The Publishing Plan

NONFICTIONTHE BOOK PUBLISHING PLAN THE PROFESSIONAL GUIDE TO PROFITABLE SELF-PUBLISHING STEPHANIE CHANDLER KARL W. PALACHUK Copyright © 2018 by Stephanie Chandler and Karl W. Palachuk. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys- tem, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representa- tions or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of mer- chantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional when appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commer- cial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, personal, or other damages. The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan The Professional Guide to Profitable Self-Publishing By Stephanie Chandler and Karl W. Palachuk 1. LAN027000 2. LAN002000 3. REF026000 Print ISBN: 978-1-949642-00-1 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-949642-01-8 Printed in the United States of America Authority Publishing 11230 Gold Express Dr. #310-413 Gold River, CA 95670 800-877-1097 AuthorityPublishing.com CONTENTS Chapter 1: The Business of Self-Publishing Nonfiction Books . 1 Chapter 2: The Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing . 9 Chapter 3: Profit Opportunities with Your Book . 17 Author Interview: Jim Horan . 33 Chapter 4: Choose a Niche Audience .. 39 Chapter 5: Write Your Nonfiction Manuscript . 49 Author Interview: Claire Cook . 73 Chapter 6: Beta Readers . 77 Chapter 7: Editing Essentials . 85 Author Interview: Melinda Emerson. 91 iii THE NONFICTION BOOK PUBLISHING PLAN Chapter 8: Pre-Production for Self-Publishing . 95 Chapter 9: Book Design and Production . 111 Author Interview: William Teie .. 129 Chapter 10: Book Printing and Distribution . 133 Chapter 11: Bookstore Distribution and Beyond . 151 Author Interview: Mike Michalowicz . 161 Chapter 12: Ebooks and Audiobooks . 169 Chapter 13: Bestsellers Lists and Book Pre-Orders . 179 Author Interview: Honorée Corder . 187 Chapter 14: Endorsements and Book Reviews . 191 Chapter 15: Navigating Amazon. 203 Author Interview: Blake Atwood . 217 Chapter 16: Your Website and Ecommerce Strategy . 221 Chapter 17: Plan Your Book Launch . 235 Author Interview: Charmaine Hammond. 247 Chapter 18: Author-Publisher Business Operations . 251 Chapter 19: How to Get a Traditional Book Deal . 265 You Can Do This! . 275 Resources for Nonfiction Writers . 277 About the Authors . 291 iv Want to connect with fellow authors? You’ll find your tribe, and a whole bunch of membership benefits, via the Nonfiction Authors Association! www.NonfictionAuthorsAssociation.com CHAPTER 1 THE BUSINESS OF SELF-PUBLISHING NONFICTION BOOKS ou may be wondering why this book is geared toward nonfiction authors. Isn’t the publishing process the same no matter Ythe genre? Yes and no. While many of the processes for producing a book are the same regardless of genre, it’s the strategy behind nonfiction that makes a big difference. Many nonfiction authors have a personal mission to make some kind of difference in the world, and just as many want to use their books as the basis for starting a business or as a way to grow an existing business. If you aren’t yet thinking this way, you should be. Publishing a book makes you an entrepreneur, and therefore you should treat your book like a business. Owning a business has many advantages. You can write off business expenses, such as the fees you pay to freelancers who help produce your book. If you have a home office, you may even be able to write off part of your utilities (talk to a qualified tax professional to find out exactly what you can and can’t do). 1 THE NONFICTION BOOK PUBLISHING PLAN The point is that we want you to treat your book like a business, not only because of the tax advantages, but because we want you to make money doing what you love. With more than one million books published each year, it’s easier than ever to get a book in print. At the same time, many would argue that it’s also harder to sell books and actually become profitable. You have to rise above the noise to stand out. If you focus on book sales alone, and you earn somewhere between $5 and $15 per book as a self-published author, you have to sell a whole lot of books to pay your mortgage. It can be done, but the reality is that it won’t be easy. Our perspective is that authors should think beyond the book and use it as a tool to grow a business. This is exactly what we’ve both done, and we want to show you how you can do the same. OPPORTUNITIES IN NONFICTION Nielsen BookScan tracks around 85% of all print book sales in the U.S., and for 2017, it reported that over 687 million books were sold. When the ebook market exploded and we all feared that print books were going the way of vinyl records, the book market looked grim. But the decline in print book sales leveled out in 2013, and overall print book sales have increased every year since then. Adult trade nonfiction became the fastest growing trade category of book sales in 2013, surpassing children/young adult, which had been the growth leader for the previous two years. Adult nonfiction also showed the strongest year-over-year growth among the five trade-sector subcategories tracked (the others: adult fiction, juvenile fiction, juvenile nonfiction, religion). Sales in the adult nonfiction category have continued to increase each year, though numbers have leveled out. In 2017, the category gained 3% in sales over the previous year, while fiction declined by 1%. What you might find even more interesting is that nonfiction titles sell more than twice the number of fiction titles each 2 THE Business OF Self-Publishing Nonfiction Books year. In 2017, Nielsen BookScan reported 281 million adult nonfiction book sales compared to 139 million adult fiction titles sold. Juvenile nonfiction was up almost 8% over the previous year with nearly 60 million units sold, though fiction still leads with kids at 181 million units. Incidentally, juvenile nonfiction sales have been increasing in recent years, which may be partly due to the Common Core standards used by many schools across the nation. Most teachers are encouraging their students to read 50% fiction and 50% nonfiction, with the goal of preparing students for a more successful college experience. In more good news for nonfiction authors, an annual survey conducted by Smashwords revealed that nonfiction readers are far less price sensitive than fiction readers. Smashwords encourages nonfiction authors to experiment with higher ebook prices versus the lower ebook prices fiction writers must offer based on market demand (for fiction, Smashwords currently indicates $2.99 and $3.99 as the “sweet spots” for pricing). The massive sales of nonfiction prove that there are growing opportunities in this category. It also makes us wonder why more writers’ conferences and writers’ groups aren’t paying attention to nonfiction. MORE REASONS TO LOVE NONFICTION What do the following books have in common? • What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel • Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom • The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey • Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray • Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 3 THE NONFICTION BOOK PUBLISHING PLAN • A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle • The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz • Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen • Good to Great by Jim Collins • A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer • The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch • Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer • The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell • The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama • Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs • The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls • He’s Just Not That into You by Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo • Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins • The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston All of these nonfiction books topped bestseller lists in the last twenty years, and they are all titles that continue to sell well today. Some were turned into movies or featured on Oprah. All have contributed to incredibly successful careers for the authors who wrote them. The point is that nonfiction can be evergreen. It can stay rel- evant for many, many years. Remember How to Win Friends and Influence Peopleby Dale Carnegie? It was originally published in 1936 and has sold over 30 million copies. As recently as 2011, this book was listed in Time magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential Books of All Time. It continues to appear on recommended reading lists around the world and still sells swiftly today. Nonfiction books can generate revenues for years, and even for decades. But let’s be clear: only a small percentage of authors will 4 THE Business OF Self-Publishing Nonfiction Books ever make a living from their books alone. Even most New York Times bestselling authors have day jobs. They also earn money from speaking, consulting, writing columns for major publica- tions, teaching classes, and building other revenue streams.

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