A self-publisher's mantra

Find your market before your first word.

In today's Wall Street Journal article -- online.wsj.com/article/SB119491241020490592.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo -- and cautionary tale about a self-publisher whose pain was oh so avoidable, Mr. Obie Joe wonders why so many authors avoid the obvious. As magical as the process of writing and reading the book can be, as well as the discovery of the same, at the beginning, the book is just a product. And like a can of pork & beans, an author/publisher has got to think about the market for the book.

While it's wonderful if all of our books cross genres and age groups like Harry Potter, truth is, most of us have to saturate our primary audience first before jumping to other markets.

For the guy profiled in the WSJ article, that meant a series of decisions before setting one word to spell-check:
• Who is most likely is going to be our reader?
• Since it is a book for women about issues in gynecology, what would be the best way to reach them: if not bookstores, how about doctor's offices, or women's health conferences?
• Research a distributor with sales reps familiar with the patient education market.
• What kind of media would respond to the book's content? Women's magazines would be a perfect fit, but without national credentials, an author might work with a national publicist before making the pitch.
• Give talks wherever you can find an audience to build your platform and name recognition.
• And, at the very least, put together an online presence before publication: for this book, Mr. Obie Joe would have recommended a web site offering advice, or discussion board for patient to patient contact.

As much as it pains for us to say it -- because price, book cover, and a great printing deal do matter -- the primary focus for small publishers has to be: who is your market, and where are they congregating?

Get the Spice Girls deal

On Nov. 13, if you want to be the first to buy the comeback album of the Spice Girls (and c'mon there has to one or two of you out there), you'll stand in line at your local Victoria's Secret.

Talk about filtering to your niche audience.

The profitability of non-bookstore retail outlets have been a best-kept secret of many small and self publishers. Case in point: Robert T. Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad, Poor Dad sold its first couple million copies via seminars.

As an author, you know best which non-bookstore retail markets might suit your book. Before your book is printed, consult with your publisher on the mechanics of utilizing these outlets. Would their distribution system be amendable to these markets? How about their distributor? Could you buy a few thousand copies and find these markets yourself?

Maybe then your book will end in the perfect spot, just like the Spice Girls.