The book publisher says yes but what happens now?
After the book has been written and acquired by a book publisher the marketing and public relations departments work together on developing a promotional plan for each title. That plan can be as simple as sending out review copies and a couple of press releases, or as complicated as arranging a book tour, media appearances, radio and TV interviews and advertising.
In any case every title has one thing in common. It appears in the book publisher’s catalog. That catalog is developed five to six months prior to the season, sometimes the title is included in the catalog and the book hasn’t even been finished by the author yet. The title description includes a blurb about the content, the author’s bio, and any special promotions, such as a six city author tour, or significant first printing. The catalog is mailed to the book buyers, or in the case of the major book publishers, taken to the store’s buyers by the sales representatives.
If you’ve ever wondered where the term ‘front list’ came from, it refers to the title’s position in the book publisher’s catalog. Titles in the front of the catalog receive most of the book publisher’s promotional dollars. Front list came to mean the book publisher’s lead books for the season.
Midlist are those titles in the middle of the catalog. Books that should do okay but are not expected to have phenomenal sales. Or books that are a little different or quirky. Unfortunately the midlist section at some book publishers is shrinking a bit, meaning less opportunity for first time authors. Back list, are titles that were published in previous years and are still available and still selling. A number of books have strong sales, even though they’re back list.
Every book publisher has a marketing plan for the books they publish. Authors can increase their chance of being published by developing a marketing plan for their own book. It might just be what the book publishing house needs to say yes to publishing your title.
Want to find out how you can avoid scams and still get your book published? You can receive a free report Perils and Pitfalls of Publishing for Writers just visit brianhillanddeepower.com/freereport.html Free Report
About The Authors
Brian Hill and Dee Power have written several nonfiction books including brianhillanddeepower.com/get-your-book-published.html The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author’s Success and The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories From Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them.