishers have been inundated with poor and inappropriate submissions, many of them have created policies of only accepting submissions from literary agents.  This practice created pressure on the agents to find the right authors, shape the right pitches and send to the right publisher. Also, agents have become gatekeepers in the publishing process. 

For over 30 years, I’ve worked with multiple agents on proposals and pitches. For several years I ran my own literary agency and I’m currently an acquisitions editor at my third publishing house. I’ve read thousands of submissions. Every writer needs to learn the skill of producing an excellent manuscript, book proposal and query letter or pitch.  You can learn each of these skills. Now you have created each of these tools and you are looking for the right literary agent. Here’s some basics (rarely verbalized facts you need to know):

1. The literary agent works for you. When you sign an agency agreement, you become one of their clients or the authors they represent. 

2. Some agents are former editors and will work back and forth with you to perfect your proposal and/or pitch. Other agents will take your proposal, add a cover letter and get it out to various publishers. Before you sign, I encourage you to ask about how they work with their authors and make sure it is the right fit for what you need.

3. How frequently does the agent communicate with you? Do they send you the rejections? Years ago, a well-known agent represented me and he never sent me the rejections. Instead, he would tell me, “Everyone passed, Terry.” When I asked who, he never gave me the specifics but repeated “everyone.”  When I was an agent, I sent each rejection to the specific author. Maybe you don’t want your rejections but ask about this practice ahead of signing.

4. Does the agent work with you on a list of possible publishers or do they create the list and handle it? Does the agent guide your future projects and bring you writing opportunities they have discovered from speaking with publishers? 

Some additional areas to examine include years in the industry, their list of other clients and ask if you can speak with a few of their clients. Also use google and see what you can learn. Also ask about their negotiation skills with contracts and some of their results. The business of publishing is filled with complexity. These are just a few of the questions to ask and make sure you have the right fit before you sign with a particular agent or agency. The agent or agency you select is an important decision. My encouragement is for you to ask questions before you sign their agreement and make sure it is the right fit for you and your writing goals.  I know many excellent literary agents. Writers have multiple choices in this area—whether you are aware of it or not. Good and clear communication is a critical part of the process.

Tweetable: 

As writers look for a literary agent, this prolific writer and editor has seen an imbalance in publishing. He calls writers into a balanced approach. Learn the details here. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Why First Impressions Matter

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As an editor, it is no exaggeration to say I’ve reviewed thousands of submissions during my years in publishing. As a writer, you have one opportunity to make a good first impression. While it may sound simplistic to say it, your impression is made in a matter of seconds. A key piece of advice is to lead with your strongest material and work hard on the subject line of your email, the first sentence and paragraph of your submission and all of the overall details.

Several years ago, I interviewed another acquisitions editor and asked him how he knows if he’s found a good submission. He said, “Terry, I read the title and if it is a good title, I read the first sentence. If it is a good sentence, I read the first paragraph. If it is a good paragraph, I read the first page. If it is a good page, I read the next page…” I hope this helps you see why you have seconds in this important process. The typical editor or agent reviews many pitches and can easily tell a good one. Don’t bury your good information on page five or six because they may not reach it.

How To Make A Good Impression

While these guidelines may be common sense, you’d be surprised how often writers make poor impressions when they neglect the basics. Make sure your pitch is well-crafted and appropriate to that person or editor. Use the right name. Personalize the pitch and don’t write “Dear Sir” or “Editor/Agent” which looks like it went to thousands of people at the same time—whether it did or not.

Check and double check to make sure all of the details are there. For example, at Morgan James Publishing, we acknowledge every submission with a letter in the mail. We receive over 5,000 submissions a year and only publish about 200 books so that is a lot of physical correspondence. If your address is not on your pitch, then I have to ask for it in order to get your submission into our internal system. If you include your address from the beginning, then you eliminate one extra time-consuming email I have to send to you.

Take a few minutes and make one final check of their publishing guidelines before you send your submission. Re-read the pitch and make any final adjustments.

Insights for Writers

Producing an excellent book proposal or query letter is an acquired skill—something you have to learn. Yet every writer knows these tools are a critical part of the publishing industry. I understand excellent book proposals require a great deal of energy. I’ve written two proposals which received six-figure advances from traditional publishers. My Book Proposals That Sell has over 150 Five Star reviews. I have a free book proposal checklist to give you some ideas. (Follow the link). Also, I have a free teleseminar at: AskAboutProposals.com. Finally, I created an online course with detailed information at: WriteABookProposal.com.

Remember Your Audience: Editors and Agents

While the process takes some work and planning, I’ve been inside some of the top literary agencies and publishers’ offices in New York City. Each of these professionals is actively looking for the next bestseller—even if they don’t respond or send you a form rejection. Every writer (whether brand new or much published) has to pitch to get a book deal. Learn the process and pitch with excellence which is spotted in seconds.

Tweetable: 

How do you seize your one opportunity? This prolific writer and editor provides the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.