Tag: Mike Nappa (Page 18 of 24)

Reason #56: You Have No Sales History To Speak Of

/ Mike Nappa

A Sales Team reason for rejection

Every time my Sales VP casts a vote in favor of a new book, she’s placing a big-money bet. And you can bet that VP is very aware of what’s at stake.

Look at it this way. Imagine you and I jet off to Las Vegas in time to place a bet on a horserace happening at Churchill Downs. We’re watching the pre-race coverage on TV, learning about the horses scheduled to run in the race. One is a horse named HotStuff. As we listen to the announcer, we discover that HotStuff placed third in a race six months ago, came in first three months ago, and was barely edged out of the top spot to finish second in a race just last month.

Next we hear the announcer introduce a horse named CoolIt. CoolIt, we discover, has never raced before. He looks healthy, but no one knows exactly how this horse will respond once he’s on the track. Will CoolIt panic and freeze up? Will the horse brush off all distractions and race hard to the finish line? Will he simply stay in the middle of the pack, never making an impact on the race? Who knows?

Now it’s time for you and I to go to the betting window and put our money down on a horse. Realistically, are you going to bet $25,000, $50,000, or more on CoolIt? Or are you going to look at the track records of the two horses and go with the safer bet on HotStuff?

This, in a symbolic sense, is what happens each time my Sales VP makes a bet on a new book. She’s placing a bet of tens of thousands of dollars (sometimes more) on the hope that your masterpiece will win, place, or show in the race at the public marketplace.

When I come to the publishing board with a book by an author who has never sold any books before, I’m asking my Sales VP to do the equivalent of placing a bet on CoolIt—putting money behind an author who may look healthy but who has no history of success. That’s a pretty risky bet, and it’s one that makes it hard for brand new authors to even get in the game. Mick Silva, former editor at Random House, says, “Publishers, retailers and parent companies are taking losses, so they’re backing off making bets.”

The rule is this, then: Past sales success creates future opportunities; no past creates only uncertainty. And most times, that’s enough for rejection.

What You Can Do About It

1. Bolster your credibility as an expert to overcome your lack of credibility as an author.

Stellar author credentials can often help first-timers overcome the absence of a track record in book sales, simply because a recognized “expert” is someone that readers inherently trust. If you lack a sales history, then beef up your author credentials on your book’s topic and use that to convince my Sales VP you’re worthy of her bet.

For instance, Rick Riordan spent 15 years teaching history and mythology to middle school students before successfully launching his juvenile fiction series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Audrey Niffenegger had never published anything when she pitched her fantasy novel, The Time-Traveler’s Wife, to MacAdam/Cage. But she was a well-regarded professor in the Interdisciplinary Book Arts MFA program at the prestigious Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts—and that’s significant. In horseracing parlance, that kind of credential was like saying she came from a family of racing champions. In fact, I’d guess that without that credential, Ms. Niffenegger might never have been published.

So identify key accomplishments that make you a credible expert on a topic, and highlight those in your proposal. That’ll help mitigate some of the risk for my sales team.

2. Try to publish in categories where the topic is more important than the author.

Some categories of publishing almost always require author brand recognition for success—literary fiction, mysteries/thrillers, memoir, etc. Sure, an unknown author can sometimes break through there, but it’s rare. Other categories depend more on built-in topic appeal—such as romantic fiction, crafts, home and garden, finance, and some children’s or teen books.

When choosing where you want to start your publishing career, one option is to find a category that doesn’t require a previous sales history, or a category where your other credentials matter more. For instance, if your day job is as a financial planner, you may want to try to break into publishing with a money management book. Or, if you want to pursue a career as a novelist, you may want to start by writing romance to build up a history of sales.

3. Highlight your ability to reach a significant audience.

In the end, the most important thing to a Sales VP is going to be your ability to sell books, regardless of what your past history has been. So look for ways to tell that VP your book will definitely sell—maybe through your 10,000 member mailing list, at the 200 speaking engagements you’ve got scheduled next year, through your magazine column that reaches 150,000 readers every month, or whatever.

Looking for more? Check out these links:

Reason #57: You Have A Sales History, And It Sucks

/ Mike Nappa

A Sales Team reason for rejection

It’s tempting, sometimes, to think that just being published is enough for success in a writing career. Unfortunately, there are times when being published can actually be an obstacle to getting published. This is particularly true if you decide to pursue self-publishing as a shortcut to jumpstarting your career.

Here’s a rule of thumb: Any book of yours that sells less than 10,000 copies is going to be considered a failure.

That seems harsh, I know. Especially considering the general opinion is that most books will only sell around 5,000 copies anyway, and most often selling those 5,000 copies will still be enough for a book to be reasonably profitable. But even a book that sells 10,000 copies isn’t necessarily considered a success, it’s just not thought of as a failure anymore.

As an agent, if you send me a proposal and tell me you’ve published in the past, I’m going to ask for specific unit sales figures on those previous books. Why? Because I know any editor worth her salt out there is going to ask me for that same information. I’m hoping to see one or two books that sold over 20,000 copies (generally considered a success in publishing), but I’ll still be OK if you’re typically selling 10,000 copies of each book you publish. If none of your books gets close to that, I’m going to have to decline the opportunity to represent, just because your track history has proven that people aren’t terribly interested in buying your books.

This is one of those rules of publishing success that I hate, and which hits home for me. I represent someone I believe to be an immensely talented suspense novelist. Her fans think she’s the next Dean Koontz, and she’s actually won a national award for her writing. But she’s published three novels to date—two of them with publishing behemoth Simon & Schuster—and none of her books has sold more than 9,000 copies.

That’s just not enough in a crowded marketplace like fiction publishing. I can’t sell her fourth book, and S&S dropped her even before her third novel released, citing low sales of her second book as the reason.

So you see, sometimes a little success in publishing is worse than no success at all.

What You Can Do About It

1. Omit what you don’t like.

If you’ve published in the past, and unit sales numbers from those previous endeavors isn’t impressive, then just don’t tell me about those books. Don’t mention them at all—maybe I won’t notice. You’ll still have to deal with the perception that you have no sales history to speak of (see Reason #56), but that’s better than telling me that your sales history sucks.

Some authors think that any published book is a something to be proud of, and they insist on listing everything they’ve ever done. This your ego talking, so ignore it. You be sure to tell me about only the books that make you look good. For instance, I’ve published over 60 books myself, but if you read any bio of me anywhere, you’ll see—at the maximum—that I list only about half of those books. And most often I’ll just list three to five of my top sellers. Why? Well, obviously, the ones I’ve omitted were, um, a bit less than successful in the marketplace. Some books you trumpet, others you bury. So be sure you bury the ones that don’t flatter you.

2. If you just can’t avoid talking about it, then highlight what you learned from it about making a book successful.

If you’re pressed by an editor or agent who wants to know why your book (or books) failed in the marketplace, don’t try to shift the blame to others. (Hey, we all know your books got no marketing support, but we won’t accept that as an excuse anyway.) Instead, present it as a learning experience which will make your next book’s prospects that much better.

Talk about the inexperience of youth, the carelessness of innocence, or whatever. And tell a few specific ways you’ll “change” in order to help your publisher sell your next book. Make it clear you want to avoid going through that poor sales “learning experience” again.

For instance, you might say something like this, “With my last book, I was still early in my writing career. I took the idea of success for granted—and I paid the price for it. From that experience, I’ve learned that I really need to be a strong partner for my publisher, both in the writing and in promotion of my book. So for this next book, I’m planning to do a much better job as a publishing partner. Specifically, I will…”

Make sense?

3. Cultivate ways to increase sales of your existing books.

This is so hard to do without the assistance of a big-pocket partner (like, say, a publishing house’s sales team), but since current sales affect future opportunities, it may be worth your while to stop writing for a year or so and invest your time and money into bolstering sales of your books that are already on the market.

No, this won’t be easy. And you may fail miserably at it. But if you succeed, it will definitely help your chances for the future in the eyes of my Sales VP.

Looking for more? Check out these links:

Reason #58: You Self-Published Yourself Into Oblivion

/ Mike Nappa

A Sales Team reason for rejection

These words of noted author, radio personality, and columnist, Garrison Keillor, sound ominously familiar, do they not?

“The future of publishing: 18 million authors in America, each with an average of 14 readers, eight of whom are blood relatives. Average annual earnings: $1.75.”

With the proliferation of print-on-demand (POD) technology and the growing affordability of self-publishing options, the previously sequestered ability to print a book has never been more widely available to anyone, anywhere. As long as you can write a check to a self-publishing company, you can publish pretty much anything you like.

Or, as the venerable Mr. Keillor puts it, “The upside of self-publishing is that you can write whatever you wish, utter freedom, and that is also the downside. You can write whatever you wish and everyone in the world can exercise their right to read the first three sentences and delete the rest.”

I know. That seems a touch unkind.

After all, what does an elitist author like Garrison Keillor know about your struggles to achieve your vision of a writing career? You’ve gotten dozens of rejection letters for your book recently. Agents and editors alike are determinedly indifferent to your prose, and your dreams. Self-publishing is affordable—finally—and it gives you an opportunity to prove your worth by delivering an actual, physical book to show off in the marketplace. Why not give that a shot, since traditional methods aren’t working for you anyway?

Here’s the catch: publishing a book and successfully publishing a book are remarkably different things—especially in the eyes of my Sales VP and his team. My sales team doesn’t give a rat’s tailswing that you’ve published a book. They only care to know if you can publish a book that’ll sell. Self-publishing yourself into oblivion does nothing to prove that to them.

Just last week I received a query from an author who listed two previously published books in his credits. Knowing I was going to write this chapter, I checked Amazon.com to learn more about his work. Both books had been self-published on Lulu.com. One ranked a miserable 4,621,308 on Amazon. The other ranked at 4,810,589.

I’m sure this author thought he was helping his career when he sent those books into the Lulu system, but he wasn’t. The abysmal sales history he earned as a result of his self-publishing efforts was enough for me to send an easy rejection.

Consider yourself warned.

What You Can Do About It

1. Don’t self-publish as a stepping-stone toward success in traditional publishing.

This may seem counter-intuitive to some, but if you want to publish, don’t self-publish. That is, if your ultimate goal is a career in traditional publishing channels, don’t try to shortcut your way to success by self-publishing one market failure after another.

Despite the fact that self-publishing works by entirely different standards than traditional publishing, any book that’s in the marketplace will be judged by the same expectations that my Sales VP has for books that he publishes. That means you could legitimately self-publish and be wildly successful in that effort with sales of 700 or 800 copies of your book. But when my Sales VP sees that you have a book in print with only 800 in sales, he’ll view that as abysmal and as proof that you are unsalable on a larger scale.

So, unless you can guarantee yourself a significant number of sales (say, 10,000 units or more), or unless you don’t care about pursuing a traditional publishing career, just don’t self-publish. You’ll do yourself more harm than good otherwise.

2. Self-publish for personal reasons, not for professional ones.

OK, lest you think I am unfairly exclusive and judgmental about self-publishing, I will admit there are a few good reasons to pursue a POD opportunity for your book. Those reasons have nothing to do with traditional book publishing success, though. Still, if you don’t care about becoming a career author or about someday pursuing publication through a traditional publishing house, then sure, self-publishing could be a good option for you.

For instance, if you want to tell your life story and leave it behind as a legacy gift for your kids and grandkids—well that sounds pretty cool to me. Or if you want to create a keepsake book of poetry and stories for family and friends, then by all means, print up a dozen copies and send them out this Christmas. Or if you want to put together a fun little advice book for newlyweds and give it as a wedding gift every time kids in your church get married, well that’s just sweet, so why not?

So, yes, there are plenty of personal, relational reasons to self-publish a book. If that’s your motivation, then go right ahead…just don’t assume that it will lead to professional success as a result.

3. If you’ve already self-published for the wrong reason, slant it as an “educational” experience.

There is value for an absolute novice writer to go through the self-publishing process as an educational tool. Doing so gives you a hands-on, practice education on the unique requirements and daily demands of a publishing enterprise. It helps you better understand a traditional publishing process because now you know what’s needed editorially, promotionally, and production-wise to create a final product. And afterward, you can exploit what you’ve learned to become a much better author partner for any traditional publishing house that chooses to start your “real” author career.

At least that’s what you can tell an editor who asks about your abysmal sales after your preemptive attempt at self-publishing. (Good luck.)

Looking for more? Check out these links:

Reason #59: Women Just Aren’t That Into You

/ Mike Nappa

A Sales Team reason for rejection

A few years ago, I attended a writer’s conference in Colorado. During the day, I had conversations with several men who whined about their lack of success breaking into the publishing business. They seemed truly mystified that companies out there were giving their books a steady stream of rejection letters.

Later in the day, I had some free time so I decided to attend one of the workshops taught by another speaker. I chose “Writing for Women.” When that seminar started, it became crystal clear for me why all other men I’d talked to previously were having such trouble in publishing. You see, I was the only male present in the “Writing for Women” seminar. What’s odd is that some people thought it was odd for me to be there.

That’s fine. I’ll take that oddity all the way to bank.

Here’s the reality: Women dictate buying in America. You’d better understand that if you want a career in publishing. Consider the numbers:

• Women make up more than half the population.

• Women buy more books than men.

• American women control $4.3 trillion of annual spending in the US Economy—more than the entire annual spending of China and India combined.

• Women earn more bachelor’s degrees than men, which projects to mean that their earning power will actually increase in years to come.

• Women influence 80% of the buying decisions in the United States.

Read that last number again…did that say 80%? Why yes, I believe it did. And yet you’ve never thought too much about writing for women? About making sure any book you write has some kind of “woman appeal”? Well, no wonder you’re reading this book instead of having published dozens of your own.

What You Can Do About It

1. Follow the money (knock on the even-numbered doors).

Remember this rule: 80% of your readers are women, 20% are everybody else. So when creating a new proposal, you’d better ask yourself how women will respond to your book.

Look at it this way: Assume you’re a door-to-door salesperson, and your territory is one apartment building in New York City. In every odd-numbered apartment there lives a person with $20 to spend. In every even-numbered apartment there lives a person with $80 to spend. Are you going to knock on the odd-numbered doors first, or the even-numbered doors?

You can bet my Sales VP is going to knock on the even-numbered doors, because that’s where 80% of the money is. So follow the money and make sure your book has something women want. A few books to help you with this are Why She Buys by Bridget Brennan and Don’t Think Pink by Lisa Johnson and Andrea Learned.

2. Be aware of the six “basic archetypes” of female consumers.

I’m indebted to Michael J. Silverstein and Kate Sayre’s excellent report, “The Female Economy” for identifying these archetypes “which are primarily defined by income, age, and stage of life.” They are

Fast-Tracker (independent woman, striving for achievement)
Pressure Cooker (successful multi-tasker, struggling for stability)
Relationship Focused (middle class, married with kids)
Managing on Her Own (single, divorced, or widowed, seeking connection)
Fulfilled Empty Nester (concerned about health, travel, leisure)
Making Ends Meet (lower income, less educated, seeks value and small luxuries)

Be aware that these archetypes can overlap for many women, but if you write a book that appeals to women in one or more of these life circumstances, you’re increasing exponentially the chances that your book will sell in the marketplace. That’s something my Sales VP will be happy to hear.

3. Don’t assume that because you are a woman you can innately write for women. And don’t assume being a man means you can’t write for women either.

Being born a certain gender may give you advantages in life, and may even help your publishing career. But it’s idiotic to assume that all women can write for women or that no man can write for a woman. Don’t allow that kind of gender bias to dictate what you do in writing.

The best writers—male or female—are knowledgeable, articulate, and interesting. So while you must never lose sight of the fact that a woman is your most likely reader, you must also understand that the number of X and Y chromosomes you have doesn’t determine your ability to be successful as a writer. Writing is an equal opportunity bloodsport.

Looking for more? Check out these links:

Reason #60: My Sales VP Thinks Of You As An Unknown (The “No-Froofies” Rule)

/ Mike Nappa

A Sales Team reason for rejection

Ah, the curse of being unknown. This kind of anonymity has killed many a writer’s career.

I once knew an editor who labeled all authors in one of two categories: froofy and non-froofy. (I know, we editors are an articulate bunch, are we not?)

Froofy writers were perceived as uneducated, underemployed, random nobodies who’d once read a book and decided to give writing a shot. Non-froofy writers were, well people like you, dear reader, with sincere skill and promise for publication. (Hey, every writer’s got to suck up to the reader sometimes, right?)

Although they don’t typically use the word “froofy,” all Sales VPs think in terms of that duality. And if you’re a generally unknown writer suffering under the curse of anonymity, that means you’re a “froofy” in her eyes.

Look at it this way. Let’s say you work in bookstore sales at my publishing house. Your job is to convince book buyers at Barnes & Noble to carry our books. You have two books to sell today. Both have exactly the same title and exactly the same cover image. One is written by the President of the United States. The other is written by, well, you.

Which book are you going to have more success selling? Right.

It’s nothing personal, you see. My Sales VP is just thinking about all those industrious salespeople who earn their living by working for her. She’s responsible for giving them the tools they need to succeed. If she gives them a book by an unknown, by an absolute “nobody,” they’re going to have a hard time making money from it. And if they don’t succeed, my Sales VP won’t succeed.

So, whether she admits it out loud or not, she’s adopted a “no froofies” rule toward every book. If she sees you as an unknown entity, that’s enough to earn you a rejection, plain and simple.

What You Can Do About It

1. Become known.

I’m not saying you must become a celebrity before you can publish (though, according to Reason #54, that certainly helps). But I am saying that if you’re seeking a public career like that of an author, you probably should also be making a name for yourself somewhere, in some way. You can’t afford to be simply another “unknown” trying to publish.

No, don’t break the law or do some stupid publicity stunt (Balloon Boy anyone?). But do become a recognized expert in your field. Look for opportunities to be a public speaker. Be a notable contributor to a popular website. Start your own website or blog. Star in a local theater production. Enter writing contests—and win them. Take steps that bring you broader and broader exposure in the public eye.

For help in this area, check out Christina Katz’ practical advice in Get Known Before the Book Deal.

2. Highlight your public accomplishments in your proposal.

After you’ve done some of the things in suggestion 1 above, be sure to tell me about them! The best place for this is in your author bio, but you can also include these kinds of things in your personal publicity and marketing plan as well.

For instance, you might mention that you frequently perform at The Cool House Theater in your local community, and that gives you an avenue to include an ad for your book in the theater program which is distributed to 7500 people over the course of a normal production run.

Whatever it is you’re known for, just make sure I know about it. Then when my Sales VP asks me, “So who is this person anyway?” I’ll have something to say besides, “Oh, she’s some nobody in western Illinois. But she’s a good writer. Promise.”

3. Learn how to write press releases.

This is an overlooked skill among writers, but the ability to create a short, professional-looking press release is often a good way to tout your own accomplishments. You can even go ahead and send it to your local newspapers and media outlets—maybe even get coverage in those places. If you do, include any relevant clippings in your proposal. But even if you don’t get coverage, you can still include a press release or two with your proposal. I may toss it aside…but then I may look at it and be impressed as well.

I knew an author once who made it a habit to send out a press release about himself and his writing career two to four times each year. His mailing list was the 30 or 40 editors he hoped to work with someday in the future. He didn’t pitch any books or ask for any consideration when he sent those press releases. He said their whole purpose was simply to put his name regularly in the minds of editors. He felt that if an editor recognized his name when a new proposal came in—regardless of whether or not she knew why she recognized it—that meant he’d no longer be considered a nobody at the publishing house. You might consider doing something similar with your own press releases.

Looking for more? Check out these links: