The death of the book – and the novel in particular – has been widely predicted for some time, but in fact as new technology is embraced the opportunities for publishing are growing and breathing new life into this centuries-old form.
The relentless rise of social media has also played its part, offering both new routes to market and avenues for spreading the word. You only have to look at the phenomenal success of ‘Fifty Shades’ to know that the traditional route to book publishing is being challenged.
Above all, the focus in publishing now is about offering readers choice. In the US, e-book sales have overtaken hardcover sales for the first time this year, and much of Europe is following the same trend. Indeed Barnes & Noble has announced it is expanding its Nook into Europe.
For Barnes & Noble this is the first expansion of their business internationally. From October the company will offer the Nook in the UK, rolling out its Nook Simple Touch. The new UK Nook store will have more than 2.5 million titles, including UK books, newspapers and magazines as well as apps. The company is aiming to announce partnerships with retailers shortly, to include digital and physical sales channels.
Self-publishing success
The rise of the e-book has had a big impact on independent publishing.
This summer saw four self-published authors (with seven novels between them) make it onto the New York Times bestseller list. The e-books were published and distributed by Smashwords, which uploaded almost 9,000 new titles in one month alone. For just one book or self-published author to have made the list would be big news – four in one go is incredible.
We have certainly found with our clients that many are choosing the e-book route because it is a cheaper, quicker option for authors to get their book ‘out there’. Nevertheless, there are still some authors who want, most of all, to hold their book in their hands and be able to show it to friends and family, to see their name in print – this is what has motivated them over many months and years.
And of course, for many authors, the overriding aim is to make money out of the book, and for that you need to ensure that potential readers hear about your book and can purchase it. There’s nothing wrong with starting small, and we advise most new authors to have a simple website (using the author’s name for the domain if this is still available), with perhaps a blog and an option to purchase the book from the site.
One of our clients began by selling their book on their website, and subsequently in a limited range of local outlets. Pretty soon a large bookseller was interested and now it is one of the most promoted books in the store, with displays in the window and at the main entrance.
The public’s appetite for books certainly hasn’t gone away; it’s an exciting time for publishers and authors alike.
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Frustrated authors who have a whole file of rejection letters may well cite the literary agents and publishers who turn down work on a regular basis as the blockage.
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Trying to make your book look like a professional author's will give you a great kick-start on the path to publishing success.
How’s your elevator pitch?
Can you sum up the book you've written in ten words or fewer? If not, it’s really worth having a go. Because, these days, you need to approach the promotion of your book with the same attitude as those who work hard on their ‘elevator pitch’ that is common in the film industry. They know they’ll only get one shot at it, so they need to get it right first time.
