There's No Story Out There Like Mine - It Must Sell...Not

This is something I see a lot in submissions from authors. Their argument is pretty simple. They have done the research and found that no one has done that type of story yet, therefore, it is an easy sale and editors and agents would be fools not to buy it.

Well, we need to stop right there. While this might sound logical, the reality is, if there is nothing out there, the odds are this is a topic/genre/plot/style that simply is not going to sell.

Yes, we do want new and unique stories. We say this over and over again at conferences, on blogs and in articles. But there is an additional piece that I think many of you are missing. There has to be a market for that story. If readers out there would never buy the concept, then the project is not marketable.

I know what some of you are saying. How do we know they would not like it if we don't have it out there. Again, this might seem logical, but we can use additional pieces of data and market research to determine if the story would even sell. I would also argue that in many cases, simple common sense might also tell us the project would not sell.

I'm going to give you some extreme cases here, but I think you can get the feel of what I mean. These stories would simply not sell:

• A new adult novel about a high school senior having a relationship with her swim coach.  - Nope!
• A fictional story about life inside a terrorist group showing that the character might have justifiable reasons for what he or she is doing.
• A story about a character who is in financial troubles, so the author shows her doctoring the companies records and stealing from the company because, in her case, it is a justifiable reason to steal. 

Yes, these are extreme and the writing might certainly be quality, but the premise is simply not going to work.

I also noted that maybe the market is just not interested in that topic right now. In this case, agents and editors are looking at trends in areas such as movies, television, cultural situations and yes, what books are selling or not right now.

As you think about a project you want to start, take the time to really look around you. I would never advise a client to start something that simply will not sell.

Supply And Demand In Publishing

I thought that I would bring a lot of you writers back to reality for a bit this Monday.

Like most writers, the odds are, you live a pretty solitary life. You write your books and this is the entire focus of your life. This is all you really see. So, when it is time to fire off your manuscript, there is a belief, whether conscious or not, that if the project is good, it will immediately be scooped up. We also know that when we have sent out our project to our critique groups, we got feedback within 1 week.

For those of you who self-publish, this same thought pattern runs through our head. We, finished this amazing book and once online, we are ready to "make money."

Ahhh, but here is the twist, and it returns back to the infamous concept we learn in basic economics: Supply and Demand.

The reality of the situation is that SUPPLY is far exceeding DEMAND in this market. There are more authors than readers and their are more authors than slots in any publisher's line up. Let's look at a couple of examples:

THE AGENCY
I thought I would start at this level. A literary agency will simply have a limited number of slots depending on how many agents they have and what they represents. They can only spread themselves so thin. They will stick with their known commodities and anyone who comes in new must provide something new and something that fills a slot they don't have. Here at Greyhaus, that is really a situation. I have authors that are really producing well in historical romance. While I am always on the look for new authors, you have to provide something these authors do not provide.

THE PUBLISHER
Remember, publishers only produce so many books a month. It costs money to produce a book and they aren't just going to release an unlimited number in a month. What authors also forget is that each publisher "rents" space at retailers for their releases. Those shelves only hold so many books. Again, a publisher might have a lot of books, but there is only so much space.

But what about the online community? That should take care of the overload? Right?

Sorry... supply and demand is kicking in again.

THE READERS
As I started out with this, there are more of you than readers. First of all, readership is just not there like it used to be. As someone who is strongly involved in literacy, I wish this was not the case. But it is. People are more concerned about binge watching shows on Netflix than reading. Sure, we can put an unlimited number of books out there on the internet, but your book will simply be lost in the crowd.

Let me explain it this way...

AMAZON -> Kindle Ebooks ->Contemporary

1-16 of over 50,000 results for Kindle Store : Kindle eBooks : Romance : Contemporary

And this is the result...

If you are an unknown author, good luck...

I am not going to sugar coat anything here. This is a tough business. It is cutthroat and you have to be damn good to make it. This is not an issue of your marketing, but it comes down to good writing.

It also comes down to being in the right place at the right time. Your story has to hit that publisher, or that editor, or those readers at the right time when they are looking for your book.

I wish there was an easier way, but sometimes, it is good to just hear the truth.

Your Book Of The Heart May Not Sell

Writers are often told to write the book of their heart and not write to trends. In other words, write what you are truly passionate about. I will often add that many writers will often be told that simply, if the story is great, it will sell. While there are certainly some aspects of this that are true, the reality is that this is a business, and the laws of supply and demand and market research still apply. Your story is a product and if there is not a market for it, the story simply will not sell.

I know this is a bit discouraging, but writers have to look beyond their writing if they plan on becoming a professional, selling author.

As an agent, I look at the initial premise of the story and often times, will pass on projects simply because the market is not buying that type of book. For those of you who have been around for a while, you have seen just this. In the early 2000's the hot item to sell was Chick Lit. You wrote one of those and you were a hot commodity. But then the market became saturated. Supply exceeded demand and guess what? If you used the words "Chick Lit" in your query letter or pitch, it was immediate death. Sure, people tried to use "RomCon" instead, but we all knew just what you were talking about.

Now, I know what some of you are saying. "There has to be someone who starts a trend! There has to be someone who is first!" I have to 100% agree with you. Someone does have to be first. But, these are the rare exceptions in this business. This is a HUGE gamble and one that only a rare few will ever win!

So, does this mean "you sell out?" Yes, I used that phrase because I know a lot of you are thinking that. The answer is no! We still want you to write what you are passionate about. We still want you to put your heart and soul into that story. Believe me, your passion does come out in the writing. But to be successful ALSO means that you have to do market research. You have to take the time to see if this project will really sell.

OK, so how do you do this? The first thing I would say is take the time (yes we are back to taking your time) to see what is currently out there on the book shelves. Look to the NEW releases and not the re-releases of authors. I would also encourage you to look at NEW authors and not the established authors. Remember that those established authors can get away with a lot of things new authors cannot do. The other thing is to remember that new authors somehow caught the attention of those editors with something special. If you are seeing several (no, one is not a trend) writing in a particular direction, then that might be telling you something.

Remember, this is a business. Economics still rule sales. It is not your passion. 

Why No One Wants Your Book

Jane Friedman posted an interesting article a couple of days ago o the 13 Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes. Her #3 point really stood out to me, and, I believe is a mistake far too many authors make, regardless of taking the traditional or self publishing approach.

She noted that many self-published authors have done insufficient research and market analysis.

3. Insufficient research and market analysis

Forbes has suggested that between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books are self-published every year. That’s a lot. In order to get the maximum leverage for selling your book, you’ll want to figure out which books are selling best (and more importantly, why), what readers want to read right now, who your key demographic is and how to reach them, and if you have any competition.

I don't know how many times I receive a submission where an author is using the argument, no one is writing a story like this so my story is unique. While this might be the case, the odds are that the real issue is that this story is not something that is selling and the market is not interested in this type of story. 

Along the same lines, I also see authors who want to show that their story is exactly what is on the market right now. OK, that part is fine, but when the story itself is just a carbon copy of everything else out there, the book is not going to sell. 

Before you even think about writing that story, do a bit of research. Is this a story, that, while it might sound great inside your head, is something that is truly marketable? Is this a story that people really will want to read. Remember, you have to take your personal bias out of this. If you are the only person interested, then this might be a problem.

I remember attending a Romantic Times conference and I had an author talking to me about her biography of her grandmother and how she had made it through the Depression. She was extremely excited about this book, about the research she did, and the things she  had learned about her grandmother. Here was the problem. She and her family were probably the only people out there interested in this story. This book simply was not going to sell. 

When you look at these numbers from the Friedman article, what is most disturbing is that many of these authors, I am betting, dove into the self-publishing market because the traditional publishers did not pick up the book. They probably said what I have heard over and over again, "Those traditional editors and agents are not willing to open up their markets and try new things. They cannot expand their thinking."

No, the reality is that they DID take the time to do the market research and they DID discover that the market was not going to buy that book.

In the end, it really does not matter how well you wrote that book, if the premise is not something the market wants, the book is not going to sell. 

Why Many Independent Authors Fail

I am reminded of joke my wife and I talk about all of the time. She will read a really bad story and then tell me I should read it too. We then say it is like opening up that carton of milk in the fridge that

is now cottage cheese, and then handing it to someone to have them take a sip to see if it is really bad.

One reason I have heard a lot of authors head to independent publishing is not because the traditional route does not pay well and they can make more money on their own (yes some authors do this). It is however, because those traditional editors and agents simply don't want to represent their work. They are tired of the rejections and simply feel that the traditional professionals don't really have a true sense of what is going on.

Even after I try to argue that these people, with their huge marketing departments and meta-data probably do know what is going on, these authors will still argue that they don't. This is like politics. People will believe what they want to, regardless of the facts sitting in front of them.

But, this is the angle I want to take with this topic today. It actually stemmed from a comment that an author made to me after I passed on a project that was submitted.

The author noted that It was probably time to head to the independent market. This person has been submitting projects for several years now. The book I read was a third book in a series. The first two were in the middle of huge revisions after being rejected by numerous editors and agents, but this third book was "amazing."

I passed on it.

For me, it just was not something that truly connected with me (see one of my prior posts about the subjectivity of the business).

But here are the things we need to really look at. This is a premise that the first two books relied on and numerous editors  and agents have said no to. Note, I do not know the full reasons, but when you see a trend, you have to start to wonder. The thing is, the premise is not working, so the odds are, book 3 is probably going to do the same thing.

And here comes the independent publishing angle.

The author replied to me saying that even though this particular genre was not a current hot seller in the market, the author was going to take all of the books and try the independent publishing approach...

What??????????

Let's consider this.

Numerous people have said the writing is not going to work. These are people who have the marketing departments in their corners saying what things work and don't work. We have a track record of several other books that have had the same success. We have an author who knows the genre is not a hot seller...

And now the author plans on going this alone.

I am just going to leave it right there and let the words speak....

Look, I am not going to say the independent publishing approach does not work. I am not going to say that someone cannot make a career outside of traditional publishing. What I will say is if you see that something is not selling and the market is clearly screaming at you that this is not the right approach, why do you think you can do this on your own and somehow have better success?

Please, stop and think before you dive in. I want to see people succeed and I don't want you to see failure, both professionally and financially.

Bigger Isn't Always Better

Along with working as an agent, I help out with Writer's Digest and their 2nd Draft Editing service. This is a chance to help out writers drafting query letters, or putting together their synopsis. I recently read a query where the author was targeting an agent at a pretty large agency. This particular agency has locations all around the world and handles everything from screenplays, to novels, to television shows and movies. This is BIG!


As I read this query, I was really trying to figure out why the author had chosen this agency. Was it the size of the agency and the fact that it looks as if there are connections all over the place for the story? Was it the reputation for making big deals? I don't know. Sure, on the surface, it would seem that if this author works with this agency, there are more resources available, but that does not mean this author's writing is going to have access to all of these services.


What authors need to consider is not necessarily the size of the agency, but what that agency can do for the author. Along the same lines, authors need to consider what their personal needs are as an author and whether or not the agency is going to meet those needs. Although all agencies offer many of the same services, the approach each agency takes will be different.


I think it is all about deciding if you want to be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond. Sure the agency is large, but if you are a new author and they have nothing but the big authors in the agency, where do you think the agents will be spending their time? With the people who make the big money. Until you get tot he point that you are showing you can earn money, you will probably not get all of that attention you want.


This is also an issue of knowing where your writing belongs. Your story does not fit with every agency out there. It also does not belong with every publisher out there. Your writing has a voice and style that will limit your market. You need to know that market and send that story to the place that fits the story the best.


As far as that author who wrote that query? I really don't know if he will get the response he wants. It would be great if he did? But, from this angle, it looks as if he may be shooting for something that is too big for his story and his writing career.

Market Research Comes First

I have seen a lot of writers lately really missing out on some great opportunities. Along the same lines, these authors are also, in my opinion, wasting a lot of their time on projects that will simply not go anywhere. No, this doesn't have anything to do with their writing ability. It all comes down to the lack of market research the author did. These stories simply don't have a market.

Writing and marketing books is just like creating and marketing any other product out there. Before you go out and spend an extraordinary amount of time and money on that product, successful manufacturers will take the time to explore the market. They need to take the time to see if the market really needs this product, if their is a demand for it, and if the time and money spent on the product will be worth it in the end. For authors, they need to do the same thing.

Although you might have this great idea for a book, you might have a story that is well written but simply cannot be sold.

I just got back from a conference where I spoke with one author about this same concept. She had some great story ideas, but what she wanted for the book was something that was simply not going to happen. Her stories had a market that was only going to work with very small local historical societies and museums. The key here is that it was local because the topic of her book was so focused. As we talked about the book, it was clear this was a well written story, but she simply didn't do the market research.

As we talked about the book, we created a plan for her. This plan is something that she should have probably done before she wrote the book, and is certainly an approach that every author should take before you really invest time in that latest work in progress.

The first step is to decide what she really wanted with her writing. This included considerations of the type of book she envisioned, did she want to really make money off of these books or where they just hobbies, and even which publisher she really wanted to work with.

Secondly, she also needed to spend time in bookstores looking at other authors. During this time, she needs to think about where she saw her book. Which book shelf would she see her book on.

Now here is the key thing. If she were to find that there were no bookshelves out there for her story, this is not a reason to proclaim that you have something out there that people definitely need. This is what a lot of authors seem to think. "No one else has done it so I am unique!" Yes, you are unique, but that doesn't mean it is necessarily marketable. It means your book simply doesn't fit the market.

Don't get me wrong here. I do want you to write the story of your heart. I want you to write the story you are passionate about. But I also want you to remember that this is a business and your book is a product. The readers are the consumers and if you don't have something the consumers want, your book will not sell.

My Book's Not Selling...Why?

In 1982 Thomas Peters and Robert Waters wrote what was known at that time as a key piece of literature in the business world - IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE. Peters and Waters identified "eight common themes which they argued were responsible for the success of the chosen corporations, which have become pointers for managers ever since." This text was initially built around a report they did known as the McKinsey 7S Model. That model, focused in on 7 common things they found in all businesses that were successful and continued to be successful.

1. structure
2. strategy
3. systems
4. style of management
5. skills - corporate strengths
6. staff
7. shared values

Peters and Waters noted that all of these elements had to work together to be successful. Companies were not "making it" or "failing" simply because of one thing. It was the interaction of all of the elements together. If one area was weak, the other areas would "pick up the slack" and cover that weak area until things got better.

When I completed my first Masters Degree in Literacy from Pacific Lutheran University (Go Lutes!) I focused my student on the links between student learning and literacy. Using the Peters and Waters model, I found that student success only happened when 4 individual elements were in alignment.

1. teacher
2. student
3. curriculum
4. environment

I too found the principles that were working in business were working in the classroom.

So why do I bring this up on a publishing blog? Because these same issues deal with why your book is either being successful or not doing well.

I follow a lot of chats and discussions around the Internet and a common theme I hear from authors is sales. People don't tend to go on and on about great sales (yes we get the NY Times Lists and so forth), but positive sales don't make the discussion boards. What does hit is when the sales of an author declines or "tanks". At that point, the discussion boards explode with all these reasons and explanations why the book is not doing well.

What I find is interesting, in all of these discussions, is the fact that the reasons for that lack of success are always facing outward. "It was the publisher's fault." "The cover design sucked." "The bookstores didn't put my book in the right place." I could go on and on.

Do you notice the one thing that is not showing up here? It is the author as a factor. At no point has the author looked at maybe it was something he or she did that could be the factor. Maybe the story wasn't that good. Maybe the plot and story idea is out of date. Maybe the platform the author selected, especially in terms of self-publishing, was not effective.

One author I noted on one of the chats made a statement that stood out and really exemplified the idea. The author noted, "My sales were terrible this last quarter. You know, I haven't changed the topic or how I write so I don't get it." Ahhhh, that was a key element the author needed to listen to. The author did not make a change. What might have been working in the past, might not be working now.

Now please don't get me wrong. In no way am I saying that the author is 100% to blame. But we cannot say that the other elements of the model are 100% to blame either. Everything has to work in alignment. I should also note, the readers and the consumers are also part of this model and they tend to shift focus at the drop of a hat.

Think about historical romances. Some time periods are just not selling well right now, while others are doing amazingly well. If you are writing in one of those genres that is not doing well right now, guess what? Your sales will be low.

Remember the Peters and Waters model? They noted that one of the other elements would fill in the gaps and make some modifications to get the entire model back on line. Authors are actually the best at doing this when it comes to the publishing model. Slight tweaks of how they do things might be all it takes to get sales back on line. One author at Greyhaus who does write historicals recently made that shift. Known for writing in the mid 1830's just shifted her latest 4 book contract back about 10-15 years. Same stories, same settings, just a slight difference in time. Why? The market was more favorable to that time. Easy fix!

On one final note, what we have to also understand is that the model for sales is not a fixed model. Everyone is constantly tweaking and adjusting to get those sales up. Publishers are trying new things to see if that will get sales heading in a different direction. They keep trying. They might not be able to adjust the other elements of the model (for example they cannot make new bookstores show up in North America), but they can try other things.

The point is, if your sales are down, look at EVERYTHING. But, when you do look, consider also that maybe the reason that last book didn't sell, or you weren't offered a new contract, it might be due to a lack of change on your part.
 

Change Is The Only Constant

We have probably all used this line some time before. "Change is the only constant." Within the publishing world, this is really true. This market is constantly shifting and moving. Sometimes within a matter of 6 months, editors and agents could be screaming for wanting more of one genre, that only earlier, they said was not in demand. As authors, we really don't mind the shifts as long as it is heading in our direction. But when that pendulum swings the other way, it totally sucks!

When it does shift the opposite direction, it becomes really easy to blame the publisher for the books not selling, or the agent, for not pushing the books the right way. But the one factor that is often overlooked it the consumer. We have to remember the readers out there have to buy the books.

In the end, it is the audience, the mass public that is dictating the swing in the market.

I will say I did not take the excessive amount of time to research this, but I do know I have heard it on various media outlets including NPR. Our current population of readers is pretty picky about what they like and don't like. Along the same lines, they are shifting between ideas at an enormous pace. They are quick to dismiss an idea, but then, if things change, they see no reason to not go back to something that didn't quite work.

This population is also heavy into social media, but again, they shift pretty fast from one forum to another. I was recently talking to a group of 18-25 year olds and they noted they have shifted from Facebook to other sites really fast in the last year. One note she had move to Instagram and then dumped it for another within a month. It just didn't work for her.

What makes publishing difficult is the advance prep it takes to meet that market. Even if you are self-publishing and you can get your book to the press within 72 hours of being finished, it still took 3 months or so to write it. Your traditional publishers are trying to predict markets years in advance. Even longer for those of you wanting and asking for multi-book contracts.

Is there a single answer to fix this disconnect? At this time, I have to say, I don't think there is a single answer. Everyone is doing their best.

Look, when we lost the major book stores  (IMHO because they tried to do more than sell books but that is another story). When we don't have bookstores to browse through, when we don't have bookstores to discover new authors and buy more than we had planned, we have to find another way. We have to remember, this is a business that takes time.

History Repeats Itself So Don't Panic

So now what do you do? You have just spent 3-4 months working on your latest project and you attend a conference only to hear the panel of editors and agents say that your genre is simply not selling. They openly say they are not even considering signing anyone who writes in that genre. You sit there in the ballroom listening to this panel go on and on about other genres and all you can think about is, "Great, and I was going to pitch to these people later today!"

Let me tell you there is no reason to panic. There is hope. In fact, I am betting that in the time it takes you to write another novel, the tide will have shifted and this same panel will be begging for your project.

The deal is that publishing does go in waves. This is a market driven business and even the editors and agents have no idea what will work or not work.

One publisher I work with told me one month they were simply not acquiring a specific genre. Their group of authors were selling like crazy, and they simply didn't need anyone else. But get this, about 5-6 months later, I get an email from the same editor asking me if I had anyone writing in that genre. It had shifted that fast.

I was listening yesterday to a segment on NPR talking about the newest line up for TV programing this season. As the specialist who was being interviewed noted, if they are lucky 50% of the shows will survive the first couple of episodes. What those shows will be is a complete guessing game. In fact, the reporter was noting that some of the shows with the best reviews were tanking it, while those with reviews that were less than favorable seemed to be doing well. Why? They could only guess it was when the show was on and what it followed or preceded, but even then that was mere speculation.

We see this all of the time. The market simply shifts and when we thought there was no hope for a genre, it suddenly spikes.

I will admit that part of it has to do with what the editors and agents have sitting on their shelves at this time. Let me use Greyhaus as an example. Right now, the historical line-up is REALLY full. I have a full house when it comes to historicals so unless you are bringing something truly unique, I will likely not be acquiring. Let me stress that it doesn't mean I am not looking, it simply means that I am pretty full up on historical authors who are doing well. In other genres, I have holes, so those are the ones I am looking for.

Agents will also start looking depending on what we see the market doing. Right now, I have had a lot of editors talking to me wanting more book club women's fiction, so I look for that.

How long with this last? It goes until the market shifts again.

So what about your story?

I would simply argue to go ahead and start working on your next project. Keep looking around and see if someone has a hole on their shelf for your project. There may be a space. Just because there isn't one at publisher X there might be one at publisher Y. Also remember that since this market is always shifting, the odds are things will open up.

The moral of the story? DON'T PANIC! You will be fine.

Only Quality Will Move You To The Surface Of All The Authors Out There

A couple of days ago, as I was sitting at the dance studio with my daughter, I started through the Amazon site just to see what was there for my personal reading list. Look, I am someone always out for a good deal like most of you, so after I hit the Kindle section, I sorted from Lowest to Highest. I was shocked. Let me put it this way...I gave up after over 700+ book titles I scanned through. These were all books being "sold" for $0.00!

As I said, I gave up after 700+ titles. I hadn't even gotten to the authors at least charging something!

I bring this up because of the need, anymore, of insuring your writing truly is the highest quality. Just writing "the book of your heart" anymore is not going to cut it in this market. Why is this? Let me remind you of a scene from a movie, I believe I have quoted here before...

Mr. Incredible: You mean you killed off real heroes so that you could *pretend* to be one?

Syndrome: Oh, I'm real. Real enough to defeat you! And I did it without your precious gifts, your

oh-so-special powers. I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics the world has ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that *everyone* can have powers. *Everyone* can be super! And when everyone's super...

[chuckles evilly]

Syndrome: no one will be.

The problem with the market right now stems from the issue of supply and demand. In simple terms the supply of authors out there is far outweighing the demand of the readers. We have flooded the market and, as a result, getting your name out there and becoming marketable requires your books to be AMAZING. We are now getting books to add to our To Be Read pile through word of mouth. A friend tells us about a great book. Some books suddenly gets some great press. We aren't finding these books anymore through simply browsing.

Remember in the past when we visited those great places called bookstores? We found new authors and new titles simply by looking through the bookshelves. We had our cup of overly priced coffee in one hand and strolled through the bookstore, picking up authors we hadn't heard of. Now picture trying to do that if we turned the Mall of American into one single bookstore. The odds are, you won't find those books now. It is far too overwhelming.

I know as I look at submissions, there are times I see projects that might work, but simply don't stand out among all of the other projects any more. They are simply "O.K." books and we need more of that.

I know this sounds depressing, but there is a solution to this.

1. Don't rush I think too many authors today believe if they don't get their book out there within 72 hours of writing THE END, the book is completely dead in the water. After 3 rejection letters (probably poorly written) they suddenly scream, "See the market just doesn't appreciate my work so I am going to self-publish!" Look, it takes times. End Of Story!
2. Learn your craft You have to take the time (there it is again) to learn how to use the various writing skills fluently, effectively and efficiently. You know that list: goal, motivation, conflict, dialogue, world building, setting, character development, plotting... There are a lot of writers that I see who are aware of this information, but really don't understand how and why we use it. You are still on the lower levels of Bloom's Taxonomy and until you can determine How and Why other authors use those skills effectively (reaching the Orange Level of Analyze) your writing will still be a bit basic.
3. Think before you write This is another issue of rushing through the work but also an issue of not plotting our your stories. You are madly typing words on a page and not thinking about how it all fits together. You have individual scenes and chapters that really shine! This is a good sign. But seeing everything as a complete package is not there. I recently passed on a project where it was clear the author in the last half of the book was simply trying to get to the end (and to increase word count). The story become repetitive!  
4. Do your market research In simple terms, you have to see what is out there. If everybody and their brother are writing a particular type of book, you cannot simply go out and write another one just like it. Find that unique twist (and no, changing setting is not it). Be unique!

Right now, there are some great gems out there in terms of writers. When I think of this situation, it is similar to a great old house that is covered with a lot of weeds and garbage. Once we get all of the "stuff" out of the way - the bad stuff - the weak writers - we can finally see the beauty in the house that was hidden by the over-growth. This change is not going to happen overnight. We will need patience, but I am confident we will get there!

Survey Update on Digital Buying Trends - The numbers!

Here are the results from the survey we ran a couple of days ago. I do some of the responses came back with a split that seemed a bit larger than I had expected.

Do you own a digital reading device?

• Yes 83.3%
• No 16.6%

If given a choice and the price was the same would you buy a digital or a print book?

• Digital 36.1%
• Print 63.9%

If given a choice would you prefer to buy your book online or in an actual book store?

• Online 50%
• Bookstore 50%

Has the cost of books changed the format you buy your books in?

• Yes 47.2%
• No 52.8%

First of all, I know that surveys only function as a snapshot and have some limitations. Still, as I pointed out, I found some of the numbers a bit telling!

The simple fact that we have such a high percentage of people with digital reading devices, and yet, if given a choice, they aren't going to go with the digital book is fairly interesting. I have said this before. When I sit at swim meets and scan the stands of parents waiting for their kids to swim, they are always on their iPads and other digital devices, and yet, very few are using the device for reading. Games, movies, Facebook and emails seem to be the standard activity.

I do believe, for me, the one question that stands out the most is the fact that 2/3 of the respondents are telling us that they prefer the print books. They want that hard copy (or paperback) in their hands. And yet, how often do we hear publishers going on and on about how many people really want their books digitally. Is this really the case?

Just something to consider for the weekend!

Buying Trends Of Readers

I was sitting with the dance moms at my daughter's recital this last weekend and we were talking about books. Again, I heard the same comments I continue to hear time and time again:

• "I love the feel of a book in my hands when I read."
• "Sure, I'll get a book for my iPad but I really hate reading on the thing."
• "I really wish bookstores were back, I used to read so much more."
• "I can't even figure out the darn reading apps."

I am always hearing comments like this. And yet, daily we are bombarded here on the Internet with articles and blog posts showing "supposedly" more people wanting to move to a digital books. We hear publishing professionals proclaim in business meetings, write articles for magazine and sit on conference panels that "readers really do want to see more things digitally."

But on the streets, I keep hearing otherwise.

I even hear from writers who will tell me they love books in the traditional format.

Yes, we know brick and mortar stores disappeared, and now, it seems much of the reason for this shift was not so much the book buying trends but the bad business models some of the stores used. Many of these stores forgot they were a book seller and attempted to do much more.

So I thought I would try something. I will tell you, this will only work if we get some feedback from you.

What I am asking is to do a little survey for me. At the same time, ask all those around you what book format they really prefer. Take out the cost factor. Take out the fact that they might be forced to use Amazon because their bookstore shut down. Let's just focus on the book buying trends.

I also have a 4 questions survey you can take that would help us out! Forward this link to your friends. As we all know, the more numbers we get, the more accurate the results will be.

SURVEY LINK! (Now that the survey is done, I have removed the link! Thank you to those who responded!)

Honestly, I would love to know this. 

Think Before You Write

There are too many times that I get a submission across my desk and question, "what on Earth was that person thinking?" I really have to sit back and stare at the submission and wonder why this writer took so much time out of their life to write a story such as this.

The answer is simple. The writer didn't think about their writing before they sat down at the computer. This is the result of a lack of prep work, a lack of research, and certainly a lack of critical thinking. Frankly, I don't know about all of you, but I simply do not have the excess time in my life to waste on a project that will never sell. I don't care how good of a writer you are, the market has to be ready for a project.

It is important that as you begin the process of writing, you take a few minutes and consider if this story is really going to be worth it. Are the characters redeemable? Is the plot even something we will want to hear about? Is this just a remake of another story? Is it going to be too short? Is it going to be too long?

Please people. Don't waste your time on projects that are doomed to fail from the beginning.

It will save you the time. save you the $$ of sending out the projects and certainly save us the time and energy of rejecting something that should have never been sent out in the first place.

Scott

Publishers are getting pickier

We've all seen this lately. Publishers such as Houghton Mifflin are tightening their belts and getting ready for a long tough hall. So, what does this mean for you as a writer?

I know I have said this in the past, but I think it is even truer now. Your stories have to be amazing. They have to be unique. They have to stand out. They have to me marketable.

It isn't a matter of finding someone that is simply a great storyteller any more. Heck, we have a ton of those people out there and single handedly, they are carrying the publishing market on their shoulders. Too often I hear editors say a writer is very good and very similar to another writer, but they already have that person. On one side, this is a great compliment, but you can see their point.

Even if you are writing for the category market, the stories have to be unique. Even the traditional heroes and heroines are not enough to make that sale. The common line we are hearing coming from editors now is that we have already seen that type of hero and heroine doing that type of thing. Find a way to tweak that hero and heroine a bit and give us something new.

Of course that something new has to be marketable. I find a lot of submissions coming across my desk that are truly unique. Will they sell? I doubt it. The problem is the story was too unique and with the market the way it is, we just can't take a chance on something that strange.

But what is my recommendation for you new authors?



Keep writing.



But, keep watching what is going on out there and find those new twists and turns to the stories you are working on. You may end up with 5, 10 and maybe even 15 books finished before one is picked up, but keep writing and keep sending in those projects. Like the economic market out there, I am confident that things will change. Not sure in what direction right now. Not sure when, but it will change.