Frequently Asked Questions

We get a lot of questions about every aspect of the book business. In order to save you time, see if your question is answered here first:

Can you get me on the "Best Sellers" list?
Can you get me into the bookstores?
Can I make a lot of money writing books?
Will my book sell?
I want to print 50,000 hard-cover books. Can you sell them all for me?
I'm a writer, not an actor or speaker. Do you have someone that can sell my books for me?
I need an agent. Will you represent me?
Can you make me a great writer?
I want to start a speaking tour. Can you set this up for me?
I want to be published by [big publishing house]. Can you get me in there?
Can I just ask you questions via email?
Can you get my book on Oprah?
I can edit my own book - I'm a writer! What do I need an editor for?
I write fiction. How can I get on talk shows to promote my book?
I'm just getting started. What should I do?
What's the next step?

Can you get me on the "Best Sellers" list?

Sure - we'll add you to ours.

Here's the "dirty little secret" of the book business: The best sellers lists you're used to seeing have very little to do with how many people actually buy a book! In fact, have you noticed that books are listed on most best sellers lists even before they are available for purchase by the general public? There's a reason why: these lists are based on how many copies are bought by the publishers and retailers, not readers!

Being on some best sellers lists can give your book clout, but frankly, it's not an indication of how good - or bad - your book is. Nor is it an indication of how well your book will sell and how much money you'll make. The key is to get your book into the hands of your readers. That is a marketing function, not a "hype" or best-sellers-list function.

Can you get me into the bookstores?

Yes, we probably can. However, the real question is, "Are bookstores the best way to sell your book?"

Here's the rule of most bookstores: they want to carry only the latest releases (no more than 6-months old) and only best sellers of well-known authors. As many expert publicists and publishers like to say, "Bookstores are the worst way to sell books!"

Bookstores also have many other problems for authors. They are notorious for returning books that don't sell within a month or so. They often will only carry your books if they can sell them right away. For instance, you might agree to do a book signing for a bookstore only to have them buy 5 copies. You'll then go there and sell 3 and 2 will be returned! Then, the books that are returned can't be resold because they will be dog-eared or torn.

On the other hand, there are thousands of other great ways to sell books! We are marketing experts and can help you find the venues where your books will really sell. After all, it's all about the books you sell - not the ones that you have returned.

Can I make a lot of money writing books?

Some people do, but most don't. So, what's the difference?

You'd be surprised that the topic of your book isn't directly related to how much you'll make writing books. The real key is sales and marketing. You might have just written the worlds greatest children's book, but if no children know about it, you're not going to sell any of them.

How your book is marketed is the #1 factor in how much money you'll make. You have to decide what your goals are. Do you want to just make some extra income by writing or do you want to give up your day job and go live on an island? These are questions you need to ask yourself in the process of building a writing career. We can help you here by the way! We know what questions to ask to help you focus your efforts and create real goals that are completely reachable.

Will my book sell?

Ask me if the sun will rise tomorrow and I'll say, "Yes, very likely." Ask me if your book will sell and I'll say, "Yes, very likely - to your family and friends."

Your real question is: "will it sell to the general public?" My generic answer is: "nobody knows. It depends on many factors." Here's what we do know about your book sales:

• If you get involved with your audience, your book is much more likely to sell well.
• Good design and layout have a lot to do with sales volume.
• Tools such as good cover design, good editing, good subject, good market, etc., are all major factors in whether a book sells or not.
• Publicity, marketing and sales functions are key elements to getting your book sold.

Each of these are critical decisions to make in helping your book to sell. Many authors believe that because they love their topics or their own writing that everyone else must too. Sadly, the skills needed to write a good book are very different from the skills needed to sell them.

I want to print 50,000 hard-cover books. Can you sell them all for me?

Absolutely! If your name is "Stephan King" or "William J. Clinton" and you're a celebrity with lots of name recognition and you have a long list of great-selling books, and ...

I think you get the point.

Not all books sell well. It's for that reason that we have lots of options in how we go about crafting your book to sell, how many copies, etc. The point is to maximize profitability while supplying the market adequately. Having 49,900 books in your garage isn't a sign of writing success. Having just placed your 20th order for another 2,500 books is!

I'm a writer, not an actor or speaker. Do you have someone that can sell my books for me?

We have many ways of selling your books, but you are by far your own best, most qualified salesperson! You know your subject and have passion for it. You can answer complicated questions about motivations, interpretations, technical and other aspects of your book.

The good news is that we can show you how to do this in an easy, confident and comfortable way. You don't have to be an actor or speaker to promote your work. You just have to know your subject.

I need an agent. Will you represent me?

First, why do you need an agent? Agents are great tools that will help you in many great ways after you establish a name for yourself. The interesting thing about agents is that they focus their attention on the clients that already have successful careers. If you want to start with an agent, fine, but be aware that you'll get little attention at a very high cost. This cost must be only one part of your marketing strategy - not the whole thing.

Can you make me a great writer?

I bet you already know the answer to this question. No, we can't make you a great writer. What we can do is to take your writing and make it much better than it already is! Editing is the primary factor in how well your writing comes off. Knowledge of your subject, creativity and many other factors as just as important.

You might not think this, but even the presentation of your book has a lot to do with how you are perceived by your readers. Our team can craft an entire package that greatly enhances your image as a writer. We can take you a long way by helping with the look and feel of your book. If you're willing to work with us, we can make you look like a seasoned professional writer.

I want to start a speaking tour. Can you set this up for me?

Yes we can. Speaking and publicity tours are important parts of book sales. The more of your readers you connect with, the more books you'll sell. That's a pretty easy formula. However, we always want to look at the "cost/benefit ratio" of any marketing activity. Doing a world-wide speaking tour may or may not be your best option. These are the types of activities we will help you craft in order to get the most out of your hard work.

I want to be published by [big publishing house]. Can you get me in there?

Over the past 20 years or so, the publishing business has changed dramatically. There used to be nothing but "big-house" publishers. Today, there are only 8! On the other hand, there are more books being published today than ever. Who is making up the difference?

Smaller, independent publishers. That's who. It's estimated that there are about 80,000 publishers in just the US alone! These publishers often specialize in a type of book or genre and concentrate all their efforts on making those products successful.

There's no doubt that big-house publishers offer an author clout, but in fact, of the thousands of book submissions and pitches they receive each year, they publish very, very few. These publishers would rather concentrate only on their big-name clients with guaranteed sales.

So, let's say that you did get into one of these publishers. Would your title get the attention it deserves? Would it have a marketing budget and specialists that can really get it out to the market? Would it become the best-seller you know it could be? Not likely.

Instead, it's more likely to be listed in the back of the publisher's catalog and if it doesn't sell quickly, will simply be dropped for other titles they hope will. Now, your book is in their hands should they decide to publish it or not.

Can I just ask you questions via email?

Sure, we answer all the questions of our clients. If you're not a client, you can become one simply by getting involved with one of our programs or packages. Look here for more information.

Can you get my book on Oprah?

Definite maybe here! Your book may or may not be a good fit for her show. Remember that she's in the entertainment business - focused primarily on women. Likewise, there are a thousand other authors trying to get their books on her show too. This makes it very difficult to get reviewed on this show.

On the other hand, there are tons of other shows that are ideal for your book! While you might be happy to have Oprah review your book, you'd probably also be happy to have 100 other media sources review it as well.

I can edit my own book - I'm a writer! What do I need an editor for?

Writers and editors have had a hate-love-hate relationship since writing began! No writer wants someone else to change their beloved work. Worse, how can an editor really know anything about the subject? Wouldn't the editor be a writer if they could?

No, in fact, editing and writing are very different skills! You might not know this, but there are all sorts of editors! There are editors that proofread for spelling and grammar errors, editors that edit sentences; editors that edit paragraphs, editors that edit chapters and other editors that edit entire books or articles. Likewise, there are technique editors, fiction editors...and the list goes on and on.

The real job of a good editor isn't to change your work - it's to make you look great. They are here to help your words flow and to spark imaginative reading by your audience. They will help your work in ways you can't even begin to imagine - all without changing what it is you want to say.

I write fiction. How can I get on talk shows to promote my book?

The type of book you have isn't really important. What's important is your message. For instance, writers of fiction interview about their book's message all the time. We try to find the entertainment and information angles of your message and promote that along with the book. We can show you how to turn your great story into newsworthy information.

I'm just getting started. What should I do?

It depends on how far along you are. We can discuss your next steps once you contact us. We know the right questions to ask in order to help direct you. Just give us a call or drop us an email!

What's the next step?

Take a look at the services we offer and see how they fit in with your goals. You can review them here. Then, contact us and let's talk about where to go and what to do next.