Uncomfortable conversation time.
You may not want to hear it, but a lot of folks in the newpub scene shoot themselves in the foot by calling themselves “indie authors.”
Don’t feel bad. I made the same mistake at first. And it is a mistake.
Because as the name implies, newpub involves way more than just writing. It means taking on all the responsibilities of an author and a publisher.
So their over-focus on craft and esoteric genre lore puts many newpub players at a disadvantage when it comes to the actual publishing part.
Don’t get me wrong. Joh one is writing a book that’s worth reading. Honing your craft—including talking shop with fellow professionals—is essential. The problem is that discussions of the art often come at the expense of learning the business.
Related: Elle Griffin: Shooting Holes in Oldpub
To succeed in newpub, you’ve got to wear two hats: author and publisher. These are different roles with intrinsically different functions & skill sets. Sometimes that dichotomy leads to conflict. “Learning marketing is beneath me,” some say. “I’m an artist!”
But the fact is that no one is going to see your art if you don’t master the business. Neglecting marketing is setting yourself up to fail.
Controversial take: Most authors’ exclusive focus on story quality detracts from their marketing efforts. Note that I said ‘exclusive’. I’m not saying story quality doesn’t matter. It’s essential to hooking and keeping readers. But you’ve got to get that story in front of those readers somehow.
Sure, every author laments how hard it is to find readers. But 99 percent of folks in newpub never think about how to reach non-readers. If you’re wonderingt why you would want to reach people who don’t read, you’re thinking like an author. So take off your artist hat and put on your publisher cap.
Related: Newpub—Neopatronage
An author’s first job is pleasing readers. A publisher’s first job is selling books. As a publisher, you want to sell as many copies as possible.
In 2017, 25 percent of Americans didn’t read a single book. Everyone with a to-be-read pile knows that more books are bought than read.
I couldn’t confirm this figure since deadpub keeps the data close to the chest, but a marketing savvy friend told me that of all the front list titles the Big 5 sell, only 20 percent get read. Why would people buy books they’re not gonna read? For conspicuous consumption. People leave the new hotness on the coffee table as a display item to advertise their coolness.
Disdain that behavior all you want. If those buyers account for 80 percent of blockbuster book sales, you shouldn’t shun them out of hand.
That does raise the question: How do you sell your book to folks who don’t read?
As we discussed at the beginning, most authors over-focus on their books’ content. Sure, they’ll put decent effort into their cover art. Some go on livestreams, post on Substack, and learn SEO. But all of those efforts are for attracting readers.
When you find out what motivates people, you know how to convince them. Most sales are motivated by status. That’s not exclusive to books. Just look at any BMW or Apple ad.
Think about who bought 50 Shades of Grey. It was mostly customers that wanted to project an edgy image without breaking social conventions. In short, 50 Shades was for female edgytarians.
Related: No Gatekeepers Where There Are No Walls
That’s one effective way to make non-readers want to buy your book: convince them that owning it will make others see them as the kind of people they want to be. That’s called aspirational marketing.
Publishers understand the power of aspirational marketing; at least they used to. We know from official court transcripts that they still have enough vestigial sense to target celebrities for book deals. Why? Becaause having that book with the outspoken young pol or that poster boy actor’s name and face on it confers a desirable status.
By now I can hear you asking “OK, so how can I do aspirational marketing for my book?”
The answer, as always, is that there’s no shortcut. You’ve got to do the work.
Start by sitting down and describing your book’s intended audience with an eye to consumer categories. Are they fans of the classic pulps? AAA gamers? Big into OSR D&D? Nail those segments, and draw up a list of influencers your target market wants to emulate. Dig up their contact info and offer to send them each a free print copy of your book. Which thought leaders in your scene host podcasts? Those shows are always looking for fresh material, so email them and ask if you can be a guest. The same goes for livestreams. Are there any book YouTubers your ideal readers follow? Reach out and ask if they’ll review your book.
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From what I’ve been told, ad spaces are a total dead end. The idea of becoming a phenomenon people want to latch onto is spot-on though. Financially, making people think it’s cool to own your book is more important than people wanting to read your book.