Contact us and discover how we make indie authors newsworthy. Feb 27, 2016 lorenz works with bestselling authors and selfpublished authors promoting all types of books, whether its their first book or their 15th book. Some great books have come across my desk with limited sales, i had to turn them down. Fiction and nonfiction writers alike can create, print, and sell their books through all major retail channels. Entries will be evaluated on content, writing quality. Editor alan rinzler of the book deal wrote an interesting post this week. Apr 27, 2019 online book marketing and publicity other digital forces, such as the proliferation of blogsasperiodicals and social media, have made it possible for a savvy author to promote his or her book through internet channels at low cost. Whether published or selfpublished, fiction or nonfiction, we can promote any book and any genre. January 2018 this paperback edition first published in 2018. To give you a little context, i first set out to write a simple 10 steps to making a living as a selfpublished fiction author. Literary agents open the door to self published writers please take a few minutes to read the original article, but the gist of it is that agents are becoming increasingly willing to accept previously self published authors as clients. Honoree corder started her writing career as a single mom over a decade ago. Literary agents open the door to selfpublished writers forbes.
There are hundreds of ways to market selfpublished books. The majority of selfpublished book awards dont confer any benefit to the author, other than a seal that winners often must pay for. Someone to sort out the editing and cover and formatting and publishing, and if youre. In 100 years, give or take, e books, most of which are selfpublished and self promoted, will make libraries, for the most part, museums. If you hold the rights to your selfpublished project, the right agent would be happy to work with your well written selfpublished book. Yet there are so many choices that you, the publisher, need to make that it. How this selfpublished author sold 800,000 copies of her. I hope sharing my story with you sheds some light on the advantages and. I have sold 600 books and recently started to speak to schools about how kids can change their thoughts to create more happiness in their life.
A couple of years ago, amanda hocking needed to raise a few hundred dollars so, in desperation, made her unpublished novel available on the kindle. New york times best selling novelist and a neuroscientist on top of that, lisa genova jumpstarted her writing career with still alice back in 2007. For example if you wrote a book on dieting or healthy eating, tie it into such ideas as healthy holiday eating tips or eating healthy for the summer. As a self published author, you control your distribution and we assist you by providing highquality books at the lowest price and an online fulfillment system.
Dunlop explained why traditional publishers focus so much on doing publicity around a books launch date, within a threemonth or sixmonth window. Youve successfully selfpublished your book and made great sales. A few years ago, most literary agents were snobby about selfpublished work. May 03, 2018 the edition information is pretty straightforward. Do selfpublished book authors need a literary agent. Dec 06, 2016 last year i wrote and self published magic thinking for kids, that has won a cipa evvy award, living now book award and recently was a finalist in best book awards with american book fest. Jan 14, 2017 a mong the dozens of awards for selfpublished books, there arent many that are worth winning. Thebookpatch does not offer expensive publishing packages. This story was originally published 7212016 and has been updated. What some of you may not know is that i originally self published my book in february 20 the original title was the book of maybe. One of the best things an author can do to market their book and generate publicity for it, particularly if it is self published, is to tie the book into something in the news.
Literary agents open the door to selfpublished writers. Marketing selfpublished books explained in 9 basic steps. Self published book marketing for authors smith publicity. Mar 07, 2014 back in the early days of selfpublishing, it was generally held that selfpublished book authors did not need a literary agent even today, many selfpublished authors choose to release their books on their own because they dont want to pay the fees associated with literary agencies. In keeping with kiyosakis ideas that ownership of high value assets that produce cash flow is the key to wealth, rather than being an employee, he selfpublished the book in 1997. An example of a successfully self published and self promoted ebook author is amanda hocking, who writes in the. From many years agowhen we became the very first book marketing company to secure a fullpage feature story about a selfpublished novel in the new york times, to the everevolving book publicity strategies we continually develop for selfpublished authorswe have earned. Amanda hocking, the writer who made millions by self. Today, she is the author of dozens of selfpublished books, which have collectively sold more than 800,000 copies. Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. Had great success in my area, but little success outside of my area. This can be a great way to sell selfpublished books. Over 300,000 authors trust the professionals on reedsy, come meet them.
Selfpublishing selfpublishing companies publishing a. Still, stories of books especially selfpublished books succeeding without any marketing, are rare. Having all of your selfpublished books available for sale. The selfpublishers guide to the copyright page with template. Many, if not most authors who self publish for the first time make mistakes. When you travel, call leading bookstores at your destination and arrange book signings.
She is the publisher of the hot sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named publishing commentator of the year by digital book world in 2019 in addition to being a columnist for publishers weekly. Nanci, it certainly can be frustrating to pursue agents and traditional publishers, so i commend you for having the courage to self publish. Banding together with a few other selfpublished authors from the area, so that the stall is really inviting. While writing tends to be a solitary endeavor, marketing is the process of. This can take time and money that many writers simply dont have. The book marketing services at outskirts press help authors promote highquality books with exceptional book marketing services.
The competition is open to all englishlanguage selfpublished books for which the authors have paid the full cost of publication, or the cost of printing has been paid for by a grant or as part of a prize. Aug 15, 2016 rich dad poor dad is a financial advice book written by american businessman, author and investor robert kiyosaki. Although your mind tells you that you are an author and not a publicity agent, the reality is that yours is only one among many of hundreds of books being offered just this season. Sell your work on or buy the books you need immediately. Can a selfpublished book be picked up by a publisher. I am proud to say i made back the money i invested in the book, plus more.
But if you want to customize your order and get more bulk printed books upfront, no problem. Unfortunately, making the decision to selfpublish goes handinhand with needing to promote your own book. Sep 30, 2010 editor alan rinzler of the book deal wrote an interesting post this week. Print on demand pod print on demand is the most affordable way to get your book directly to readers. There is no single way to promote every nonfiction book, childrens book, or novel. Plus, if you dont have a history of marketing your book, the agent can start fresh. The top dog at one of the most successful literary agencies in new york says hes in hot pursuit of selfpublished books to represent to.
Today, she is the author of dozens of selfpublished books, which. Oct 01, 2010 another stellar agent, jane dystal representing barack obamas first book, joy bauer and bobby flay, among others also has no selfpublished authors that shes either represented or sold, as. Why literary agents wont shop your selfpublished book. At what point might a selfpublished author need a literary agent. Get tips about if or when you may want additional help. To self publish, an author will publish a book at their own expense using a selfpublishing platform, such as amazons kdp, and typically maintains full rights to the book.
However, if you dont get the following nine marketing strategy basics right first, you could be wasting a lot of your time, energy and money. My agent shopped the book to publishing houses for nearly a year and received a number of i dont think this is for us responses. What do literary agents have to do with selfpublishing. I selfpublished via kickstarter and amazon kindle, and am negotiating my way through the. Outskirts press self publishing packages help authors develop and publish highquality books by offering exceptional design, printing, publishing, distribution, and book marketing services. We ordered 750 hardcovers that sat in my living room for months, selling them as well as e books.
Jun 19, 2012 i self published via kickstarter and amazon kindle, and am negotiating my way through the publishing world and exploring new business models for entrepreneurial authors along the way. For a selfpublished author, marketing the book can be more important than writing it. Why agents dont often represent previously selfpublished books. More recently, we took on an author who selfpublished a great marketing book and sold 6,000 copies, but publishers were still not impressed enough to take it seriously. You are competing for limited bookshelf space in bookstores. Book promotion is designed to get people to find your book, and not, to find people to get your book. Well, thanks to a little publicity courtesy of apple and a rejected then accepted free iphone app, four and half months after i selfpublished knife music, my agent sold it to the overlook.
To put things into context first, here is one clear way of thinking about how to promote a selfpublished book. With a few key steps, an author can build a loyal following, get the word out about his or her work, and get. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using pod print on demand technology. And many of these contests are run by media groups that use them as a way to drum up business.
This is the most sensible approach if you put very little time or effort into selfpublishing your work. Selfpublishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. Two years ago, i selfpublished my first science fiction novel, where the hell is tesla. Sep 22, 2008 evans says she took on a self published project when the book picked up several highprofile endorsements that helped trigger thousands of sales. From childrens books, to ya and na, to crime, suspense, horror fiction to cooking, health, personal development, photography, travel and many more. Marketing selfpublished books is not easy, especially when you are a new author. As a selfpublished author, you will oversee the entire book writing and production process, from start to finish, at your own expense, and with full ownership. Less is more is a cute phrase for minimalists, but dont limit yourself when it comes to online retail options for worldwide book sales. It is completely normal because you are trying to do something. Oct 05, 2011 in 100 years, give or take, ebooks, most of which are selfpublished and selfpromoted, will make libraries, for the most part, museums. A few years back, it was genuinely the case that a large majority of. The publishing game series of books, tapes and workshops teaches authors and self publishers how to find an agent, produce a highquality printed book from a manuscript and how to market their books to make them bestsellers, including generating publicity, finding editors, publishers, chain store buyers, tv producers, and more.
Selling a self published book to a publisher is difficult. Self publishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. Hes handled publicity for books by ceos, cia officers, navy seals, homemakers, fitness gurus, doctors, lawyers and adventurers. Personally speaking, ive selfpublished 6 bestselling nonfiction books on amazon, sold tens of thousands of copies, and continue to collect thousands per month in royalty checks the success of my books has been directly responsible for the strong performance of my business, which has grown to over 7 figures in less than 2 years self publishing a book is done with these steps. It may also apply to albums, pamphlets, brochures, video content, and zines in the traditional publishing model, in which the. Mar 09, 2016 queries for selfpublished projects often state something about the author not having the right resources for marketing or publicity. Selfpublished with iuniverses printondemand service, genova sold copies out of the trunk of her car for about two years, along with discussion guides in support of people with alzheimers and their caretakers. He does not want self published books unless the book has remarkable sales. This is slowly changing, but it is an issue now for most self published authors. Diane freed, another agent at fineprint, noticed an article in a maine newspaper about an awardwinning self published book written by a local librarian. Selfpublishing relief offers a few of the reasons why literary agents love to get query letters from selfpublished authors. With that said, lets look at ways of promoting your book and getting people to find you as an author, and your books, of course.
Five simple ways to promote your selfpublished book. The big difference between a publishers publicity efforts and a selfpublishers publicity efforts. Our creative publicity and digital marketing campaigns have helped authors. Maybe youve found some success with your selfpublished book and youd like to find a literary agent to test the waters with a traditional. His clients come from across the spectrum of fiction thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, historical and literary and nonfiction history, narrative, travel, science. Deciding to self publish your book is both exciting and nervewracking on one end, youre the master of everything. That said, we live in an age in which anyone can publish a book using readily available. Selfpublished authors are still at a disadvantage in the book industry. Self publishing packages includes 25 printed books 300 pg, 6x9, softcover, black interior, which are perfect for author signings. Jun 25, 2019 books published by traditional publishers are considered for coverage by the media, awards organizations, and bookstores, many of which wont even consider self published books. Its true that the established gatekeepers are still scouring selfpublished books for debut authors, but you wont get their attention until youve sold not hundreds but thousands of books on your own.
One thing selfpublished authors might keep in mind is that, even if their book didnt sell well and therefore didnt attract the attention of an agent, the very process of writing and trying to sell a book will help their writing career in the long run. Top 10 selfpublished book awards for independent authors. Smith publicity has promoted more selfpublished books than any book publicity agency. Moreover, smith publicity is widely credited with pushing the credibility of selfpublished book authors to new levels. Easily publish textbooks, course materials, and research. Bottom line is, publicity for any book, published or self published is tougher than ever as media channels morph and shrink. It is also carried by baker and taylor, plus included in the haverford, upper merion, and radnor township public libraries. A literary agent might represent a selfpublished book in hopes that one day he or she. How to land an agent for a selfpublished book jane friedman. I have not selfpromoted because first, im lazy, and second, im too busy writing. One of the best things an author can do to market their book and generate publicity for it, particularly if it is selfpublished, is to tie the book into something in the news. Jan 18, 2018 learn about the 10 top legitimate book awards open to self published authors. So i selfpublished through berwick court, a company my son and i created.
Confirm whether its the first, second, or third edition of your selfpublished book then put that intel right onto the page. Most books, even good ones, will languish, invisible among millions of available titles, unless you do something to make them stand out and become visiblediscoverableto some target audience. Oct 23, 2014 as many of you know, my book the gift of maybe is being published by perigee, an imprint of penguin random house, on november 4, 2014. Oct 14, 2010 our campaigns for self published nonfiction authors are the same as for published authors and are limited only by budget constraints. For example if you wrote a book on dieting or healthy eating, tie it into such ideas as healthy holiday eating tips or. How to query a literary agent with a selfpublished book self. Whether traditionally published book publicity or selfpublished book marketing, our track record of success is unparalleled. Theres a big difference between selfpublishing a book with the hope of selling a few copies and taking the decisiveand potentially priceystep of hiring a professional publicity firm. Literary agents open the door to selfpublished writers please take a few minutes to read the original article, but the gist of it is that agents are becoming increasingly willing to accept previously selfpublished.
Whether its non fiction book marketing, self published book marketing, ebook marketing or one of a wide array of author marketing services, smith publicity is indeed an elite publicity firm, but also one that will help an author of a quality book, regardless of how it was published, reach their goals. Books forward will tailor a campaign for you planning around your upcoming releases, longterm goals, overall brand and budget. Jan 20, 2017 successful selfpublished authors are tapping into larger markets, which include many other retailers beyond amazon. Your publishing date is coming up, and you want to partner with an experienced team for fullscale book marketing and author publicity. The best self published book awards programs have the power to change that and bring authors and their works out of obscurity and into the spotlight.