PopSyndicate.com

The publisher’s role is an important one, but it means nothing without the support of the rest of the industry. I’m looking for a few good men…and women…to jump on my train to success. What’s your role going to be?

Just so you know this is gonna be a glorified gripe session. I admit it, I am the queen of preaching to be positive, but sometimes I just want to throw off the Pollyanna smile and piss and moan a little. Today is one of those days.

Let’s start with communication. Lately I have been accused of being less than effective in communicating with a variety of people from authors to distributors. This may be true, but it is also not all my fault. I rely pretty heavily on the computer for communicating with others. I admit it; I have become a laptop potato. But in all fairness, how was I to know that my main e-mail address from my web site server was not forwarding my e-mails as it had been instructed to do? Today, I downloaded 1980 e-mails that had been sitting, some of them for weeks, and some of them important. However—when those people did not hear from me, they for some reason chose not to pick up the phone and call me to find out what the problem was.

Tip: If you e-mail important information that is time sensitive and you don’t get a response in 48-72 hours, pick up the phone and get on it. Don’t assume you are being ignored. E-mail…not so reliable.

Bookstores and libraries. Okay, I LOVE BOOKSTORES and LIBRARIES. I truly and sincerely do. One of my favorites, Centuries & Sleuths in Forest Park, IL (run by the wonderful Augie). I love his store so much that I nominated him for Publishers Weekly Booksellerof the Year. I live for them, but in the business world, there has to be some give and take. Lately there has been an influx of stores that are charging for authors to come in and do events. I really do understand how difficult it is for stores to stay in business in this economic climate, but do they stop and consider what is involved for a publisher or an author to stay in business? Events. We are not asking for wine tastings and caviar, we are asking for a table, possibly a chair and a poster (which I will even supply if I need to). Why do we have to offer a discount on books and pay to let the author come in? And in many stores the author barely gets acknowledged.

Ordering books. When a store or library has an event, why do they wait until the last minute to order books? Two weeks before an event is not enough time, UPS, FedEx, and the USPS are not that reliable and if there is a mi stake or a truck accident or whatever, there needs to be time to get another shipment out. And if they don’t get their shipment within two weeks of the event, why do they wait until two days before the event to follow up when it then costs the publisher several hundred dollars to overnight books so the author and readers are not disappointed? I know, there are booksellers out there flipping off the computer right now, but we want to work with you. We honestly do. We just don’t want to pay through the nose to do it.

As a publisher, I want stores and libraries to come directly to me. I want to talk with them and build relationships, and offer them the best customer service they deserve, but that is really hard when we can’t seem to connect on what is needed to be effective in our roles.

Distributors. Do you readers know anything about distribution? I’m thinking probably not because it simply isn’t your problem. As it should be, but let me explain a few simple things to the readers and the authors. When a reader wants a book and the store doesn’t carry it o n the shelves, that does NOT mean it is not available to buy. As a reader, if you go into a store to buy the new L.J. Sellers book SECRETS TO DIE FOR, they might tell you, our warehouse doesn’t have it in stock. They will not usually offer to order it for you, especially in big stores, it is just a hassle. But you DESERVE that book. So here is what you do. You create a DEMAND for it. You simply say, “Please order it for me. When can I pick it up?” They (theoretically) should place an order for that book. What happens then is the computer tells the distribution center that there is now a DEMAND and the distribution center will order the book. When the distributions center orders the book, the publisher will SUPPLY that book to them and they will in turn send it to the store in question. This is the beauty of SUPPLY and DEMAND.

Now, if you don’t order the book, neither will the store, and it will never get on the shelf, yours or the stores. This is a travesty for the author who has invested tons of time and effort writing the book and the publisher who has put in almost as much time editing, formatting, printing, and all the other things involved to make the book available. This is very sad.

Please don’t be afraid to get those bookstore employees working. It is why they get paid. To get YOU books.

Booksellers…this one is for you. Big small old new, no matter, please don’t send readers away unhappy and disappointed. So what if the book is self-published or by an Indy press. If the reader wants it do whatever you can to get it for them. If they have to pre-pay to ensure you don’t get stuck, then so be it. But please stop telling readers books are not available just because they are not in a warehouse. You know that space is limited everywhere and even Ingram doesn’t keep every book in stock, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get it. It’s what you do…it’s your job, and in some case, your life. Make it worthwhile.

Finally, librarians. We know your budgets are tight, but I get so sad to hear that a book is not being ordered for a library because it is not a best seller or not a good enough seller. This is just plain crazy. How can a book ever become a best seller if everyone with buying power makes excuses not to buy it? There are so many books out there that are not best sellers or even well-known that are extraordinary. Give the readers a chance. And remember when you are buying books, just because you didn’t like it or it didn’t get a bunch of reviews doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy. Think about.

Oh wait, book reviewers. This is a very personal issue for me. As a publisher that has been in business for almost nine years, I am flabbergasted at the lack of attention my titles have received over the years. Generally speaking most Indy presses are more than willing to jump through your flaming hoops to send you free books that are blatantly ignored. This is business and we are all struggling. It is extremely expensive to send out dozens of free books, only to be ignored and more than likely pulped. Every time I see an industry journal come out with reviews of books that have been previously reviewed and are now being reviewed again because they have been re-issued for the umpteenth time with yet another new cover or in a new format with the exact same words I want to jump off a cliff. It is one more thing that tells authors who are not published by a NY house that they are not as important—and that is not true!

It’s no secret how I feel about all this, but I thought I would get it off my chest so I can enjoy my weekend.

I’d love to know what you all think about this. And hey if you don’t agree with my comments, tell me that too. I love a good argument.

0