July Wrap Up

Dear Publishing Associates,

We’ve closed the month of July and I am thrilled to report that business is UP at Cumberland House! We had a terrific month posting 5% growth ahead of where we were at this time last year.

Publishers Lunch reported today that Simon & Schuster sales for the second quarter are down seven percent from a year ago. It's the third straight quarterly decline for the publishing unit. At BookExpo in June the buzz was that “flat is the new up.” With current market conditions, I am thrilled with 5% growth. As Chris Bauerle, our vp of sales and marketing, relayed to the team today, “This performance comes from a combination of factors resulting from over-the-top performance and creativity in every single department. You all should be very, very proud.” We’re still in a very tough year, and we have a long way to go, but we are leaving everything on the field, and it is paying off.

My first month as a blogger is wrapped up now too. A special thanks to all of you who are reading and commenting. It has been an interesting experiment and I am enjoying it. I hope you are too. Again, I welcome your feedback and ideas to keep the discussion going.

I started the blog with “Ten Things Your Publisher Thinks You Already Know,” with the intent of expanding on each of the ten points. Well, it is taking longer than I thought but we’ve put a good dent in it.

Following is a list of the posts from July:
§ “And What About Backlist?"
§ More on Advances, Expenses, and Reserves (1 comment)
§ How Are You Using Your Advance?
§ Comp Title Research Will Help Sell Your Book (1 comment)
§ Meet Lisa Taylor
§ Author Tips from a Broadcast Pro
§ Eye Spy. . . Publicity
§ Social Media and Promoting Your Book Online
§ “Leverage the Damn Book”
§ Innovation Is a Social Process
§ Insight from 30-Year Bookseller Turned Author (1 comment)
§ Expert Publicity Advice for Authors
§ Marketing in the Digital Age (1 c0mment)
§ Meet Paige Lakin
§ "I Can't Find My Books at Barnes & Noble"
§ Some Realities of the Publishing Business (5 comments)
§ Turning Conventional Book Marketing On Its Head (2 comments)
§ "You've Got to Spend Money to Make Money" (1 comment)
§ A Great Ad
§ A Story Problem for Authors and Publishers (9 comments)
§ The Realities of Independent Publishing
§ Children's Book Documentary Wins Bronze Telly Award
§ The Book Proposal Is Your Business Plan
§ A New Vision of the Book Business
§ Ten Things Your Publisher Thinks You Already Know (3 comments)

Or, if you prefer to read by subject, here is a list of tags:
· about Cumberland House (5)
· advances (3)
· book marketing (12)
· book proposal (3)
· business partnership (5)
· business plan (2)
· independent publishing (3)
· innovation (3)
· market realities (8)
· meet the Cumberland House family (2)
· publicity (7)

I invite you to please comment on the posts, ask questions, share ideas, and stay in touch.

Best, Paul.

And What About Backlist?"

In her June 16, 2008 column, Publishers Weekly editor-in-chief Sara Nelson asked,"And what about backlist? Is somebody ever going to figure out how to mine this most potentially profitable publishing vein?”

I can’t say we’ve figured it out, but we’re working on it. Our fall 2008 list is 65% backlist repackaging and our reps and customers are telling us this is our best list in years.

Ron Pitkin, the owner, president, and publisher at Cumberland House, and one of the original founders of Rutledge Hill Press, has an amazing gift for finding and developing great books. Life’s Little Instruction Book, Aunt Bea’s Mayberry Cookbook, and Why a Daughter Needs a Dad have all sold over a million copies. Ron has developed a wonderful, rich, and deep backlist at Cumberland House. Here are just some “before and after” backlist re-releases on our fall list.

The Military Wives Cookbook by Carolyn Quick Tillery
($22.95 HC, October, 978-1-58182-672-2)
Originally published as At Freedom’s Table, the book sells consistently year in and year out but has yet to be recognized for the treasure it contains—200 years of recipes and traditions for military families. The new packaging aims directly at a younger military wife—a demographic with a strong sense of identity and sorority. The new packaging is a printed case with embossing and blue foil that will make an excellent gift. The new edition also includes more profiles of contemporary military wives, not just historical subjects. Author Carolyn Quick Tillery’s father and husband were officers in the US Air Force. She is a graduate of Tuskegee University and an attorney, and currently manages the Family Readiness Program at the US CENT COM in Tampa, Florida where she helps military families deal with the various aspects of deployment. She is also the author of the best selling African-American Heritage Cookbook.


Webb Garrison’s Civil War Dictionary ($16.95 PB, September, 978-1-58182-675-3)
Originally published as The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage the book has sold well to CW buffs, writers, and historians. It is a wonderful collection of period words, phrases, names, and events compiled by a best-selling Civil War author shortly before his death in 2000. While it is a great reference book, it is also a great bathroom reader for interested Rebs or Yanks. The new edition uses a title that more plainly tells what the book is, in a more consumer-friendly format and price.

The Conservative’s Handbook by Phil Valentine ($19.95 HC, September, 978-1-58182-662-3)
Originally published as Right from the Heart by radio talk-show host Phil Valentine, the book has sold over 20,000 copies in hardcover. We created a small format handbook, trading on the original structure of the book—a guide to the conservative position on issues from A to Z. The packaging is a foil stamped leather-like hardcover (that would make my hymnal printing brethren proud) with a belly band jacket. We spent $400 to get dummies made at the printer because we knew the packaging would sell the book, and it worked! B&N and BAM are putting it on political tables for the election season. And we have a lot of interest in custom editions from various groups outside the trade. It is a gift packaging play, but it is one that will back list and sell for years to come.

Why I Love You by Greg Lang (14.95 HC, September, 978-1-58182-699-9)
Why a Daughter Needs a Dad is one of Ron Pitkin’s true “diamond in the rough” stories. It’s sold over a million copies and spawned a series that has sold over 3 million copies, net. Why I Love You sold over 150,000 copies in its original packaging and is being redesigned and re-released this fall. Historically it sells as well or better at Christmas as it does for Valentine’s Day. The new design uses a deep red metallic ink that is stunning.

Repackaging and re-releasing backlist books is just smart publishing. As a rule, if a book didn't work the first time, it is very difficult to make it work a second time. Books that did gain some traction in the market can be recast with a different title or different format and sell all over again. It is especially effective when the release can be tied to an upcoming event, holiday, or promotional opportunity. Also, as I mentioned in the post about marketing in the digital age, timing is everything. Even repackages need to be planned and sold months and months in advance of the new release date.

So, what is happening with your book? Are there any events or anniversaries coming up in 2010 or later that would fuel a re-release? It's never too early to be thinking about it.

More on Advances, Expenses, and Reserves

Another reality about advances is that they are often split up into two or three installments payable upon contract signing, manuscript submission or acceptance, and/or some future date tied to printing or publication. Often books are contracted 12-18 months or more before they are released so advances can be spread over two or even three years.

An advance is taxable royalty income so spreading it across a couple years can offer some tax relief. Be sure to keep copies of all your receipts and expenses (mileage, etc.) that you spend to promote book sales. The expenses may be deductible, but please consult with a tax professional as I am not qualified to offer tax advice. Generally, CHP will only reimburse travel expenses with prior approval from the publisher. As a rule, ask first. Don’t assume you will get reimbursed. Our expectation is that authors will pay their own expenses (gas, meals, hotel, etc.) for any promotional activities within a day’s driving distance from their home, or anywhere that the author travels for other business, vacation, or other engagements.

Also, do you know that standard terms in the publishing business allow retailers to return books that don’t sell and get FULL CREDIT? Crazy isn’t it? In fact, publishers count on an average return rate of about 30% or more of the books they "sell." And that is for traditional book selling channels. A 50% return rate in mass market accounts like Wal-Mart, Target, or Sam’s Club is considered successful. Yes, those accounts purchase large quantities, but if the placement is not successful, the publisher can get back 70%, 80%, 90% of the books.

Because of the returns factor, your publisher will keep a returns reserve. Suppose your book ships a large quantity to Wal-Mart in April and royalty checks are issued in May. First, it will be several months before Wal-Mart or its distributors ever pay for the books, often not until a promotion is over and unsold books are shipped back to the publisher and deducted from the amount owed. The publisher must keep a returns reserve on the royalty until he knows how many books sold, how many are returned, and when the customer actually pays the bill. The reality is that most books never "earn out." That is, most books never sell enough copies to cover the advance and start paying royalties, but when they do you need to be aware that a returns reserve is standard practice and addressed in your contract.

How Are You Using Your Advance?

I’ve written before about my experience as an “author” (more like a packager) for the Gift Card Book series, but I didn’t tell you how close I came to blowing the deal. I really wanted my publisher, John, to see what an expert negotiator I was and I knit-picked every detail of the contract. To John's credit, he didn't dump me during the negotiations, though I'm sure it crossed his mind.

John and I had a few discussions about reasonable royalty rates and the advance, and I agreed to supply the finished, designed files, which meant I had to pay for art and design out of the advance. After John made his official offer I asked for a higher advance than we previously discussed. Nearly all of the advance money was going to pay for art, permissions, and design, and I wanted a little something for me. John reminded me that historically advances were paid to cover a writer’s living expenses while they finished a book. An advance is not intended to pay for a new sofa (Had John bugged my house?). It is not a pay in return for work or a reward, as it is often seen today. And today, most authors do not (and could not) make their living as an author. It is an advance against future earnings to cover an author’s expenses while putting the book together.

If your advance is not going toward paying for permissions, illustrations, photography, design, research, or other aspects of the book itself, what are some ways you could use your advance to increase sales of your book?

Here are a few ideas, but please share comments with some of things you have done with your advance money that helped promote and sell your book.
- Hire a designer to create a professional Web site for you.
- Give away books to people with large spheres of influence with an interest in your subject.
- Plan a tour to speak, promote, and sell your book
- Send your book in a care package with other goodies or a special carton that really gets attention to media and other influencers.
- Print business cards or bookmarks with your book cover and contact information to include with free books, press releases, etc.

Comp Title Research Will Help Sell Your Book

A thorough analysis of comparable or competitive titles will help sell your book to a publisher, and it will help the publisher sell your book to retailers. It is not unlike listing your home for sale. We’ve done that twice now and our realtor researched some “comps” to help establish the value of our home before we listed it for sale. He brought us listings of homes with the same square footage, similar construction, and even similar floor plans in the same neighborhood and similar neighborhoods around town so we could see how they were priced. Then we looked at the things unique to our home—curb appeal, mature trees, built-in bookcases—the “selling points” that added unique value to our home. The point was not to say, “there’s no other home out there quite like ours.” The point was to know the competition, set our value accordingly, and develop the unique selling points that would make our house sell faster than the one up the street.

Even if you believe your book is completely unique, you should still do an analysis of other books in your category. If your book is going to sell in bookstores it will have to be shelved somewhere. You should know the best sellers in your category, why they sell, as well as other books your readers are likely to read.

Amazon makes comp title research very easy through best seller lists by micro-categories and the “people who bought this book also bought these books” feature. Book descriptions, reviews, and selling points emphasized in the title, subtitle, and descriptive copy often tell you enough to compare a book to your own. Look for the best selling books similar to yours and try to determine why they sold so well. The best sellers demonstrate the size of the market’s appetite for a given subject. Show how your book is similar and the features, benefits, or content your book has that the best sellers do not. Also look at books from authors with a similar platform to yours. How many books have they published compared to you? What’s their day job? What are you or your book going to do that they or their books don’t do?

The point of comp title analysis for a book is not to show that there is nothing out there like your book. I almost immediately reject any proposal that claims, “there’s nothing out there quite like my book.” It tells me that the author is not aware of the market, let alone their own category, and has not done their homework. The wisest man who ever lived told us a few thousand years ago, “There is no new thing under the sun.” Today, R. R. Bowker reports more than 400,000 new books were published in 2007—more than 1000 new books a day. The recent surge is attributed to new print-on-demand and self-publishing technology.

Competition is stiffer than ever before, but this should be exciting, not intimidating. Technology makes it easier and more affordable to reach defined groups of people with specific interests. Reaching those people and profitably publishing content in the way they want to buy it and the format they want to read it is a very exciting challenge. As publishers and authors we need to get sharper and sharper at what we do and the benefits we provide to readers, booksellers, and each other.

Meet Lisa Taylor

Lisa Taylor is a talented and experienced book editor, and she's a lot of fun too. Lisa feels that working with your editor should be a creative, collaborative process. Her areas of interest are cookbooks, gift books, and biographies, as well as health and self-help titles. Before joining Cumberland House in 1998, she worked in editorial production for a Brentwood, TN-based magazine publisher.

Name: Lisa K. Taylor

Childhood nickname(s): When I was twelve, I insisted that everyone start calling me Gopher. But I'm over that now, so Lisa is just fine.

Title: editor

Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN

Education: BA (English), Middle Tennessee State University

How long in current job: 9 years

Previous job: copywriter and editor

Dream job: Why this job, of course!

Passionate about: my 2 dogs and 4 cats, guessing people's Myers-Briggs temperament type, my evening backyard badminton game, line-drying my clothes, eating organic

What are you reading? Tana French's The Likeness; Henry James's Daisy Miller; Catholicism for Dummies

What's on your iPod? I'm pretty sure my tunes aren't all that hip or trendy. I've got some Alison Krauss, Carole King, 3 Doors Down, Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, and Simon & Garfunkel. And, I'm not ashamed to admit this: I have an Anne Murray song on there. It's Danny's Song.

Tell us something about you that no one would guess: I came close to being crowned Little Miss Cinderella at the age of nine; I was first runner-up.

Other comments: Season 2 of AMC's Mad Men starts July 27th. It's the only TV show I watch.

Author Tips from a Broadcast Pro

Cumberland House marketing and publicity specialist Jennifer Behar flagged this column from the July 2008 issue of BookPage, a book review publication available free at bookstores and libraries across the country (and my first employer in the book business). The Author Enablers, Kathi Kamen Goldmark and Sam Barry, provide “inside scoop on writing and publishing.” This month’s column includes publicity tips for authors from Sedge Thomson, host of “West Coast Live,” a weekly public radio show where Goldmark and Barry have also both worked.

What defines a great interview?
“I’m looking for an interesting conversation that tells a good story… I want to learn something new.”

What drives you crazy?
It’s not a selling point when publicists and authors point out that there have been interviews on other big national shows; it makes me wonder why—with all this other attention—do they need us.

Other tips to make a good impression?
Send out review copies and press materials in plenty of time, and make sure your contact information and available dates are clearly communicated. Let us know why you think your book will be of particular interest to our audience.

Final thoughts?
Feel free to send us a personal note and remind your publicist if you think an appropriate media booking has been overlooked.

Read the complete column here.

Eye Spy. . . Publicity

Gerald Henig, Cumberland House author of the book A Nation Transformed: How the Civil War Changed America Forever, recently sent me a copy of the British magazine Eye Spy, which is distributed in 36 countries including the U.S. The most recent issue includes a five page feature story on espionage in the American Civil War written by Henig.

Gerald is a frequent contributor to a variety of popular history magazines, such as North & South, America's Civil War, Civil War Times, American Legacy: A Journal of African History & Culture, Naval History, and others. The featured piece in Eye Spy on Mary Elizabeth Bowser (who is briefly mentioned in his book) is an entirely new article.

According to Henig, "I truly knew nothing about Eye Spy, but thought the editor might be interested, so I sent the Bowser piece to their editorial offices in England , and, incredibly, he called me three days later and told me that he wanted to publish the piece in the next issue."

In a stroke of genius, he negotiated for ad space in lieu of payment for writing the piece. I applaud Gerald for writing on his subject in a way that appeals to readers beyond the regular Civil War journals.

What magazines might be interested in your book if presented a story in the context of their readers’ interests?

Social Media and Promoting Your Book Online

Book Launch 2.0

This YouTube video about an author marketing the paperback release of his book is pretty funny and has gotten some good play (40,000+ views) in the publishing community. Pretty smart, too. The author, Dennis Cass, truly is promoting the release of his book Head Case: How I Almost Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain, which stemmed from his research in trying to beat a case of writer's block.

A good friend of Cumberland House recently forwarded this slide show. It’s also worth a look.

Rose Keefe is a Cumberland House author who frequently posts comments on this blog (thank you Rose). Her new book, The Starker, is the story of Big Jack Zelig, New York's first great gangster boss.

Rose has recently started her own blog at http://rosekeefe.blogspot.com/. In a post called, “You Wrote It – Now Make Sure They Come,” Rose provides some great ideas well worth reading for authors to promote their books:
- Give the book, and yourself, an online presence.
- Register a domain name (i.e. www.yourname.com) and build a site.
- Update your site regularly.
- Join a forum or e-mail list dedicated to your subject.
- Sign up for an Amazon Author Blog.
- Join GoodReads.com.
- Contact local book clubs.
And my favorite:
- Set up a MySpace or Facebook page. Profiles on social networking sites are ridiculously easy to set up and use. Because they are so popular (not mention searchable, allowing you to locate fans of your book topic), several of my author associates forgo setting up their own websites in favour of having a presence on either of these networks. They have groups dedicated to all kinds of topics, and you’re sure to find one that caters to your target audience. When I was promoting my third release, The Starker: Big Jack Zelig, the Becker-Rosenthal Case, and the Advent of the Jewish Gangster, I created a MySpace profile that appeared to be maintained by Big Jack Zelig himself. True Crime fans got a kick out of it, and even learned to speak 1912 gangster jargon.

Brilliant.

“Leverage the Damn Book”

“Leverage the Damn Book,” is the title of the Editor’s Note in the June 2008 issue of Book Business magazine from editor-in-chief, Noelle Skodzinksi. The title of the note is actually a quote from Michael Cader, founder of Publisher’s Marketplace and daily e-newsletter, Publishers Lunch, taken from a presentation at the Book Industry Study Group’s “Making Information Pay” event.





The book, Cader said, “is the [most] meaningful place for you to have meaningful interaction with your readers…When I finish a book, I want to know what to do next… Can I write the author? … Is there a club? … If there’s a Web site, don’t just give me a URL, tell me what’s good there.” [Cader’s] larger message: “Get your mind-set out of the book business and into the reader business.”

Great advice for authors and publishers in the spirit of innovation and making the reader the boss.

At a publishing conference last year I was reminded that the definition of publishing is: "to make public." So often we equate publishing with books, but we all know that paper and ink is just a (shrinking) piece of the publishing pie. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE books. I believe in books. The "technology" of a printed, bound book is genius and has endured for hundreds of years. I am not one to declare that print is dead, or even dying. Heck, as far as publishing goes, humans still use carved stone and the equivalent cave painting to communicate messages, tell stories, express art, etc. It is the way people read that is changing. I read more blogs than books now. I like having links to additional content. I like posting my reactions and questions to things that make me think or change my mind. I like connecting with other readers. I even like funny pictures and chewing on just 500 words at a time. I've probably read twice as much content from my iPhone than any other medium in the last six months.

So, what are some ways we can"leverage the damn book," in light of changing reading habits?

Innovation Is a Social Process

I’ve been reading The Game Changer by Proctor & Gamble CEO, A. G. Lafley, and expert business consultant and author, Ram Charan. I was first introduced to Lafley through an article a couple years ago in FastCompany. I was impressed with his commitment to creativity and design, and his installation of a vice president of innovative design and strategy.

I’m only 100 pages into the book but I’ve been making notes and reading when I can really focus. (With a three year-old and an eighteen month-old at home, I figure I should finish the book in 2011.) The book is about innovation. Here are a few of my favorite passages from the first thirty pages.

“The consumer—not the CEO—is boss.” (For us, it’s the reader.)

“Delight your consumers at two ‘moments of truth’: first, when they buy a product, and second, when they use it.”

“Seek out innovation from any and all sources, inside and outside the company.

“An invention is a new idea that is often turned into a tangible outcome, such as a product or system. An innovation is the conversion of a new idea into revenues and profits. Invention is needed for innovation to take place. But invention is not innovation.”

“To succeed, companies need to see innovation not as something special that only special people can do, but as something that can become routine and methodical, taking advantage of the capabilities of ordinary people.”
This week our operations team met to talk about ways we can more effectively run our warehouse at Cumberland House. Pictured from left to right are returns processor Christy Badger, warehouse manager Tracy Neddo, shipping manager Scott Hartsell, and finance director Linda Cobb.

“Innovation is a social process. And this process can only happen when people do that simple, profound thing—connect to share problems, opportunities, and learning.”

So I ask you, dear blog reader, what problems, opportunities, or ideas for innovation in the publishing industry will you share for us to discuss?

Insight from 30-Year Bookseller Turned Author

Nancy Rips is the author of the book Seder Stories, published by Cumberland House earlier this year. Nancy has been a bookseller for 30 years with B. Dalton, Read All About It, and most recently The Bookworm in Omaha, NE, where she has sold the daylights out of her book. Nancy agreed to do an interview for our blog.

Nancy, how many copies have you sold from your store and how do you account for such success?
We've sold over 500! Even more than Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel (who's being whispered about as Vice Presidential material) when he did his signing at our store! I account for it because I'm very visible in the Omaha, Nebraska/Iowa area. I've been on KMTV, the CBS-TV affiliate in the Midwest since '94 doing regular weekly book segments on the noon news. Plus I do a regular radio book segment. I'm on the Library Board, appointed by the mayor. People know me as the 'Book Lady'. Also I'm extremely involved in the Jewish community, having served as this years major Women's Campaign Chairman, and having received numerous volunteer awards.

One man, from the Omaha JCC, bought over 150 copies to send to former Omahans. He thought this was the perfect gift at Passover for these people who continue to contribute money here.

I had great publicity that I arranged here--a full page interview and picture in the Sunday book section, plus two smaller papers. And I did a huge signing at the store where I work, The Bookworm.

I know some outstanding nationally known people who kindly gave me blurbs--Harold Kushner, Ron Wolfson, and Jules Harlow--all esteemed names in Jewish circles.

Check out my website http://www.nancyrips.com/ and you'll see more of my activities.

Were you thinking about the marketing and sales potential of the book as you were writing it? When I first thought of writing the book, I knew as a long time bookseller and reviewer, that there had never been a book on Seder stories. There are hundreds of books on Passover, even how to do Seders, but none of personal stories. I knew I had a niche. And as I was working on it, I just kept discovering more and more fascinationg stories.

What's been your favorite experience so far in publishing your book? Any surprises?
My favorite experience has been going on the road and speaking to people. I'm a performer and I love marketing. I arranged my own 5-week tour before Passover, going to Chicago and it's suburbs, to Albequerque, Santa Fe, Lincon, NE and of course to many different groups in Omaha, where I live. Going to stores and meeting people who love my book is fabulous! One man at a Barnes & Noble in Deerfield, IL told me he heard me speaking, and came over and bought 12 copies to give to everyone at his Seder table.

A huge surprise--many people didn't buy just one--they bought one for everyone of their children or grandchildren. It's $14.95 and hardcover--a beautiful, lasting gift for Passover--and it doesn't cost so much!

It's pretty wonderful walking into a huge Borders or Barnes & Noble and seeing your name on a big poster by the door! Let alone walking into the Borders on 56th and Park in New York City and seeing 6 copies of your book in a Passover display or seeing it at the Borders at the Time/Warner Center at Columbus Circle. As a veteran bookseller, you'll understand--I put them face out! Recently I was in Montreal, in Chapters (their big chain store), and saw copies of my book. I asked if they wanted me to sign them, and they were delighted. What fun to see the "Signed by Author" sticker in French! At least that's what they told me it said!

What kind of things are you doing to promote and sell your book?
I just came home from the Jewish Book Council auditions in L.A. Attending were representatives from JCC's and synagogues all over the country - looking for speakers! So far I have inviations next year to speak in San Diego, Detroit, and St. Louis! And I hear more are interested in me next spring before Passover.

Two of the biggest churches in Omaha recently invited me to speak next fall. They told me they liked the idea of "family memories/stories".

I also led a women's Seder at my JCC for about 250 women, and we sold books after.

And I'm definitely hoping that by fall it will finally get in the biggest and only Jewish catalogue called HAMOKOR JUDAICA. [Cumberland House sales representative] Brian Ellsworth told me he's working on this dilegently.

Check out my website for last springs' appearances before Passover - http://www.nancyrips.com/

As a bookseller, what advice do you have for authors?
Be very nice to booksellers! They're the ones who sell your book when you're not there. They're the ones who remember if you were pleasant,and they're the ones who will say to a customer, "I have just the book for you! I met the author and loved her!" Booksellers are also the ones who won't display it nicely or remember to reorder if you're not pleasant.

Thank them profusely when you leave the store, and the next day write them a thank you note. It will go up on their bulletin boards, and they'll always remember you as a "nice one", and will be delighted to know you're coming back with your next book.

Any other comments you want to share?
Cumberland House has been a pleasure. From the first moment I spoke to Ron Pitkin, I knew I was in good hands. And Jennifer Padgett Behar is a true professional--always encouraging, smart, and efficient. It is because of Cumberland and Jennifer, specifically, that I got in many Jewish newspapers and did newspaper and radio interviews around the country. Bottom line - from my experience as a long time bookseller and reviewer, I think what helped me is
1. I found a subject that had never been done
2. I'm not a writer first. I'm a creator, a performer, and a killer worker!

All the best, Nancy
http://www.nancyrips.com/

Expert Publicity Advice for Authors

Rick Frishman is the founder of Planned Television Arts and recognized as one of the book industry's premier publicists. He keeps a blog I highly recommend reading. Rick's recent post, "Following Up with the Media" has several great tips. Here are some points I found especially interesting and helpful.

"Remember — timing is everything with the media! In the course of a week or two, everything can change. A contact who was totally disinterested last week may now want lots of information on a subject that he or she virtually ignored before."

"Remember the Rule of Seven — it takes at least seven tries before you make contact. But one response, one “Yes,” may be all you need to get your story told. Look at each “No” or lack of response not as a defeat or a setback, but as a small victory that puts you closer to the “Yes” that will land you a feature or a booking."

About publicity expert Paul Hartunian: "When he represented a client who marketed a golf putter, he realized that sooner or later, some high-profile professional golfer would miss a putt that would cost him a tournament. So, he dashed out a press release with the headline, “Did You See _____ _______ Just Miss That Putt?” and left the name blank. Under the headline, he added the subhead, “Call me. I can tell you why ___ ________ missed that putt and how it could have been prevented.” Then, Hartunian filed the press release and waited. Sure enough, before long, a major golfer missed a critical putt to lose a major tournament.

Check out Frishman's Author 101 books and resources too.

Marketing in the Digital Age

Our Spring 2009 List is Ready!

This post is not about Web sites, or blogging, or e-books. Today, data management is probably the single most important thing a publisher can do to “market” their books (that is, bring a book to market). And, a publisher's relationships with the national accounts make data submission one thing the publisher can do to market a book that many authors cannot do for themselves.

Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, and other national accounts order their books six months or more before the pub date so they can plan their seasonal promotions. There are seasonal cycles when the book buyers at the chains will meet with sales reps who must have their data submitted by a certain deadline, generally a month before the sales call. In some cases, the publisher must have a minimum number of new titles in the same category to even get an appointment with a buyer. That is another reason why it is so important for authors to work with publishers that are established in their categories.

Cumberland House operates on two cycles a year. Our Spring list includes titles that will publish between February and July, and our Fall list includes titles that will pub between September and January. The data we compile for every title on the list includes title, subtitle, series title, ISBN-10, ISBN-13, author name, author hometown, format, trim size, page count, number of illustrations, type of illustrations, retail price, ship date, pub date, carton quantity, category/BISAC codes, previous edition title and ISBN, three comparable titles with author, ISBN, and sales figures. As you can see, there are a lot of questions to answer for every title. This schedule is why a publisher typically needs a manuscript at least 12-18 months before the book is scheduled to release, and sometimes months and months (and months) will pass without hearing a word from anyone after you submit your manuscript .

A finished manuscript allows the publisher to accurately complete the data. The more complete the data, the more successful job we can do selling it. Accuracy is also critical. Once data is put into the market it is very difficult to get it changed. With all the distributor, retailer, library, and Internet databases feeding each other it is not uncommon for bad data to resurface even months after it has been caught and corrected.

The great news is that once we have all this data correct for the national chains it works for everybody else too, including independent retailers, special markets, and the media.

Meet Paige Lakin

From time to time I want to introduce you to members of the Cumberland House family. Paige Lakin is a part of our marketing team and has a strong career focused on public relations in the book industry, the music industry, and journalism. Prior to Cumberland House Publishing, Paige worked with The Tennessean and Laughing Penguin Publicity, and holds a degree from Belmont University. Her interests include photography, dancing, reading, and The Talking Heads! Please meet the one we like to call "Paige the Rage."

Name: Paige Lakin

Childhood nickname(s): Paiger, Paigemaster, Página

Title: Marketing and Publicity Specialist

Hometown: San Diego, CA/Nashville, TN

Education: B.A. in business administration from Belmont University

How long in current job: Going on a year and a half

Previous job: Junior publicist for the music industry

Dream job: Freelance music/ fashion journalist. Fantasy novel writer. Charity dog shelter owner.

Passionate about: my dogs, Jasper, Jersey and Phoenix and rainbow sherbert ice cream

What are you reading? Best Little Stories from the Life and Times of Winston Churchill and The Martian Chronicles

What’s on your iPod? Just added some Flogging Molly, The Kills, Jeremy Lister, and the new Coldplay

Tell us something about you that no one would guess:
I’ve recently started training to become a professional belly dancer

Other comments: Give ‘em hell Obama!

"I Can't Find My Books at Barnes & Noble"

Boy, I can relate. Gift Card Books are miniature gift books designed with a little pocket to hold a gift card, an idea I developed a few years ago. With the explosion in popularity of gift cards I was certain it was a multi-million dollar idea that would set the publishing world on its ear. Everywhere I presented the idea people thought it was a "no-brainer."

My good friend John Whalen at Cider Mill Press picked up the idea. John is the former publisher at Running Press where he helped establish the Running Press Miniature Editions gift book line. John knows gift books and he cut an exclusive deal with Barnes & Noble for four Gift Card Books: Thoughts, Quotes, and Wishes for a Happy Birthday, The Gift of Friendship, Pet Therapy, and Opening Lines: The First Sentences of Classic Plays, Poems, and Books.

In the time between B&N's initial expression of interest until they finally issued a purchase order (almost a year) we went through four or five different buyers, each one wanting to see different concepts. In addition to the four books they bought, we had book ideas for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, books for coffee lovers, chocolate lovers, book lovers, newlyweds, new parents, teachers, books to say thank you and congratulations, and a handful of other ideas. When B&N did finally place the purchase order we had about two weeks to finalize, design, and proof the four books before they went to the printer. The goal was to get them in stores by Thanksgiving weekend to catch the Christmas wave--the most popular gift book season. The books arrived in the B&N distribution center in mid-November. I sent an email to everyone I know to tell them to look for the books.

The first weekend in December, my wife and I got a sitter for the girls, we went out to dinner, and went to B&N to see my books in the store. After a good five minute scan of the store, my face was flush with something between embarassment and anger. I asked a clerk to look up the books. It took several attempts before he finally found them (entered with the wrong titles) and he told me he could order them but that his store, my hometown store, was not getting stock--special order only.

Suddenly the dozens of calls and emails I've received over the years from authors who had a similar experience ran through my head. I called John. I also know what it is like to be on the receiving end of the phone call with virtually nothing you can do about it. He confirmed the books were shipped and received. He confirmed it was a national buy and that the books were to have front of store placement, but B&N didn't release them.

Turns out B&N did not actually release the books until mid-February even though they are listed in their system with a December 2007 release date. And the books were supposed to be placed on a ladder display near the cash register though none of the Nashville stores ever displayed the books. In fact, I had to ask clerks to help me find them.

On my last trip to New York in May I stopped in to the B&N store on Fifth Avenue and there they were--my four books on display at the check out! It was a very proud moment for me. Even though we missed Christmas, the books have sold consistently. In fact, at the current velocity B&N should run out of stock just before Christmas again this year, and they have declined re-orders and passed on new concepts. It's a tough business, even for a "no-brainer." Sometimes the 800 pound gorilla just won't do what you ask it to do, even when you give him all the bananas.

Some Realities of the Publishing Business

Mark Hurst, author of the book, Bit Literacy, recently posted Secrets of book publishing I wish I had known. While Mark's comments are jaded, the points he makes are valid. Joe Wikert, publisher of a technical imprint for Wiley and formerly Macmillan, pointed me to this post from his Publishing 2020 blog. Joe clears up some facts about Mark's post and makes some good points about finances and contracts.

I don't know which publishers Mark worked with previously, and it probably doesn't matter, but different publishers do have different cultures. I've often attributed those differences to being corporate or independent, but there are other factors too. Fact is, getting a book published is a dream come true for most authors, and many have very wrong expectations about the realities of book publishing. While much of what Mark writes makes me wince, I encourage you to read it. It helps me to remember how harsh some of these realities seem when seen through eyes that haven't been calloused by the business.

I do disagree about book lovers. Most of the people in this business (not all, but more than Mark implies) love books. I also love business. To me, smart business is fun, and smart book business isn't even work. I love it.

Mark also paints publishers as lazy opportunists who simply imprint their name on a book and sit back to rake in the cash. That's just not an accurate picture. I mentioned in a previous post that the average net profit on a book is about 5%. How does that compare to most author royalty rates?

Mark downplays the risk the publisher assumes. In 2007 Cumberland House spent an average of nearly $20,000 per book before it ever received a single payment. That is real cash going out the door for an advance, design, printing the books, and freight. Those are real checks we write for every book whether it goes on to sell 100 or 100,000 copies. It doesn't include the salaries of the editors who will edit, proof, and typeset the book. It doesn't include the marketing and sales staff who will create catalogs, sales sheets, Web pages, and distribute the information about your book and make personal presentations to all the distributors, chains, Web sites, and other booksellers. $20,000 may not sound like a lot of money for a business, but would you spend it? Would you spend $20,000 to develop, print, and sell your book? If so, you might consider self publishing. There are many viable options available today, and it seemed to really work for Mark.

Turning Conventional Book Marketing On Its Head

At Cumberland House, we are intentionally turning conventional book marketing on its head. Nielsen's BookScan gives us great insight into how many copies of any given book actually sell at the cash register. We have empirical evidence on previous marketing efforts and what did and did not work, and it is very challenging to conventional thinking.

Last month we ran an ad for a book in the Radio-TV Interview Report and lined up 35 radio interviews for the author. We had a good number of books placed in the market. All the interviews happened in the same week. When we tracked actual sales, we sold 7 (just seven!) more copies than the week prior. When we added up the cost of the ad, the cost of books, and postage, we spent something like $243 per book to sell an additional seven copies. This exercise caused us to look back at what we considered significant media hits over the last year, comparing sales from the previous week, week of, and following week, and the findings were similar.

Do we give up on publicity? Absolutely not. But we need to be smart about it. Just sending out a review copy, pitch letter, and press release to a mailing list of media contacts is not going to get the job done.

One specific thing we've done is add two people on the sales and marketing team dedicated to special market sales. We'd rather have somebody on the phone pitching a gift shop in Branson that might buy a dozen copies of a book than pitching a radio station or newspaper in Branson that may or may not (probably not) give us an interview or a review that may or may not (probably not) influence someone to buy the book.

"You've Got to Spend Money to Make Money"

On its face, the notion that "you've got to spend money to make money," is not a very realistic philosophy. Take my wife (please), if all it took to make money was to spend money, we'd be millionaires.

(Just kidding. My wife is AWESOME, and very financially responsible, disciplined, and patient with her husband who works in book publishing. I just couldn't resist the old Henny Youngman bit. It really makes the point.)

I had an author contact me in response to the Story Problem post to make a really good point about the philosophy of spending money to make money--a position I often advocate when other factors for success are in place. Our own Rose Keefe used that same phrase in a recent comment about spending her own money to promote her books.

In fact, that may be a good test as to whether something is a good idea for your publisher. Would you spend your own money to do it? Would you take out a loan in your own name to pay for the idea? Do you really believe you will earn it back in royalties? If so, can I interest you in an American Express Platinum card?

A Great Ad

I love good ads, probably because they are so rare.

I must be the target market for this ad from American Express because it appealed to me on every front. I love Tina Fey and Martin Scorsese. I could relate to the experience of being shut out of the airline lounge. And, the comedic pay off is there.

If I was in the market for a new credit card or an airline lounge membership, I'd be all over this card.

A Story Problem for Authors and Publishers

So what makes for a good idea (as referenced in this post)? A good idea is a smart idea, and smart ideas don’t lose money.

Let’s say, for example, an author wants their publisher to hire an independent publicist for $1500. According to Thomas Woll, author of Publishing for Profit (which I highly recommend), “the current data on profitability of smaller publishing companies indicates a range of profitability from 1% to 9.3%; the midpoint, 5% profit margin, is a reasonable benchmark for profitability.” That means, on a net profit margin of 5%, we need to generate $20 in revenue for every dollar we spend, just to break even. A $1500 expense has to generate $30,000 in revenue to not lose money. And that is incremental revenue, on top of what we would generate if we didn't spend the additional money. At an average trade discount of 50%, we will sell a $20 book to our customers for $10. Therefore, a $1500 publicity campaign must yield sales of 3000 copies in order for us simply to not lose money. If you’ve been at this any amount of time you know just how difficult it is to sell 3000 copies of anything.

If you take the time to work through this math it can really help you understand why publishers often say, “No,” to seemingly good ideas, even inexpensive ones. Imagine the math to justify a $30,000 ad in USA TODAY. It’s not difficult to understand why you don’t see a lot of ads for books on television.

Many authors don’t realize that a royalty rate of say 10% of the publisher’s net represents double the average publisher’s net profit margin. In some cases, it may make sense for the author to pay for a promotion themselves. Dollar for dollar, on a ten percent net royalty/profit margin, we have to sell half as many books for the author to break even. An author may also want to gain added exposure for himself or another business and it may make sense for him to take a loss on a promotion.

Many traditional marketing activities don’t yield the sales to justify them. As good business partners, we try to examine opportunities and be as forthright about the economics as possible. Chances are, if it is not a good idea for us, it won’t be a good idea for our authors. It is our aim to provide the best information we can to make the smartest decisions we can—together with our authors.

The Realities of Independent Publishing

One of my favorite things about Cumberland House is that we are independent. We are owned by our president and publisher, Ron Pitkin. We do not answer to shareholders, or a corporate parent, or a holding company, or even a board of directors. This gives us great flexibility and agility and fosters great creativity. We have an entrepreneurial spirit and don’t get bogged down in corporate bureaucracy. We make decisions and we act on them.

One of the most eye-opening aspects of being independent is the reality of cash flow. In my previous jobs budgets were numbers on spreadsheets. They were important but they were never real money to me or, as much as I could tell, any of my colleagues. My previous employer is very disciplined about meeting profitability hurdles, but they were just percentages on a proforma, or profit and loss statement. At Cumberland House, we use a P&L as a tool to help us make smart financial decisions, but must we also look at the real impact of printing 10,000 copies of a book at $2.50 a unit and the $25,000 printing bill that will come due long before the first bookseller ever pays for (or returns) their books.

There are a lot of benefits for an author to work with an independent publisher, the best of which is that we have one goal—to sell as many copies of our books as possible. It is not uncommon at a corporate publisher for a good idea or sales opportunity to get passed around, person after person saying, “That’s not my job.” You won’t get that at CHP. If it is a good idea, we’ll do it.

Children's Book Documentary Wins Bronze Telly Award

David Woodard, a good friend, former coworker, founder and creative director at Literary Video was recently awarded a Bronze Telly for his work on a video we created to tell the story behind My Go to Bed Book, a charming children's book from 1956 discovered in the archives at B&H and re-released in 2007. The video is about seven minutes long, and worth every minute. Of course, I am a little biased.

Joe Wikert recently interviewed David Woodard about Literary Video on his Publishing 2020 blog. Read that interview here.

And, take a look at the promotional video David created for the book itself. It is only 2 minutes and it is adorable.

The Book Proposal Is Your Business Plan

One of my co-workers asked me if I have a book proposal or business plan I could change the names and post as an example. Well, not really. The essence of a great plan is that it is unique. At the same time there are some fundamental components of every business plan and every book proposal.


The Small Business Administration is a great resource for entrepreneurs. They list and define the essential parts of a business plan and I’ve listed the book proposal equivalent. The order is often different, but the elements are the same.
Executive Summary = a brief description of the book and its market—the pitch
Market Analysis = a description of the target reader, market statistics, and list of comparable titles with analysis
Company Description = an expanded description of the book and annotated outline
Organization & Management = author bio and resume, previous books and sales history
Marketing & Sales Management = marketing and selling activities the author will conduct (not what he expects the publisher to do)
Service or Product Line = possible series extensions, ancillaries, or derivatives
Funding Request/Financials = any specific terms the author will require or known buy-back quantities
Appendix = two or three sample chapters, related articles, news clippings

In my opinion, the executive summary is the most important part of any book proposal. In fact, a great title and subtitle should work as well as an executive summary. While it is generally accepted that titles in most book proposals are considered working titles and most publishers reserve the right to title or re-title a work, we’ve developed a theory that if we cannot title a book, we probably shouldn’t publish it.

Currently, I’m reading a book called Good in a Room: How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas and Win Over Any Audience by Stephanie Palmer. (Read three sample chapters here.) In our business, the ability to communicate and “sell” ideas is critical. The author is a former Hollywood exec who mastered “the pitch.” She provides some excellent insight and some very practical exercises for developing pitches and titles. I highly recommend it.

A New Vision of the Book Business

About five years ago I became obsessed with starting a business I called Sail Mackinaw. The Straits of Mackinaw is a popular tourist area about fifteen miles from my boyhood home. I love to sail and this seemed like the perfect way to blend business and pleasure.

The idea was to offer 1-2 hour cruises on a 40' catamaran to the 2 million area visitors who come every summer to see the Mackinaw Bridge, Mackinac Island, the Grand Hotel, Round Island Lighthouse, and other sites on the Great Lakes. Every detail was thought through. I researched tourism statistics and demographics, as well as average temperatures, wind speeds, and precipitation. I studied comparable business models and interviewed the owners of Nauti-Cat in Traverse City, MI and Trilogy on Maui (both of which I highly recommend). Dock space was secured at the most popular Mackinaw Island ferry line, as was retail space to sell tickets. I had a boat picked out. Captains and crew were interviewed. The business plan included a thorough analysis of projected revenue, expenses, and cash flow. A marketing plan included a Web site, brochures, posters, cross promotion with other area businesses.

In a period of two years I developed a five-star business plan, as well as new passion for business development. For years I had been trained, and trained others, in book marketing. The approach was formulaic and sterile and often ineffective. After immersing myself in the world of small business, I saw similarities between a good business plan and a good book proposal. I started to see that every book is a business unto itself. Every author is a business partner. Every marketing plan should have one purpose--to sell books. It may sound basic, but anyone who's worked with a corporate publisher knows this is revolutionary thinking.

Sail Mackinaw was my ticket to freedom. While I never raised all the money I needed to get started, I discovered a new passion for book publishing and the last few years have been the most successful and rewarding of my career.

Ten Things Your Publisher Thinks You Already Know

1. This is a business partnership.
2. The advance has a purpose.
3. The competitive landscape.
4. Average sales and returns for any book.
5. You are your book's best publicist.
6. You can make more money selling your book than you can on royalties.
7. Advertising is not publicity, and vice versa.
8. Table space at the chains is not free.
9. Airports won't carry your book because we think travelers will like it.
10. Special markets. Special markets. Specials markets.

This seems like as good as place as any to jump in. I'll cover these ten points, and a little more, in the days ahead. I hope you will comment and share your reactions, your questions, your ideas, and suggestions.