In article <20030829175959.17919.00000151.DeleteThis@mb-m05.aol.com>,
mgropen.DeleteThis@aol.com (Marion Gropen) wrote:
> << Maybe 5% of good books reach readers. Of those 5%, maybe 5% do more than
> > cover the costs.
>
> Are you saying that 95% of well-written, worth-reading books are never
> published?
>
> >><BR><BR>
> The previous poster didn't mean never published, I think, but not published
> in
> such a way that they find their audience.
>
I think you have to first ask the question: What is success for a self
publisher?
To be sure, there are probably nearly as many answers as there are
publishers.
One client was a published mid-list author -- and his publisher decided
he didn't want his next book. (Mid-list authors having been replaced by
MBAs who pointed out that the big profits all come from blockbusters. Of
course, they didn't realize that blockbusters can often start out as
solid mid-list authors -- or that all those mid-list books pay a lot of
overhead even if they don't generate much profit.)
We did a press run of 2000 books for my client. He sent hundreds of
copies out for reviews and sold some as well. He got some great reviews
(this author wrote some good mid-list "hits" selling 10 to 30 thousand
copies in the past.) One reviewer included the self-published book as
one of the 10 best of the year (2000). Then, publishers started coming
around... but my client held off (he didn't grab the first deal
offered). Finally, he accepted a deal with St. Martins. They are
re-publishing his book under their imprint (having paid a nice advance
for it), but (most important to my client), they have agreed to take his
next two books. That was this client's goal from the day he decided to
self publish. He wanted a "big" publisher to buy out his book _and_
agree to publishing future books. (It helped that the MBA influence has
declined at some of the publishers.)
Another client wrote a book of spiritual renewal that tells the story of
her 25-year-old son's last few months. Her son had been quite the "party
animal" -- but alcohol abuse can cause severe reactions, including, in
his case, serious heart failure. The son was waiting for a transplant in
"critical care" and was attached to a "Ventricular Assist Device." The
book goes on (in this marketer's opinion) far too long (it's 586 pages)
describing the day by day ups and downs of medical care. During this
ordeal, both the mother (author) and son re-connected their relationship
with God and their spiritual aspects of their lives. Eventually, the
horrible decision to pull the plug had to be made (no heart having
become available and the son becoming weaker by the day). In this case,
simply getting the book published was the goal of this author. She was
"driven" to tell her son's story. She has been selling modest quantities
of the book, usually after giving a talk about her and her son's
experiences. What is success in this case? The process of writing this
book has helped this mother deal with the early death of her adult son.
It was quite possibly less expensive than 5 years of psychotherapy.
Perhaps a success in this case can be measured in the emotional
well-being of the author, rather than any monetary measure.
Yet another client loves to hike in a particular region of the Sierra
Mountains (in Northern California). He wrote a book describing 100 hikes
in the region. He was turned down by two smaller publishers (of similar
books). He was given advice by one of the publishers to expand the area
covered by his book (it was too concentrated) and it was explained that
the book would not be practical to print in color. (He wanted color maps
and color photos to better promote the region.) So, he went ahead and
self-published. The first edition was received from the printer in March
2002, a press run of about 3500 copies. 400 copies were given to one of
the hike publishers, who didn't want to publish the book, but was
willing to distribute it to the trade for my client. My client then
proceeded to sell the remaining copies -- selling out by mid-summer. He
focused on retailers in the region of the hikes. (He netted, perhaps,
$20,000 or so.) He then did a second edition (some hiking trails had
changed during the time it took to write the first edition). He then
printed another 3500 copies -- received them this spring. He resupplied
the publisher for trade distribution (the previous 400 copies had sold
out) and then went on to sell a significant portion of the 2nd edition
in the same area as the first edition. The 2nd ed is presently a bit
past breakeven and he has a stock of 1500 copies (or so) to carry him
into next year's hiking season. Financially, the book has done
reasonably well-- but it certainly isn't "quit your day job" success.
(My client is reasonably well-off retired -- the book revenue was a nice
"bonus" to his income.) His goal was to raise awareness of the region --
and it has achieved some modest success in that regard. (I, for one,
will be travelling to the area next week for my third late summer
visit.) My client is satisfied with the project. In this case, "success"
for a self-published book has been attained.
So, to measure "success", you first have to establish _exactly_ what
goals you're trying to attain, then determine if your project reaches or
exceeds those goals. Then, you may have a success -- even if the book is
not the financial success you may have wished for.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
>> Stay informed about: Self Publishing 
FAQ
Profile
Private Messages
Log in
