The Reality of the 2024 Publishing Industry

A few weeks ago my friend (and extremely talented author) Kathleen Whyman shared this article on authors and marketing from The Guardian.

It shares the current reality many authors are facing, as well as sheds some light on the industry as a whole.

While articles like these can be discouraging for authors, I tend to be glad they are published because they can help authors begin to set realistic expectations and avoid disappointment down the line.

There are many layers to publishing (and marketing in particular), so I wanted to share some thoughts I had while reading the article.

Having a team helps

Even if your team is just one additional person.

Going through a major event (like launching a book) alone can be scary and confusing. Plus, it can get a little bit lonely. It's less fun when you don't have your own personal cheerleader(s)!

Not only can hiring professionals take tasks off your plate, it gives you an additional support system for when things get tough and also for when things get exciting.

Factor this in to your decision of whether or not to seek outside help from a marketing or publicity professional. And also make sure that if you DO end up hiring someone that you genuinely like and trust them.

Getting clarity from your publisher is essential

I've talked about this before in this blog post , but it's crucial to get clarity from your publisher as early as possible (ideally before you ever even sign your contract).

Knowing exactly what they plan on doing for your book can give you the information you need to fill in the gaps. Plus, it can help you set the right expectations.

Each publisher is different in what they offer their authors, so it's up to you to figure out what your publishing team is able to provide, and where you might need to step in.

Last summer I worked with Molly Roden Winter on early marketing strategy and planning for her book, More . She knew her publisher wasn't going to jump in until 2-3 months before her book launch, so we were able to start building a marketing and content plan ahead of her meeting with her publisher which helped supplement the incredible work they did for the book.

Marketing is an investment--but the type of investment is up to you

The phrase time = money could not be more true when it comes to marketing.

If you are publishing your first book with little to no monetary budget, then marketing will require an investment of your time.

Time spent learning the best practices of different marketing strategies, and then time spend actually implementing on these strategies.

My client Mickey Carolan is a great example of someone who carved out the time in the early hours before his work day, because he saw the value in devoting time to marketing his books . The more time he budgeted, the more readers he was able to reach.

And hopefully there is a day where you can switch to a financial investment and bring on a professional marketer to take these strategies off your plate.

If and when this day comes, I encourage you to be wise with the individual or agency that you hire. It's crucial that they understand the industry, but also that they have a deep understanding of the marketing strategies you are implementing.

For example, it's not enough to simply put a post on social media with your book cover and a caption to buy it at Amazon. You need someone who understands the type of creative that is needed for the social platform in question, plus someone who can write a caption that is meaningful to the target reader.

I love how the article talks about how being an author is like having a business. Because it's 100% true.

Your in-house marketers and publicists are doing the best they can with what they have

As someone who worked for 5 years in-house at HarperCollins I understand the inner workings of the business side of publishing and the unpredictable nature that comes along with it.

There are seasons where you are fully staffed and everyone is happy and able to focus on and manage their workload.

There are seasons where employees leave and projects get piled on to different plates, leading to less time to devote to each project.

There are seasons where you have 2-3 bestsellers and your contingency budget is nice and cushioned, allowing you to take some extra marketing risks and give more money to smaller projects.

And there are seasons where every book is flopping and the financial stress is high, meaning budgets get cut and some projects don't get the support they should get.

All this to say: betting all of your money on your publisher's support is a risk, because the industry is constantly changing.

Empowering yourself with the ability to take control of your marketing is the best thing you can do for you and your book(s).

If you want empower yourself with marketing knowledge, here's what you can do:

1. Join my 60-Day Book Marketing Bootcamp . In this program you will learn everything you need to know about book marketing. Plus, you'll get homework that will encourage you to start building your marketing strategy in real-time, and weekly live Q&A sessions where you get direct access to a publishing pro. More details (and the link to register) can be found here .
2. I may not be the right fit for everyone, and that's OK! But if bringing on a professional is the next best step for you, here are some other fantastic pros to consider:

• Caroline Malloy, Ph.D. - Go to her if you're a female nonfiction author who needs help with book proposals, book coaching, or developmental editing
• Jodi Brandon - Go to her for help with book coaching or editorial services
• Mary O'Donohue - Go to her if you're a female nonfiction author who wants to learn how to leverage media (we're talking national media!) to get their book in front of the right audience
• Kait LeDonne - Go to her for help with building your personal brand on LinkedIn
• Lauren Banyar Reich - Go to her if you're a business/thought leader who wants a trusted agency to pitch your message to relevant media
• Karen Campbell - Go to her if you're a Christian authors who wants a trusted agency to pitch your message to relevant media
• Isabelle Knight - Go to her if you want help building your author brand

Keep rocking,

Aryn Van Dyke

CEO, Book Rockstar