Concerns for Christian Publishers

While attending the ICRS tradeshow for Christian retail stores and publishers in Orlando last week, the lack of energy was palpable. There was a sense of nervous concern about the future, and you could tell that big changes are hitting the industry. Here's a sample of the decline in event attendance:

"Last week’s trade show ended July 17 with total attendance of 7,448—the lowest numbers since the 1980s, and well off last year’s already limp showing of 9,266. Professional attendance (which is mostly retailers, plus some industry professionals) was down to 2,386, a 17% drop from last year and about half as much as in New Orleans eight years ago...Exhibitor numbers declined to 353 (including music and gifts), down from 410 two years ago."
Source: Publishers Weekly

The good news is that many Christian publishers are still selling lots of books and doing okay financially (Thomas Nelson and Baker both did well in 2007). However, the bad news is that more Christian bookstores are continuing to close. Current CBA membership is down to only 1,731 retail locations. This problem puts Christian publishers in a tough spot, because their retail distribution options are narrowing as the large bookstore chains grow in buying power. In other words, publishers are trying to cram more cherries (books) into an ever-shrinking cherry pie (retail market).

One way for publishers to combat this tightening distribution trend is to pursue more non-retail channels, such as bulk sales, social networking, sponsorships, and direct-to-consumer sales. However, most of these options are best met by getting the author involved in the sales process.

For example, most social networks hate corporate intrusions and product promotion. But, authors can build relationships within these communities to increase awareness and spur new book sales. When publishers help educate their authors how to grow their platform, they can tap into a lot of new growth opportunities.

It's time for publishers to stop talking about how much they value "author platform," and offer real training to help their authors make it happen. To elaborate, check out my article, "Why Launch a Book When You can Launch an Author?"

Christian bookstores are disappearing because they struggle to offer real value to readers (price, location, inventory, etc.). Instead, they try to rely on sympathy votes from Christians to get business, but few believers are voting for them. Let's hope that Christian publishers learn from this problem and avoid making the same mistake.

Be a Wordsmith and Help End Hunger

If you're a professional writer or speaker, then you know that command of the English language is a key to your success. Words are the tools you use to change people's lives, entertain them, or challenge individuals to grow. Plus, those with a strong vocabulary usually garner more respect from others.

So, how good is your knowledge of words? Here’s a fun way to test and build your vocabulary while helping to make food contributions: http://www.FreeRice.com/

My playing level is around 40. See if you can top it.

Win a Garmin 260W GPS Navigator

WildFire Marketing is excited to announce our new website (www.startawildfire.com/) to help authors, speakers, and publishers sell more books and spread their message. To celebrate our site launch, we're giving away a new Garmin 260W portable GPS navigator for use in your car or on foot.

When a wildfire breaks out, GPS navigation lets people know how fast the fire spreads. Likewise, GPS can help you get places faster to spread the message of your book. Now, you don't need to worry about getting lost on the way to author speaking events, book signings, or media interviews.

Register to win the Garmin 260W by visiting the WildFire Marketing home page. Simply signup to receive our free email newsletter. Signup today, because the winner will soon be selected on Tuesday, July 22nd.

Plus, every person who signs up will also receive an exclusive article from Rob Eagar called: "Marketing Mistakes Authors & Speakers Make."

Note: If you have already subscribed to our newsletter, then you are automatically entered to win the contest.

Help us spread the wildfire! If you have a personal blog or newsletter, we invite you to tell your group about our contest and new website. Post this information in your blog or newsletter, then notify us at Rob@StartaWildFire.com And, we'll enter your name twice to increase your chances of winning.

Meet Me at ICRS in Orlando, FL

If you're a Christian author braving the heat at the ICRS Convention in Orlando, FL this July 13 - 17th, let me know. I have a few appointment slots available to meet with authors who are ready to get serious about boosting their book sales.

If you'd like to meet, contact me at 1-800-267-2045 or email: Rob@StartaWildFire.com

Amazon Rankings Explained

I apologize to my blog readers for disappearing for the last two weeks. Vacation and summer fever seemed to hit. But, I'm back with a "doosy" today.

Have you ever wondered what a book's Amazon ranking really means? Is there a way to tell how many books an author is selling over time via Amazon? Well, the truth is that no one knows for sure. In fact, even the staff people at Amazon say that their ranking system isn't completely accurate. So, don't ever obsess over your book's Amazon ranking, because it isn't always right. And, it only represents one channel of retail book sales.

However, a few math wizards with a lot of time on their hands (and a lot of Mountain Dew to drink) have tried to shed some light on the issue. Here's a summary of their findings:

Amazon Rankings Explained
Ranking: Estimated Sales:
10,000 = 30 books per week
100,000 = 6 books per week
1,000,000 = less than 1 book per week

If you wanted to estimate your book's Amazon sales, check your ranking periodically over a few months. Then, take the average number, and apply it to the chart above. For example, if your ranking over three months is 5,500 / 18,000 / 55,000, then your average ranking would be 26,166. If you apply 26,166 to the chart, then you're probably selling around 20 books a week...not much when you really think about it (1,000 per year). That's another reason why you shouldn't obsess over your Amazon rankings.

If you're average ranking stays lower than 10,000, pat yourself on the back - because Amazon customers are probably buying over 1,000 copies per year. This still isn't enough money to pay the bills. But, who said anything about money, real authors write for the sheer love of writing, right?

(Source: Morris Rosenthal, 2007)
http://www.fonerbooks.com/surfing.htm

How Not to Launch a New Book

This video is a funny take on the whole book promotion agony that many authors experience...enjoy!

Author Platform - More Important than Ever

If you’ve followed the headlines in the Christian publishing trade (CBA), then you know the industry is undergoing serious change. What does this change mean to you as an author? Growing your platform is more important than ever. Here’s why:

• More Christian bookstores are closing down.
• Most CBA publishers are experiencing sluggish book sales.
• Most CBA publishers are reducing the number of new titles they publish each year.
• Last month, Thomas Nelson (the largest CBA publisher) pulled out of the ICRS trade show, cut frontlist titles in half, and laid off 10% of it workforce.

This news has a lot of authors worried about their future. Some writers wonder if publishers will overlook the first-time or up-and-coming authors. Others worry that their books won’t get published if they can’t guarantee that over 50,000 copies will be sold. In other words, will sales trump craft? You can ponder this dilemma all day long. Instead, I suggest you take a deep breath and ask yourself this question, “What can I do to grow my author platform?”

Publishers no longer have the money or staff resources to market all of the books that they publish. More and more, they lean on the authors to help promote their books. Some authors complain that this treatment is unfair, because they’d rather stay in their writer's cave and churn out books. They think the publisher should do all of the marketing. Well, those days are long gone, and will probably never return. If you’re going to succeed as an author in this new age of publishing, then you must constantly improve your platform-building skills.

I know a lot of authors who think personal book marketing is ungodly or a waste of their time. But, here’s the irony…if you learn how to sell your books better, then you encourage more people with your message, plus you increase your income. In addition, you give your writing career a fighting chance, and you help your publisher succeed in a very competitive industry. So, what’s not to like about building a bigger platform? Yes, it’s hard work, but everybody wins.

Growing your author platform is no longer a luxury that you do in your spare time. Instead, it’s a necessity that every author needs to invest in with their time and money. Smart authors spend several hours each week focused solely on promoting their books.

At WildFire Marketing, I spend every day teaching authors how to build larger platforms. So, you’re probably thinking, “Okay, help me out…give me some tips to get started.” Here’s a few recent success stories from some of my clients that I hope inspire you:

Leslie Vernick, author of The Emotionally Destructive Relationship, flexed her platform-building muscles to help her new book go into a fifth printing in less than 8 months! Her efforts included activities, such as sending out audience-focused newsletters, revamping her website, using her expertise to garner regular exposure on national radio, speaking at churches and major conferences in front of influential leaders. Her publisher is ecstatic with strong frontlist sales that she’s helped create.

Mary Southerland, author of five books, re-energized her platform by capturing hundreds of new newsletter subscribers each month, revamping her website with free resources, creating a brand that separated her from the crowd, booking several new speaking engagements, and lining up six radio interviews by herself. All of these efforts helped her sell over 700 books on her own in less than 15 weeks! Her publisher was excited to see her backlist titles come back to life.

Johnny Parker, author of Blueprints for Marriage, sent out one newsletter geared to church leaders and never imagined what would happen. One church called and booked Johnny for a weekend event at his full fee. During his event, the audience responded to his message, and purchased over $3,000 worth of his books and resources. And, within a few weeks, the same church called and re-booked Johnny for another big event nine months later!

All of these authors realized that when you invest in building your platform, it produces a positive cycle with multiple benefits. You sell more books, strengthen your career as an author, and generate the income to keep growing.

So, what are you doing to build your platform?

Is Your Book in Family Christian Stores?

Last week, I blogged about how to find out if your book is in-stock at Barnes & Noble bookstores. Click here to read that post.

Today, I have good news that you can also determine if your book is on the shelf at Family Christian Stores, the largest retail chain of Christian books. They have over 300 U.S. stores in over 37 states.

Similar to the Barnes & Nobles online process, go to Family's website and type in your book's title in the "Search" box at the top of their webpage. If your book title appears, then click on the link that takes you to that's book information page. When you get there, you will see a small box on the right that says, "Enter your zip code to find it in a store near you." Type in a Zip Code, and click on the "Go" button. Then, you'll see a page that lists stores near you. Under each store location, it will either say, "In-stock" or "Out of stock".

As mentioned in my previous blog post, these kinds of inventory tracking tools are a great way to find out if your publisher got good distribution for your book. Keep in mind that America is a large place, and Family has over 300 stores. So, if your book is new, then it may take a few months for your title to appear.

If you’d like to check on the in-stock status of your book, I’ve provided a list of Zip Codes from some of the largest CBA markets in the U.S.

Atlanta – 30338
Chicago – 60610
Dallas – 75201
Denver – 80211
Houston – 77024
Nashville – 37234
Orlando – 32805
St. Louis – 63128
Washington D.C. – 22102

What if your book is listed everywhere as "Out of Stock"? First, don't get mad, and don't send your publisher a mean email. That won't solve anything, and there could be many reasons why your book isn't available. However, make a mental note that you need to kick up your personal author marketing a notch to build more awareness for your book. If you don't, then your book may have a very short life.

Many authors have resurrected bookstore distribution through their personal marketing efforts. The key question is are you willing to work hard to get your message out (speaking, newsletters, blogging, website improvements, trade shows, etc.) It takes a lot to make a book successful. Bookstore distribution is just part of the battle. Focus on the marketing tactics that you can control. And, let your passion for your book keep you moving forward.