Hi, Jess. I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to ask my publisher what their marketing plan is for their education-related books given the upheaval and uncertainty going on right now. My agent is totally hands-off and I didn't have an in-house editor there. The AE who took over education books last year is responsive and helpful but I don't hear from him unless I ask him a question. Is it appropriate to ask a question like this?
It's ABSOLUTELY appropriate. Go nuts. Do their job for them if you can. Make your own marketing proposal - I was asked to for my marketing meeting at HarperCollins (by my agent). The more invested you are the more invested they may be. There is, of course, the risk of coming off at insane, but I trust you can walk the line between invested and TOO invested. Remember, as we always say, no one can sell you better than you.
I looked at my proposal for The Gift of Failure "Author's Promotion Plan" and the headings are: Summary, Market (my target audience), Publicity (how we could best promote to those audiences) with subheadings for television and radio and bookgroups, etc, Media Experience/Relationships in tv, radio, podcasts, blogs, print media, etc, Marketing (including social media reach and podcast/blogs, etc), Long Term Goals (SPEAKING), Wish List, About the Author.
Thank you for this, Jess. I should have mentioned at the top that this is for my book that came out in 2023. My publisher has been pleased with sales, and the acquiring editor who is now there (not the one who acquired my book) is enthusiastic about it. I want to make sure it is getting some love. The previous AE was completely hands off, and I never saw a marketing plan from them. I realize the horse is out of the barn on this edition, given it is now backlist. But since the book has done relatively well for them, I wondered if I have something of an in and whether it would be appropriate to ask them what they’re doing with education books given the chaos right now. Also - give my love to Lila. Seeing her makes me smile!
Question from someone having commenting challenges, Jess:
I am new to ghostwriting and am nearing completion of my first book about talking effectively. We are looking for a hybrid publisher but have encountered obvious scams or questionable places for other reasons. What criteria should we use to compare these sources? Thanks.
This is SUCH a tricky question. It gets to the heart of what a hybrid publisher really does. So let's break down all the functions at play.
A publisher, or a self publisher does all these things to turn a manuscript into a published book:
- Hires an editor, or multiple editors and proofers
- Formats the book (into an epub and a pdf for print) or hires a formatter to do this
- Hires or directs a cover artist to produce a cover
- Publishes the book to multiple platforms for greatest visibility
- Markets the book so people will find it
My personal view is that a hybrid publisher is often capable of all those things EXCEPT THE LAST ONE. When ANY small publisher or hybrid publisher says "I can get your print book onto bookstore shelves" I think "but can you really?" Usually the answer is no.
And anyone with a few hours and the patience to establish accounts at Amazon, D2D and Ingram can get your book LISTED for sale on, say, the Barnes & Noble site, among many others.
When you work with a hybrid publisher, you are paying them to do all these tasks (above) either with a check or by forfeiting royalties. That is all. This is an admin job, essentially. That's real work, so your goal is to make sure you are paying the right price for all that work.
Is the editing fantastic? That's worth, like, $2000. Not that there aren't pricier editors and specialists in the world who command more. I'm just not confident you'll be getting those people with a hybrid publisher.
Is the cover amazing? That's another $1000
Formatting, add a few hundred.
Admin work for opening accounts, etc... that takes let's say 10 man hours, plus the knowledge to know how to do it. ← That knowledge bit is not unimportant, but it's something you could also learn in author groups that share this info.
If a hybrid publisher charges you $10,000, I feel like you're paying for their confidence. Their direction. You're paying them to lead you into battle. Maybe that feels worth it to you, or not. But if you think any hybrid pub can get your book a New York Times review, a People mention, or onto a table at Books-a-Million, they can't. Not happening. So please don't listen to anyone who says otherwise.
I would say that another “best time” is while they are really excited about your current book—if your agent thinks she can push it to a deal or if, for example, they have a certain option period to take it or not. You might not get as much $$ as you would have if your book takes off, but you might get more than if it does not. All that said… I haven’t had a lot of luck playing with or trying to game this system intentionally. It’s ready when it’s ready and what happens happens. But I get the urge!! And it’s real—we really wanted me to have a book ready when the chicken sisters TV show came out and people were all excited… but I didn’t, and the book I tried to rush to that was crap and we didn’t end up pitching it at all… so, yeah. It will work out!
Do you have a resource/article/suggestion around internet and gaming addiction? This is something my young adult son is dealing with and I’m trying to help but coming up short. This question isn’t about writing but you opened up to your personal substack so hope it’s ok
Another marketing-related question: I'd love to hear your thoughts about investing in some media training before a book launch (and what it usually entails, price ranges, etc.?). Thanks!
This is also a great question. I called up a friend of mine when the article behind Gift of Failure went viral, and her best advice was to sit at the front of my seat on the morning shows. A+ advice. Do as many small podcasts as you can to refine your patter, take every interview you can get, and this will really help with your confidence, which is the biggest plus of media training. I think you can get the top 10 pieces advice by searching "best advice media training." [please hold] Yep. Just did it, and the first page of hits were good, solid advice you can get for free.
Thanks! I already feel more confident, knowing I have a lot of podcast experience under my belt. Yay! I realize I will need to work on finding/creating the easily digestible bite-sized ideas within the longer, more nuanced concepts in the book. There’s the rub!
Practice by writing your own pitches for producers. What are the top four points you HAVE to make, and then, realizing you will likely only get to make two (always happens) what are those two? Also, understanding you can direct the interview by answering the question you want to answer rather than the one they asked helps.
This almost feels like a ridiculous question, but — I have a book launching at the end of this year. Because it takes so much time for a book to publish, I’ve also already made significant headway on another book-length project. The proposal isn’t polished yet, but it might be before my first book debuts. At what point do I share this project with my agent? Should I wait until after my book debuts to demonstrate that I’m serious about promotion/sales? Do I share earlier? Is there a right way to go about this? Thanks for your thoughts!
KJ's answer, posted above. I moved it down here to keep things organized.
I would say that another “best time” is while they are really excited about your current book—if your agent thinks she can push it to a deal or if, for example, they have a certain option period to take it or not. You might not get as much $$ as you would have if your book takes off, but you might get more than if it does not. All that said… I haven’t had a lot of luck playing with or trying to game this system intentionally. It’s ready when it’s ready and what happens happens. But I get the urge!! And it’s real—we really wanted me to have a book ready when the chicken sisters TV show came out and people were all excited… but I didn’t, and the book I tried to rush to that was crap and we didn’t end up pitching it at all… so, yeah. It will work out!
This is SUCH a juicy question and the answer is....it depends. The best time to propose a new book is when a current book is doing well. Peak well. Anytime other than "peak well" is up for debate and really depends more on when your proposal is the best it can be. I will ping Jennie, Sarah and KJ to see if they have anything to add.
Hi, Jess. I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to ask my publisher what their marketing plan is for their education-related books given the upheaval and uncertainty going on right now. My agent is totally hands-off and I didn't have an in-house editor there. The AE who took over education books last year is responsive and helpful but I don't hear from him unless I ask him a question. Is it appropriate to ask a question like this?
It's ABSOLUTELY appropriate. Go nuts. Do their job for them if you can. Make your own marketing proposal - I was asked to for my marketing meeting at HarperCollins (by my agent). The more invested you are the more invested they may be. There is, of course, the risk of coming off at insane, but I trust you can walk the line between invested and TOO invested. Remember, as we always say, no one can sell you better than you.
I looked at my proposal for The Gift of Failure "Author's Promotion Plan" and the headings are: Summary, Market (my target audience), Publicity (how we could best promote to those audiences) with subheadings for television and radio and bookgroups, etc, Media Experience/Relationships in tv, radio, podcasts, blogs, print media, etc, Marketing (including social media reach and podcast/blogs, etc), Long Term Goals (SPEAKING), Wish List, About the Author.
Thank you for this, Jess. I should have mentioned at the top that this is for my book that came out in 2023. My publisher has been pleased with sales, and the acquiring editor who is now there (not the one who acquired my book) is enthusiastic about it. I want to make sure it is getting some love. The previous AE was completely hands off, and I never saw a marketing plan from them. I realize the horse is out of the barn on this edition, given it is now backlist. But since the book has done relatively well for them, I wondered if I have something of an in and whether it would be appropriate to ask them what they’re doing with education books given the chaos right now. Also - give my love to Lila. Seeing her makes me smile!
I think it is totally appropriate! It’s “is there a marketing plan in place and how can I help.” Not anything anyone would mind getting.
Question from someone having commenting challenges, Jess:
I am new to ghostwriting and am nearing completion of my first book about talking effectively. We are looking for a hybrid publisher but have encountered obvious scams or questionable places for other reasons. What criteria should we use to compare these sources? Thanks.
My best,
Kerri Acheson, Ph.D
This is SUCH a tricky question. It gets to the heart of what a hybrid publisher really does. So let's break down all the functions at play.
A publisher, or a self publisher does all these things to turn a manuscript into a published book:
- Hires an editor, or multiple editors and proofers
- Formats the book (into an epub and a pdf for print) or hires a formatter to do this
- Hires or directs a cover artist to produce a cover
- Publishes the book to multiple platforms for greatest visibility
- Markets the book so people will find it
My personal view is that a hybrid publisher is often capable of all those things EXCEPT THE LAST ONE. When ANY small publisher or hybrid publisher says "I can get your print book onto bookstore shelves" I think "but can you really?" Usually the answer is no.
And anyone with a few hours and the patience to establish accounts at Amazon, D2D and Ingram can get your book LISTED for sale on, say, the Barnes & Noble site, among many others.
When you work with a hybrid publisher, you are paying them to do all these tasks (above) either with a check or by forfeiting royalties. That is all. This is an admin job, essentially. That's real work, so your goal is to make sure you are paying the right price for all that work.
Is the editing fantastic? That's worth, like, $2000. Not that there aren't pricier editors and specialists in the world who command more. I'm just not confident you'll be getting those people with a hybrid publisher.
Is the cover amazing? That's another $1000
Formatting, add a few hundred.
Admin work for opening accounts, etc... that takes let's say 10 man hours, plus the knowledge to know how to do it. ← That knowledge bit is not unimportant, but it's something you could also learn in author groups that share this info.
If a hybrid publisher charges you $10,000, I feel like you're paying for their confidence. Their direction. You're paying them to lead you into battle. Maybe that feels worth it to you, or not. But if you think any hybrid pub can get your book a New York Times review, a People mention, or onto a table at Books-a-Million, they can't. Not happening. So please don't listen to anyone who says otherwise.
I would say that another “best time” is while they are really excited about your current book—if your agent thinks she can push it to a deal or if, for example, they have a certain option period to take it or not. You might not get as much $$ as you would have if your book takes off, but you might get more than if it does not. All that said… I haven’t had a lot of luck playing with or trying to game this system intentionally. It’s ready when it’s ready and what happens happens. But I get the urge!! And it’s real—we really wanted me to have a book ready when the chicken sisters TV show came out and people were all excited… but I didn’t, and the book I tried to rush to that was crap and we didn’t end up pitching it at all… so, yeah. It will work out!
What is the best address to use to send you a thank you note? (Noting that this is a public forum!)
There's a PO Box! PO Box 159, Shelburne, VT 05482. We looooooove mail!
Do you have a resource/article/suggestion around internet and gaming addiction? This is something my young adult son is dealing with and I’m trying to help but coming up short. This question isn’t about writing but you opened up to your personal substack so hope it’s ok
Another marketing-related question: I'd love to hear your thoughts about investing in some media training before a book launch (and what it usually entails, price ranges, etc.?). Thanks!
This is also a great question. I called up a friend of mine when the article behind Gift of Failure went viral, and her best advice was to sit at the front of my seat on the morning shows. A+ advice. Do as many small podcasts as you can to refine your patter, take every interview you can get, and this will really help with your confidence, which is the biggest plus of media training. I think you can get the top 10 pieces advice by searching "best advice media training." [please hold] Yep. Just did it, and the first page of hits were good, solid advice you can get for free.
Thanks! I already feel more confident, knowing I have a lot of podcast experience under my belt. Yay! I realize I will need to work on finding/creating the easily digestible bite-sized ideas within the longer, more nuanced concepts in the book. There’s the rub!
Practice by writing your own pitches for producers. What are the top four points you HAVE to make, and then, realizing you will likely only get to make two (always happens) what are those two? Also, understanding you can direct the interview by answering the question you want to answer rather than the one they asked helps.
This almost feels like a ridiculous question, but — I have a book launching at the end of this year. Because it takes so much time for a book to publish, I’ve also already made significant headway on another book-length project. The proposal isn’t polished yet, but it might be before my first book debuts. At what point do I share this project with my agent? Should I wait until after my book debuts to demonstrate that I’m serious about promotion/sales? Do I share earlier? Is there a right way to go about this? Thanks for your thoughts!
KJ's answer, posted above. I moved it down here to keep things organized.
I would say that another “best time” is while they are really excited about your current book—if your agent thinks she can push it to a deal or if, for example, they have a certain option period to take it or not. You might not get as much $$ as you would have if your book takes off, but you might get more than if it does not. All that said… I haven’t had a lot of luck playing with or trying to game this system intentionally. It’s ready when it’s ready and what happens happens. But I get the urge!! And it’s real—we really wanted me to have a book ready when the chicken sisters TV show came out and people were all excited… but I didn’t, and the book I tried to rush to that was crap and we didn’t end up pitching it at all… so, yeah. It will work out!
This is SUCH a juicy question and the answer is....it depends. The best time to propose a new book is when a current book is doing well. Peak well. Anytime other than "peak well" is up for debate and really depends more on when your proposal is the best it can be. I will ping Jennie, Sarah and KJ to see if they have anything to add.
This is great! Thank you so much for sharing this wisdom. I’m really grateful!
Good, and it was NOT a ridiculous question. It was a great question.