From Publishing to Marketing - A Primer for Authors (Part One)

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As promised last month, here is part one of Content Kitchen’s two-part series: From Publishing to Marketing – a Primer for Authors.

It is an exciting time to be an author. We are in the midst of the most significant shift in publishing options since the advent of self-publishing. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of all your publishing choices to decide which is right for you.

In the past, authors had two basic options: traditional publishing or self- publishing. However, there is a third option to consider: Hybrid Publishing. We will dive deeper into all three options, but before we do, it is important to define the type of author you are and the goals you hope to achieve with your writing.

It's key to understand what type of author you are before deciding which publishing choice is right for you.

What Kind of Author Are You?

1. Professional Author – For these authors, writing is their main source of income and their primary profession. Professional authors are immersed in the process, and all that entails, including book tours, interviews, podcasts, speaking engagements, and more.
2. Hobbyist Author – Unlike professional authors, Hobbyist authors write for the sheer joy and satisfaction of telling a story. Earning money is not the primary focus for a Hobbyist author (although, of course, it would be nice). Instead, they are more driven to get their story published and out to the public.
3. Status-Seeking Authors – Status-seeking authors typically publish books to add credibility to their career or increase their expertise in the opinion of their target audience. Common examples of status-seeking authors are academicians, media personnel, consultants, and celebrities. Money is typically not their primary focus. Instead, gaining recognition and credibility are their top priorities.
4. Knowledge-Share Author – These authors write for a purpose. They want to educate, train, and/or share their specific knowledge and experience. Examples of Knowledge-share authors include business executives, consultants, professionals, or anyone with particular expertise they want to share. Their books are informative non-fiction that teaches something of value to the reader. Like status-seeking authors, they wish to elevate their visibility, establish credibility, get speaking engagements, and educate and entertain.

Things to Consider Before Choosing the Right Publishing Option

Once you understand what type of author you are, there are other important aspects to consider before choosing the most effective publishing option for you.

• Make sure your expectations are in line with the nature of your book.
• Who is your audience? Remember, it's not everybody. Find your niche.
• Make sure your investment in the publishing process is in line with reasonable revenue goals.

Here are some simple rules to give your book the best chance of being noticed and sold:

1. Do not edit your book yourself. It's essential to have it professionally edited for structure and grammar.
2. People DO judge a book by its cover. A compelling cover that is professionally designed and has a professionally formatted interior makes a BIG difference. How many books have you reached for simply because the cover drew your attention? How many times have you flipped through a book and found the interior format either appealing or difficult to read? Never skimp on the design. It is the least expensive part of the publishing process and can make a huge difference.
3. You must have a marketing plan and invest the energy and time to carry it out. If this is beyond your skillset, there are professional marketers who can help you. Lack of a marketing plan is like running a marathon and stopping when you are a mile away from the finish line. If you do not market your book effectively, it's guaranteed that your book won't sell.

The Publishing Landscape - A Third Option

Now we will take a deeper dive into the three publishing options, the pros and cons of each, and identify the best options for the types of authors we mentioned above.

The three types of publishing options for authors are:

• Traditional Publishing
• Self-Publishing
• Hybrid Publishing

Option One: Traditional Publishing

With traditional publishing, authors sell the rights to their book to a publishing company. This means the publisher gets most of the royalties from the book and has complete creative control.

Authors work with publishing companies despite a lower profit margin because they are guaranteed money up front and access to more distribution channels and bestseller lists.

There is a prestige to traditional publishing that is not always found in self- publishing. But, contrary to popular notion, publishing companies do not do much (if any) marketing of the book.

It's important to note that it's challenging for an unknown author to work with a publishing company. Because of this, traditional publishing is usually not a suitable option for first-time and/or unknown authors.

Advantages of Traditional Publishing

1. You get paid before publishing
2. Highest prestige option
3. Potential access to major bestseller lists
4. A higher chance of bookstore placement and wider distribution

Drawbacks of Traditional Publishing

1. Extremely hard to get a deal
2. Long publishing cycle
3. Limited financial upside
4. Lack of marketing support or control
5. Lack of creative and content control
6. Lack of ownership

Traditional publishing is the best option for Professional and Status-seeking authors, provided they can get a deal with a publishing company. If you cannot get a deal, starting with Hybrid publishing (more on that below) and moving to Traditional publishing once you have proven yourself is another option.

Option Two: Self-Publishing

With self-publishing, the author retains most of the rights to the book, keeps all royalties, and retains complete creative control. This sounds very appealing, but there are downsides that need to be considered. A lot goes into publishing a book. You do not want all the hard work of writing the book to get overshadowed by an unprofessionally designed, edited, and formatted end product.

As we mentioned above, people do judge a book by its cover design and formatting. It's important to consider choices about the following carefully:

• Book cover design
• Title design
• Book description
• Font and formatting
• Author photo
• Blurbs and reviews
• Author bio

It may seem unfair, but the totality of the book is a direct reflection of you as an author and of the appeal and worthwhileness of the book itself.

Self-publishing may be a good option if you can do all the above elements professionally. However, if you can't, you will limit your ability to achieve your end goal, whether that is book sales, status, prestige, or imparting knowledge.

Because there is a lot more to publishing a book than many authors realize, they either end up with an unprofessional-looking book, or they get stuck at this stage, and many authors do not end up publishing their book at all.

Advantages of Self-Publishing

1. The author retains all the royalties (minus distribution costs)
2. The author has creative control
3. The author has marketing control
4. It is faster to get the book to market
5. The author has total freedom and ownership

Drawbacks of Self-Publishing

1. Potential for unprofessional-looking design and formatting
2. Difficult and time-consuming
3. Harder to get maximum distribution
4. Almost no access to bestseller lists

Self-publishing is typically a good option for Hobbyist writers. You can self-publish quickly and inexpensively without all the bells and whistles that a professional writer needs.

Option Three: Hybrid Publishing

?With the Hybrid Publishing option, the author gets the advantages of self- publishing and the professionalism of traditional publishing. It is the best of both worlds.

The author retains full ownership, creative control, and marketing control (the main benefits of self-publishing).

The author also gets high-quality professional book creation, distribution, and media support by working with a professional publishing company that focuses on design, formatting, and distribution while still allowing the author to have creative control and ownership.

Factors to Consider with Hybrid Publishing

You have probably seen ads from companies that promise a fully designed and formatted book for only a few hundred dollars. Beware of these promises because you get what you pay for: a hastily designed, poorly formatted, and unprofessional-looking book.

There are many hybrid publishing companies, but not all are reputable. Therefore, it's essential to be careful when selecting a company to help you publish your book. Do your research and examine their track record.

When it comes to investing in the publication of your book, find a company that will work with you and your budget to create a professional book at a reasonable cost.

Advantages of Hybrid Publishing

1. The author retains most of the profits
2. The author has complete creative control
3. The author has marketing control
4. The author has total freedom and ownership
5. A beautifully and professionally designed, edited, and formatted book that appeals to the target audience
6. Access to bestseller lists: This is often not the exact same access as a traditional publisher, but much more than being self-published.
7. The possibility of widespread distribution and bookstore placement: Again, not exactly the same as traditionally published books. This can vary widely depending on which publishing company you work with and the book's topic.

Drawbacks of Hybrid Publishing

Expense: Working with a professional company always involves an investment in their services. The costs vary widely depending on the publishing company you choose. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for, and quick, inexpensive book publishing companies do not produce the look that a traditional publishing company does. Do some research and find publishing companies that work collaboratively with you to meet your creative goals within a more reasonable budget.

Upfront investment: With hybrid publishing, the investment is made before the book is published. Therefore, it is critical to have an effective marketing plan to increase the chances of turning a profit on your investment (more on this below).

Hybrid publishing is the best choice for Knowledge-sharing authors. These authors are professionals, so they need professional books. They usually do not have the time or desire to do pure self-publishing and can afford to invest in higher-level publishing services, making hybrid publishing the perfect option.

Next month, we will finish this series with part two, where we will cover the do’s and don’ts of marketing for authors.