It's no secret that the word 'marketing' scares people. I've heard quite a few people say that they're trying to get traditionally published because they don't want to do the marketing. (Let's forget for a second that if you are traditionally published, you still need to do some marketing.)
However, I can't get over the similarities between trying to get traditionally published, and trying to market an already self-published book. Let's take a peek at it, and compare.
1. Research. When you're looking for an agent, the first thing you need to do is research, and most likely you'll do this online these days. You visit websites that list reputable agents, and go to their individual websites to make sure you're conforming to their submission guidelines. When you're marketing your self-published book, you start with research also. You visit blogs that review books and figure out their submission guidelines. You research forums that readers hang out in, and research what is appropriate and what isn't for posting about your book.
2. Submitting. Next comes submitting to agents. Again, most of this is done online now, through email, although some agents still only take paper queries. Submitting query letters takes a lot of time and effort, and you have to be organized or you'll waste your time. Same with submitting to book review sites. Many of them now take electronic books through email. Some still only take paper. Submitting for review takes time and effort, and you do need to be organized as well. You can also submit your book to blogs that feature low cost ebooks or indie authors.
3. Waiting. After you send off your query letters, you wait to see what responses you get. In fact, you probably have to wait months. Same thing happens after you send your book off to review blogs, you have to wait for reviews to be posted. But you can continue to be social on blogs and forums to get the word out about your book.
4. End results: The end result to querying agents, if you're good enough, is getting published. The end result to marketing your self-published book is book sales. Both avenues bring in money. (How much? I won't argue that, there are large numbers in traditional publishing as well as indie publishing, just like there are small numbers in both avenues.) However, if you're saying you don't want to self-publish because you can't spend the time to market your book, you're basically going to be doing the same thing as you query agents.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
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Yes, but without the wait for someone to approve you. I love self publishing!
ReplyDeleteA good point. I'm still trying the trad publishing approach at this time, but one thing I've been struck by these last few months is the sure amount of time spent querying, submitting to little pitch contests, et cetera.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I was even thinking about how I basically spent over eight months in a query->partial->reject cycle. It occurred to me that could have been eight months where I could have been garnering attention, getting reviews, and what not.
I don't know. I'm so close to making the jump (well at least for one of my books, I'm querying a rather different type of book than one of my other manuscripts, so I've thought about testing the self-pub waters with th other manuscript).
Also, many people are afraid they'll fail at marketing and as a result, don't even try, hoping that signing with a trad pub will take the burden off them. Yeah, sure. I always say SP isn't for the faint of heart, but fear should never keep anyone from all the possibilities and learning experiences SP can bring.
ReplyDeleteThis post is right on, and if anything, a rather conservative portrait of the 'marketing' side of legacy publishing. Because guess what? After you've invested all that time in successfully marketing yourself to an agent, you have to start all over again if and when you get a publishing contract and your book launches. As I see it, legacy publishing requires more marketing effort from authors, not less.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's quite possible there is actually more marketing with a traditional deal. At least, there's more travel, definitely. That's one thing that makes me nervous, I'd rather market from my home, in my cozy chair than travel around to different speaking engagements or book signings.
ReplyDeleteThe authors I know who are publishing traditionally seem to be working way harder than I am at the whole marketing thing, for sure (I'm pretty lazy...but still making money, so not too concerned). I have no idea if they do all that because they want to or because they're asked to, but if they did that much for self-pub, they'd probably sell circles around me!
ReplyDeleteI so agree, Victorine! I'd much rather promote from the comfort of my own home. I love self publishing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You know, when I realized that self-publishing requited the same amount of marketing as traditional publishing, that's when I started thinking about self-publishing. I figured, that's the part I was dreading the most, so if I'd have to do it anyway, at least with self-publishing I'd be doing it for me, my way, without someone telling what they want me to do. Now I can't wait to get my book out there!
ReplyDeleteSelf Publishing is like most everything else in life- you get from it what you put into it. This includes marketing (which, at times, can seem to take up just as much time as writing).
ReplyDeleteLook at this way...if people don't know you are out there and available- they cannot buy your book! (That's marketing!)
As a new indie author on the scene, I have to say that I've found marketing enjoyable (most of the time, anyway). It's fun being able to talk about yourself, your book and everything else to help bring awareness about what you're doing. Perhaps life would be a little easier if I had a professional marketer/agent doing this, but to be honest, I wouldn't trade this for the world.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of time it takes to hear a response back from an agent is almost the same amount of time it takes to write an entire book! So why wait? If you want something done, then sometimes you just have to do it yourself. It may require a little more legwork, but the end results it yields are priceless (because YOU did everything with your own two hands instead of someone else).
There really are a lot of parallels, aren't there? What cinches it for me is that promoting my self-published work brings in at least some kind of trickle of sales, while flogging a manuscript to agents and editors can quite often lead to absolutely nothing at all.
ReplyDelete