Pocket Guide to Publishing

100 Things Authors Should Know

John L. Koehler, Joe Coccaro

• Publisher: Koehler Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781633933231
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Publishing
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Publisher John Koehler and executive editor Joe Coccaro share 100 golden nuggets of wisdom that help answer the many reoccurring questions that authors have.

How collaborative should the process be with a publisher? What is a decent royalty percentage? How is the price of your book determined? Do you need to have an attorney look at a contract before you sign? What’s the difference between line and copy editing? How much and what kind of marketing should an author expect to do?

These questions and many more are answered in this pocket guide to publishing.

MARKETING

Marketing is always top of mind for writers when seeking a publishing partner. Some have high expectations of what the publishing firm will do to promote the book and to actively market it. Publishers want their books to succeed, and most will have some kind of a marketing program.

One way that publishers initially market is by accepting certain types of titles and authors. Some publishers specialize in romance, or mystery and detective, or historical, or nonfiction self-help. That is one way to help target the books to a particular type of reader. Larger publishers will also do this by the creation of imprints, which are essentially new divisions that concentrate on a particular book type.

Generally speaking, publishers market upstream to booksellers and distributors who will be buying their books, and the authors must concentrate on marketing downstream to the readers. Most publishers also reach out to readers through various types of marketing, including things that directly support the author, such as providing printed and digital advanced review copies (ARCs).

Köehler Books partners with authors to create comprehensive marketing programs that include conventional media, social media, and other ways to build a buzz and raise awareness about your book. We also train and coach emerging authors on the best methods for reaching out to readers, using low-cost guerilla marketing techniques as well as working with publicists and marketing professionals.

The following items are right off of our website and are from the list that we walk through with our clients as we develop their book and begin to deal with marketing the book. The first part lists what we, the publisher, do and the second part lists the things that we coach and train the author to do.

What the Publisher Does

Book Web Page

Each title gets a stand-alone web page on the Köehler Books website. It includes the cover, description, author bio and photo, as well as buying and other optional information. We will also add you to our authors page.

Author’s Questionnaire

This is a comprehensive document that solicits the author for information about their title, the cover, marketing plans, description, comparative titles, etc. This information becomes the bedrock for Ingram’s Title Management System (TMS). Download an author’s questionnaire at www.koehlerbooks.com/dropbox/questionnaire/Author_Questionnaire.doc

Title Management System (TMS)

Ingram’s TMS provides title information and graphics to booksellers and distributors. This includes descriptions, endorsement quotes, marketing plans, and other information from the author’s questionnaire. Booksellers can download tip sheets and package the information in a number of ways.

Tip Sheets

Tip sheets are comprehensive single-page sheets that originate from the author’s questionnaire. Tip sheets are invaluable for authors to send along with Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) for endorsement quotes and reviews and also useful when visiting booksellers. They include ALL sales information, ISBN, pub date, etc. about your book and also include Ingram’s logo. Ingram is a known distributor and adds weight to your presentation. Always include a tip sheet! They are priceless and extremely useful. Download a sample tip sheet at www.koehlerbooks.com/dropbox/tipsheet/The%20Pitcher%20tip%20sheet.pdf

Advance Reader Copies (ARCs)

Each author receives at least twenty printed ARCs after the book has been approved for distribution. Authors are urged to use them for soliciting endorsement quotes and reviews and for their personal enjoyment. They are finished books in every way. The author will also receive a digital ARC, which is the entire text of the book saved as a pdf file with the front and back covers added. These are extremely useful for our authors and are accepted by many reviewers and endorsers. Download a digital ARC sample at www.koehlerbooks.com/dropbox/digital_ARC/Passover%20digital%20ARC.pdf

ARC Author Purchases

Köehler Books authors may purchase additional copies of their books at or below the wholesale price. Authors may sell those books for profit and also use them for promotional purposes. Author orders do not count toward royalties.

E-book Campaigns

We work with our authors who have signed on with a legitimate e-book promotion such as BookBub. Typically, we lower the price prior to the event and then bring it back up to an agreed level afterwards.

Ingram Catalog Inclusion

Inclusion i...