Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Changes in the World of Book Publishing and Marketing

Change--quote by John F. Kennedy

Change by J.Q. Rose
An article by Pastor Laurie Haller resonated with me this week. While she is not writing about the book publishing business, her points very well apply to the publishing industry. 

In her article, click here for the entire article, If You Just Stay with What You Have, Laurie compares shopping malls to churches. She cites several examples of shopping malls closing down as the anchor stores are dwindling in number. Macy’s is closing 14 stores and J.C. Penney is closing 30 stores. Radio Shack has declared bankruptcy, and we won't go there about the demise of Barnes and Noble stores. More and more of our stores and churches are shutting down because they couldn't change to meet the needs of their customers/congregations. 

Pile of print books
The publishing industry is changing too. No longer absolutely controlled by the big guys in New York, writers who never had a voice can now be heard through their writing. Short stories, poetry chapbooks, collections of stories, special interest books for only a small niche, textbooks, and more are now available to readers. A reader can be in a rural setting or a big city, but can have an e-book in his hands in minutes. And take hundreds of books with him wherever he goes.

Telling a good story hasn't changed through the ages, but marketing has. Don't miss out on the future. Authors have to do their own. Learn how to use social media, make videos, record your voice, try uploading your book to amazon, and step out from behind your book to speak and meet readers. You'll be amazed at how trying new things can re-vitalize your passion for writing.

Are you embracing this change in indie publishing, indie music, indie movies? Leave a comment to tell us how you have changed your approach to writing and marketing... or have you? Thanks, in advance, for your feedback on this article.

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7 comments:

Miss Mae said...

Meeting and greeting? Gulp, uhhh...

Shew, yes, marketing and promoting is hard and this field is so competitive. I'm trying various ways with videos, trailers, audios, word of mouth, etc., but I've yet to "hit the hammer on the head" of one particular sure fire way to get known and recognized. Maybe I need to follow the end of that rainbow... hmmm.

Anonymous said...

I wish I knew the answer on how to get noticed, JQ. The world of publishing has changed so much, and it's much easier now for writers to get published. Much harder, though, to get noticed. I just keep trying to write the best books I can.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Miss Mae, yes, let's both follow that rainbow. You're my role model for trying video presentations. I'm still learning, and it's so much fun, though challenging, to try out new ideas and programs.

J.Q. Rose said...

Helena, writing the best book you can is definitely the first rule of getting noticed. I also think you need a large stable of books to keep people coming back to you and buying another one. You're on your way with well-told stories and the beginning of a collection for readers to buy and enjoy.

emaginette said...

I do what I can but I still have so much to learn about the industry. :-)

Anna from Shout with Emaginette

J.Q. Rose said...

Anna, I know what you mean. Sometimes I think my brain is going to explode if I try to figure out another thing! Always something new.

Kathy McIntosh said...

I'm writing a post about publishing changes and found yours while searching for a quote.
Yep, things change and we do need to change or stultify. (ooh, I can't recall when I last used that word!)
I have the second novel in my humorous suspense series on Kindle Scout ... a change from my small publisher that closed to my indie pub efforts to, with luck, a contract with Amazon.
Change is challenging.

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