I am an author who hasn't always had the best experiences with
Print-on-Demand houses. While thinking of changing publishers, I began
researching Vanity Publishers and Print-on-Demand houses on the Internet.
That's when I discovered author forums in which people have expressed their
views about the publishing houses they've dealt with. Their complaints ranged
from high pricing structures to lack of publicity support to poor customer
service to the non-returnable status on their material.
While reading through the above mentioned forums, it occurred to me that
technically I'm already a publisher. I created all three of my
books, I designed every detail of each page and cover, I handled all of
the marketing and publicity, so why not handle the printing and distribution
too? I asked other authors what they wanted from a small publisher.
I read and listened to their advice and used it to put together what I hope
will be an attractive publishing plan for new and established authors
alike.
How did you learn the ins and outs of publishing?
As I’ve mentioned, I have three books on the market at the
moment and I had taken care of the PR on several others. I had dealt with
Print-On-Demand houses. I thought about my own experiences and contacted others
about theirs. I thought about the
treatment I received, the things I liked about the company and the things I
didn’t like. I listened to everything everyone said. I decided I would try to
focus on the positive instead of the negative. And give the authors what they
wanted from a publishing company. Some of the things they were complaining
about with the print on demand places were low Royalties, no publicity, unless
you pay astronomical fees. Since I own a PR firm, the least I could do is to
combine the two services. Signing
Stars is almost more of a PR firm for authors that just happens to publish
their books for them too.
What are the most successful marketing techniques you
use?
E-mail is always a good tool. Thankfully I also have media
contacts at over 18,000 places around the country because of my background, so
I can hit all of them with press releases. I have put together promotional
material such as postcards and websites, so the authors can utilize them if they
wish. I have also assembled a catalogue for all the books and sent them to
major bookstores such as Borders. Also, since the majority of the material is
entertainment-based, I have direct contact with the fans of actors and series’.
How do you get your clients books into
major bookstores?
I have distribution contracts with several distribution
companies throughout the world. I’ve gotten placement in Borders and that came about because I went into
the store and had set up a signing event for my latest book. One of the most effective ways I’ve
gotten books into stores is the old grass roots approach. You contact the management of the store
you are interested in, you go in introduce yourself and the books you have
written, after you have contacted them, you give them a review copy of the book
and the ISBN numbers and then you ask them to carry them. If they like what
they see they will order some. Corporate will decide if they want it in all the
stores or if they are limited to individual stores. It’s a one-step-at-a-time
process.
Do you have any publishing advice for writers?
Research the company that you want to deal with. If for some
reason you are dealing with Print-On-Demand, just because they tell you there
is a flat rate, make sure that there is some kind of marketing package to go
with it, because otherwise you are completely on your own. Look out for publishers who hound you
to publish with them. Sometimes
they have a habit of taking every book that comes through their door regardless
of whether it’s formatted properly, spelled properly or grammatically incorrect
just for the sake of having another book to publish. Then they publish it, put it out for sale at an highly
inflated price and then for all general purposes abandon their authors and
expect them to fend for themselves.
Can you tell me about your books?
Two of them were published by BookSurge and the third is under Signing Stars.
The first is called Together: A Sitcom Lovers Guide To Silver Spoons. It
is a guide book about the NBC television series that ran from 1982-1987. The
second one is Another Time, Another Place: Quantum Leap . That one is a guidebook to the series starring
Scott Bakula. The third is Glamour,
Greed and Glory: Dynasty. It’s very large,
704 pages, and surrounds the inner-sanctum of one of the 80s most popular
television shows. Joan Collins
wrote the foreword for the book and fans around the world are giving it rave
reviews.
What is your writing and revising process like?
The Silver Spoons
book took three and a half years beginning to end. It was rewritten three
times. The Quantum Leap book took
three months. Dynasty took five
years. I work very closely with
the cast and crews of each series to produce quality books that everyone can be
proud of. My books are never
filled with anything that could be damaging to anyone’s reputation. That’s another aspect of my career. You
protect someone’s image at all costs and never do anything to inflict damage.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Follow the old saying, “write about what you know”. Never be
discouraged if some of the publishing houses slam their doors in your face.
They don’t necessary know what is best. Just because they tell you there is no
market for what you are writing, doesn’t necessarily make it true. >You have to find your niche and stick
with it because somewhere out in this great big world are people who share your
thoughts and will encourage you to continue writing.
To learn more about the author and JM Media Group go to: http://www.jmmediagroup.com/
