AND YOU SEE THIS PROMOTION WHERE YOU CAN PRINT YOUR BOOK ONE-BY-ONE FOR “NO SET-UP FEE” I have news for you. BIG, SUPRISING NEWS FOR YOU.
Just because you can print 5, 10 or 50 books overnight does not mean you will make it into THE NEW YORK TIMES, ABC WORLD NEWS, or TIME MAGAZINE.
Just because your book will be available on AMAZON, or on any of those other dozen book related websites doesn’t mean SQUAT! Put your book together, call it FREE MONEY, NOW! And we can move more of those books on a street corner than you can on all of those sites combined.
WHY RELENTLESS? I THOUGHT THAT AMAZON WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BOOK MARKETING COMPANY ON THE WEB? Well, Mr & Ms Aspiring Author, AMAZON and any of the other sites DO NOT know the niche’ markets or the “new markets” or the “isolated events” that are ESSENTIAL to you surviving as an author. New blood is SO essential in book marketing that it’s not even funny. Why? Because most of the doors that have been opened are flooded with authors and their books. Most of these P.O.D. companies push the same old sludge, through the same old channels. The same old LAME book covers are created by the same graphic designers. That is not to say that there are no talented graphic designers on the earth; just that few of them have marketing savvy to correspond with the direction you’re going. They don’t have time to read your book (neither do these P.O.D. projects and their advocates.) Look at it as a 2nd grade class with 30 students, and a class of 12. In either instance there’s only ONE TEACHER! So, who do you want your child to be watched/taught by? Which class do you want your child in? (Obvious answer).
I can’t hate on the companies that come up with these ideas because there is a SEA of wannabees out there who realize that publishing what’s in your head and making money from it is one of the last hopes to pay down that mortgage. There are those among you, right now, reading this preaching of mine, who are saying, “IF I ONLY HAD A BOOK. I COULD SELL ONE TO SALLY, KATHY, JOHN ACROSS THE STREET, MY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, MY MISTRESS AND HER FAMILY, MY ENTIRE CHURCH CONGREGATION…ETC. You’re shouting all of this in your mind, and here comes Mister P.O.D. Company in the name of good old fashioned capitalism. He has the info, the resources and the connects that you DON’T have. Mister P.O.D. came out of pocket enough to maintain some small office space, their credit was spectacular, and so they called XEROX and got the goliath book printing machine. They figured they’d get a man (or woman) to operate the monster, buy some ink and paper, and they’d hook up and partner with Jeff Bezos or Steve Case or Bill Gates for the purpose of getting money from all you saps out there who will fall for the okie-doke. They figure there are more and more and more people out there who are READY, WILLING AND ABLE to pay some money to get their book in print by any means necessary. Many first movers TOOK ADVANTAGE of the saps and said WE WANT A PERCENTAGE OF YOUR ROYALTIES BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO BUT HERE. But now, everyone has the almighty XEROX. Hell, I was speculating on goliath a few years back; and with my 3 dozen books, I had EVERY REASON to go ahead and opt for it. Thing is, with P.O.D. you can print one copy of a book today, and you can run around town and show the world that you are an accomplished author. Now, with the credentials you already have on your wall (the law degree or doctorate or marriage license), you can add “AUTHOR” to your list of life’s titles. Whooptie-doo! But, check it: if you live in a small town where that MATTERS, you might just be a big fish in your small pond, and that is resource enough in some cases to manufacture a purpose in life. Even if your purpose is so real, with a cancer issue, a heart attack issue, or a mental health issue, a book in hand can get you and your gift-for-gab to speak at a local event—and Lord knows we have a lot of THEM!
Well, here’s the skinny on the whole charade of P.O.D. (scam or not).
The book market is getting more and more flooded by the moment. It’s no longer a novelty or a special thing to be “an author” because your neighbor next door has a book too! So does the woman who’s husband you’re cheating with! Amazon is up to it’s neck in titles. They will take all comers because they are here to make money. They could care less about the integrity of the book business, or if your book is well edited, crisp in it’s delivery or credible with information. And the more books that come out with these poor traits, the more the buyer/consumer will be leery about the next book that comes along. They will indeed spend more time (time they already DON’T HAVE) inside of Barnes & Noble, picking up books, leafing through them to find buzz words to make them feel good about themselves or their goals. And they will buy. But don’t you DARE get it twisted; your book WILL NOT be among the books that are positioned in B&N. Here’s why…
(Damn I need to be paid good money for this)
The brick & mortar stores have VERY LITTLE SPACE for new books. Look at the 75/25 rule and be discouraged before you dream big. 75% of the books in Brick & Mortar (we’ll call it that, instead of the free promotion for the big boys) are backlist titles. Think about Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities, Catch 22, the freaky Handmaids Tale and every other Mark Twain book with the word nigger, nigger, nigger printed throughout. Those books are re-ordered time and time again, just like a radio station plays the same song over and over again, therefore CREATING what SHOULD BE considered STANDARD LITERATURE and ACCEPTED TITLES in AMERICAN CULTURE. The educational system has even adopted and secured these titles on the backlists. And the lists are SO DEEP and so WIDELY ACCEPTED and have been out so long, that they are not tampered with. Read a Handmaids Tale and if you’re a man your flagpole will rise. And if you’re a woman, you will get moist, guaranteed. Mind you, this is “okay” for schools to have on their reading lists.
Now, 25% of a store’s stock is the new material. That would be all the titles that are newly published. Oops! Did I say ALL the titles? I’m sorry. Misprint. All the titles EXCEPT YOURS. All the titles that have major backing and strong publicity agendas. All the titles that make it through the door because they have enough printed books. And guess what? All of the titles that are printed WILL NOT get into the brick & mortars because (why children?) THERE’S NO ROOM FOR ALL OF THEM. Hundreds of thousands of new titles are printed every year. And, bottom line, they will not all make it into brick and mortar storefronts. Think about the New York City Marathon and all of the hundreds of thousands of competitors. The first 50 or so people will be relevant enough to make it on TV. The next 50 might be relevant enough to make it into a newspaper or magazine. The next 100 will go back home and stake the claim in their local paper. And let’s be clear: the local paper is less relevant (in the bigger picture) than the small town paper. But, OH! Let’s not forget the optional issues, like those who run the marathon as handicapped. A number of them will also make national press. And fellow authors, brick & mortar does this too! If you are a local author living near one of these brick and mortars, and you develop a relationship with the “community relations” person at the nearest brick & mortar stores, they WILL post your book in some less-than high profile places. In those spots, you will have to make noise to advance to a better spot. But, let’s be clear: Many of those spaces inside of brick & mortar are purchased. (I can see the “OH SHIT” on a few faces right now)
Go into brick & mortar and near the front registers, in the windows, in prime locations on shelves that are in prime positions, you will see books that have suddenly become the most popular books. How is that? Well, going back to my radio station scenario, these books are PUSHED at you. You are ENCOURAGED to read them. They are part of a national campaign that is well funded by the big publishers of the world. The corner shelves, the kiosks, the shelves where books are faced cover-forward are all PAID FOR SPACES. If the publisher doesn’t have the money; and then, even if they DO have the money, if they DON’T have the power and connections with the shot callers, the books don’t make it to the front row. And, let’s face it folks, being in the front row always won you favor with the teachers, didn’t it?
So, bringing this all back to P.O.D., you may fool yourself (and others) by getting your self-published book in the brick & mortar spots nearest you, but that would be YOUR hard work, not Mister P.O.D. They will pug you into the Internet filing system so that people YOU reach directly will be able to find it—and THAT’S ALL. They will not know the latest and the most relevant lawyer’s convention in Vegas where your book might sell like hotcakes, and they are NOT, NOT, NOT connected with the man (or woman) who runs that convention. Mister P.O.D. does NOT know the mico-locations in your neighborhood where folks gather and share ideas and pray, and connect. That’s up to you. They don’t know the laws in Ohio, Chicago, New York and Georgia. And if they DO know them, and if they are or are not favorable or conducive to selling books, then they DO NOT know how to get around these rules and maybe set something up with a fellow club-owner or event planner or manager inside of a hotel. They will not know the police in these towns and whether they do or do not enforce the peddlers law, even if the so-called peddlers law does not have anything to do with your 1st amendment rights to share literature with others. And damned if these P.O.D. companies will bail you and your books out of jail if your information is backwards and based on assumption.
Okay, as you see, I can write a book about radical book marketing. But the whole point here is for you to have NO EXCUSES from now on, because you now KNOW I am your GO-TO man for issues like these. You know RELENTLESS AARON has been there and done that from Boston to New Orleans to Texas and in LA. I take pictures most everywhere I go, so I have footprints to prove it. My books have brought me into multi-million dollar mansions and into strip shows in dangerous neighborhoods. So goes the life of Relentless Aaron. And Mister P.O.D. Won’t you PLEASE be clear to your prospective customers before they take the dive? Won’t you please tell them that formatting their text file and editing are two entirely different things? Won’t you PLEASE outsource your cover design to marketing companies that are relevant to your potential client’s theme and content? And finally, could you STOP pushing AMAZON and B&N in people’s faces just to make your own start-up feel more credible? Let’s see you get a few books into national exposure before you sell national exposure. And here’s my shameless plug; hire me as a consultant so that I don’t have to hang you out to dry like this again.
Word
Relentless Aaron .
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Great stuff, RA. I pretty much knew all this info, and have done a top-notch job of writing, editing, paying a couple of my graphic designers to do book layout and cover (I own a graphic design firm), and I’m pretty savvy about the marketing stuff since I’ve been in the biz for over twenty years, BUT, I need you to clarify something.
You’re not saying to stay away from P.O.D.s altogether? I’m only planning to use one on my web site so folks have someplace to order my book besides ME. I don’t want to be the fulfillment/shipper chick, in most cases. I don’t expect my P.O.D. to do crap for me except provide access to my book and then ship it. Was gonna pay
BookSurge $299 for those rights – plus I get a real live person to talk to. (Personal account rep – same chick I deal with each time.)
Love and kisses,
Wow I think I just decided to quit writing all together!! LOL well I am a writer and I HAVE to write. Whether anyone reads it is of no consequence in that department. But of course I would love to see my books on shelves in the brick and mortar bookstore instead of virtually in Amazon as they are now. I use Lulu.com which does not require a contract and they are only for printing and distribution. Everything else I am responsible for that is why I DO NOT and DO NOT recommend to anyone to give a POD thousands of dollars which is worth nothing more than a spot on THEIR website and the same Amazon spot as Lulu.com which only charges you 75 bucks for “national distribution” which only means an ISBN etc… I still purchase my own books and I have to market them myself but I am not BOUND to Lulu.com as with other PODs that make you sign some ridiculous contract. The REAL publishing companies do not charge you ANYTHING – they got that covered and are willing to promote you promote you!! Set up tours for you and etc… This is a tough game and one that frustrates me but write I must so I do. Even though I am thinking about writing a book that KILLS GOD in the plot in order to get noticed or do I have to kill an actual person first? Or maybe I could just MAKE UP that I did and get on Oprah?? <>
thanks for this info, its funny i used a POD just off the word of a friend who had just used them to put a book out. though im still really in the dark as far as how to go about putting out a book, i know that lulu wasn’t the right choice. it served its purpose of as you said being able to say “my book is in print”. but thats all…
Now as i work on my next books i am searching for the correct way to go about it.
Kiexiza
Wow, Relentless, you really laid it on the line, and it’s a sharp line indeed. Every word in this column is pure gold. Should be required reading for anyone who wants to publish their own words. Back in the old days, before POD, vanity publishers fed the need to publish. But that route cost a lot of money, which tended to weed out those with a tad more sense. Today anyone can get a book in hand for very little cost, even poets. Considering that a large percentage of books by major publishers are, to put it gently, trash, one must, of necessity, view finding the good self-published book as akin to finding a diamond ring in a sewer farm — rewarding, but most likely not worth the effort.
Wonderful read. Right on target.
Thanks,
Shane.
Dude,
You are crucial!!!
Confession – I have never read one of your books. I don’t know why, but trust me I will from now on. You are goooood. And I love your writing style, your honesty and that shameless plug at the end!
I just want to rub against you so that some of your knowledge will make its way into my feeble brain before I give up this whole selling a book thing. I will never give up writing.
I bow to you!
Darby
Hello Relentless Aaron, To say the least you put out my flame, I still have a bit of a spark though and will look in other directions to get my project off the ground. Are you taking any more clients on? From what you say I need your services.
Robin
Thanks RA,
Good stuff. I’m with you on the whole POD thing, and say as much (though not quite so colorfully as you…) in my book, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher…
But remember, folks, you have another choice besides just POD and the conventional publisher. I’ve “conventionally self-published” all my Well-Fed titles, and have made a full-time living off them for 6-plus years now. By “conventionally self-published,” I simply mean I’m doing everything a publisher would do: professionally producing the book by assembling the right creative talent, hiring a printer, doing the promotion, etc. It’s not an easy job, but it’s doable – and the income potential is far greater than the other two options. Check out the free report on on my site giving you an idea of how I went about the process. I’m guessing it’ll be enlightening…
PB (www.wellfedsp.com)
Good Article Aaron
But you can do better then this.
Sometimes I think, do we really care that our books are read or not?
Love is not business Aaron. Those who sell it keep fretting, just like your article.
I was alive even before my book was published, I will be alive even after it fails.
My survival does not depend on a perfect bounded book or a few dollar sales.
A true writer will tell you this – That he is gonna exist whether you like it or not and even if the whole world denies his existence… he is still gonna exist.
So true. However, I’ve decided to go the marketing route on my own. Right now things are picking up slowly and steadily. I bought my own ISBN’s, hired a professional designer for the cover and inside the book. Professionally edited also, and I’m not worried about getting into the bookstores. My sales are pickiing up steadily now from my articles, site, blogging, etc. I also have it listed on amazon and online bookstores, (through RJ communication’s very reasonably priced Thor program) and that exposure doesn’t hurt! Yes, it isn’t like selling it for the full price as I do myself, but for now it’s good exposure. Time will tell. elaine
Yo, Relentless Aaron, good piece! You know how it works. I do too, after a lot of years and time spent feeling up the different parts of the elephant with a blindfold on. I have published both ‘self’ and professionally. My last book, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, was ‘self-published’ in POD, then picked up by St. Martin’s Press. Before that, it was one of twelve books to be named as finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook awards, along with one by David McCullough, Joyce Carol Oates, and Bill Cosby (yes, that one.) It is now declared ‘out-of-print’ by St. Martin’s Press, and my agent done gone missing. SMP won’t even answer my respectful, charming letters asking them to please relinguish my rights so I can self-publish the book again, since they obviously don’t give a damn about it. But, like I say, I’ve walked the walk. It’s all detailed on my web site: http://www.carlmelcher.com. Now I’m trying to sell the last two novels I’ve written (I’ve had a total of four professionally published). I may self-publish (POD) again. I figure, by the time Big Publishing gets around to actually reading one of my submissions, I’ll be moldering in the grave, getting fuzzy. The thing about POD is, like you say, good and bad. The internet is like a giant hive with about 85 and a half cells in it. When you POD publish, your book has its very own cell, just like Stephen King’s. And if one fine morning, half the people on this planet wake up and say to themselves, I want to read that wonderful book by Paul Clayton, that I dreamed about last night, they can do it, can find it on the web in its cell cause they know the author and title, or one of them, and they can BUY IT! Sadly, they’re probably not going to dream that dream and Paul Clayton doesn’t have the bucks to reach them all with postcards and radio ads, so there’s not going to be much traffic into and out of my little cell. But, I don’t care anymore. Remember the old saying, “everybody has a book in them.” Well, it’s true. Notice that the old saying doesn’t say a “good book,” just a book. Problem is, with POD they’re all publishing them too. And if you are a real writer, yours is just gonna live in the cell next door to theirs, on lonely street. The only thing that can keep a real writer going is faith. Faith in the truth you weave into your writing, faith in your abilities to weave it in there so amusingly and compellingly that the reader will never notice it working its way inside them.
Anyway, this thread is all due to Aaron’s efforts. Aaron, keep writing. You sound like you have a lot of interesting stories to tell, and lots of enthusiasm and talent to tell them. So write on, writer brother!
Aaron,
Very well said. As a new author myself, I had to accept the fact that it is me and me alone that is responsible for the marketing and promotion campaign of my book. Other authors that are entering the book market need to understand that it’s going to cost money to promote a book. If I remember correctly E. Lynn Harris started with 25K when he self published.
If you plan on traveling away from your home city, its going to cost some money, if you plan on selling your book on the street corner, its going to cost some money to have the books printed and then shipped to you. If you need some fliers printed…its going to cost you money at Kinkos or a print shop. There is no way around it. Self Publishing should be treated as a start up business with start up capital. If not your money, then borrowed money.
Its NOT the P.O.D’s (aka Vanity Press), Borders, B & N or even Amazon.com’s job to market a book, its the author. Even if the market is flooded with books, if the book is marketed very well and it’s actually good, then the readers will buy it.
Also, if an author gets signed to a major publishing house, they are still responsible for marketing and promoting their work. To be honest, the only reason I would see the need to sign with a major house is to get an advance so that I could have a major national marketing campaign to “Push” my books heavy to the market.
When I decided to self publish my book, I acknowledged the fact that my publishing company is a business , my book is a product and that my marketing efforts should be thought of as a campaign and not an onetime event. I acknowledge and accept the fact that it will take more than one book and more than one hour before people really began to “notice” me as an author and I have the patience to see that I do get noticed.
Entertainment is not going anywhere anytime soon and if an author wants to self publish they will self publish regardless of market saturation, but the key here is to make sure they when they do truly self publish their work, they better have their own ISBN on the back of the book and not the P.O.D.’s.
What it all boils down to is that if you don’t tell the world about your book, no one will know that it exist.
Eddrick Dejuan
Author, Madam Eve
http://www.eddrickdejuan.com
Relentless Aaron – dang, you’re an excellent writer with an apparent knowledge of self publishing. So as a newcomer with my first book ready to publish, which company would you recommend: Lulu, Outskirts, Amazon’s Book Surge, Ron Pramschufer’s Self-Publishing? or another? Hanging on tenterhooks, no easy task, waiting for your reply. Thanks.
Bea
Relentless Aaron,
Excellent article !
You hit a Grand Slam with bases loaded , full count, down three runs in the last inning.
Continue to Make Things Happen in the Publishing World !
Thanks for the insightful content.
Robert Moment
F&ck POD companies, they are crooks. I’m glad somelike Relentless Aaron is sharing this knowledge. I moved 3,500 books (another 3500 on the way) with out Amazon, BNB, borders, etc………I hit the streets. Authors please read the article again and again, you will truly learn this game…………
thank you Aaron for blessing us
Tra verdejo
myspace.com/streetscripturescom