Getting Your Publishing Ducks in A Row - Free Advice Friday!

“My Publicist says my cover is all wrong”

“My local store says my book is too expensive"

“Reviewers are slamming my editing job and are complaining about typos” 

 What to Do…

                                                  What Order to do it in…

                                What is optional and what is not….

Getting your Publishing Ducks in a Row

Come ask us anything on this week’s Free Advice Friday *Friday at 12 noon Eastern Time

(* Yup… we really mean it!)

At 12:00 pm EST, please call in to The Cadence Group Free Advice Friday line:

Dial: 218.486.1616
Use Passcode: 1074462

And get your questions answered!

Free Advice Fridays is a weekly session of free consulting and advice from The Cadence Group.  This week we are having a session about the right time line for your publishing process.  Feel free to email us your questions ahead of time or bring them with you to the call.  Don’t be shy!

Please email or text at any time during the call with questions you would like us to address:

To email: http://www.blogger.com/advice@thecadencegrp.com
To text:  330.219.7108

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Where Did All the Reviewers Go? - This Week's Free Advice Friday

Why Do I Need Reviews?

What Are The Reviewers Looking For?

Where Did They All Go?

How Do I Get Reviews?

What Do I Do WITH The Reviews Once I Have Them?

Come ask us anything on this week’s Free Advice Friday *
Friday at 12 noon Eastern Time

(* Yup… we really mean it!)

At 12:00 pm EST, please call in to The Cadence Group Free Advice Friday line:

Dial: 218.486.1616
Use Passcode: 1074462

And get your questions answered!

Free Advice Fridays is a weekly session of free consulting and advice from The Cadence Group.  This week we are having a session about getting and using reviews.  Feel free to email us your questions ahead of time or bring them with you to the call.  Don’t be shy!

Please email or text at any time during the call with questions you would like us to address:

To email: advice@thecadencegrp.com
To text:  330.219.7108

Looking forward to seeing you there!

The Author Weighs In

You might remember a couple of months ago when I blogged (ok, went on a rant) about the poor quality and editing of ebooks.

That post,  Are eBooks Held to a Different Standard? chronicled my frustration with the fact that book after book after book available on my Kindle is riddled with typos and errors.

Finally, I was driven to write The Letter to both publisher and author outlining my dissatisfaction with a particular book that was particularly error-filled.

Customer Service at Publisher X responded within the first 24 hours. It was a relatively brief and somewhat uninformed response letting me know that my comments would be passed on to the appropriate editor.

The Author finally responded today. And, quite frankly, I believe her response clearly shows an author's perspective, and frustration, with mainstream publishing today. Even bestselling authors have begun to struggle with the increasingly lackadaisical approach to good editing, copyediting and attention to detail. In the rush to make books available as eBooks for the various available readers, the true core of good publishing and good editing appears to have fallen to the wayside in the rush for profits.

I must admit, I take this all quite personally. I hate to have a good read spoiled by poor editing. It ruins the entire story. But apparently, I'm not the only one. The Author's voice, too, falls on deaf ears.

Her response to me, below.... 

(Please note: author name, publisher name and editor name have been pulled from this correspondence along with any personal information that might identify any of them.)

Dear Bethany,

    I forwarded your e-mail to my agent who then forwarded it to my editor, demanding that they crack down on the "quality control" of the books they license to Kindle.  I was so horrified by what you told me, I couldn't even look at the edition myself.  I've complained to Publisher X about typo's in my books and sloppy Kindle editions, but your e-mail was so specific and articulate, I knew it would carry more weight than the author griping about the bad reproduction of her books.  My agent has just gotten back to me saying that my Editor finally got back to her. Anyway, she has started taking the problem seriously and has promised to pay more attention to both the regular publication of my books and the Kindle editions.  After all, this problem reflects on Publisher X  and Editor.  I do not set the type for my own books or do the final proofreading.

    Thank you for the e-mail.  It helped tremendously!

Let's face it folks, when an author's complaints about typos and sloppy editing is categorized as "griping", our industry has taken a huge step backwards. Publishers really need a good wake up call that consumers, and authors, are tired of poorly produced books.

Special thanks to this special author for responding so thoughtfully to my email!

It's Book Expo America 2010!

We’re thrilled that The Cadence Group is exhibiting at BEA this year and we look forward to spending time in NYC this week with book people discussing what’s working, what’s not, and what the future of publishing holds for our many clients and friends.

If you are attending BEA, please stop by our booth at #3914.  We are giving away Cadence Group badge holders, tote bags from Tributary Press, bookmarks from Life Possibilities Publishing, and free chances to win a trip to Okinawa from One Peace Books.
 
We hope to have a great show in New York and look forward to sharing news and updates from the show floor.

 

Booth #3914

If you stop by Booth #3914 (yes, that's us!) at BEA this year, here's a sneak peek at just a few of the fun giveaways we'll have available throughout the show:

• Bags
• Bookmarks
• A chance to win a trip to Okinawa, Japan
• Badge holders
• Tickets to an Explore the Boston Islands cruise

We can't wait to see you there!

An eBook Experience

The Setting: A small local restaurant

Waiter: "So nice to see you again!"

Me: "Thanks"

Waiter: "Wow. I see you've gone to the Kindle?!"

Me: "Yes, I love it!"

Waiter: "I tried it and hated it."

Me: "You actually bought one, used it, and didn't like it?"

Waiter: "Yes, I did."

Me: "Was it the actual Kindle or something else you didn't like?"

Waiter: "I will never give up a printed book. I love it too much. The eBook just didn't feel right."

And, there you have it.

We might believe eBooks are the future of publishing and the world is just waiting to jump on our bandwagon. But, there are still people out there who would far prefer to hold, smell, and read an actual printed book.

No eBook can ever replace that.

Free Advice Fridays

For months, we've been talking about launching a weekly (or monthly) program designed to help our clients and friends learn more about what's going on inside the publishing industry.


For those of you who don't know, the core of our mission statement reads as follows:

The Cadence Group was founded to offer services to new and small presses. At the heart of each of our programs is a commitment to share our experience with others. We believe that knowledge should not be a commodity and the more we educate others, the better off the publishing industry will be.
 

 To that end, we're talking about setting up a weekly (or monthly) one hour conference call. We'll accept questions or inquiries via a designated email address and try to address the most popular or pressing topics each week. We're hoping that these pre-submitted questions will lead to some lively conversation and discussion during each call.


This call-in number will be open to any book lover or publishing enthusiast who wants to participate in a live discussion with passionate book people talking about the industry we all love.  

Perhaps, along the way, we might be able to provide some insight in to where the publishing industry has been, where it is today, and where, we believe, it's heading.


So let us know. Good idea? Something you would want to participate in?

Can a book, author or series be launched in eBook format?

Over the course of the past several months we, along with our clients and colleagues, have been paying close attention to the rapidly expanding - and changing - world of eBooks. And, today's announcement that Kindle is now available for Blackberry has one of us jumping for joy!

As launching eBooks becomes more accessible, doors are opening for small publishers around the world. Publishers that used to plan and budget so carefully for printing, warehousing, and fulfillment are now asking the question:

Can I launch my book as an eBook before - or instead of - a printed book?

We certainly have our thoughts on the matter. And, after carefully researching (read: hounding fellow Kindle owners) we've noticed as surprising trend.

eBook readers are more inclined to try new authors. Why? Because savvy publishers and authors are offering their Kindle books at very competitive prices. Sometimes, they're offering them for free!

Between the two of us, we "discovered" several new favorite authors in the past six months to a year. In a couple of cases, the first book we "purchased" was free. In other cases, titles were offered for under $2.00. Either way, the publisher succeeded in getting us to download the book and try the author.

The good news? If we liked the author, we kept purchasing. And, not every book was cheap or free!

Is it possible to launch a new book, author or series as an eBook only? Can publishers drum up interest and a following while saving money on printing, warehousing, fulfillment and distribution?

Just as recently as a few months ago, the answer might have been "no" - not enough people own eReaders, Kindles, the Nook and/or other readers. But, times are changing! It's more common to see fellow travelers with the eReader of their choice instead of the latest hardcover.

So what do you think? Should an author launch an eBook instead of printed book?

When is it a good idea?  When isn't it?

Key Online Resources for Writers and Publishers

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of speaking to a wonderful group of writers down in Florida at the Space Coast Writer's Guild. This is a group of people who are passionate about their craft and eager to soak up information. They also asked some great questions!

I promised the group that I'd address some of the things that came up last weekend here on this blog...and I'm finally getting to it. First up....a list of some of those websites I was throwing around!

Question: What are some Key Resources for Writers and Publishers?

Answer: 

Bookmarket.com - On his incredibly useful website, John Kremer provides invaluable information for authors and publishers. For you writers out there, John has compiled lists of the 101 Top Independent publishers, 161 Business Book Editors and Publishers, 318 Children's Book Editors and Publishers, 422 First Fiction and Debut Novel Editors and Publishers....just to name a few. If I was trying to get published and looking for publishers in my category, Bookmarket.com would be one of my first stops!

Publishersmarketplace.com - Publishersmarketplace.com is a great place to find out what books are being sold, who is buying what and what literary agent's are looking for. If you just want the indusry news and gossip, Publisher's Lunch is free! If you want full access to all of the information and tools that Publishersmarketplace provides, you can register for a full subscription for $20 per month.

AgentQuery.com  - A great resource for writer's searching for representation, AgentQuery.com allows you to search for a literary agent by category - fiction or nonfiction. Remember, any of these sites are very useful for finding literary agents, but please, visit any agent's website before you submit to ensure you're following their most up-to-date guidelines. AgentQuery also has a fabulous blog roll where you can find some of the best blogs in the business.

PublisherWeekly.com - If you're not a publisher, you probably don't need a subscription. But, if you're interested in what's going on in the industry, stop by Publishersweekly.com every morning to ready PW Daily. Or, sign up to have it emailed to you!

Preditors and Editors  (http://www.invirtuo.cc/prededitors/) - I believe the name says it all. Certainly a site to visit to educate yourself about the people you might be dealing with.

WritersWeekly.com - I love this ezine and have her weekly issues emailed to me. It's free to sign up and the information is great. For instance, this week's issue breaks down POD price comparisons for writers. Angela also runs a "Warning" section on her site that can be educational.

WritersDigest.com -Every writer should know about this site. Every one. If you haven't visited it, stop reading this blog and go there now! The folks at Writer's Digest are committed to providing writer's with valuable information to help them in their craft and career.

AbsoluteWrite.com - If you visit the Forums through Absolute Write, you'll find a number of writers helping writers, providing invaluable information about the good (who's buying what), the bad (who's closing, who's rejecting, who's no long accepting manuscripts) and the ugly (publishers, agents, etc. to avoid).

Shelf-Awareness.com - Publishers read it, so should you. Much of the information might not be applicable to you, but what you can learn about the publishing industry and the direction it's heading as well as new books, new stores, etc. can really build your knowledge base.

This should be a good list to get you started. If there's a website that you love and I haven't listed, feel free to add it in the comments below. Or, of course, you can email us!

Bookstore Feedback - Part One

A couple of weeks ago, we blogged about our research in to bookstore events. We also indicated that the results would be coming soon. We'll most likely separate our many findings in to several posts.

First is the results of an extensive telemarketing campaign that our team put together. I think you might be as surprised as we were....

Over the past six months, The Cadence Group called 1034 bookstores and asked following question:

“Do you host author events?”

We called a wide range of stores. We called independent bookstores. We called chain bookstore. We called gift shops. We called institutional bookstores. The answers we received were varied and surprising.

“I don’t do events anymore.” “I can’t afford the extra staff, time and effort that book signings entail.” “Will the author bring their own books?” “We don’t do well with author signings.” “We only book events from large publishers.” “We’re too small for events.” “We only book local authors for signings.” “Our customers don’t come out for events.”

This small sampling drove home how deeply the struggling economy is affecting retailers everywhere. It also highlighted the many ways that the face of event marketing in the publishing industry is changing.

When our marketing team started our calls, we expected an enthusiastic and positive response from retailers. We thought we knew that bookstores were ready, able, and excited to host local and regional authors. We thought we knew that retailers were looking for ways to draw people to their stores and that author events would be near the top of the list of how to do so.

We thought wrong. We'll let the numbers tell the tale...

Out of the 1034 stores we contacted:

• 825 were Chain or Institutional Stores
• 209 were Independents and Gift Stores
• 254 stores told us that they did not do events because they were too small or did not have the staff
• 117 stores told us that they did not do signings because no one came
• 21 stores told us that they were not booking events because they were not sure if they were going out of business or had recently closed their store fronts.
• 18 hung up on us
• 4 yelled and then hung up on us
• 620 stores did events and booked authors for readings, signings, story times or workshops

Out of 1034 stores, only 620 indicated that they do events. That's roughly 60% (according to my trusty calculator).

While that may seem like a high percentage, you then need to factor in location, region and genre. How many were children's bookstores? How many were category-specific? How many were located in smaller regions around the country?

When you start asking these questions and reviewing the results, you realize that 60% is not that high of a percentage at all.

So now the question is.....if fewer and fewer bookstores are hosting author events, what's the next "big thing" for marketing a new book?

And, if authors and events don't draw people to bookstores, than what, if anything, does?

The Power of an Apology

Last month I messed up. I mean REALLY messed up. Never mind what I did, but suffice it to say... It was bad. It was an error, not an omission, but should not have happened and it impacted a client's book launch.

My client (let's call her Rebecca) called to let me know that she was beside herself and she rightfully let me have it. She wanted her money back. She wanted my head on a platter. And then she wanted me to really suffer.

Today Rebecca is my happiest client and has just signed up for another 6 months of service.

What happened?

I apologized.

When Rebecca called up last week yelling, my first instinct was to defend myself. I wanted to explain that there were extenuating circumstances. Iwanted to remind her that she was just as much to blame.

But I bit back the urge to interrupt and fight back. I ignored the voice in my head telling me that it was not FAIR to be blamed. I listened to what she had to say and then I completely copped to it. No excuses, no defense. I took full responsibility and promised to do everything in my power to make it right.

As I apologized and made a commitment to fix what I could, I gave Rebecca the only thing I could at that moment... I honored her by admitting she was right to be upset without a defensive tone or throwing around passive-aggressive blame. In an instant, I was once again her partner and would work with her to make things right.

There is strength in admitting that we are wrong. No one is perfect. Admitting we are wrong without justification can help us lose our fear of imperfection. No matter how unfair we think it may be or what other circumstances are to blame, when something goes wrong, it is best to take a deep breath, look at the situation honestly and take responsibility for the parts of which you are responsible.

.... and then not do it again.