Bala karthiga M

I have so much to talk about, but it’s been ages since I wrote something technical, so I thought I’d whip this one up.

In case you didn’t know, this July, my first paperback got published and I’ve been reading thousands and thousands of articles, to get an idea about the industry, and to brush up my marketing basics. To understand what I’m stepping into, and to strategize my future contracts accordingly.

I’ve learned so much, but what’s more important is that I’ve gained a fresh new perspective. It was like getting the golden ticket into Willy Wonka’s factory. I had this comfortable vantage point from which I could ask all the questions I’ve had, and get to see new things.

Everything I’ve observed so far has been condensed into a short rant in this post about the Business Behind books.

No one ever talks about this industry. Say a kid wants to become a charted accountant or a rocket scientist, there’s a zillion resource out there that prepares him and educates him about the industry they are venturing into.

A young aspiring author, however, sadly learns whatever little he learns only through personal lessons of experimentations, through trial and error.

As of 2017, People are reading more than ever, but still, book sales are going down.

So much so that, out of a hundred novelists who churn out books, only a couple of them get published. This does not necessarily mean all the other ninety-nine aren’t good work, it just means the Manuscript isn’t commercially viable.

And you can’t really blame the publishing houses either. From their point of stand, it all makes good business sense.

So, if people are reading more now, why are the book sales actually coming down?

The competition.

It’s just that the marketplace isn’t competing for the reader, his money, or his taste in literature anymore.

We’re all competing for their attention span.

There’s more competition than ever for those readers’ ATTENTION SPANS, and what’s peculiar with a marketplace filled with millennials is that we’re not just competing with other “books.”

We are competing against online content like blogs and news sites, and against anything readers read – which is exactly why eBooks and Novellas are such a booming hit these days, because people are living spur-of-the-moment lives, and they would rather buy something that they can read on a commute, or on their short lunch breaks.

Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien lived in a time where any work shorter than 80,000 words was considered scandalous.

But Austen and Tolkein did not live in a world where they had to compete with Buzzfeed and 9Gag!

Also, the amount of money the average family spends on reading, has also gone down. I repeat, we are living in a period where people are reading more than ever, and yet they gross revenue of the industry is shockingly low.

How come?

Because there are many high-quality, free things we can read. So we spend our entertainment cash elsewhere. [You really need to be tactical with pricing your book, but more on that later.]

And to top it all off, more books are being published now more than ever, thanks to digital technology.

It’s a very clear “Less Demand, More Supply” kind of situation in here.

Here’s where things get tricky.

Writers respond to this major shift in two ways.

The sore, grumpy ones, sacked with their single digit book sales. You’ll find that they all say some version of the sentence, “The publishing industry is dead. I’m a genius but no one respects that anymore. Only trash sells.”

Then, there are the wise, shrewd and positive ones, that say, ‘The industry isn’t dead. It’s evolving. Let me adapt to it, rather than complaining.’ 

A short recap on how the business behind writing works.

1. You finish a book and submit your proposal.
2. A publisher or a self-publisher picks it up and offers you a contract.
3. The book is edited, typeset and the distribution channels are set as the manuscript goes for printing.
4. You may be offered an upfront advance in some cases, you may be asked to invest some money in some cases – but either way, you will get a mutually agreed upon percentage of net sales as a royalty.
5. Your book gets published.
6. People see your book.
7. They check out the description and reviews.
8. They make the purchase if they like what they see.
9. You get paid.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?

But here’s where it gets tricky. There are two invisible steps here. There is one between 5 and 6, and another, between 7 and 8. This is where most authors easily look over, easily refuse to care about.

Let’s talk about the step between 5 and 6 first. Getting your book published, does not equal getting it seen. You need to constantly work on creating the visibility of your work – nobody can do this other than you.

What’s your brand value as an author? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET DISCOVERED IF YOU REFUSE TO PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE?

Yes, I know it can be pretty scary, but unless you step out of your comfort zone, gather up some courage and tell people on the internet, ‘Hey. I wrote this book. Would you like to read it?’ how are they going to know you wrote a book?

But trust me, when you do – you will receive so much love, and so much support more than you ever imagined. The internet is not a scary place – if you know how to use it. There are thousands of Facebook pages for bloggers and book lovers who have an insatiable hunger for new books! But how will they know about you, if you don’t say hi?

But darling, how will all these wonderful people know about you, if you don’t say hi?

Getting across this first invisible step between 5 and 6 is what’s going to get you past the invisible step between 7 and 8.

Getting visible brings you one step closer to getting good reviews.

Your brand image as an author is built through these reviews. So, do not take them lightly.

eCommerce is taking over the world, the publishing industry is no exception.

Like I said, time is the new currency that this generation lives by. Almost three-fourths of our shopping is done online, between work breaks. Books are the same. It’s not a bad thing. Sure, a bookstore has its ambiance, I love that and am all in for that.

But if a person hardly has any time after work, and there’s this new technology that helps them save time from a long drive and yet at the same time they are able to make a purchase of their favorite book within minutes with their mobile, and spend more time with their family – what’s the harm?

So please leave me out of this ‘Bookstores are much cooler than Amazon’ argument, because it’s the book that I want. It’s the book that I give any damns about. The channel through which I get it depends on each person’s lifestyle and no one person can judge what’s a good for the other.

The more reviews you get – the more buzz you create for your book.

You see the chain here?

The more visible your work is, the more people will discover it. The more you get discovered, the more reviews you get. The more reviews you get, the higher the sales, the higher your royalty.

When put in a rapidly changing environment like this, attitude and perspective can make or break your career. It’s important to stay clear-headed, have an unbiased, honest opinion about what you’re working at, and how you’re working at it. I’ve talked about having a healthy mindset with embracing social media on my blogs before, so I really hope new authors understand that social media is a tool that’s going to smoothen your book sales. You need to learn how to optimise it.

It may sound fancy, saying you hate social media or that your time is too precious to spend on twitter or facebook, but guess what, even if well-established writers like John Green and J.K. Rowling are constantly tweeting away, what makes you think you’re some godsend exception?

Let me improvise on Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Prada.

Nobody is interested in your lack of competence.

So save up your excuses and sad stories to yourself, and see how you can roll your sleeves up, get to the job.

The common belief is that consumers prefer shiny screens to glossy magazines, tweets to tomes and publishers don’t understand how to embrace new technology to meet new consumer demands, both long and short.

It really annoys me, when people, especially creators, blame the consumers and their standards. If your work isn’t being consumed or loved, it doesn’t mean everything else that sells or is loved is simply mediocre, and your work is just too good for the given set of audience.

IT  SIMPLY MEANS YOUR WORK DID NOT MAKE THE CUT.

Sorry if that’s blunt, but here’s the one thing that MBA has taught me very clearly:

The consumer is always right. 

Whether you like it or not, whether this hurts your sensitive little ego or not, it’s the one gospel truth that I always stand by.

The consumer is always right.

They’re not idiots. If your work doesn’t sell, it doesn’t mean the market is faulty. Maybe, perhaps, just maybe – you need to introspect on why what you’re selling, isn’t selling.

Have you ever thought that maybe, perhaps, just maybe – you need to introspect on why what you’re selling, isn’t selling?

If a particular content or a platform sells more, don’t get all cranky, but instead – observe.

Long form content and books are still being read. The one change is probably the fact that the consumption of said content is majorly influenced by Social Media. The reason is, these platforms [especially Twitter and Facebook] enable the DISCOVERY of your content.

And it simply distresses me, how many writers, just stop with finishing their book, sit back and wait for things to work out magically. It’s sad and pitiable. You need to do everything that’s within your power, to get your book seen. To make it VISIBLE.

And the easiest and most cost-effective [and by cost effective, I mean practically free] way to do it is leveraging your social media presence.

Stop thinking about words like ‘traditional’ or ‘partnered’ or ‘indie author’.

It doesn’t matter what route you’ve taken. You need to have a working understanding of the business that happens in your book. You need to know that we’re stuck in a tricky period of time. Fifty years ago, Kindles and smartphones did not exist. People only invested in printing and distribution. Fifty years from now, things would probably be much more automated and digitized that you don’t even have to worry about getting to know the process – probably a supercomputer of sorts will have information fed into it that will micromanage all the processes with absolute precision.

But right now, it’s that icky sticky time in between both. You need to be digitally present, as well as do your on field marketing. Having book launch events are important – but not just enough. You need to keep posting content to promote your sales, host giveaways and do blog tours.

You see, understanding the business behind books has more to do with the theory of evolution, than with analytics.

It’s about adaptation and survival of the fittest.

XOXO,

Bala ❤

Buy The Tales and Musings of a Small Town Girl – Click Here.  

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