What is Important in Pitching Your Book: Hear it from the Experts
It has happened to almost every author: the dreaded
rejection letter from yet another publishing company, and the accompanying
wonder of where you went wrong in pitching your book. But, what actually gets
the attention of those people who move books up the chain of command? What is
it they are looking for and where do they find it? Bound manuscript or printed
pages? Cover letter or marketing plan? The options are
seemingly endless…so we went directly to the experts to get their take on what
they look for in a submission.
According to Bowker, 480,000
books were published in the US in 2008. Think of how many books never made it
to that stage: the number is easily tripled, even quadrupled. That’s the number
of manuscripts you are competing with. As an author, getting involved with your
work is therefore very important in order to make your work stand out. It shows
that you are willing to do your part to raise awareness of your book, and that
in turn impresses a publisher.
We asked industry professionals about their preferences to
see what helped move books up the ladder, and what landed them in stasis in the
book submission process.
Kim Weiss: Director
of Communications, HCI Books
“Naturally, [a
bound, formatted, edited, manuscript with a marketing plan] is preferred, but the bound, formatting aspect is much
less important than the marketing plan. And, an entire manuscript is not
necessary. A partial manuscript, perhaps 2-4 chapters, is fine. Editors are
busy. They can't always read entire manuscripts. If they're interested, they'll
ask for more… Organizing it is important, though. The marketing plan, if well
executed with substantial content, could make a very big impression.
Develop your platform before you get your book out there.
Increase your chances of good sales by building your own audience. That means
getting "out there" and becoming your own "brand" as much
as possible. Tend to your email list, snail mail lists, association updates,
etc. Don't rely on your publisher to do this. Distribution is really their
major role and one that's hard to get on your own. Use all the technology
available to you including social networking and do your own personal social
networking by soliciting support from that circle of people who you might
"owe" you a favor. Your friends and colleagues really do want to
help. This is your time to ask for help. Don't be shy or humble now!”
----------
Cheryl
Miller Thurston, President, Founder and Editor of Cotton Wood Press
“Even if
they haven't self-published, a formatted, bound manuscript sometimes indicates
lack of familiarity with the world of publishing and an attitude that their
layout and design and formatting is what is best. They don't understand that
what we are interested in is their writing, period. It may be difficult for
them to let go of their vision for the book, appearance-wise.
I prefer a manuscript mailed to me in the traditional
double-spaced way (please, not emailed for me to print out on our paper),
and I pay A LOT of attention to the cover letter. It tells me a lot.”
----------
Laine Cunningham, Publishing Industry Consultant,
Writers Resource
“Publishers
adore...adore...an
Internet platform. It's one of the big changes that has
happened since the Internet has entered so many American homes. Even
before you send out that first manuscript, fiction and nonfiction authors
should be developing a website, blogging, writing articles related to their
themes for article submission sites, and sending out press releases
related to those same topics. It's a low-cost way to build groundswell
without having to leave home.
Once that
portion is underway, everyone should develop keynote addresses or brief talks
related to their themes. The articles and press releases are the starting
point...anything important enough to discuss in those items can become a topic.
…
Common
mistakes for both fiction and nonfiction authors:
The biggest
one is probably thinking that a single shot of anything is going to generate results.
I've talked to many people determined to sink their entire marketing campaign
into a single full-page ad in The
New York Times. They expect that sales will roll in and provide
financing for any additional marketing the might opt for later. This is wrong.
The basic tenant of all sales is that the product or author's name must appear
7 times before it's recognized; it takes another 5 to 7 appearances before
people are actually motivated to buy. That's in part why the multi-pronged
approach works so well...it shoots out the same information in different
formats to different outlets and creates the multiple impressions required to
drive sales.
Another
mistake: thinking that a website is the advertisement. Actually, a website is a
destination...it's like you have to sell the site in order to sell the book. A
website doesn't do any good if there isn't any traffic coming in, so treat the
site like a product. It's free but you want people to engage with it so they
will engage with your book.
Final big
mistake: thinking that book reviews will sell books. They don't. They're just
another point in the platform, another way to generate name recognition.
Recognize that, and place your efforts into capturing reviews in a way that's
appropriate to the benefit you will reap.”
----------
Lori
Cates Hand, Trade and Workbook Product Manager, Jist.com
“I don't
necessarily look for a bound or formatted manuscript--I can see past the
cosmetics to the true merits of a proposal. However, if a proposal or
manuscript is riddled with errors, I tend to knock it down because it tells me
that the author isn't careful and that it will cost us more money to get it
into shape.
In regard to
a marketing plan, this is an essential part of a proposal; if an author can't
produce one that's satisfactory, I won't consider the book for publication. The
author has to prove to me that he or she is an authority on the subject, or
that he or she has a following to whom the book can be
sold, and that he or she understands the importance of participating in
marketing efforts willingly. At the same time, the marketing plan has to be
credible and realistic. I know what works and what doesn't, so if an author
shows naivety or grandiose notions, it's a signal to me that he or she knows
less about the market than I do.
To sum up,
when I look at a proposal, I look for the following things:
- Good, careful writing
- An interesting premise and
engaging tone
- A new spin on a topic that
already sells well
- Subject-matter expertise
- An understanding of marketing
and a willingness to do a lot of work in that area
- An established media presence,
such as a column or his or her own radio show
- A good attitude and a pleasant,
flexible personality”
----------
Randy Peyser, Owner and CEO of Author One Stop
“Here are 5 considerations every
author needs to know:
- The two biggest questions that publishers have on
their minds
- Is the topic current and will readers be
interested in it?
- How extensive is the author’s publicity platform?
- Prove your publicity platform and write a book that
adds something new and different to stand out from your competitors,
and you’ve got a potential winner on your hands.
- Publishers want to read professional writing. Some
details within the text that publishers look for include:
- The absence of weak words, such as: was, did,
made, got, went
- Subjects that follow current buying trends
- Showing, not telling. The biggest mistake novice
writers make is to tell rather than “show”. Examples must be extremely
visual to “show” what is happening, rather than just tell what is
happening.
- Know the kinds of books that a publisher buys
before you query them.
- Learn how a publisher is willing to receive
submissions. For example, many Mind, Body, Spirit authors tell me they
want me to send their manuscript to Hay House, Louise Hay’s publishing
company. They have no idea that Hay House only publishes books by authors
who already have large publicity platforms. Additionally, all submissions
to Hay House must be through literary agents, as Hay House does not accept
submissions directly from authors.”
Here’s some advice from our own staff:
·
The disparity
between these industry professionals on various points may be due to their
company’s size and practices. A larger publishing company may be happier to
take on a bound copy of the edited manuscript as it saves them a lot of work. A
smaller company may be more used to dealing with new authors, and may make a
lot of its business by going through the basics. Be sure to research the
company you pitch to beforehand. Know their preferences and tailor your
approach.
·
Edit and format
your book, and consider using a POD publisher to print a few bound galleys and
ARC’s. This shows the publisher that you have spent time on the book, and there
should be little formatting/editing to work on.
- Make up a marketing plan. If you
hand over a basic outline to a publisher: a list of 300 contacts, media
contacts, local bookstores who have agreed to take your book, where you
plan on listing your book etc., it shows the publisher you have done some
legwork.
While there
is some stigma attached to self-publishing, the reality is that it can help to
further your book up the career ladder. Always keep in mind that the writing is
really what sells, not the superficial appearance of the manuscript. Every contributor
we heard from emphasized the importance of a clean, well-thought-out, copy with
no grammatical or punctuation errors. It can be that the simplest things are
the ones that can make or break a manuscript, so keep working, and always keep
trying.
