The Pit and the Pendulum

In the book world today is news that a traditional NYT bestselling novelist has turned down a half-million-dollar deal to self-publish. Barry Eisler’s going to get a lot of ink.

He’s a good friend and we’ve had many conversations about why he doesn’t want to be with a legacy publisher anymore and why I still do want to be with one. (There are too many things a publisher and I can do together- some I can't do alone - others I don't want to do alone. And like Mike Shatzin, I'm not sure all books are going to do equally well in all formats.)

None of my conversations with Barry were like this one he had with another friend of his and that he posted on his webiste. Two guys... a few beers... twelve thousand words shooting the shit about the publishing industry.  

That Barry is self-publishing isn’t the news. Benjamin Franklin did it. So did D.H. Lawrence, Jack Kerouac, George Orwell, Anais Nin and Sylvia Plath. Just to name a few.

What’s news is that he’s turned down a big traditional deal to do it focusing on the ebook market and its promise.

Barry’s decision is of particular interest to me because I was one of the first people to do the opposite. In 1998 I self published online in order to get a traditional deal.

I was taught to think outside the box. Before my grandfather was one of the original Mad Men, he and a group of other Air Force Intelligence officers formalized brainstorming as a problem solving technique. He taught the concept that creativity can be taught at Buffalo University. My dad invented toys. My mom was a photographer.

So when my agent told me that while publishers loved a lot about my work they couldn’t publish it because it was a marketing conundrum  - my reaction wasn’t to slink off into the sunset.

CONTINUE READING HERE

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Investment Marketing - book now!

Everything we do at Authorbuzz.com is investment marketing at its most efficient. Every dollar goes to reinforce the author, the book and a backlist (if there is one) with links for one-click ordering whenever possible. Every dollar grows an authors brand.

Here are the promos we offer - #1 is already half sold out - only room for 10 more books!!! Write us at Authorbuzzco at gmail.com for more info and to sign up.

Everything we do is investment marketing at its most efficient. Every dollar goes to reinforce the author, the book and a backlist (if there is one) with links for one-click ordering whenever possible. Every dollar grows an authors brand. 

1.  Summer Reading BlogBlitz - 2 weeks in June and 2 weeks in July- advertising at multiple blogs and rotate 20 books over the month. Approx 10 million impressions per book. The price is $1775 per title. Selling  now.

2. AuthorBuzz Basic: Exposure to 370,000 plus readers, 12,000 librarians and 3,000 booksellers, plus 10,000 bloggers and other industry professionals ($995 for the package – via the newsletters DearReader.com and Shelf-Awareness.com). All notes can include embedded links to videos! LIBRARIANS PICK UP THE BUZZ NOTES FOR THEIR NEWSLETTERS - ADDING MILLONS OF ADDITIONAL READERS!

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4. $300 ad Kindle newsletter – special 5Star Fiction edition. To 32,000 Kidle owners.

5.  Reading Group Guide of the Week  - Top of site banner and repeated as a skyscraper at Bookmovement.com. $650.  ROS over 100,000 page views per week!

IN ADDITION WE HAVE CUSTOM OPTIONS INCLUDING SKYCRAPERS, Ads to feature AUTHOR VIDEOS and BOOK TO MOVIE PROMOTIONS STARTING AT $750 A WEEK.

6. The Bookmovement Bookclub Book of the Month - includes a dedicated newsletter and month-long announcement seen by readers and leaders of more than 28,000 clubs+, plus reading group guide, excerpt, author note and more. One group wins a sterling silver bookmark engraved with a favorite quote from the author for every member. $3500 - only one a month.

7. The Bookmovement Live Chat – includes month-long announcement- pre and post chat seen by readers and leaders of more than 28,000 clubs+, plus reading group guide, excerpt and more. $3000 Only one a month. 

8. Authorbuzz Focus - $1500 Advertorial. Includes all four spots in Shelf-Awareness. 2x in one week. Bookcover, author photo or illustrations from the book. 150 word letter, 100 word excerpt plus blurbs or reviews.  This can be split into two books or three or four. Great when you want to highlight one title or a new series and give it a push!

9. Suzanne Shout Out. Main column in DearReader plus the PS. Suzanne does her own giveaway around a book, and she has wise, wacky or witty prizes. This promo runs one day a week for two weeks. Limited to 2 titles a month. $1500

10. KidsBuzz Basic package: Exposure to 370,000 plus readers, 12,000 librarians, 3,000 booksellers and 10,000 bloggers and other industry professionals ($985 – via the newsletters DearReader.com and Shelf-Awareness.com). All notes can include embedded links to videos!

11. Kidsbookclubbing: For books targeted to Grades 2 through High School/Ages 8 – 18. Direct to librarians, parents, teachers, booksellers, after-school specialists and teens that are selecting for book clubs/groups! Title featured in a newsletter reaching 2,000+ youth bookclub leaders representing 20,000 readers. On website for one month and archived indefinitely. Maximum 5 books per newsletter. $495 Via Kidsbookclubbook.com 

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We’re booking AuthorBuzz/KidsBuzz spots now for the summer of 2011 on and we’re continuing to sell out every month, so book while you can. 

 Email us at Authorbuzzco at gmail.com to talk about your upcoming titles. We’re here to help. And to buzz.

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Memo To Publishers - 8 Things not to say

Memo to Publishers: 8 Things NOT to Say.

Writers’ lives are tough enough these days without their publishers treating them like idiots. So: working on the principle that happy authors (or at least not-furious ones) are easier to work with, here’s a really basic checklist of things that publishers should never again do /say to authors.

Because—guess what—WE ARE NOT IDIOTS!

Have a marketing person talk to the author without first looking at the author’s website, Facebook page and Twitter presence. And say things like “We find having an active Twitter account helps” without knowing the author is already followed by 5000 people.
Talk about the power of all forms of social networking—the authors’ blogging, Facebook, Twitter—when what you really mean is, you’dbetter be engaging in social networking, because you can’t expect any actual marketing on the publisher’s part.
Ignore the amount of stress you are putting on the author by turning them into self-promoters. Only a few authors are genuinely fantastic at it. Yes Jennifer Weiner and Neil Gaiman have great web presence. But for every Neil there are 1000 authors for whom the most charming and clever things they have to say are to be found within the pages of their books. Being entertaining in 140 characters is tough. Try it yourself.

Finish reading here: http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/2011/02/-memo-to-publishers-8-things-not-to-say-.html

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New Posts

There are new posts often at http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/ or follow me at Twitter - @mjrose or at Facebook for updates and articles.

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M.J. Rose is the author of 11 novels including Lip Service, The Halo Effect, The Delilah Complex and The Venus Fix. The Reincarnationist (was the inspiration for the FoxTV show Past Life).The Hypnotist (2010) will be released in May as a trade paperback and was an Indie Next Pick and chosen as one of 10 Best of 2010 novels from January Magazine.

She's also the co-author of Buzz your Book. Founder of the first marketing company for Authors - AuthorBuzz.com and co-founded Peroozal.com and Booktrib.com

Her books have been published in more than 20 countries and have been praised by The Chicago Tribune, Cosmo, January Magazine, The Washington Post and more

A pioneer in internet marketing, Rose has been profiled in Business Week, Forbes, The New York Times, Time and has appeared on The Today Show, Fox News Five, The Diane Rheims Show, the Jim Lehrer News Hour and CNN.