It always comes back to the reader
And this time, they're in charge
I was reading Jane Friedman’s excellent Hot Sheet newsletter yesterday (as one does) and was fascinated by her interview with Peter Hildick-Smith, publishing industry veteran and founder of Codex Group, a pre-market strategy research group for publishers (so cool!).
Of the many interesting avenues they pursued in the interview (like the difference between demand and discovery, the fact that platform does not have to equal book purchases, and that most people don’t buy new books!), what jumped out to me was his insistence that trade publishers have missed the boat. I’ll go so far as to say that he makes them sound a bit like Blockbuster in the early days of Netflix. The sea change has happened, and they just don’t (or won’t) see it yet.
What is that sea change?
How to sell books. (I know - super-loud record-scratch moment right there!)
He lays out how publishing houses have an organic growth problem because the people who buy their books are no longer who they think they are. 70% of sales are now direct-to-reader. It’s a combination of the Amazonification (?) of book sales, as well as the overall shift in consumer buying habits from brick-and-mortar to social media shops.
As Hildick-Smith puts it, “Each book must now earn its success directly from the book consumer.”
It’s not that readers aren’t buying books in general, but that the readers themselves are actually buying the books one at a time.
So what does this mean?
First of all, it means that readers are literally in the driver’s seat.
Yes, we still buy books that people recommend to us, or from authors we know (or that are recommended by influencers we follow - hiya Jenna & Reese!), but our choices are no longer subject to the stacks of books in front of us. A publisher can’t ship a massive percentage of stock to one distributor and expect results.
We have unlimited access to unlimited publications, whether that means massive online retailers like Amazon, which are still only doing one-book-at-a-time sales, or going into our local bookshops, which might be stocking less of a central group of big-name publishers and more indie presses and local, now proudly-self-publishing authors.
Book consumers are slowly but surely making the market in their image.
As writers, it’s even more important information.
The exhortation to “know your reader” is quantifiably no longer just a hypothetical suggestion, or a fun exercise. It’s a necessary practice where you acknowledge your responsibility to speak directly to the majority of people who will buy your book.
You aren’t writing a book and hoping the right person finds it (which, admittedly, you shouldn’t have been doing anyway). You are writing a book with full knowledge that the relationship between your book being published and your book being purchased is a 1:1 experience, whether you’re self-publishing or have a Big 5 name on the spine.
If you know your reader, you are meeting them exactly where they are.
And as a mid-21st-century book consumer, they want that 1:1 personal experience to buy your book.
Let’s look at this from a different angle.
A number like 70% 1:1 direct-reader purchasing lines up with marketing conversations I have with writers and book marketers. (hint: you should have one of those. Allow me to recommend here, here, here, and here to start)
As a writer, it’s great to imagine that you write the book, hand it over to a publisher, and, poof!, it’s a best-seller.
The reality, of course, is that writing is just the small first step in your book’s journey. You have to be able to go out and sell it, whether that means book tours across the country or just in your town.
The writer’s experience, in many ways, has always been 1:1.
There is no writer (I don’t think) who hates signing a book for an enthusiastic reader. It never stops feeling special. Because that’s why you write, isn’t it? To change someone’s life, even if just a little bit. And every signature reaffirms that.
Your book matters.
So, now, let’s circle back to the fact that publishers aren’t able to fully lean in where you think they should. That 70% of your book’s potential sales are going to occur not because you got a Big 5 publisher to send boxes out to every major retailer. They’re going to occur in a more intimate, personal and personalized environment.
Your efforts to make that book matter, to personally reach out to readers, and speak to them, and market to them matters. Now more than ever.
So whether you’re writing the book, or marketing the book, it comes down to knowing your reader like they’re your best friend.
Because they are.
As the school year starts up and we head into Fall (I’m currently writing this post outside, savoring every day I can here in Chicago before it snows), I thought I’d let you in on some of what I’ve got happening with services and special events heading into the new year.
First of all, a quick reminder of the services I offer year-round.
In particular, if you want to get your book started before the end of 2023, grab five weeks on my calendar now to work together to get it set. Writers who worked with me this Summer have gone from insecure to wildly confident and out there writing like they were born to do it! Let me know if you want to be next.
And since I ask my writers at the end of our five-week strategy sessions to make a six-month plan, here’s mine.
Reach out today with any questions or interests, and let me know how I can help you make your book a reality by 2024.
The Iconic Writing Retreat in Athens, Greece, runs October 30 to November 3. There is one spot left for this inspiring and inspired event (and I just saw today that flight prices are dropping for the fall - it’s not too late!)
In honor of #AcWriMo and #NaNoWriMo, I’m offering 25% off (!!!) my developmental editing rates in November and December. Set your completion target now and grab a spot on my schedule in 2 months!
In January, all rates will be going up. If you’re thinking of working with me on your book, talk to me sooner rather than later to lock in this year’s pricing (even if we start next year).
Finally, for 12 weeks from January to March, I’m launching the first ever “Great Women Write…” cohort, a goals-oriented writing accountability program for a small group of women nonfiction writers. The program will include monthly 1:1 coaching sessions, monthly workshops with publishing industry experts, bi-monthly Q&A and hot-seat sessions, weekly co-writing time, and accountability partnerships.
If you’re interested, reach out for more details and watch this space.