One more thought on branding yourself as an author: A brand isn't just a slogan. I once met a beginning writer who had business cards printed with the words, "The Queen of Suspense." Unfortunately, she was unpublished, so from a writing standpoint she wasn't really the queen of anything (except maybe "self-confidence"). Words that like are just a slogan, but a brand is a reflection of who you are. Experience among readers trumps slogans. We've all had experience with the novels of Stephen King, so our experience tells us he is the "King of Horror." We've all been exposed to the novels of John Grisham, so our experience tells us he is the "King of Legal Thrillers." Those series of perceptions have built up enough to let us grasp the brand each author has. 

Okay, so it's the weekend, and we're taking a break from business so I can watch my beloved Oregon Ducks beat UCLA and get their ticket punched to the Rose Bowl. But I thought this would be a great time to mention that I've written a book, entitled 40 Ways to Get Closer to God. Yes, it's one of the spiritual/religious books — sort of my journey for how I wanted to feel more in touch with the Creator. If you're interested, you can read all about it here:

You can find the book here: http://tinyurl.com/83ch5y2

By the way, I should mention that several visitors to the blog said they purchased a copy, so thanks to Ramona Richards, Patti Jo Moore, Don Reavis, and Candace Pope (four of my oldest and dearest friends in the business)… :o)

I had two people write to me last night, upset with yesterday's post. One of them asked, "Why are you slamming publishers?"

Bob wrote to ask, "If publishers aren't going to spend much marketing my book, in what areas DO they allocate most of their marketing dollars?"

They're going to provide review copies to some media outlets and reviewers. They're going to include you in the catalog. They're going to assign it to a publicist who will maybe let some media know about the book. But I suppose the answer to the question of "where does the marketing money go" is probably, "It goes toward bestselling books — so if you're not already a bestselling author, you won't see much. "

Look, one of the little secrets of marketing is that there's basically ONE marketing plan, and it's used for nearly everybody's book. It's true — sometimes I think some publishers take the same plan and just keep changing the cover page before passing the document around to authors. Maybe there are only a handful of copies of the same plan, and publishers share them… So if you're hoping to see your marketing plan, your publisher is probably waiting for the people at another house to get done with it and send it to them.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But here's the plan I keep seeing: "We're going to send a half-dozen copies to some magazines you don't read. Then we're going to send another half-dozen to some TV shows you don't watch — the ones where the people all have great hair and talk a lot. We'll have a handful of copies to use as giveaways on various blogs. Then we might send out review copies, if we deem your book reviewable, and ask if you can provide us with friends who love you and are sure to say something nice. Next, we're going to try and set you up to do a blog tour, so the same 300 people can see you on different sites. If you're

Dana wrote to ask, "How much of marketing a book is the publisher's department, and how much is the author's responsibility? It seems like publishers used to do more marketing."

 It's funny, but authors tend to think there was this perfect situation in days of yore, in which the hard-working writer turned in her manuscript, then sat back and watched the publisher market her book to the masses. Um… I've worked in publishing for a few decades now, and I don't know that scenario was ever true. In my view, the first part of the perfect marketing situation is this: The publisher likes the book, gets excited about it, and really markets it hard. I don't see that happen a lot — sometimes, but not a lot. I mean, I'll often see an editor get excited, and I often see hardworking publicists trying to make things happen, but to have the entire company get behind something is fairly rare. The publishing industry has become much more of a celebrity-driven/bestseller-driven industry than it used to be, and publishers spend the bulk of their marketing time working on books they know are going to be winners. Publishing is an 80/20 business (that is, 80% of the profits come from 20% of the books), so publishers tend to go the safe route, pushing the new book from last year's bestselling author, or focusing on the books by people with big author platforms. That's just good business, so that particular plan doesn't bother me one bit.

When Publishers Weekly did their year-end report on last year's nonfiction bestsellers, I found it fascinating that seven of their top fifteen authors have huge built-in marketing platforms. (That list included Bill O'Reilly, Chelsea Handler, and others who have TV shows or serve as television commentators.) That says something about the importance of an author having a platform. But don't miss the second part of what I consider the

Continuing with questions about marketing, Dave wrote to ask, "What should you do if your publisher doesn't have adequate resources for marketing and promotion?"

Um…okay, here's a suggestion to all authors and wannabe authors: Before inking that deal, ask some questions and find out what sort of marketing effort your publisher is going to make on your behalf. I'd say about half the books released every year have zero marketing efforts planned for them. So ask some basic questions: What are some of the things you're planning to do in order to sell books? How have you promoted similar titles in the past? Will there be ads? Will you be sending out review copies? Will radio talk show hosts be contacted? Will you use postcards or bookmarks or shelf-talkers? Do you plan signings or a broadcast fax or in-store promotions? Will you to doing extensive web promotion? Do you expect me to walk around Central Park with a sandwich board?

I won't bore you with sob stories, but it's hard to find an author who is satisfied with the marketing their publisher did for them. I suppose they're out there, but they are rare. Many authors feel they were promised the moon, then handed something considerably less. At the same time, it can be hard to find a good freelance publicist. They are out there, but they're busy — a professional who has the contacts and know-how to actually help an author get the word out. It's why some authors will swear by one publicist or another — they had a good experience, and they want to duplicate it on their next book.

So if you're working with a publisher who apparently doesn't have the resources to support your book, you've got a choice to make: Do I let this book die because the publisher doesn't want to get behind it, or do I decide to promote it myself? 

Once again, I'm inviting people to send in questions about writing and publishing, and we'll try to offer a bit of wisdom. Recently Bobbi wrote to me to tell me I've been too hard on marketing types in the past, and to ask, "What sort of marketing would you suggest to an author? And what sort of marketing would you most like to see?"

First, I'd suggest an author decide to take control of marketing for their own book. Put aside that old fashioned notion that the publisher is going to market your book for you, and start learning what you can do to help get the word out. Second, I'd suggest some field research — who is the audience for your book? What's the best way to reach them? (If the answers are "everybody" and "beats me," you're screwed.) Third, I'd start checking out the creative ideas people are using on the web. Internet book sales equaled the sales at brick-and-mortar stores last year for the first time in publishing history at most of the major publishing houses. It's the place to buy books. That means it's probably time you took a fresh look at your web site, your online videos, your blog, and anything else that sounds vaguely connected to Al Gore's invention.

As for what I'd like to see? I can think of dozens, but here's two… Many publishers have forgotten about radio. But it's on all the time in our culture. People don't like noise, so they have their radios on at work, in the car, in the kitchen. And it's FREE to listen. It's also cheap to advertise. I'd like to see more publishers figure out how to effectively promote their books via radio. A second area is one that authors could work harder at: articles. There are newspapers, magazines, and e-zines all over the world, and they're all looking for content. A magazine

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