From Presentation to Published:

(1)

From Presentation

to Published:

Turn a Brilliant Presentation into a

Published Book

Clint Greenleaf

Founder and CEO

(2)

Don

’

t Take Notes

The information today

will be dense, just leave

me your card and I’ll

email you a PDF of the

slides.

(3)

Today’s Plan

• Four Basic Publishing Options

• Books Sales and Bestseller

Secrets

• Airports

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

The Results

800+ Radio

Interviews

(13)

(14)

Growth

(15)

(16)

(17)

But Parenting

is Tough…

(18)

• There are 2,000 books released into the

market EVERY DAY

• 54% of High School grads never read a

book after they finish school

• Most of these are bad

• You have a better chance of winning the

lottery than becoming the next JK

Are you sure

(19)

Questions for You

• What are your goals?

• How much control do you want?

• What are your strongest sales

channels?

• What is your timeline?

(20)

• Bookstore Retail

-

Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indies

• Libraries

• Online

-

Amazon.com, BN.com, others who take data feed

• Specialty Accounts

-

Airports, club stores, corps, non-bookstore retail

• Direct Sales

(21)

Always Important

• Goals

• Content

• Platform

• Marketing & PR

• Alignment

(22)

4 Basic Approaches

• Traditional Publishing

• eBooks & Print on Demand

• Self Publishing

(23)

Traditional Publishing

Houses Market Share

① 

Random House (15.9% market share)

②

 

Pearson (11.0%)

③

 

HarperCollins (10.6%)

④

 

Simon & Schuster ( 9.3%)

⑤

 

Hachette (TW) ( 6.2%)

⑥

 

Scholastic

( 5.2%)

⑦

 

Thomas Nelson ( 4.7%)

⑧

 

Holtzbrinck

( 4.4%)

⑨

 

Tyndale House ( 1.9%)

⑩

 

Wiley

( 1.9%)

(24)

Traditional Publishing

• Smallest upfront investment by author

• Great distribution when released

• Credibility

• Advances and Royalties

• Author pays for Marketing and PR

• Little / No Creative Control

• 18 to 36 months before published

(25)

Traditional

Publishing Money

• There is no

“

average advance

”

• But… think $10k for an unknown author

• Royalties of 10-15% Hard, 6-10% Paper

• Agent gets 15%

• PR costs $25,000 - $75,000 for 6 mo

• Buyback usually 50% off cover

• Sell ~15k units before seeing royalties

(26)

Traditional

Publishing

Right for you if:

–

 

Creative control isn

’

t very important

–

 

Cash is tight

–

 

Timeline isn

’

t important

–

 

Bookstores are primary outlet for sales

–

 

This is a

“

lottery ticket

”

and not a

(27)

Traditional

Publishing How To

• Start with a great Query Letter

–

 

Jeff Herman's Book

Guide To Book

Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents

2012

–

 

Get an Agent

• Write a proposal

• Sign with a Publisher

(28)

eBooks and

Print on Demand

• eBooks

–

 

Hardware-agnostic readers (Stanza,

Blio, Iceberg)

–

 

iPad, Amazon Kindle, Sony eReader,

B&N Nook, and MANY others

• Print on Demand

–

 

CreateSpace, Lightning Source,Lulu

(29)

• Relatively small investment

• Editorial still important

• Online distribution only

• Not big Credibility booster

• Royalties more like 25-70%

• Lots of Creative Control

• Very short Timeline

• No need for an Agent

eBooks and

(30)

• eBooks grow ~400% per year… But:

–

 

Only 4-5% of the US market

–

 

And only 0.5% of the Global market

• ASI did 19k titles, 6x > Random

• Lulu has 700k titles, 80% for 1 unit

• POD not cost effective over 1k units

• POD quality & tech are limited

eBooks and

(31)

Right for you if:

–

 

Timeline is Critical

–

 

Cash is tight

–

 

Online is primary outlet for sales

–

 

Just want the information

“

out there

”

eBooks and

(32)

eBooks and Print

on Demand How-To

• Write your book (Editorial still critical)

• Convert eBook Files

–

 

Amazon DTP, Code Mantra

• Go to POD Publisher with Word .doc

–

 

CreateSpace (Amazon), Lulu.com,

Author Solutions

• Market your Book

(33)

Self-Publishing

• The Author is:

–

 

Publisher

–

 

General Contractor (Edit, Design,

Printing)

–

 

Compliance Officer

–

 

Sales Manager

–

 

Marketing Manager

• Read Dan Poynter

’

s

“

Self

(34)

Self-Publishing

• Moderate investment by author

• Need a distributor for bookstore sales

• Author still pays for Marketing/PR

• Author has Creative Control

• Book stays in print as long as the author

supports it

• 3-6 months before book is published

(35)

Independent Publishing

• Hybrid between Traditional and Self

• Author Investment is Variable based

on Goals

• Distribution through a Partner

• Credibility if Partner is known quantity

• Author pays for most Marketing and

all PR

• Author retains all Creative Control

(36)

Greenleaf Book Group

• Greenleaf is the top Independent Publisher

• GBG accepts 3% of submissions, 96% retention

• In the past few years, 17

NYT

/

WSJ

Bestsellers

• Author investment is variable based on goals

• Author Receives

–

 

35% of Cover price for Bookstore Sales

–

 

100% of Cover price for Other Sales

• Author pays for most Marketing and all PR

(37)

Important Pieces

• Editing (

CMS

)

• Cover Design

• Quality Printing

• Distribution and Sales

• Marketing

(38)

Airports

• Airports primarily buy business books,

regional, bestsellers, and children

’

s

• Most airports and non-bookstore

channels require that you work with a

major publisher or distributor (volume)

• Airport space is

‘

rented

’

with co-op

placement fees

• Consider ROI beyond book sales, (ie

increased visibility, new speaking

engagements)

(40)

Books are traditionally considered bestsellers

when they meet one of three unofficial

requirements:

(1)

 

placement on the

New York Times

bestseller

list;

(2)

 

placement on the

Wall Street Journal

bestseller

list; or

(3)

 

placement on the

USA Today

bestseller list.

(41)

• Bestsellers measure velocity of sales, not total

sales

• Each list (NY Times, WSJ, USA Today) is run

differently

• Making the list depends on how well your book

sells AND how other books are selling that week

• In general, 5k-10k units need to move through

retail in one week for a shot at making a list

• You need an experienced partner to route sales

through appropriate channels (store weighting)

(42)

Books on the very same bestseller list can have

drastically different sales counts.

Jeffrey Krames sites a week in August 2010 in

which Elizabeth Gilbert’s

Eat, Pray, Love

topped

the lists, selling 140,000 copies. The fifth

bestselling book that same week sold less than

11,000 copies—a 129,000 difference from the

first-place seller

.

(43)

What

’

s in a Bestseller?

• Bestseller lists only reflect velocity of sales—not overall success

of a book. A title could be a “tortoise seller,” moving 800 books

per week for an entire year but never making any of the lists.

• Not all sales are reported to the lists, either. Each list has its

own way of determining quantity, usually through a catalog of

sales reported to them by selected bookstores, and none of the

lists are comprehensive.

(44)

• In fact, sales through specialty stores like Walmart, Target, and

Christian bookstores are usually not collected, and for some

authors, those can be the locations of the majority of their sales.

• My advice? Don’t measure your success solely in book sales.

Keep in mind the long-term strategy for your book—increased

exposure for yourself and your company. If you only sell three

thousand books but those books translated into more clients

and, ultimately, more profits for you, then “Bestseller

shmestseller!” we say. Slow and steady can and will win the

race.

(45)

Build Your Platform

through Ideas

(46)

Book Sales Tips

• Focus on Your Community

(or Communities)

• Appearances with Value

• Reviews

• Build Expert Platform

(47)

Physical and Online Communities

• Identify relevant communities and get

active

• Where are your competitors?

• Know your target audiences.

• Start by being strategic so you can adjust

your approach as needed based on

feedback.

Focus on your

community

(48)

Associations & Corporations

• Identify associations and corporations that

find your content valuable.

• Offer something to gain their interest:

• A free white paper for all of their people to

download.

• An article for their newsletter.

• Network with the group and/or its leadership.

Focus on your

community

(49)

Book Clubs

• Book clubs target groups of avid readers (strong

word-of-mouth potential)

• Create a reader

’

s guide with discussion

questions.

• Package the guide within the book itself or

promote it separately to reading groups.

• A good resource is

www.bookmovement.com

Focus on your

community

(50)

Targeted Blog Outreach

• Sites like

www.Technorati.com

provide

metrics on blog readership

• Approach your outreach strategically!

• Bloggers want a conversation, not a pitch

(so do your homework on their content

and personalize your approach!

Focus on your

community

(51)

Awards

• Awards build credibility within your community.

• In addition to awards for the book, also consider

awards for you THE EXPERT to build your

platform and credibility.

• Good resource for finding award opportunities:

www.awardsync.com

Focus on your

community

(52)

Some Book Signings ARE Okay

• Sitting at a table, autographing books,

DOES NOT WORK.

• Think of ways to share value with your

audience.

• Sign & sell your books after.

• (THIS DOESN

’

T HAVE TO BE IN A

Appearances

With value

(53)

Don

’

_{t Forget Libraries!}

• Libraries are often very receptive to author

signings.

• Libraries are also more likely to promote

the event at no cost to you and leave your

display materials up for a longer time

before and after the event.

Appearances

With value

(54)

Stock Signings

• Stock signings are an effective way to:

• Secure premium store placements.

• Increase buys on a store level.

• Minimize returns.

• Bring your

“

Autographed by Author

”

stickers to the store.

Appearances

With value

(55)

Skype & Webinars

• Virtual events are growing in popularity.

• Here are a few ideas:

• Live book club Q&A via Skype.

• Instructional webinars.

• Children

’

s book readings.

Appearances

With value

(56)

Speaking

• You’re already here!

• Research speaking opportunities through

your community, association, and

organization relationships.

• Also consider tools like Event Search on

LinkedIn.

• Attend NSA national learning events.

Appearances

With value

(57)

Critical for Some Sales

• For certain sales channels (libraries in

particular), reviews are critical for sales.

• Book buyers face an increasing oversupply

of published books, and they are looking

for ways to differentiate and choose the

best titles for their audience.

(58)

Word of Mouth & Syndication

Reviews spread the word about your book in 2 ways:

• Traditional Word-of-Mouth

“

I read a review of a book I think you’d like.

”

• Syndication

Many major review publications license review content to

Amazon.com, BN.com, etc., and the content is featured prominently on

your title listing page.

(59)

Testimonials or

“

Blurbs

”

• Third-party endorsements, also called

“

testimonials

”

or

“

blurbs,

”

can also be effective to

influence retailers and consumers.

• Consider your target audience(s) and aim for a

group of endorsements that speak to each.

• These are often written by the author and sent for

“

approval

”

by the expert

(60)

Convert Fan E-Mails to Amazon Reviews

• When readers e-mail you with words of praise:

• Respond with thanks. Ask them to help support

you by sharing their feedback as a reader review on

Amazon.com.

• Reader reviews and ratings factor into the Amazon

visibility

algorithm.

• Template your responses and provide a direct link

to your Amazon page.

(61)

(62)

For experts, growing the reach of one’s

platform is critical to monetizing knowledge—

whether that monetization happens through a

book, consulting services, speaking,

information products, or some combination of

these offerings.

- GBG White Paper on Platform

Build Your

(63)

Find Your Niche

• What specific areas of your expertise do people want?

• How is your message different from that of your competitors?

• What value proposition or knowledge can you alone offer?

• What awards can you boast?

• Do you have longevity?

• Volume and level of clients?

• Do you

“

own

”

a word or phrase?

Build Your

(64)

First, Refine Your Elevator Pitch

• Be able to confidently deliver your elevator pitch in 10

seconds.

• It should include:

• Who

you are.

• What

you do.

• Why

you

’

re different.

• How

you can provide value, and to whom.

Build Your

(65)

Next, Create Content to Support It

Create and record as much as you can, including:

• Magazine or newspaper articles.

• Scholarly papers or journal features.

• Letters to the editor or opinion columns.

• Blog posts.

• Radio & TV interviews.

• Lecture recordings.

• Webcasts, podcasts, etc.

Build Your

(66)

Syndicate Your Content

Spread your content via the following:

• Submit articles to newspapers, magazines,

newsletters, blogs, etc.

• Package your content as a free eBook.

• Post audio/visual media (on your blog,

Slideshare, etc.)

• Ongoing social media upkeep (share your PR

Build Your

(67)

Repurpose Your Content

• Post your work in article databases

(

www.ezinearticles.com

, etc.).

• Turn articles into press releases

(tie to calendar

events via

www.chases.com

).

• Use segments of writing to answer questions on

professional networks.

(like LinkedIn)

• Use it to answer PR queries

(

www.HARO.com

).

Build Your

(68)

Become an Expert

Establish Your Baseline with

www.MyExpertScore.com

(69)

Digital Portfolio

• You want your content to be easy to find

online.

• Create a destination of information on your

website for all of your content to live.

• Not sure where to start? At a minimum,

build and maintain a press room.

Maximize Digital

Opportunities

(70)

Social Media

• Along with your digital portfolio, participation in

social media gives you an active online presence,

making you easier to find and communicate with.

• Be strategic. Consider:

• LinkedIn

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Blogs

• Wikis

Maximize Digital

Opportunities

(71)

Newsletters & RSS Feeds

Capture and stay in front of your

direct audience by offering

newsletter and RSS feed opt-in

signups on your site.

Maximize Digital

Opportunities

(72)

Blog

• Update your blog at least twice a week.

• In a perfect world,

“

chunk

”

content on the front

end to make digital media more manageable.

• For example, we perform content chunking during

the editorial process to identify and pull out 50

standalone tweets and 15-20 blog posts/articles

directly from the manuscript.

Maximize Digital

Opportunities

(73)

Post Outside Your Own Blog

• Commenting on the blogs of other prominent

experts in your space is a great way to get in front

of your target audience.

• Don

’

t sell. Give value.

• Don

’

t be afraid to debate and defend.

Maximize Digital

Opportunities

(74)

The Problem:

an unprepared

football fan

(75)

The Solution:

(76)

Digital Opportunities

• + 22,000

Fans in one

year

• 5 to 15 styles

(77)

1) Not knowing goals and priorities

before publishing: the six key areas

to think through

The Seven

(78)

2) Thinking the work is done when

you're done writing

The Seven

(79)

3) Skipping permissions

The Seven

(80)

4) Not understanding implications of

contract rights and terms

The Seven

(81)

5) Not understanding the financial

implications of your publishing

choice

The Seven

(82)

6) Not pushing for a professional

editor and designer (it’s YOUR

responsibility to make it right)

The Seven

(83)

7) Pushing all ideas into one book

The Seven

(84)

Clint Greenleaf

Founder and CEO