By Edward Nawotka As part of the compensation for her troubles with Xlibris (outlined in our feature article), Joanne Gail Johnson was offered what appeared to be a generous marketing plan, including an offer to send press releases to 100 media outlets (valued at $349) and promoting the book to 100 Web sites (valued at $299). But Johnson felt this …
Facing Off with Facebook
Editorial by Debra Ollivier If you’re a published author or soon-to-be-published author, chances are you’ll get something like the 63-page document I got from my publisher before my recent book was launched. It’s called “Internet Advice for Authors: Getting Started, Getting Online, and Getting Noticed,” and starts with the almost quaint question: “What is Online Marketing?” Every author is expected …
Focus-Grouped Thoughts on the Branded Page
By James P. Othmer MAHOPAC, NEW YORK: Writing this sentence is a brazen, deliberate and irrevocable act of branding. Trust me, before it (and all subsequent vowels and consonants below) was written, it was parsed, focus-grouped and post-mortemed by twelve angry, bookish consumers on the shiny side of a two-way mirror in Teaneck, New Jersey. To wit, they were asked: …
Re-thinking the Publisher/Author Partnership
By Robert Miller NEW YORK: I’ve just read M.J. Rose’s editorial from last Friday, “Publishers Must Change the Way Authors Get Paid,” and I couldn’t agree more that it’s time to re-think the publisher/author relationship. M.J. deserves credit for moving this conversation forward; indeed, for years M.J. has shown by her own example how authors can and should be full …
Turkish Publisher Selçuk Altun’s Second Act
By Edward Nawotka ISTANBUL: Selçuk Altun understands what it takes to market a novel. As the former executive chairman of YKY (Yapi Kredi Publications), one of Turkey’s largest and most prestigious publishers, he knew that if he wanted to bring his books to an audience outside Turkey, he’d have to do it on his own. So in 2007 he paid …
Come for the books, stay for the…
By Erin L. Cox Last week, the Penguin Group (USA) launched its online network, called “From the Publisher’s Office,” featuring episodic online series, audio series, and excerpts from popular books. While it is billed as a way to get readers to better connect with their favorite authors, it’s also a way to create an online world in which readers will …