How to Publish Your Book through PubIt!—and Market It, Too!

It’s an exciting time to be a writer, and whether you’re already published or working on your first book, you’ve probably been wondering about all the buzz around self-publishing and what PubIt!™ could mean for you.

Here’s what some of your fellow authors have to say about publishing with PubIt!:

“Publishing through PubIt! has been a terrific experience. It’s easy, fast, and I love being able to make changes. The reporting feature provides daily and cumulative numbers giving a clear picture of how the books are selling. I love seeing the sales in real-time!”
–Barbara Freethy, USA Today Bestseller and author of Daniel’s Gift and One True Love

“Within two months, my writing income was triple what it had been at my former publisher. Reader reviews, emails and comments came flooding in like never before. The positive response was overwhelming!”
–Gemma Halliday, author of Killer in High Heels and Spying in High Heels

“I have accumulated a niche of very loyal and wonderful readers and PubIt! has opened a whole new venue of readers I otherwise would not have had access to.”
–H.P. Mallory, self-published bestseller and author of Toil and Trouble and To Kill a Warlock

How PubIt! Works

Barnes & Noble offers authors and independent writers an easy, fast, and free way to convert their works to eBooks via PubIt! In the 6 months since PubIt! launched more than 14,000 publishers and authors are finding success selling their works through PubIt! and with hundreds of titles added daily .

It’s so simple to publish your work. With PubIt!, you create an account and upload your writing as a Word, HTML, .txt, or .rtf file that PubIt! automatically converts to ePub, the standard eReader format. (Note: If your work is already converted, ePub files can also be easily uploaded!)

And, of course, the next step for authors is marketing. Authors upload a cover, add their own book description, author bio, quotes, keywords, and editorial reviews. From file to NOOK Book™, a PubIt! title can go on sale to the millions of customers at BN.com within 72 hours. Barnes & Noble customers can browse, sample, purchase and read NOOK Books on NOOK™ and NOOK™ Color devices and the free NOOK™ app for iPhone™, iPad™, PC, and others. It’s just that fast and easy.

The Most Important Marketing Tool

One of the most important things you can do when you decide to publish is to pay attention to the packaging. Even though NOOK Books™ live in a digital library, readers still browse and choose titles based on great covers and engaging descriptions—just as they do with print books. Here’s what some of the bestselling PubIt! authors have to say about the importance of covers:

“I would encourage PubIt! publishers to focus on producing a good cover as well as a good book. The cover will entice the readers to buy and the quality of the writing will make them eager to buy another book.”
— Barbara Freethy, USA Today bestselling author of Daniel’s Gift

“I think the best thing you can do for your book is to give it a really eye-catching cover. The truth is readers really do judge a book by its cover, which is especially important in a digital medium where they’re likely only seeing small thumbnails. But the really great thing about self-publishing is that the authors have complete control over their over cover art! So that’s one place I’d definitely suggest investing time, money, and a lot of thought.“
— Gemma Halliday, author of the In High Heels mystery/romance series

Some important factors to keep in mind when developing a cover are:

• How the image will look in a thumbnail size

• The size of the title (should be large enough to read at any size)

• Including achievements such as “bestseller” or award nominations on the cover

• A professional design: hire a professional if you don’t have design experience.

Other key steps in creating effective packaging include:

• Developing a good headline for the description: Draw readers in with a strong “hook” that speaks to the genre and tone of the book.

• Adding quotes: Published authors may have great review quotes, but what about a new author? Consider asking a fellow writer in the same genre or a critique partner to offer a blurb—a quote that describes why a reader will love your book.

• Writing an author bio: Here is your opportunity to shine a light on related accomplishments and affiliations. Be sure to include writing awards as well as nominations and memberships in genre-specific organizations.

• And don’t forget keywords! These help the BN.com search engine drive customers to your title.

What’s next? The possibilities are endless with PubIt!

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Are you considering self-publishing? If you are already self-pubbed, do you have questions about marketing your book?

Join us on Monday, May 16 for a Q&A with the fabulous Heidi Betts!

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Bio:

Julia Coblentz is the Senior Marketing Manager for PubIt! by Barnes & Noble and has over ten years of marketing experience in trade publishing working at Random House, Inc. and Abrams.

RU: How many romance books a month do you take to your accounts?
How many typically sell?

DM: Kensington publishes ten or more romances per month in either hardcover, trade paperback or mass market formats. Luckily our accounts take all of our books, just not at the same level. A superstar author naturally receives a buy much larger than someone who is brand new.

RU: Is there anything an author can do to make their book more attractive (besides writing an awesome book)?

DM: The writing is the most important factor than any author can contribute to a book’s success. But assisting in the marketing can make the difference in a book’s success. Reaching out through social networking, hometown or school resources helps sell books.

RU: What was the most effective pitch (for a romance) you’ve used with an account?

DM: That’s easy: “Here’s a New York Times bestselling author’s newest book.” Apart from that, discussions about the category/sub-category, the cover treatment and the positioning of the book really matter the most. Before you ask: Positioning? What does it mean? This is where the conversation goes to “lead” book or not. Often this is followed by Promotional Opportunities for the book. Or not.

RU: Is it unusual for your accounts to request a book cover change to make it better fit their audience?

DM: It happens. But the Kensington Art Department and our Editors really know what they’re doing, so it happens infrequently. Our erotic romances sometimes push the envelope too far for some accounts.

RU: Do you meet with the Kensington editors and decide how many slots are available to publish?

DM: No. These sorts of things are decided in scheduling meetings.

RU: Do you track the number of sub-genres Kensington publishes? Do you strive for a particular balance?

DM: We track the sub-genres of all publishers. What’s new out there? Who is doing something different? Can we do the same? Not to be self-aggrandizing, but I suspect our sales department knows more than other companies’ since we follow closely what our competition is doing. We work closely with each other. We share ideas. We get out in front of trends. We strive to make bestsellers out of what is hot at the moment.

RU: Do you read the books you promote or look at a spread sheet…are the books just “units of production” in your position?

DM: All of us at Kensington read at least part of our books. Two salespeople here are Romance experts, reading them all the time. Personally, I read our Thrillers and our Romantic Suspense titles. But I’d be lying if I said I read every one of them. It’s just impossible. But I’ll read large chunks of books. My personal reading tastes run to Thrillers and Mysteries as a rule.

RU: How long before the book’s actual publication date do you contact the bookstores?

DM: This is how I remember it. It’s simple: It’s June in January, like the old song lyric, which is followed by the line, “when you’re in love.” So that’s the length of time between the sell-in and the publication date.

RU: Who do you deal with at the bookstore—the store manager, or a corporate person for the larger chains?

DM: Bookstores as well as chains have buyers that are dealt with on a monthly basis. And of course at chains there are the buyers’ bosses who we deal with at times, too.

RU: How about independent stores? Does your staff just call or email the individual stores about new releases?

DM: We have reps who call on independent bookstores. This is done in a variety of ways. Some get actual face-to-face visits once a month or once a quarter or even once a year. Other stores get called on the phone. It depends of the store.

RU: What kind of materials do you provide in order to convince a book store to carry a particular book?

DM: The most important devise we have at our disposal is the cover proof. We also have authors’ histories, meaning sales histories. We have plot descriptions. We have marketing plans. Occasionally we offer cookies and candy to sweeten the deal. But only on holidays!!! Kidding.

RU: What are your top three suggestions for authors who want to develop a marketing plan?

DM: First of all, talk to your editor before your proceed on your merry own. There are definite DON’TS. When you visit a bookstore, always be generous of spirit, always thank them for carrying your books. Reach into your imagination and think of ways to build a bestseller in your neighborhood, in your community, in your town, in your county/state. Work with bookstores and/or libraries. Offer to do readings alone or with other authors. Yes! Reach out to the author community. All of you are in the same boat.

RU: How long before a book’s publication date should an author start marketing the book?

DM: Once you sign the contract and deliver the book on-time to your editor, you can start. But the book and the writing comes first. Make sure you make your deadline with your editor. All else will follow in the natural course of events.

RU: Would you comment on the state of the brick and mortar booksellers?

DM: They’re in a state of flux. I’m sure you would like more information than that, but every day something is changing.

RU: What role do the smaller chains play in the publishing landscape?

DM: More than you realize and thank you for the question. Everyone is geared to one large chain or another. There are two medium size chains in America that hardly ever get written about. And there a several small, regional chains, too. While their purchasing power isn’t what the big guys’ are, all are important in creating a writing career for a new author.

RU: What are the successful indie book sellers doing to stay alive?

DM: Off-site signings come to mind immediately. These usually only include hardcover and/or trade books, though.

RU: Is there anything you’d like to add that we haven’t asked about?

DM: Enthusiasm offered in a useful way can make a huge difference.

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Thank you so much, Doug! Do any of you have additional marketing related questions for Doug? Would you like to take the discussion further on any of the topics Doug already discussed? We have two recent Kensington releases to give away to two lucky commenters: Mary Jo Putney’s NOWHERE NEAR RESPECTABLE and Fern Michaels’ SOUTHERN COMFORT.

Jordan McCollum will be back tomorrow with her critiques of three websites, and on Friday Julia Coblentz of Barnes & Noble’s PubIt! will join us See you there!

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Doug’s Bio:

I’ve been with Kensington Publishing Corp. for nearly 21 years, all within the Sales Department at various levels. I had my own publishing company when I was 10. I think I wrote and sold total 25 copies. Believe me, I’ve done better for Kensington. I’ve published articles in “Life,” “Entertainment Weekly,” “Country Living,” and many more magazines. I’ve had fiction published in literary magazines, too. As Julian Biddle, I’ve written three non-fiction titles.

Check out Kensington’s full list of books and authors here:
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

No kidding. 

I recently used the logline I’d created in Cindy’s workshop to draft a query and realized it took me half the time to write the letter than it normally would.  Was that query perfect?  Absolutely not, but I was able to spend more time editing and less time trying to figure out what to say.  All because I had the logline.

Same thing happened with the synopsis.  At that point, I knew I had to ask Cindy to be a guest blogger with us.

So here she is.  Welcome, Cindy!

 I’m going to be talking loglines.  What they’re not.  What they are. Why you need one.

The thing I want to clear up first is what they’re not.  I hear the term tag line used interchangeably with logline all the time.  Loglines are not tag lines.  They are two different marketing tools.  A logline tells you what the story is about.  A tag line goes on the movie poster.  If you heard the line – don’t go in the water – would you know what that movie is about?  Would you have any idea who the protagonist is?  What they want?  What is getting in their way?  What’s at stake?

So what is a logline then?  If someone asked you what your story is about would you know the answer?  Really know the answer?  The logline isn’t plot, twists, sub plot, dialogue.  It’s your concept.  At the most basic level, it’s the spine of your story.  It’s what holds everything together.  Okay, now what is your story about?

The general consensus is that the logline should be twenty-five words or less.  If you go over by a few words that’s fine.  But the twenty-five word limit forces you to be as precise as possible.  Trim the excess words and get right to the point.  There are various schools of thought on what the logline should include.  All of them agree on three things.  The logline should tell us WHO the story is about, WHAT he wants (Goal), and WHY he can’t have it (Conflict).  A good logline will have the GMC .  I like to start my loglines with the inciting incident or character motivation.  Why does the protagonist need to go through this story?  What prompted him to take action?

There are no names in loglines.  Unless it’s about someone famous and that’s the hook.  It should be generic.  An adjective to describe the noun.  Of course there are always editors or agents who don’t mind a logline with names.  But in general I would leave them out.

To stop a murder, a sexy librarian must deliver a rare first edition from the library to the man holding her sister hostage, but the library burns down.

That tells me more then:  To stop a murder, Lexa Tome must deliver a rare first edition from the library to the man holding her sister hostage, but the library burns down.

I actually recommend coming up with the logline first, before writing the story.  Think about how hard it is to write a ten page synopsis after you finish writing the book.  You want to put in all the best parts.  So, it’s even harder to trim down everything to twenty-five words that conveys your story.  Having the logline first helps you stay on track.  Think of it as your thesis statement before writing an essay.  I refer back to my loglines to make sure I haven’t veered off too far in another direction.

So, why do you need a logline?  Besides keeping you focused there’s the marketing angle.  Sometimes all you have time for is that logline if an agent or editor asks.  I put the logline for my book at the beginning of my query.  Because it’s only twenty-five words it fits well on the back of a business card too.  Great for networking opportunities and those agent/editor appointments. 

Give it a try.  Boil that story down to twenty-five words or less.

Thank you, Cindy. 

Does anyone want to be brave and share their logline?  Cindy will be with us if you want to run one by her.

Here’s mine from the online workshop:  When a child molester is murdered, his cousin, a former victim, goes undercover to clear herself of murder and discovers a black market baby ring.

And it’s twenty-five words!

Bio:  Cindy Carroll joined RWA in 1992 and started out writing novels but turned to scripts when an idea for one of her favorite television shows wouldn’t leave her alone. That first attempt, and her second teleplay for the same show, garnered her honorable mention in the Writer’s Digest 76th Annual Writing Competition in the screenplay category.  She graduated from Hal Croasmun’s screenwriting ProSeries intensive in June of 2008.  Her interview with David Rambo, writer/producer for CSI appeared in the summer special edition of The Rewrit, the newsletter for Scriptscene, Romance Writers of America’s screenwriting chapter.  Currently working on the rewrite of her second feature, Cindy is also developing two new television pilots.