Free EBooks as Marketing Strategy? Joyce Magnin Got Me -- Now I'm Buying Her Books.

Who doesn't like a freebie, especially in today's economy?  Well, I know that I do.  Several times during the week, I'll check the Top 100 Kindle Free EBooks list.  Sometimes I grab one or two; sometimes, there's nothing there that I want. 

You might find more (or less) than I have.  Most of the books on the Top 100 Free list at Amazon's Kindle Store are highly rated, I'm just not interested in more cookbooks right now, for example.

Here's the thing.  I've noticed that some authors are smart enough to drop one of their books into the "free" section of the Kindle store for a short time period.  Not that long, but long enough.

Like Joyce Magnin. 

I discovered her in the Kindle Free Top 100, and now I buy her books.  That's right:  I buy them.  Authors, agents, and publishers take note.  I spend money because she's giving me a good read, and I admit I like the fact that she started out by giving me something. 

How does that translate in bookseller lingo?  I'm on a book budget.  If I am choosing between one of Joyce Magnin's books and one of another author I like, and only have money in the budget for one book, then Joyce it is. 

I guess that I am more loyal to Joyce Magnin because I think she's more loyal to me? 

"The Value of a Book" - CEO Panel Discussion from BookExpo America on Book TV Available Online

Today, there was a great panel discussion on CSPAN2's BookTV that's available in its entirety online at the BookTV site.  Brought together to discuss "the Value of a Book," some of the biggest in the publishing industry gathered together to talk about the future of books and book publishing.  Including author compensation.

There were talks about the Cloud.  There were talks about making books more enticing, and mention was made of the vellum used in the new Steve Martin novel that's coming out in the fall entitled An Object of Beauty.  We're to expect a very physically beautiful book here, according to the panel.  But will that help sell the contents? 

Scott Turow made a point that I've been thinking for years now: why did the ebook get introduced as a simultaneous product with the newly released hardback?  Readers expect paperbacks to follow months after the hardback, why not follow a similar path for the ebook?  Good question, I think.

Panel Members - Cream of the Crop

Brick and mortar bookstores were represented here, as well as agents, authors, publishers, etc.:

1. Jonathan Galassi - President, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2. Bob Miller - Group publisher, Workman Publishing and founder of Hyperion
3. Esther Newberg -  Executive Vice President, International Creative Management (literary agency)
4. Skip Prichard - President and CEO, Ingram Content Group Inc. ( book wholesaler)
5. David Shanks - CEO, Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
6. Oren Teicher - CEO, American Booksellers Association
7. Scott Turow - author, attorney, president of Author's Guild

Was a Consensus Reached?  No.

No definitive answers were found.  It was nice to hear what appeared to be genuine concern for paying writers what they're worth for the work that they do. 

Go listen.  It's fascinating and important, whether you're a reader or writer.

Marketing Plan Needs to Accompany Book Proposal

According to Terry Whalin, you need a marketing plan for your book -regardless of whether or not your work is fiction or non-fiction. Why? It's a business, and a part of accepting your work involves a risk analysis dealing with, yes, money.

He explains:

"Here’s the financial information that I didn’t understand (since I’ve never self-published): for every book (fiction or nonfiction), a publisher is going to spend $50,000 to $100,000 (real dollars) to take your manuscript and turn it into a finished book. These numbers are with a modest advance to the author (say $5,000) and zero marketing dollars. These costs are production, cover design, editorial work, etc. on your book. Publishers receive thousands of submissions from would-be authors. I’m the part-time Fiction Acquisitions Editor at Howard Publishing. I’m looking for six to eight full-length novels a year—and I’ve received over 250 submissions from individuals and literary agents. I’ve rejected some quality fiction because of the volume and limited spots. And that is just my story so imagine these numbers multiplied on other editor’s desks. And if you read Book Proposals That Sell, you will see that editors do a lot more than read manuscripts.

"Let’s pretend for a minute that you are the editor and have to wade through these volumes of material to find the books for your list. You have two manuscripts. BotIh manuscripts are excellent, fascinating stories. One manuscript has a marketing plan and the other doesn’t. As the editor, you will be held accountable for your choices (within the publishing house). It’s a business to sell books. Which manuscript will you choose to champion to the other editors, the publishing executives (sales, marketing, etc.)? Editors risk for their authors. Your challenge is to prove to be worthy (actually more than worthy) of this risk."

For his complete article on this topic, go here. To download a free audio version of Pyromarketing - a book by Greg Steilstra which Mr. Whalin enthusiastically recommends -- go here.

Remember, this is a free download for listening - you have to spend money for the visual. Part of Steilstra's own campaign - he's betting that the audio isn't a sufficient competitor to the visual that it will take away customers, and may even attract purchases of the hard copy.

How Librarians Choose the Books They Buy

According to writer Joe Konrath, "libraries do their ordering from catalogues supplied by the publisher, by catalogues supplied by the distributors (Ingram and Baker & Taylor,) and through reading reviews in Library Journal, Kirkus, PW, and Boolist, plus others. Patron requests and word-of-mouth also are a factor."

Konrath provides a detailed description of his marketing campaign targeting these librarians at his blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, in his November 21, 2005, post. It's worth the read.

The Perspective of an Acquisitions Editor

The only acquisitions editor that's talking to writers out there on the web, at least that I can find, is Terry Whalin at The Writing Life. Since an acquisition editor is the key player in buying my book, I definitely want to hear what he has to say. And Mr. Whalin explains a lot ....

From this week's entries:

An itemization of the "big six" in publishing, along with their imprints (i.e., subsidiaries).

His perspective on agents, and how to find a good one.

A tremendous recommendation for the landmark book, On Writing Well by William Zinsser.

A discussion of the use of longer magazine articles as a springboard for a book proposal - with recommendations to look for these articles in O Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and the New Yorker. The evolution of Janice Latus's article "All the Wrong Men," from magazine article in O to book proposal to Simon & Schuster's win of a resulting bidding war is referenced.

A lengthy discussion on how few books succeed - and how few proposals make it to book form, prior to that - that somehow leaves you less than depressed. In fact, if you're confident in your work and your vision, it's really rather encouraging.

And, yes, he's written a book, as well. It's called Book Proposals That Sell.

If you're writing for the love of writing, I don't suppose that this stuff means much to you. But my dream is more than that -- I want to see my work bound and shelved in a Barnes & Noble, as trite as that might be. And, that means I have to understand the publishing business, like it or not. Mr. Whalin's efforts to help me in that endeavor are very much appreciated. So much so, I thought I'd share them with you ....