How to work with a book publisher

Last week I wrote about the beginning of Summer Land's journey to reach her goal of landing a book deal with a major publisher. If you missed it, you can read my post How to get a book deal and download Summer's new ebook Fried Chicken For The Drunk Girl's Soul.

I often speak with people who have attracted the interest of publishers and I offer my advice on how to best work with a publisher.

Of course, you don't even need a publisher. You can publish an ebook book yourself. That’s what Summer did. You also have the option to publish a print edition on your own.

I've published books many different ways: my own free ebooks (I usually do one free ebook each year), a self-published novel called Eyeball Wars, and books with small and large publishers. My latest books as well as my series have been with John Wiley & Sons and the model has worked great for me (but is not right for everyone).

Let’s assume you’ve done the homework, you’ve got a nonfiction book, and you decide a publisher is right for you.

In my opinion, the most important thing to consider when choosing a publisher is distribution.

Where will they get your books placed? Will they only sell it on Amazon? Will your book be sold at physical bookstores? How about international?

I worked with Wiley on my last ten projects because they provide me distribution that I simply could not get on my own or with other publishers I considered. In North America, my books are in hundreds of physical bookstores (including chains, airports, universities, and independents). My books (in English) are sold in dozens of countries and Wiley has cut deals on my behalf to have them translated into more than 25 languages. The New Rules of Marketing and PR is used by professors as text at nearly 1,000 Universities. And my books are on all the major ebook platforms - Kindle, Nook, Sony, Apple and also in audiobook format.

This sort of distribution is next to impossible through self-publishing.

Never take more than a nominal advance

Many people spend all their time and effort negotiating an advance. Or they play one publisher off another to see who will pay the biggest advance. Many also pay a literary agent to help them negotiate and it is in the agent’s best interest (but not yours) to maximize that advance, because the agent earns a percentage and is delighted to get that money up front.

But an advance is just a loan that you have to pay back from your ongoing royalties. Because so many people misunderstand this simple concert, I want to repeat this: An advance is simply a loan that you have to pay back from your ongoing royalties. At the miniscule interest rates in our economy today, it doesn't make sense to take money now that you have to pay back later. But more importantly, taking an advance is a risk because if you don't earn the advance back from your royalties because you sell fewer books than you expect, it is highly likely you will never be asked to do a book from a traditional publisher again because you are seen as too risky.

Hire your own editor to work with you

You need to write an excellent book and you normally aren't given a whole lot of time to do it. So you want to find a skilled editor who can work with you as you are developing and writing the manuscript.

Don't rely on the publisher to do your job -- you need to submit a clean manuscript on the due date. Yes, your publisher will assign you an editor and a proofreader. But to get the most out of that help, you need to submit your work in first class shape to begin with.

Your editor will help you see the big picture of your book and will give you the tough love you need in order to make your book better. Only a fool edits themselves.

Spend as much time and effort marketing your book as you do writing it

The only person you should consider to market your book is you, the author. Never choose a publisher based on what they say they will do for you in the marketing and promotion area. That's your job. Your book is one of dozens or hundreds they publish so it is best to assume that any marketing, PR, or promotional help the publisher provides is an added bonus.

You need to begin marketing the book now - years before release date. Don't wait. Build your platform. Develop a reputation, get speaking gigs, create content that brands you as an expert.

Back in 2006, Seth Godin wrote a blog post that I still refer to from time to time. Seth offers 19 points, all valuable. Read Seth's post here: Advice for authors.

Image: Shutterstock / Tribalium

Comments

[Balazs Csurgo]

@dmscott Nice to meet you! My wife is a writter. Please look my story www.millionairesrecord.5mp.eu. Thanks. Have a good day.

[Phil Simon]

Good post. I'd argue that most publishers won't do anything near what Wiley did for you--until you have proven that you can sell books. Once you've done that, they're more open to some of the things that you've mentioned. If any first-time or even repeat author expected so much distribution, then s/he would never get a deal in the first place.

[BeckyCortino]

TY for sharing this advice, David, and for sure -- clarifying RE: "advances." I think there are widespread misconceptions regarding that arrangement, as well as royalties. There's much to be known about publishing a book, with many choices...

[David Meerman Scott]

Phil - You are right about the translations of course. Those come with domestic sales track record. But the rest happen for most Wiley authors.

Becky - Indeed there is much misinformation. But the most common one I see is about advances.

[Ilana221]

David, you very nicely tell the reality of working with a publisher here. They don't edit, they don't market and to some extent, they don't really pay. You do get your book in a bookstore with the right publisher and you get the kind of credibility that comes from having been published by a legitimate trade publisher. Most people are not aware of these realities. What was interesting for me was the concept of taking a small advance. It gives you the opportunity to get published again. If the traditional publishing route is what someone wants, this advice, while counterintuitive, might serve their purpose.

[David Meerman Scott]

Ilana - yes, that's right. It is a brutal business. But for me at least, working with Wiley beats having books in my garage and going to the post office every day.

[Sonja Jefferson]

Thanks so much for this David.

I'm just starting to write my own with UK publisher Kogan Page and all these tips are gold.

I've struggled with the publish/self-publish dilemma (my main concern with going through a traditional publisher was control) but like you decided that for this first book, their distribution network is vital. Hope I've made the right decision!

Do keep the tips coming, and thanks again.

Sonja

[David Meerman Scott]

Sonia - congrats. You should definitely be publishing other things for free (ebooks, blog, videos, whatever) that build your platform before your book launch.

[Sonja Jefferson]

Thanks David. Blog is well established but ebooks and videos needed. Good reminder!

[Nick Morgan]

David --
Thanks for these blogs on publishing. Your advice is spot on. There is a good debate on whether to take as large an advance as possible (figuring you're not likely to get any more money out of the publisher, so get it while you can) or a small one (so that you can live to fight another day, as you recommend). I think the answer to that should depend on what your long-term goal is.

And I should add that in the public speaking business, a book is still an essential piece of your marketing and credentials -- and a traditionally published book at that. Self-publishing doesn't do it. The exception to that rule is someone who has a huge platform or community supporting them already. Then, if you've already got the audience, self-publishing can be very attractive because you get to keep so much more of the proceeds. In that case, distribution is not a problem because you can distribute the book yourself through the community/platform.

I get questions every day from first-time authors and wannabes, and it's clear that most have the following fantasy: your book is published, and one fine day a limo drives up to your door. While you sip champagne and admire the flowers, you're driven to a chi-chi bookstore or other venue, where you deliver a brilliant talk on the subject of your book to an overflowing crowd, all of whom line up to get their copies autographed by you after the talk. Repeat fantasy in select cities around the world.

Alas, that's fantasy these days, not reality.

Traditional publishers don't market, don't edit, don't promote, and don't arrange book tours (except in very rare circumstances). Those are valuable services, but they have all been outsourced to a variety of companies like PR firms, and so on. That means the author has to hire those firms separately, and pay them to do these things. Traditional publishers don't do anything really except print the book (which they often outsource) and distribute it.

We often work with second-time authors who feel betrayed by that experience with a traditional publisher the first time around, because it didn't match the fantasy. Thanks for your blogs which will help burst that bubble and so save some heartache.

[David Meerman Scott]

Hey Nick - Thanks so much for these words of wisdom- a very valuable addition to the topic. You're right that the choice of how to published does depend on the goals.

[ChadB]

Great info! Thanks for sharing this

[Counseling Jacksonville Fl]

Thanks so much for these terms of wisdom- a very useful inclusion to the subject. You're right that the option of how to released does rely on the objectives.