Marketing Expectations and the Small Press
Even in the best of times, making a small press successful is a tough maneuver that few have accomplished. The current economy exacerbates the difficulty level, as well. All the small presses are hungry for your dwindling spare change. That’s why I find the common notion of many authors to believe that once they sell a book to you, their obligation to the publisher is done, to be confusing and irrational.
From my perspective, this almost feels like the author is saying “Okay, buddy, you’re lucky none of the big publishers grabbed my collection/novel/novella/anthology and paid me the five-figure advance I deserve, so you are granted the right and privilege of publishing my work. Have at it.”
I’m not sure why authors feel this way. Why wouldn’t you want to promote your work? Everybody knows that most small presses pay little to no advance. Apex pays an advance, but it’s about 1/4th professional rates. Any noticeable amount of money you’ll earn will come through royalties. To earn royalties, the book has to sell.
Many small presses have little to no budget for advertising. We advertise in Cemetery Dance, Weird Tales, Albedo1, Fangoria, Rue Morgue, Space and Time, Electric Velocipede, Shimmer, on the ProjectWonderful banner system, on SFScope.com, and on any surface that we can slap our beloved Apex alien head on. Many publishers never get out and run the convention circuit to promote their authors. Not so for us on both accounts. We actively travel to promote our books. We have dealer booths in the halls of at least a half-dozen conventions a year, almost always done at a loss because you (the publisher) have to sell a lot of books to compensate for the costs of the tables, food, gas, lodging, etc.
When a publisher of any repute buys a book from you, it’s a bi-directional assumption of trust. The author trusts that the publisher will do their best to edit, publish, and market your title. The publisher trusts that the author will do their very best to see that their book is a success by taking it on themselves to do a respectable amount of self-promotion.
If you disagree with this notion of ‘bi-directional assumption of trust’, that’s too bad, because it’s the way I feel and the way I will continue to feel and to do business. If you don’t care enough to do a little self-promotion, then we don’t care to publish you. If you don’t care enough to do a little self-promotion, then you’re doing a disservice to me, as the publisher, to our crew of editors who work their asses off to make sure your book is spotless, to our crew of marketing editors who beat the bushes to find reviewers for your products, for all the favors and queries we make lining up interviews for you, for working to get you free guest membership to conventions, for the endless hours we spend behind dealer tables for you, for the hundreds of dollars spent on review copies mailed out, for bleeding ourselves dry trying to make not only Apex a success but you as well.
So don’t be offended if we happen to ask you for a marketing plan if we request a full manuscript. Don’t be offended if I sometimes suggest you give a helping hand with promotion.
Because if you feel you’re a big enough name so that you don’t need to be doing any of that, or you have the attitude that the promotion paradigm of big press and small press are the same, then you better stay out of the small press because you’re in for a world of heartbreak.
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10 Comments
I’ve never understood that – the whole “all the promotion is the publisher’s job” bit. It never made sense to me from the time I got serious about my writing and looking into publishing my work. I mean, we want our work to sell right? and we want people to know who we are? We have to get out there and do the footwork.
Going to author events/sales is a great networking tool. In eight months I’ve done five college booksignings and several craft fairs where I featured my art and books. Just keep receipts and keep an open mind! My first book has sold more this way than any other!
As a creator of art and prose (soon anyway!) I go by the “If You Want It Done Right Do It Yourself” rule. No matter who the publisher is I figure nobody gives a shit about my career more than me. Sure the publisher may or may not market you but why sit back and wait? The publisher may have dozens of authors to promote but I have only one, me! And I figure the more product I sell the more valuable I become for the publisher.
well said, jason, well said.
See, Marge and Billy are doing it right – and I know Tom does. ;)
I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m still surprised by the number of writers who are insulted by the idea of self-marketing. Granted, so many writers are introverts by nature, making it uncomfortable for them to be “out there”. But with practice and training, it can be done.
As a small press publisher/editor, I’m keenest on the kind of authors that not only write well, but know the business and understand what’s at stake. It ups the chances of publication by far.
Jackie, I agree that it can be learned. Going to HyperiCon every June with the Overlord has been a boon for me. The very first one broke me out of my shell. You have to be able to talk to people – and learn when the time is right that you can.
Absolutely right on!If the author is not interested in promoting his/her work then he does not deserve to be published.
Lately even larger publishers don’t have the budget to properly market most of their authors and self-promotion is still required (probably just as much) as it is when pubbed by a small publisher.
The reason I feel authors are required to do just as much self-promotion whether they are with a small press or a larger press is, a larger press is generally going to do a larger print run and there is more pressure to sell out that print run in order to continue getting contracts.
That’s unlikely to happen if the author doesn’t self promote.
Whether someone self-publishes, or publishes through a small press or larger press, there is no escaping self-promotion. An author who doesn’t want to self promote, needs to avoid publication period.
While I agree the writer should promote their own books, or hire someone to do the heavy lifting, it would be nice if they didn’t have to foot the bill. To do a really good job of promotion takes time and money and both are hard to come by when you work a full time job and live on a tight budget, especially in these economic times. Creative is good and low cost is good, but what are the best ways to promote a book without going broke before the royalties begin coming in?
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