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Stepping Stones, Ladders And Bridges.
Start small work your way up. Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. Climb the ladder one rung at a time. Get your foot in the door and the rest will follow. Well worn platitudes all. But what does it have to do with writing?
Many writers think that the secret to getting published by a major house is working their way up. Write a book, get it published by a vanity/utility publisher and thats the first rung on the ladder to success. But is it? Do these books count for anything other than massaging the ego of the writer that they are indeed now published?
No. The publishing industry doesnt consider a vanity book as a writing credit because it hasnt been vetted. No one has determined that the book is well written or has market value. Quite a few agents and publishers look down on a writer that includes a vanity book in their resume as being unprofessional and naïve. Some even consider it a disadvantage because they assume the writer couldnt get the book published or they would have. A vanity book indicates to them poor writing.
What about the motivation that is sparked by holding your very own book in your very own hands? Well odds are your hands will be the only ones holding that book. The average number of copies a vanity published book sells is about 100. Most literary agents are unimpressed until the sales level reaches 5000 or so copies. And those copies have to verified, the author cant just go on a credit card spending spree and buy tons of their own book.
Its not really a fair assessment because it is next to impossible to get a vanity book stocked in a bookstore. Bookstores are where most books meant for the public are sold. The stores demand 90 day payment terms and most vanity books are publish on demand which means paid for when ordered. Most publish on demand books are not returnable and bookstores want to return unsold copies. Publish on demand books are priced from 30% to 50% higher than an offset printed book. Bookstores want competitively priced books. And finally publish on demand houses dont offer discounts that allow enough profit margin for the stores.
Vanity published books are appropriate in lots of circumstances. The author has a book that appeals to a niche market that is too narrow for even a small press. The author lectures and speaks and wants a book that can be sold in the back of the house. The author has a book that is meaningful to their family or other personal relationship group but doesnt have much appeal outside that group.
However much writers would like to believe it, a vanity published book is not a step up the ladder to a writing career, or a stepping stone to greater publishing achievements.
BONUS : Stop Wasting Time And Money
Getting a manuscript published has never been easier; marketing and selling books has never been harder. Authors who pursue the smallest place for their Independent book on the shelf of a traditional bookseller is wasting valuable time and resources.
The six largest publishers in the world, all based in New York (five owned by foreign corporations), tightly controls the traditional world of retail bookselling. They pay an enormous price for prime retail space for all their titles. Space that is not only cost prohibitive, but space that also carries a huge financial risk for the successful Independent author.
Even if that retail shelf space was within the marketing budget of most Independent publishers or authors, the risk in returned product, shipping and handling charges, advertising allowances, and other assorted fees could bankrupt even the savviest small company.
Marketing is about finding ways to reach your audience with minimal cost and maximum exposure. Finding readers interested in your book is the essence of marketing. Why then would any Independent author concentrate on scratching out even the tiniest of space in the traditional world of bookselling?
The key for the Independent author to reach a global audience is to become a part of a growing movement, developing a community that will provide an online platform to market books and authors. A place where a global audience can easily find books not found in the typical neighborhood bookstore.
The only way to successfully market Independent titles to readers on a global scale is via the Internet with the creation of a single location for these books. The creation of an Independent marketplace on the web would substantially increase the exposure, availability, and eventual sales of these books worldwide.
I'm a 25-year veteran of New York publishing who became tired of the old model for bookselling. I love books, admire writers, and felt there had to be a better way to introduce new writers to readers. My goal is to help create a marketplace for Independent titles. Anyone involved with the Independent author marketplace cannot help but recognize the enormous opportunity for marketing and selling these titles to readers worldwide.
When I began speaking to writing groups and at writing seminars I quickly realized that an opportunity existed for the sale of Independent books. If an online marketplace could be developed that would present those titles and their authors in the right format to readers around the globe, the chances for success would increase substantially. An online platform representing a million Independently published titles would be an enormous advantage for the consumer, not to mention the author and small publisher.
Traditional publishers send authors on book tours to meet their audience and hopefully create a personal connection. Without the benefit of a book tour an Independent author can do the same by utilizing inexpensive audio and video. This would be the single most cost effective way for the Independent author to expand their readership. The technology exists, we just need to take advantage of the opportunities.
Let us join together to change the face of publishing and become a part of the new wave in Independent publishing; we will establish a voice for the Independent author.