Posts Tagged ‘publishing’

Spending Dollars to Get Dimes

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Back in the saddle after a whirlwind trip to the NSA Convention.  Had a blast catching up with friends and clients.  The saddest thing though:  watching how many people trade fame for fortune.

Even prominent people do this.  Their new book is published and it’s time to promote the dang thing.  Or they have a compelling story that just got translated into the latest leadership lessons.  A publicist gets hired and — what a concept! — they do a great job.  A bunch of interviews are given, the articles run and… not much happens.  Sure there are some inquiries but for free stuff “for exposure” or low-fee projects from clients who will never implement.

What really happened?  Cute and clever got in the way of strategic and scalable.  Smart folks were distracted by the attention they got instead of remembering that buzz has to be directed before money changes hands.

Now is not a good time to give up return on investment for your media efforts.  Instead, let’s focus on campaigns that not only get attention, but also inspire action.  I’ve got some unique strategies that will rock your world coming up next Tuesday at the Extreme Mini Makeover call on killer media campaigns.  Click here to join the fun!

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Inside Scoop on Publisher’s Speaker Bureaus

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Great call the other day on books that brand.  What I didn’t get the chance to discuss was the role of the publisher’s speaker bureaus.  Let’s drill down on this important issue.

First, a little context:  to broaden readership for their authors, publishers have established speaker bureaus to book speeches for their authors.  A relatively new trend, the bureaus sprang up around 2006; a couple (such as Macmillan) launched last year.

Many authors think that the speaker bureaus will go out and get them speaking engagements.  The reality:  nope, the in-house folks are just answering the phone.  When it rings.  For you specifically.  Why?  Because they don’t know how to promote speakers and don’t have the database that the established bureaus have.

Another problem with the in-house bureaus:  they focus on exposure, so they’ll lower your fee at the drop of a hat.  This practice doesn’t make friends and influence people at the bureaus that represented you before the book came out.  Be prepared for the ensuing cat fights.  And, yes, you are the referee.

Before you sign that contract, ask the publisher about their bureau.  Is it outsourced or in-house?  What’s the policy on fees?  How proactive will they be?  To paraphrase an old saying, an ounce of clarity is worth a pound of assumptions.

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Goodbye Old Friend

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

One of my favorite industry insider pubs has gone to magazine heaven.  Training Magazine and its website is no more after last month’s issue.  I knew it was sick when the issues got smaller and smaller.  While I hoped that the community could live via the Internet, owner Neilsen Business Media is getting out of the trade publishing business.

Moral of the story:  even a well-respected expo, industry conference and a subscription base of 45,000 couldn’t save this platform.  Will be interesting to see what happens in the vacuum Training leaves behind.

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Advocate of experts

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Had a total blast on Tuesday’s call. As an avid reader, I love books. As an advocate experts, I want authors to get the value of all their hard work. But it’s just plain crazy in the publishing world. And let’s face it: publishers and agents want to sell books. They don’t care one bit about your platform or if you leverage all your time and money. To their defense, they aren’t suppososed to care. Let’s get real: that’s your job.

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen authors make: they forget who is in charge of their platform. They are so thrilled that a publisher wants their book, they throw strategy out of the window. They’ll do anything the publisher wants; won’t even try to suggest a better idea. The result: a book that sounds great, even gets some sales, but doesn’t translate into better opportunities for any other revenue stream. Like speaking or consulting. I call this having fame without fortune. Nothing good comes from this.

Here’s the secret: publishers want to sell books. Platforms sell books. Keeping the publisher happy and supporting your platform are not mutually exclusive. You have a voice here. Use it. If you want to hear about the other mistakes authors make, reality checks on what books can really do for your business and other good stuff, the mp3 of Tuesday’s call is now available. Click here to purchase.

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Can your book compete?

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Interesting tidbit about books from industry powerhouse Bowker’s: in 2008 U.S. book production declines three percent with 275,000 plus titles put on the market. That’s right, there’s almost 300,000 titles competing with your literary baby.

But wait, there’s more. On demand publishing explodes with 132% growth. Yep, more than double the titles from 2007. Another 285,000 plus titles promoted over the Internet, tweeted about and distributed through the usual social media sites.

If that’s not a noisy market, I don’t know what is. Good news though: the big winners in 2008 were education and business. (The losers: travel, religion, and fiction.) I can’t wait to cuss and discus the trends and how to use them to our advantage. Join the lively conversation on July 14th when the Here’s the Deal series deals with the wild, wild world of books. Only $59 — is that worth making your book better? Click here for more information and to register.

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