Debunking the Roles of Publishers, Literary Agents & Publicists by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

#publishers #publicists #agents

Much of what I'm about to say is up for interpretation and opinion, but my goal is to attempt to dispel some myths and define how most people in the publishing industry see these three roles, including how these roles are starting to change a bit. Why am I writing about this? Because I have had several people contact me this past year, hoping I can help with things that publicists do not typically do. I'm using the word "typically" because you will always find a rare exception to every case.

• Publishers - Publish and distribute books to book sellers
• Literary Agents - Represents authors & sells unpublished works to publishers & negotiates contracts
• Publicists - Promote and publicize published works & authors to buying readers, including the media to increase their audience

Traditional Publishers 

• Contracts - Prepares and offers contracts to authors. This includes an acquisition editor reading your manuscript proposal, taking it to a committee and pitching it to others. Once approved, it is negotiated with your agent, attorney and the author. Contracts are signed, authors typically receive half of the agreed upon advance.
• Editorial Process - Author writes the manuscript, turns it into the editor, editor reads the manuscript and makes edit changes. Author makes changes and it goes through another round of edits, sometimes a third round of edits. 
• Distribution Process - The publisher is responsible for having the right connections and maintaining those connections with book sellers and distributors who sell to bookstores. Based on the quantity of print runs and these connections, determines where an author's book will be available for purchase in bookstores to readers. The smaller the publisher, the fewer connections they will have and the fewer quantities of books they will have available. If you choose to self-publish, this is YOUR responsibility. You will not be able to hire a publicist or a literary agent to do this for you. Getting your books into bookstores and to distributors who sell to bookstores is not a task that most publicists take on. You may be able to find a publicist who will try, but most will not even tackle this difficult job since it is too hard, too time consuming, and feels like banging one's head against a brick wall.  
• Marketing - Some publishers will provide an in-house publicist and/or hire a consulting publicist to promote their entire book list. This means that this publicist works for the publisher, not the authors. While the publicist will be an indirect benefit to the author, they are given priority to the books that the publisher determines and that is usually the big name authors who are already selling the most books. New and small authors are not a priority. Some small publishers do not have a publicist at all. This is why so many authors end up hiring their own publicist to represent them and their works on an  individual basis. 

Literary Agents

• Manuscript Screening - Literary agents screen hundreds and thousands of manuscripts each year. They reject most, ask to see more of others, and find a select few that they feel is good enough and/or will fit into a publishing line. 
• Proposal Process - Some agents are involved in requesting authors to provide additional edits and formatting the manuscript in a proposal process. They may give authors guidelines on what should be included in the proposal such as bio, book comparisons, marketing plan, how much of the manuscript to include, etc. Also, this will vary from publisher to publisher since each house has their own specific requirements and standards. Once the proposal is ready, the agent writes a cover letter and submits it to editors at publishing houses that are open to that particular genre.
• Contract Negotiation - Agents are responsible for keeping authors informed of the status of manuscripts at publishing houses, rejections, feedback from editors, editorial changes if an editor is willing to look at it again, if it advances to a committee and negotiates the contracts if a publisher makes an offer. Agents often nudge editors if they have had a manuscript for a long period of time and have not responded at all. 
• Career Advice - An additional benefit that agents sometimes provide is career advice to authors. Agents will often suggest an author try writing in a different genre or consider submitting to a publisher that they were not originally targeting, give marketing advice, and encourage authors. 
• Handles Author/Editor Disputes - Sometimes an agent can step in and negotiate terms and issues if an author and editor are having a disagreement. This saves authors from having to deal with an uncomfortable situation and saves the relationship between the author and the editor. 

Publicists

 

• Media - Promotes the book to the media via press releases and news-wire distributions, including TV, radio, podcasts, newspapers, magazines, ezines, bloggers, and social media channels. Unless the author is a well-known celebrity, it is difficult to get on some traditional TV, radio and newspapers. 'Therefore, publicists will often concentrate on the author's local media connections and or strategic topics of interest to show hosts that may relate to the book itself.
• Book Signings - Traditionally, publicists would contact bookstores, festivals, book fairs and conferences to schedule authors to sign books. These days most authors do not have the funds to travel and publicists either concentrate on the authors location connections for these signings or foregoes book signings in favor of virtual book tours. 
• Virtual Book Tours - Publicists will schedule authors to appear on 20-30 blogs over the period of a month or two. Tours can include book reviews, author interviews, guest posts by the authors, scavenger hunts, etc. Giveaways of the book are often included, as well as gift certificates, kindles, nooks, ipads, free trips, etc. 
• Digital Platform - Nowadays authors must have an online digital platform where readers can find them through all kinds of connections, networks and channels. Publicists will often give consulting advice or offer services to design branded websites and blogs, social media packages, video book trailers, banner ads and/or ad campaigns. 
• Facebook & Twitter Parties - Some publicists will coordinate and host social media parties in a fun way to bring authors directly to their readers. It's a live online chat at a designated place where authors share news of a book launch, readers ask questions, and lots of giveaways are offered. 
• Speakers Bureau - Some publicists will offer the service of booking authors to speak at special events and conferences, while others will just offer a listing service for an author to promote their speaking talents and topics. 

With digital publishing, some literary agents are now taking on the role of publishing e-books and offering publicist services. Likewise, some publicists are taking on the role of publishing e-books. I have considered this as well since I offer book cover designs, and I may start offering it in the near future at Upon the Rock Publicist.

The role of distribution will soon have a new dynamic as subscription based e-book services continue to pop up. This past weekend a reader came up to me and was excited to meet me because she had read my newest novel For Love or Loyalty on a book club subscription service. I didn't even know that my book was available on this service, but it made me realize how valuable something like that could be if my book wasn't available on a popular service that could become as big as Netflix and Hulu for books.

I'm sure I left out a few things, but hopefully this post will give people a clearer understanding of these roles. What are some of your thoughts and questions?

Midlist Authors Avoiding the Sinking Sand by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

"I've always wanted to write a book."

As an author or a pre-published author, how many times have you heard this statement the moment someone discovers you're a writer? My guess, is quite often, and the longer you write, the more you will hear it.

I love writing and the publishing market, but I'm witnessing lots of changes that can be seen as both positives and negatives. Even if you're a "glass half full" kind of person, you need to be able to recognize the negatives so you can brainstorm and develop ideas on how to turn them into positives. In other words, you can't find a solution if you do not first recognize that there is a problem.

The changes that are taking shape in the publishing industry is affecting all writers whether they are the million dollar writers, multi-published, award-winning, midlist, traditionally published, POD published, e-published, or self-published. No one is exempt from the paradigm shift that is taking place, not even agents, editors, publishers, publicists, or marketers and designers that work in the industry.

What am I noticing?

Almost everyone who wants to write a book IS writing a book and the publishing market is being flooded with all kinds of books--increasingly, self-published e-books. This has its advantages and disadvantages. I've listed a few below, but there are many more points not listed that we could discuss.

Advantages for authors are:

• Not having to wait years to see their books in print 
• Having full control of their manuscripts from writing, editing to cover design
• Ability to set pricing controls and adjust it to market fluctuations
• Higher royalty payments 
• Publishing niche books that may not appeal to the general audience

Disadvantages for authors are:

• No advance
• All marketing and distribution is on the author's shoulders
• May cost more of a personal financial investment
• Higher chance of releasing books before they are ready and when more edits and rewrites are needed 
• Building a platform from scratch, since even traditionally published debut authors have the publisher's platform to start from

Now, midlist authors whether they are traditionally published, POD published, or self-published via ebooks are competing in a flooded market that is either swallowing them up or leaving them on the shore mired in sinking sand. A few are doggie-paddling to a row boat. Only the million dollar authors are on the nice yachts sailing through the water on the sails of their publishers' marketing budget. The impact on them is much less than the rest of us, but a wave might flip them over every so often.

What is the solution?

It's already been identified--a solid platform.

But how does one get there without starting out as a celebrity? 

I wish I had a short, simple answer that would take care of all our worries that would launch us to the platform where we all dream of being. The truth is, there isn't one simple answer. No publicist can provide a miracle. What we can do is give you consulting advice and get you started on a marketing plan that will increase your sales as time progresses and from one book launch to the next. When deciding on a publicist, take a close look at that publicist's Social Media following and stats--most likely, that is the market to which they are able to market your book. Overall, each author will need to take advantage of every possible marketing opportunity. Do not give up. Be consistent and recognize that slow progress is still progress.

What has been your biggest challenge to building a platform?

• Inaccurate Bookscan Stats and the Plight of the Midlist Author
• The New Midlist: Self-Published E-Book Authors Who Earn a Living
• Why Book Buying Stats Might Stifle the Next Great Author

What Genre Is Your Book Publicist?

Too many authors make the mistake of hiring a publicist with the expectation of a miracle and with no realistic idea about the buying market in their genre. I'm not saying it's a mistake to hire a publicist, but what I am saying, is that you need to do your homework about the publicist and their area of expertise. Also, you need to do some research on what to expect for your book genre for a first-time author versus a well-established author and start pulling together some ideas and goals.

You really shouldn't hire a publicist until you know what you want and what to expect. Otherwise, you're just leaving yourself wide open for a sales pitch. Publicists know their business and many of them are good at what they do, therefore, they can make it sound like a wonderful package. It's just like any other business. There are legit publicists who will do a great job and give you your money's worth. Some are not so legit, will promise the stars and the moon and you will end up disappointed. Others who mean well and will do their best for you, but their contacts and networks aren't in the realm where you need to take your next book.

It's no different in shopping for a car. You wouldn't plunk down several thousand dollars on a vehicle without doing some research and going for a few test drives, would you? Why should investing in your book or writing career be any different?

Even though you hire a publicist, that doesn't mean they will be able to handle everything and you can go back to researching and writing the next book. They need bios, book covers, endorsements, and answers to interview questions from you. They may need to clear some time on both yours and their schedule to plan and discuss things. They may need you to meet people for live interviews, to be available for podcasts and other media recordings, and give feedback on mockup designs.

Will you have time for these things? If not, you may need a different publicist or package. Most authors work WITH a publicist. Each author is different. Their work habits and styles are varied and just as some agents work for some authors, other agents don't work as well. It's the same with publicists. Are you the type of author who really needs to develop a relationship with your publicist so that you will feel you can trust their judgment? Are you the type of author who doesn't need that tight connection and you can go anywhere as long as they give you a good price and provide quality work?

Are you an author who may want to work on one core area of your platform at a time? For instance, with your first book you just need to establish a platform, but for your second book you might need to build on that platform and make your foundation more solid. By the third book you might want to focus more on increasing your Social Media, or your public speaking engagements, or revamp your online presence to target your market and establish your message more accurately to reflect what you write.

Not all publicists offer the same services, but many offer multiple services. In spite of the wide range of services they may offer, keep in mind that they will have strengths in core areas of the business. This is important as you determine what your needs are and you narrow down your selection. As your writing career advances to various levels and you begin to concentrate on specific areas of your platform, you may find that working with more than one publicist for specific needs off and on at various times will work best for you. It will also open your platform and writing to more networks than what one publicist has established.

Know your needs. Know your expectations. Do your research. Then make a selection.

Post your questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer. 






 

Understanding & Using SEO Marketing

You've probably seen the online articles and Twitter tweets about improving SEO performance, but what does it REALLY mean beyond the acronym of Search Engine Optimization?

It's improving the visibility of your website through a natural, organic process that doesn't cost money, but be assured, it WILL cost time.

Marketing is an ongoing process and you'll never be able to do enough of it. Therefore, unless you have unlimited funds to spend on buying top search engine placement, you'll need to spend some time improving your site's rankings and page algorithm. When people search for a term, they aren't going to click on hundreds of pages until your site pops up in the listing. This is why you want your site to come up as high as possible in the rankings, hopefully the first page or the first few pages.

However, don't get too caught up in "rankings" since it is only one algorithm used to upload pages to key search words. If you have enough "quality" backlinks linking key search terms to your page or site, it's possible for your site to beat a higher ranking site on that particular key search term. You need to consider the top search words and phrases people will use to find your site. Incorporate them into your html, your blog posts, headers, tags, etc.

Here are a few techniques to improve your site's rankings and algorithm:
1) Cross Linking - This is linking pages within the same website or blog. Examples of  this would be creating a sitemap, a resource center of links to previous articles, archives, top visited posts, etc.

2) Multiply Incoming Links - You want to get as many "quality" sites linking to your website/blog as possible. This is sometimes called Deep Linking. It tells the search engines that you have a lot of worthwhile content. Ways to improve this are offering guest posts to other blogs, uploading your archived articles to other ezines and allowing your articles to be reposted by other bloggers as long as they use your byline and link back to your page.

3) Write Good Content - Make sure blog posts and/or articles contain frequently searched keywords and phrases, but don't overdo it to the point that you get your site banned by the search engines. Just make sure each page contains your key search terms for that page at least twice.

4) Update Content Often - This lures the search engines back to your site to crawl over your content and re-index it. It also builds traffic. This is another reason why it would be better to blog at least 3 times per week.

5) Multiple Domains - Search engines only list one page per domain, therefore, if you have several topics that are strong enough to support their own site, go for it. Examples of this are ministries, author sites, homeschooling pages, and side businesses. I own two author domains, www.jenniferhudsontaylor.com and www.authorjenniferhudsontaylor.com. Also, I own a few more business domains. They all link into each other.


6) Strategize Anchor Links - It may be tempting to anchor as many links as possible to your url, but to the search engines it may look like automation and could result in getting your site banned from search engines. Therefore, use your url, but also link to various pages on your site. Include links to your individual book page, speaker page, bio, and archived articles where appropriate.

7) Use Text Links - Even where you've used an image to link to another page or site, be sure to include a text link above the image as well. Spiders and webcrawler search engines pick up text links first, so list them above the image, not below.

8) Use Frames & Flash Sparingly - So many people have switched to using frames and flash to develop their sites, but they don't allow links to individual pages. It's all or nothing.

9) Truth About Paid Links - Unless the paid link is embedded in the body text and not obvious sponsored links, it does nothing to improve your SEO. It only provides a few clicks to your site. So if you pay for a link, be sure to place it on a quality site and have realistic expectations.

10) SEO is Daily - Be aware that the landscape for search engines changes daily, therefore, you must expect to work on your SEO daily. At least keep it in mind for each blog post and each time you update your site/blog.

The Future at Hartline by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

I want to thank everyone for welcoming me as the new Publicist at Hartline, and I'm looking forward to working with you. So far, I'm getting a chance to better know the clients here at Hartline. I've been in contact with some by email and others by phone.

We are all at different stages of marketing our work and ourselves. Our needs vary, and therefore, I'll be working with you on an individual basis. My role will be to advise you based on my experience and knowledge, as well as offer bits of marketing and promotional nuggets here on the Hartline Blog.

The first process we're setting up is a welcome letter that new Hartline clients will receive from me. In it I'll be introducing myself and giving guidance on what unpublished authors should be doing to build their platform while they work on their craft and wait for that first contract offer. I've prepared an in-depth letter for those who are newly contracted and need to start planning for their first book launch. And finally, I'll have an even more detailed letter that will go out to new and current clients who are already published with guidance regarding on-going platform building.

One thing that I want authors to understand is once your book is released, you'll be marketing it and yourself as an author forever--or as long as you intend to write and sell books. It used to be that a printed book would go out of print, but e-books are changing that. They never go out of print. Therefore, you will never be "finished" with marketing. You may finish a book launch and have some down time afterward, but building your platform is a continuous effort.

We have a dedicated public relations loop where clients share their experience and expertise with each other. If we hear about a great article or blog or upcoming opportunities, we share it. This past week, we've been talking about book launches, setting up book signings and blog tours. Everyone on the loop has valuable information to share and that is what makes it so special. 

After I've been on board for a while and touched base with all our current clients, I want to build a Speakers Bureau for the Hartline Agency. Many of you are already giving workshops and speaking at conferences, others want to start doing this. Hartline would like to provide a platform to help you promote your speaking talent and provide a resource for organizations who are looking to bring speakers to their events. This is just one example of some of the great opportunities we're planning for the future.

What are some of your marketing needs? What topics would you like to see on the Hartline blog in the future?