Know your market

by Jerry Cowling
(Brooksville, FL)

Lincoln in the Basement

Genre: historical fiction and psychological thriller

I have two self-published books, Lincoln in the Basement and Sins of the Family with two different publishing companies. I bought out my contract from the first publisher with the agreement that I would not say anything negative about the company. Draw your own conclusions from that.

When selecting a company read the contract carefully and understand it fully. One of the most important factors is cost per book. The lower cost per book the lower you can charge and the more attractive it becomes to a market that has less disposable income for discretionary spending.

The other important factor in choosing a publisher is its ability to make the book available in on-line stores. Few bookstores will stock self-published books but some do hold book-signing events for self-published authors.

Try to find a publisher that offers free editing, though the ones who offer free editing may charge more for printing, so it becomes a trade-off.

Finally, know your market. Where will you sell it? If you have written a fictionalized account of your parents' or grandparents' experiences during the Great Depression, your only market may be only other members of your family. That is fine, if you figure out how many family members you have and have that number of books published.

In my situation, I wrote a novel about the Civil War so I attend Central Florida Civil War re-enactments and sell it there. In the two and a half years it's been out I have sold 500 copies. The other book is about a Cherokee. Civil War buffs tend to be interested in native Americans also so I have been able to find a market there for it also. I also speak on Abraham Lincoln to Civil War groups and sell copies after the meeting.

Determine what niche your book fills and market specifically to it. If you write cat novels go to cat shows. Perfect your speaking skills and prepare a talk about cats to give to cat lover clubs.

If you think everybody is going to want to buy your book then no one will want to buy your book. Know yourself. Know your market. Writing is easy. Selling is hard.

Visit The Works of Jerry Cowling.