• Wednesday, March 3, 2pm EST Ebook Formatting and Publishing (PS 204)

We’re just launching this class this week, so today’s session is a freebie to get participant feedback (it will normally list for $74.95). I know it’s last minute, but feel free to join in! Class size is limited to 10 participants. If you do catch this notice too late just let me know and I’ll get you a coupon to take the next one for free.

• Wednesday, March 3, 7pm EST Manuscript Formatting Basics

This class is a more in-depth review & follow-up from last week’s Online Publishing Meetup session in which Anthony Policastro walked us through successful manuscript formatting.  Class size will be limited to 20 people so that everyone can fully participate.

Again, these workshops are intended to help you, today’s author, understand the opportunities and follow the processes that can enable you to optimize your success–whether  you’re finishing your manuscript, publishing an ebook, or figuring out how to best market your book online. You’ll notice that we have both free and fee-based classes on pre-publishing and marketing research, publishing planning, publishing through Createspace & Lulu, “author-centric” social networking, and Facebook optimization for authors.  Hopefully there’s a little something that everyone can find helpful.

I worked with many authors at Lulu that realized their publishing dreams, so I know that you can too. We’ll help you with the knowledge and understanding, and you can supply the time and effort to building your success.  Deal?

Thanks, and till next time–keep publishing!

Henry Hutton
PublishandSell.com
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This session is free, so please join us at 7pm at Caribou Coffee, 3101 Charles B Root Wynd Rd. here in Raleigh.

Following my presentations at the NC Writers Network Conference I also hosted several free introductory online sessions on “Pre-Publishing Musts” (oh, so important!) and what I call “Author-Centric” social networking, and based on the positive feedback from the session participants I’ve decided to launch these three classes on a more formal basis:

1. The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Self-Publishing Your Book In Today’s Environment (PS100)
2. Pre-Publishing Activities That Every Author Should Think About (PS101)
3. Getting Started With “Author-Centric” Social Networking (PS105)

The links above take you to next week’s scheduled classes, but if you want to see the listings for upcoming February workshops just click here.

Since these are free one-hour live online sessions there will be no 800 number available to call in to. However, you’re welcome to use a headset or microphone to take part in the sessions (you’ll find those instructions as the class begins). There’s also a chat window for asking questions,  which are encouraged!

The great thing about Webex is that their online conferencing service works with all types of computers, but you can test your computer ahead of time if you want by clinking this link.

Fee-Based 2 Hour Workshops:

More importantly, I’m also expanding my current $85/hour one-on-one author consulting session into a series of $74.95  2-hour in-depth online workshops. These classes will include an 800 number that you can call to take part in the discussions, and a video recording of the workshop will be made and distributed to all participants (along with all handouts) afterward. I’m also limiting enrollment in these classes to no more than 10 people per session so that everyone will have an opportunity to have their questions answered. The first five workshops are:

1. Creating A Successful Publishing and Marketing Plan (PS201)
2. Understanding Lulu & Createspace (PS202)
3. Using Lulu To Publish Your Book (PS205)
4. Using Createspace To Publish Your Book (PS206)
5. Optimizing Your Facebook Presence (PS207)

You’ll notice some “gaps” in the class numbering sequences, as we’re still working to bring in some additional workshops such as manuscript formatting and ebook publishing in the coming weeks.

In the next few days I’ll be posting more details about each of these classes and how you might find them useful and informative as you work to overcome your publishing and marketing challenges. Again, if you want to go ahead and enroll in any workshop now you can find the full schedule (through the end of February) at http://publishandsell.webex.com/publishandsell. Of course, I’m still offering the one-on-one consultations for those that are interested, so don’t hesitate to email me or call (919-247-1832) if I can be of assistance.

I look forward to helping you make your publishing efforts a success, and till next time–Keep publishing!

Henry Hutton
PublishandSell.com
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It was nine years ago this month when Apple launched its iTunes application and marketplace, which in turn revolutionized the music landscape forever. Back then, who would have guessed that Apple, a hardware and software company, would come to represent the largest marketplace for digital music, with over six billion songs downloaded and over 220 million iPods sold? Now, in hindsight, it looks like a natural fit, where consumers benefit from the synergy of a music store and an integrated music player.

The big question on everyone’s mind now is whether Apple can have the same impact on a rapidly transitioning book publishing industry.

If Apple announces the Tablet and if they launch an ebook marketplace, then this will be another game-changer. Sure, Sony was the first mover in this market and the Kindle is the current market leader (with over 1.5M devices sold), but the ebook market–and the ebook/ereader industry as a whole–is still in its infancy. Ebook pricing is all over the map, consumer features aren’t fully fleshed out, ebook formats differ, and Digital Rights Management (DRM) varies widely (When I was at Lulu we struggled with DRM till we were blue in the face).

Even more important, the definition of a “book” is changing. In theory, digital devices can make it easier to manage and enjoy text, multimedia, and web-based applications all at the same time. As of now, however, no device manufacturer has created that perfect marriage of technology and content that enhances the book-reading consumer’s experience–nor are publishers embracing the creation of this type of content. Apple’s Tablet could be the answer to this problem.

I don’t know what the future will bring with the Tablet, but it’s also very possible that this device will provide significant opportunities for independent authors. In the same way that  iTunes enabled indie bands to easily distribute their music to the masses, an “iBooks” marketplace could be a wonderful solution for author-direct publishing and retail distribution. Bring it on, I say!

Whatever happens with this new product, it’ll be exciting to watch how consumers–and book lovers like you and me–respond. As I’ve said many times before on this blog, I love my Kindle, but right now I don’t see why I’d want anything more than a simple text-based black & white ereader. Furthermore, and although it can be convenient, I don’t really enjoy reading my Kindle ebooks on my iPhone for extended periods of time. The screen’s just a bit too small for me.

The Tablet, however, as an “iPhone on steroids” or as the ebook-reader of tomorrow, may be what I’ve all been waiting for all along. I just didn’t know it.

We’ll all know soon enough. It won’t be another Newton for sure (here’s more on that), but my main concern is that it may be too expensive. What do you think?

Lastly, what I do know is that Apple’s entry (and significant investment I’m sure) into ebooks will further legitimize the market. Whether you read them or not, ebooks are here to stay, and todays forward-thinking author should include ebooks as part of their overall publishing and marketing strategy.  The truth is that there’s never been a better time to be an author, and whether you’re publishing your fifth book or your first, or whether you’re publishing a print book or an ebook, these new technologies can help you get your book out the door quickly and efficiently. But keep in mind that publishing is now the easy part of a larger journey. Identifying, finding, influencing, growing, and, most importantly–selling to your audience–now that’s the hard part.

There’s no doubt that the traditional world of publishing is undergoing radical disruption, but don’t let these industry changes get in the way of your publishing dreams. Better yet, take advantage of them and make 2010 your most successful year yet!

Until next time, keep publishing–

Henry Hutton
PublishandSell.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
Find me on Facebook
919-247-1832

You don’t need to be a publishing expert to predict this result. It will get worse, a lot worse, as piracy follows the exploding ebook market. Ebook sales and consumption are now reaching the point of exponential growth, and although second quarter ebook sales of $37M are only 3x those during the same period in 2008, my guess is that 3Q and 4Q sales are rocketing skyward. Consider, for the first time ever, that Amazon sold more ebooks on Christmas Day than print books. Now, throw in the new Sony and Barnes and Noble readers–putting more ebook devices into the hands of consumers–and you’ve got an unstoppable ebook wave that is transforming the publishing world.

But not all authors are jumping on board. Some, like J.K. Rowling, are holding back from ebook releases altogether. In addition, Stephen King delayed the recent ebook release of his latest book, practically forcing fans like me to buy the hardcover version while my Kindle cried in the corner. The crazy thing is, however, that in this particular case I would have gladly paid more for the privilege of buying the ebook version right out of the gate–for I was reminded once again how hard it was to wrestle with a thousand page book during my nightly bedtime reading.

What I’m trying to get at here is that the recent technological advances and affordability of ebooks and ereaders are a good thing for the book consumer, and authors and publishers should realize this and embrace this phenomenon–not shy away from it due to piracy concerns. Over time, as the ebook industry matures, different business models and standards will be adopted to provide more practical, friendly and efficient alternatives to illegal ebook downloading (although it will always exist). Barnes and Noble is already experimenting with “legal” sharing of ebooks between Nook ereaders. Libraries are experimenting with more contemporary ebook programs. Some authors are even getting creative and selling their books a chapter at a time, while others are considering some type of subscription arrangement with their readers.

Some of these ideas will work, while others will fail miserably. Many authors strongly believe in robust digital rights management (DRM) to protect their works, whereas many readers don’t want to be burdened with a lot of restrictions. Other authors, notably Cory Doctorow, choose to give away their ebooks as part of their overall marketing strategy. Although we’re a long way from consensus on ebook formats or DRM, if publishers and authors listen to their buyers I’m convinced they’ll still find a way to make a fair and sustainable profit–regardless of the piracy situation.

That being said, older publishing tactics and paradigms that once worked will have to change. As with digital music, the overall price points for ebooks are going to drop, which means that publishers (and probably authors) will make less per book. Anyone thinking otherwise is deluding themselves. But, as I mentioned in an earlier post, some authors are making more money overall by selling their ebooks for less.

Things are already starting to shake-up as we speak. The “traditional” book publishing industry is doing quite a bit of belt tightening, just like we witnessed when music made the shift to digital. Remember how the music companies laid thousands of people off as the CD market crumbled, and how Apple forced major royalty concessions from the labels and distributors in regards to selling music via their iTunes Store? It wasn’t pretty, but it eventually created a legitimate and efficient way for the music business to make the transition to digital, while keeping the forward-thinking companies in business. It was successful too, for as the CNN article mentions, iTunes is still the “world’s biggest seller of music.”

In my previous post I discussed how this ebook revolution will affect today’s authors, and the choices we’ll be faced with–many of which we never anticipated, such as accepting the premise that some people will be “stealing” our books. That fact in particular can be hard to swallow for many of us that are working to earn a living as authors. It also hurts to consider the long term reality–ebook piracy is here to stay.

But that’s a small downside when compared to the burgeoning digital ebook marketplace and the opportunities that it presents for authors and readers alike. It’s growing faster than we ever imagined. My advice? Adapt your book strategy to be a part of it, and continue to adapt as the landscape refines itself. If you wait for things to settle down it’ll be too late.  I agree with the article’s statistic that Kindle owners buy three times more books than typical book buyers. Why? Because it applies to me. Owning the Kindle made reading so easy and convenient, and–dare I say it–fun! And from the looks of it, I’m not alone.

Tackle the publishing challenges that await you, and don’t let the possible pitfalls slow you down. Yes, it’s a crazy time in publishing for sure, but it was clear back in 2003 when we started Lulu that the old publishing model didn’t work for most authors. The new model, for better or worse, will be here for a while. 2010 may be the year of ebook piracy, but it can also be the year of publishing success. You’ll never know if you choose to remain on the sidelines.

Hang in there, and best wishes with your book efforts this year–ebook or not. Until next time, keep publishing!

Henry

Henry Hutton
PublishandSell.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
Find me on Facebook
919-247-1832

On Sunday, my co-panelist Brooks Preik mentioned the names of several famous authors that had started out by self-publishing their book, but they were mostly names we’d heard before. Now I’ve got another one to add to the list–author Vince Flynn. It’s a new name for me and I’m not familiar with his work, but he’s had several best-sellers in the military thriller genre.

A friend sent me this audio interview of Mr. Flynn on last Thursday’s Don Imus Show, and his story is a compelling one namely because he was diagnosed with dyslexia during his early school years and had struggled with reading and writing all his life. Later he wanted to be a fighter pilot, but was disqualified due to several concussions and convulsive seizures resulting form childhood injuries. It was while he was working to get a medical waiver for his condition that he became interested in writing a book.

After five years and over sixty rejection letters, Flynn self-published his first book, Term Limits, in 1999. It became a top seller in his hometown (St. Paul, MN),  and the rest, as they say, is Simon & Schuster history.

Again, you may know more about him than I do, but hearing his story was another breath of fresh air in the often frustrating world of self-publishing–small-time author overcomes personal adversity and makes it big. Good for Mr. Flynn.

I met a lot of authors last weekend that have waited more than five years for a traditional publishing contract, to no avail. Do yourself a favor–don’t wait much longer…

Good luck, and till next time–keep publishing!

Henry Hutton (PublishingGuy)
PublishandSell.com
PublishingNewsUpdate.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
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It looks like more than three hundred writers, editors, and literary agents will be there, and it should make for an exciting time. The conference will include workshops, master classes, and panel discussions in topics ranging from finding the form in free verse to how to write how-to books, from the fundamentals of screenwriting to the importance of food writing, and from using dialect to selling your work to an agent or editor. Friday night’s keynote address will feature novelist Cassandra King, author of the best sellers Queen of Broken Hearts, The Same Sweet Girls, The Sunday Wife, and Making Waves.

This is the third conference that I’ve attended, and the revolution in self-publishing, the ebook phenomenon, and the book pricing wars should all make for lively discussion.

Hope to see you there!

Henry Hutton (PublishingGuy)
PublishandSell.com
PublishingNewsUpdate.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
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Yesterday’s topics were mostly about your publishing goals and experience. Today’s questions will help you establish a baseline for your marketing activities.

1. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being extremely knowledgeable, how would you rate your current expertise level in online marketing? Are you familiar with and do you use online social marketing tools such as Facebook, Twitter, or blogs? Are you involved in guest blogging or expert (Q&A) forums? Have you ever been involved in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or online advertising activities?
2. Based on Question 1, how would you rate your current online visibility in your primary market segment, on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being extremely visible? In what areas are you most visible—blogs, other books, articles, business/professional success, online search engines, blogs, social networks, or other specific sites?
3. How would you rate your current expertise level in being able to market and promote your new book “offline”? Do you have an established network of media or agency contacts? Are you a member of any groups, organizations, or conferences that are relevant to your book and your market? Do you feel qualified to create your own printed marketing materials? Have you ever been involved in direct mail campaigns?
4. Based on Question 3, how would you rate your current “offline” visibility in your primary market segment, on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being extremely visible? In what areas are you most visible—association or group leadership, public speaking, TV/radio exposure, etc?
5. If your expertise and visibility in the above areas needs to improve, have you thought about any specific ideas or plans that pertain to marketing your book, either online or offline? Do you currently have any specific ideas about utilizing existing contacts (or email addresses), business clients, family members, social networking sites, group associations, or endorsements to help you market your book? Have you made any decisions in regards to developing your own website, conducting a blog tour, planning a book launch/book signing, or obtaining a celebrity endorsement? Please list all ideas that you have plans that you’ve already made.

Now that we’ve established your initial goals and established a marketing foundation, let’s briefly cover any publishing deadlines and future publishing plans.

1. What are your initial thoughts regarding the timing of your book’s publication? Is it coinciding with any specific event—conferences, political elections, sports seasons/games, academic schedules, etc? Please be specific, and include any specific publishing deadlines that exist.
2. If there are no specific events or deadline requirements related to the timing of your book’s publication, what are your time-to-market expectations– 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, yesterday(!)?
3. As things stand now, what are your thoughts concerning additional versions of this book, or a future book? Please be specific about updated editions or volumes, other binding types or trim sizes, digital ebook versions, or complementary books (workbooks, user guides) that you’ve considered. Are your ideas based on any specific marketing data (coil binding suitable for workbooks, ebook-centric audiences, etc)? Alternatively, please describe any plans for publishing a new book in a different genre.

There you go. Some might consider this to be a good deal of busy-work, but I’ve found that it can work wonders in getting your self-publishing efforts off to a good start. You might want to try it.

My next post will focus on manuscript preparation for self-publishing. Some of those questions might actually surprise you!

As you know, feedback is always appreciated. Until next time–keep publishing!

Henry Hutton (PublishingGuy)
PublishandSell.com
PublishingNewsUpdate.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
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Needless to say, these are the foundational questions that I ask my authors to answer in the earliest stages of their project, and mostly relate to their book’s premise, their publishing goals and the condition of their working manuscript (i.e., is it really ready to publish?). You should ask yourself these same questions, even if you’re doing all the publishing work yourself. Sure, many of the answers might be no-brainers to you, but with my clients I’ve found that this exercise greatly helps us all assess where we are and what needs to be done to maximize our publishing outcome.  It’s worked for them, so I was thinking I’d pass these along to you as well.

This particular questionnaire deals with pre-publishing only, and actually has more to do with marketing than with publishing. In future articles I’ll walk through the other documents that are essential to successful self-publishing, including manuscript preparation, cover art/illustration management, publishing activities, marketing activities, and proper planning and coordination.

We’ll list just a few of the questions today–which will maybe get some dialog flowing–and finish up tomorrow.

Pre-Publishing Marketing Assessment:

1. What is your personal objective in regards to writing and publishing your book? Is it a labor of love? Something that you’ve wanted to do for some time? A book that had to be written? Please explain in detail.
2. What is your professional objective in publishing your book? Are you looking to achieve credibility, visibility, business or income growth? Please include all professional motivations.
3. How important is it that you find a traditional publisher for this book (or future books)? Not important at all? You’ll take it if it comes? It’s your ultimate goal? Please be specific as to your thinking today–you can always change your mind later!
4. What is the genre of your book? If you had to think of one place where your book would be shelved in a physical bookstore, what subject would it be under? If you’re still not sure, what, if any, books are you aware of that you think are similar to yours? Or, are there any authors that you believe are similar to you in writing style or subject matter?
5. What group of people do you expect would be particularly interested in your book (more than others), and—more importantly—why? Have you identified any specific market segment(s)–readers of Civil War historical fiction, teenagers learning to play soccer, or beginning C++ programmers? Please be as specific as possible.
6. Based on Question 5, how knowledgeable are you about your book’s primary market segment? Is it related to your professional career or part of your social circle? Is it of academic interest to you, or something you enjoy as a hobby? Please be specific.

Tomorrow’s questions will deal primarily with the author’s online experience and exposure–both of which are important to know as we set our “baseline” prior to publishing.

Comments are always appreciated, and till next time–keep publishing!

Henry Hutton (PublishingGuy)
PublishandSell.com
PublishingNewsUpdate.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
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Furthermore, the ebook device world is becoming downright exciting, with the Amazon Kindle being challenged on almost every front. Just check out this list of new ebook readers that will be soon hitting the market.

A game’s afoot!

And if you’re a publisher, author, or just someone who enjoys reading a good book, you’ll be impacted by these changes–and there’s no escaping it. As a matter of fact, this disruption in book publishing and consumption is not unlike what we witnessed with the transformation of the music industry, and, like music artists, authors will need to adjust to this radically changing dynamic. The book market will become more price competitive, overall quality may suffer as more and more first-time authors “DIY” their way into the distribution channels (remember that you can publish directly into the Kindle and other ebook formats for free), and digital piracy will rear it’s ugly head.

Success will depend on new, innovative marketing approaches. Sure, we’ve heard all that before and maybe even studied it in business school, but we quickly forgot about it in the sweet, warm comforting world of centuries-old traditional publishing (ah, the good ol’ days). New technologies, along with the Internet, have changed the reality of publishing–and for good.

Like any business paradigm shift there will be winners and losers, along with advocates and pundits. My advice is to just be practical. Think back to the recent re-adjustment of the music distribution and publishing model, and how buyer habits (along with yours) changes. Most importantly, let go of the print mindset–however much it hurts to do so. Sure, I love printed books as much as anyone, and some of my most enjoyable memories are derived from reading some of my favorite books, both as a child and as an adult. And yes, I still read print books (I’ve got Stephen King’s most recent tome on back order now).

But do you still buy vinyl LPs? I don’t. I don’t even buy CDs any more. Do you depend on a land-line phone for communication? I don’t think so. In the same way, and whether it’s 2010, 2012, or 2020, the book paradigm will shift to digital–and we’ll wonder why we ever questioned that outcome.

If you’re an author, you should definitely consider whether ebooks should be part of your distribution strategy. You probably won’t switch cold turkey–I still incorporate print with almost all my authors, and I even have some authors where we decided that ebooks weren’t the right approach. But we thought it through, and we made our decisions based on the book genre, its audience, the financial opportunities, and other relevant factors.

The times–especially in publishing–are a-changin’. They changed from offset printing to POD, which enabled millions of aspiring authors to economically get into the publishing game. My friends and I at Lulu were largely responsible for that, and it was a heck of a lot of fun.

The ebook revolution will be even more disruptive, I guarantee it. So embrace the future–or at least ask around and keep an eye on it. Better yet, ask your audience and your readers, because at the end of the day you want to be where they are.

Until next time, keep publishing!

Henry Hutton
PublishandSell.com
PublishingNewsUpdate.com
919-247-1832