Thursday, September 19, 2013

When Authors Celebrate Their Publication Date



The day an author’s book launches can be a monumental day, not necessarily because anything significant takes place but just simply because such a date marks the official kickoff of a book that likely has been in the works for many months, if not years. I recently spent time with a debut author on his publication date and was reminded of the excitement that is attached to being a writer

Many writers, for any number of reasons, fail to get their books published. Of those that get published, the vast majority fail to sell into the five digits. But every writer -- whether a wannabe author or a successfully published author -- loves the date on the calendar that is designated as their publication date.

On that date, the writer is validated. He or she feels a victory for accomplishing something. Not only did he or she achieve the act of getting published but likely he or she also advanced to a certain status level as a result of having a platform to share ideas, experiences, and views.

Publication dates are set by publishers and then listed in Books in Print, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, Baker & Taylor and other important sales outlets. Theoretically, stores can’t sell a book prior to its release date and online retailers shouldn’t ship out pre-orders until the release date. But authors know that sales that occur prior to a release date are accumulated and compiled to count towards opening week sales. Their best chance of hitting a best-seller list happens when they generate a lot of pre-orders coupled with sales that actually take place the first week of a book’s release.

I recently met with Thomas Anderson, whom I’m promoting for Media Connect, on his release date. He had an intimate gathering of 25 or so, colleagues, friends, and family to mark the official launch of his provocative and insightful personal finance book, The Value of Debt. He was upbeat and filled with anticipation and optimism. He was in a good spot.

He was at a point where he could reflect on the accomplishment of writing a book and getting it published by Wiley, a premiere business book publisher. And he could look forward, with hope and opportunity in his heart, and see a potential windfall for his book.

Of course a number of things have to go right for his book to succeed:

·         People need to discover it and share good word of mouth
·         His network of contacts needs to read and share it
·         The media must embrace his message and give him coverage
·         His marketing efforts need to be targeted and productive

And he needs to get lucky.

Tom couldn’t stop smiling the whole evening. As his guests munched on delightfully scrumptious appetizers and sloshed down a handful of alcoholic beverages, Tom was obviously high on life. He knew he was at that moment where he had not yet been told “no”-- not by the media, not by stores, not by consumers. Even for successful authors, eventually the no’s pile up.

But on this one evening-on publication date-he felt like a winner. Who could argue?

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

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