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YPG Newsletter: Summer 2008
Contents
Tom Wolfe Takes Manhattan by Hallie Falquet
Free Downloads: The Future of Marketing Books? by Stephanie Bowen
I've Got This Great Novel... by Jen Crawford
How to Do Comic Con by Michael Barry
Are the Independent Bookstores Doomed? by Hallie Falquet

Tom Wolfe Takes Manhattan
By Hallie Falquet

Glenn Gazin took the train into New York from Stamford, CT and arrived at the Union Square Barnes and Noble at 3:30 p.m. The middle-aged man was dressed in a dashing navy blue suit with a matching, polka dot tie. Looking at him, one might think he was just stopping in the bookstore for a quick break between business meetings. The look in his eyes told a different story, however. Glenn's giddy, child-like anticipation was clear from across the aisles as he switched his coat from his right arm to his left and checked his watch every few seconds, even though there were still four and a half hours to go.

That night, at 8 p.m., Glenn's early arrival paid off as he watched (from the front row of folding chairs) legendary author Tom Wolfe walk across the stage and take a seat for the night’s performance.

"I worship Tom Wolfe," Gazin said, minutes before "The Great One," as he described him, walked onto the stage.

Gazin was just one of approximately 550 people who gathered on the night of March 13 for the bookstore's monthly author/music event hosted by Katherine Lanpher, author (Leap Days: Chronicles of a Mid-Life Move; Springboard Press), radio host and journalist.

Lanpher leads the author through questions and readings from their work, between musical performances by an artist who also answers her questions about their background and compositions.

"I want people to leave with the sense that they've just seen an hour they couldn't see anywhere else on the planet, whether it's Tom Wolfe grinning with delight at the new tango of Fernando Otero or Duncan Sheik playing his own "Spring Awakening'' score in conjunction with a scene from a play by Dennis Lehane," Lanpher said.

Wolfe, the historic author of such classics as The Right Stuff and Bonfire of the Vanities, joined Argentinean composer Fernando Otero in this uniquely designed event that intrigued not just readers, but the author as well, a feat not as easy as it sounds.

"The challenge is always to do something original, to give an author's fans something special in exchange for their taking the time to come out for the event… Tom Wolfe loves Argentinean music so to be paired with Fernando Otero made the evening unique for him," says Picador Publicity Manager James Meade who set up the event.

In this case, that something original is called "Upstairs at the Square," which has also hosted such artists as Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) and composer/singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik ("Spring Awakening").

On March 4 Picador re-released The Right Stuff (1979) and Bonfire of the Vanities (1987) with new covers designed to reach a fresh audience. The challenge for Meader was in reaching the established audience of the renowned author such as Gazin, as well as a younger audience, who may not have heard much about Wolfe in the first place.

"With a new book we are faced with the challenge of explaining why people should care about something they've never heard of, but the very newness of the publication can help. With a reissue of a classic book it's helpful that we already have review quotes and public recognition of the book, but there is an additional challenge that does not exist with a new book: explaining why something old deserves a fresh look," says Meader.

One commonly used tactic across the publishing world, and in this case too, is repackaging—making the cover "younger" and "hipper" so that a new audience will never suspect they're reading the same thing their parents did.

"Upstairs on the Square" however, went one step further and found a way to showcase the author's older books, set the stage for his forthcoming release, reach audiences old and new, and even please the author while doing it.

Although the book sales for the days preceding and following the event were not available, over 100 Tom Wolfe books were sold during the roughly two-hour long performance.

For those publicists looking to find similar success in original author events, Meader suggests a very simple exercise that he uses with each new book:

"Try to look at it with a fresh set of eyes, and ask yourself a couple of very standard questions: Who would this book most appeal to? What new and meaningful thing can be said about this book? That's no great unknown secret, but I find it helpful to ask these questions of myself before others do."

Free Downloads: The Future of Marketing Books?
By Stephanie Bowen

Could the cold war between printed books and free online content finally come to a truce? For years, publishers have cast a wary eye on the Internet, nervously watching the music industry implode from illegal downloading and e-music stores like iTunes. Consequently, they have tarried in making electronic and audio editions available and adopting online approaches for marketing books. The industry's hesitation is understandable, since it appears that books and other print media could be the next victims of the inevitable online transition and consumers' growing expectations of not having to pay for downloadable content. But publishers may have found a way to make free downloads valuable promotional tools for their books.

The first publisher to capitalize on the concept was Spiegel & Grau, when their author, Suze Orman, offered a free download of Women & Money for one day on Oprah.com. With over 1.1 million downloads—which nearly crashed Oprah's site—and continual New York Times Bestseller List rankings since, this newfangled marketing strategy was an incredible success. Meghan Walker, Director of Marketing for Spiegel & Grau, commented, "It was successful in several ways…We immediately had to reprint. The book soared to #2 on Amazon and landed back on the New York Times list where it remains. Perhaps the most interesting of all is that the e-book on Amazon also landed at #5 on the Kindle list…so the very thing that was being given away for free, also started to sell more.”

Three months later, the publishing world is still abuzz about the contradictory notion of offering a book for free in order to boost its sales. In fact, many houses are following Spiegel & Grau's lead and presenting complimentary editions of their own titles. For example, NPR reported that HarperCollins started posting full electronic versions of certain works for free on its site. Others have offered temporary free downloads for various promotions, like Earth Day. Even Amazon.com is trying to entice people to buy the Kindle by including free e-books with it.

Yet, while publishers seem eager to embrace this new online marketing strategy, the initiators of the Suze Orman sensation don't advocate using it to promote every book. When asked what she thinks makes this type of promotion successful, Julie Grau, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Spiegel & Grau, remarked, "I think that for a giveaway to be very successful, there has to be a perceived or real value about it—in other words, it has to be something people want and feel lucky to get for free. The fact that Suze's book was already successful conferred on it a value that a book by a less well-known author might not have enjoyed."

Walker concurred. "I think this kind of offer works best for a book where you already have some name recognition, where the author has a good platform, and where your message is, 'You need to read this because it is important and valuable and potentially life-changing information,' not just because we…want to sell more copies. In other words, I think the intent should be somewhat altruistic to see the maximum benefit."

Clearly, there are a few key factors needed to make free downloads worthwhile, including a strong author platform, a good vehicle for advertising—like Oprah—and, particularly, the publisher's and author's belief that the book has a vital message everyone should hear. Indeed, if there isn't some combination of those three factors, the promotion risks being ineffective. As Grau noted, "The pros of this experiment are obvious from the Suze example—raising the profile of the author and book even higher and the attendant publicity driving sales at retail. The cons are that you may give something away and not too many people take you up on your offer. It all depends on the book and the circumstance of the offering, the venue, the publicity, etc. I’ll say that for me, it will be hard to top this one."

Walker summed it up nicely: "I think we are living in a new world where "free" is going to have to be part of our vocabulary. The pros [of free downloads] are that it gets your attention and it serves as basic PR for the publisher and our product. But also, the books we publish are worthless unless they are read. If giving away a few copies…here and there, where it makes sense, attracts more readers in any form, then it is a success not only for that product, but for our business as a whole."

I've Got This Great Novel...
by Jen Crawford

So you've got a job in publishing. Suddenly your second cousin once-removed's best friend has a book they're sure you'd love. You never knew you had a great aunt Millie, but her proposal for a biography on Millard Fillmore is sitting in your inbox. Your mother's friend's eight-year-old niece has written just the most charming picture book. Don't you want to take a look?

You don't dare say no. Now what do you do?

There are a lot of aspiring writers, many of whom just like the idea of being a writer—and don't actually want to write. So the first step is to see if they've actually written anything yet, or are still daydreaming about the advance. Any pitch that starts with "I have this great idea for a book" is easy to deflect. Start by saying that, except in very special circumstances, such as if your name is Madonna or Paris Hilton, an idea isn't enough. They'd need to actually have a book, or at least a proposal, before a publisher will consider shelling out money. If they still want to tell you all about it, there's no harm in listening. You can even offer to read it when they've finished, safe in the knowledge that 99% of the time, they never will.

If the book is a fait accompli, it gets a little stickier. Even if you have no authority to acquire a book, they might want you to "run a professional eye" over it to see if you can nudge them closer to publication. They may even beg you for criticism. If so, proceed with caution! A first novel is like a baby to its author. They do not want to actually hear what's wrong with their creation, no matter how much they say to the contrary. The author is fervently hoping you'll call their book a diamond in the rough—although chances are it's just more rough in the rough. Unless you know this person very well and have a good idea of how well they take criticism, do not attempt to tell them anything bad about their book. Friendships have died that way. For this reason, many publishing professionals have a strict policy of never reading a submission from someone they know.

If you decide to go ahead and read the book, tact is the name of the game. Occasionally novels do get published out of the slush pile, but your uncle's best friend's misery memoir probably won't be one of them. The best you can do is praise the heck out of it, no matter how you really feel, perhaps point out a minor flaw, such as the overabundance of semi-colons, so they feel bolstered by the criticism of a pro, then explain in vague terms something about the difficulty of publishing books such as this one in the current climate. There's nothing wrong with the book, it's the market that's the problem.

You will probably wish you could pass the buck entirely by handing the book to another editor and letting them reject it. This may seem like a good idea—you did the best you could, so the author can't blame you—but probably isn't. You don't want to be known as a purveyor of slush within your publishing house. Handing a senior editor a manuscript that will waste her time when she don't even know your name yet does not make a good impression. Practically everyone in publishing gets submissions like these and most deal with them on their own. You have to weigh the potential damage to your career against the potentially chilly Thanksgiving dinner with the would-be author and decide how much it's really worth it not to have to write the rejection letter yourself.

Do not sit on the submission indefinitely and hope it goes away. Authors do not forget where they've submitted their manuscript, especially if they know you. For an author, every day of waiting to hear if their book is any good is agony. If you know you're going to reject the book, rip that band-aid off. Rejection does not age like fine wine. It ages more like milk left on the counter.

In all seriousness, the best advice you can give a striving author is to find an agent. In this arena, a little bit of guidance can go a long way. It is not your responsibility to see this person published; it is usually enough to point them on the right path and let them do the rest.

A great page to direct them to is this post in author Neil Gaiman's blog by Tor editor Teresa Nielsen Hayden. It contains all the links an author needs to research agents and how to query them (including links to avoid). Many agents have their own blogs where they discuss the submission process, such as Jessica Faust of Bookends, LLC who recently finished a massive analysis of cover letters.

The most useful thing you can tell an author who approaches you with their book is to do their research about literary agents and publishers. This little bit of advice about how the publishing industry works can do a writer far more good than a ten-page critique of their book, and is less likely to get your number deleted from their cell phone.

In the end, the most important insider information you can give them is that there is no secret formula to getting published, and knowing someone in the business is not a shortcut to a contract. The next time someone approaches you with manuscript in hand at your nephew's bar mitzvah, just point them in the right direction and tell them it's time to do their homework.

How to Do Comic Con
By Michael Barry

There are precious few better ways to learn so much about such a specific group than by working at a convention. Conventions are where enthusiasts come to sport their fanatic stripes, meet people as crazy about an interest as they are, and learn about the latest products made just for them. And few conventions exemplify those qualities as well as Comic Con New York, the annual gathering that draws more than 80,000 dedicated comic book, video game, and science fiction fans.

No matter which department you toil in at your publishing house, working at a conference can teach you a lot about finding and promoting books that connect with an audience. Here are a few simple guidelines that will help turn a working Saturday into a meaningful experience:

1. Pick up the literature: Conventions often release a show guide and a daily newsletter announcing book signings, special events, conferences, and promotions. The Comic Con show guide was about one part information, three parts advertisements; apparently, this ratio is not uncommon. These advertisements are a great way to compare the ways that publishers will be drawing people to their booth. You may see that some are giving away lots of books, while others have brought along authors. Take note of which booths draw the largest crowds. There may be some ideas worth emulating.

2. It’s all about the Chachka: The giveaway. The freebie. The chachka. Sometimes a special knick-knack becomes a must-have item of the conference. It might be a bag, a bracelet, or a squeezie ball. At Comic Con, cable channel A&E handed out hand sanitizer to promote The Andromeda Strain, an adaptation of Michael Crichton’s first novel. That hand sanitizer is still sitting on my desk weeks later—a pretty effective promotion piece. Be sure to identify the hot item and get your hands on it. You may be the one to give away the hot chachka at the next conference.

3. Make friends: Conferences provide tons of opportunities to work with your competitors to draw more attention to your books than you might be able to draw by yourself. United Features Syndicate and Universal Press Syndicate are rivals; they are constantly locked in a fierce battle to distribute comic strips with dedicated fans. But when representatives from both companies spoke on a panel about the future of comic strips at Comic Con, they filled a 200-seat room. Take the time to meet people working for other publishers; you may run into each other again, and you may be able to promote books together.

4. When you have nothing left to give, explore: Working at a conference means hours of standing, smiling, answering questions, and talking books. After a few hours, booth duty can take its toll on your legs and concentration. When you take your turn to eat and rest up, take the long route to the restroom, mosey to the lunch line, or do whatever you can to take a few spare minutes walking the exhibition floor. You may discover a group like the New York Jedis, a collection of a dozen New Yorkers who choreograph light saber fights to Linkin Park and AFI songs. Fans don’t just come to Comic Con to consume books and comics; some of them contribute as well. But if you stay in your booth, you may miss people like the New York Jedis.

5. Follow Up: By definition, enthusiasts care a lot about the object of their affection. You may not know how many words are in Neil Gaiman’s second book, or know about a nuance in the timeline between Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. However esoteric the request, be sure to follow up when you receive requests from fans. If you follow up, these people might teach you why a character matters to them, how they began reading a series, or even how a book has changed their lives. While it may not be wise to edit a book or create a marketing plan around an enthusiast’s opinion, knowing what hooks your most dedicated readers is an invaluable asset.

Are Independent Bookstores Doomed?
By Hallie Falquet

I’m probably not the only one who silently sheds a tear each time I hear news of yet another independent bookstore closing. Depressing stories about decades-old community pillars falling victim to Internet sales and mega-stores seem almost commonplace these days. But are they really true? And if so, what does that mean for us in the publishing industry?

In trying to understand the consequences of losing independent bookstores, or indies, I realized that from my position in the editorial department, I didn’t really know what these stores did for our books in the first place! So I went to the top of the sales force at a large publishing house to try to get some answers.

Indie stores "help the literary books that are hand sold," said a sales executive who declined to be named on record. She explained that oftentimes, the owner of the store is also the one on the sales floor and working the cash register. In that sense, they're in a better position to make personal recommendations and put a book directly in the customer's hands, more so than the chains, where the buyer for the store isn't the same person selling the book.

Indeed, the hand sales and personal interest found at indies are why these stores are credited with propelling author Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants to an extended stay on the New York Times bestseller list. What started as a 20,000 print run was expanded to 50,000 based on the buzz created by booksellers. In the end, 3,500 galleys were distributed as opposed to the typical 50-60 that are used to promote a title. (My condolences go out to the assistant assigned to track down addresses for that mailing list!).

"Like Life of Pi or Peace Like a River or Plainsong, [Elephants] felt like it was something bigger," said Craig Popelars, Algonquin marketer for Elephants, as quoted by the American Booksellers Association (ABA). Popelars distributed galleys to the independents and soon the buzz spread to the media and eventually to the chains.

"I felt like I had a staff of 500 people working for me…the independents took the job out of my hands," Popelar said. By June 1 the book hit the Book Sense list, and by June 15 it hit the Times.

"To date, more than 1.85 million copies are in print. Thanks to early indie support, the book has sold well through all channels," said Len Vlahos, chief program officer of the ABA at the Association of American Publishers conference in November. Vlahos uses the example of Elephants's success as a prime example of what independent booksellers and Book Sense can do for sales.

While such a success story is certainly not the norm, it obviously can happen, and happen big. According to the ABA, the number of new indie store openings is increasing each year, with 96 new stores opened in 2006, and 115 opened in 2007, each store lending to the possibility of such a grassroots success occurring again.

Even here in New York City, where high retail prices contributed to the March 31st closing of the long-standing Barnes and Noble of Chelsea, indie store owner Sara McNally plans to open a second store next year. McNally Robinson on Prince Street is that picturesque cozy shop portrayed in films and sought after by book-lovers who crave spending an entire day discussing literature, drinking coffee, and reading in a corner.

However hopeful her story is though, it's hard not to think that she's the exception to the rule. The pictures of the pre-closure goodbye party taken by LA Observed at the closing of the famous author stop, Brentwood Books, gives a hint as to why: nearly the entire crowd has white hair or no hair at all. It's an older generation that grew up with indies, and a younger generation that is moving on to getting all their books online. I admit to harboring a romantic vision of the independent bookstore, but in reality, I read most book reviews online, and it just makes the most sense to go straight to Amazon and add the ones I want to my wish list.

The sales executive who declined to go on record sees the evidence too. Indies "are a smaller community, and they get a better feel for the books, I do think that would be hurt," she said of store closings. With fewer opportunities for hand sales being replaced by window displays and Internet sales, the number of books sold may not decline, but the type of books sold may change. In the end, most of us do work for for-profit publishers and the bottom line does matter, so what will happen when five years from now Water for Elephants 2 crosses an agent's desk and the indies are no longer around to turn to? Will it be commercialized to fit a larger market or rejected altogether?

Despite the doomsayers, I don't think we’ll be faced with such an outcome. I think the younger generation will tire of the Internet and seek out the human connections of days past as they grow up and move into communities of their own. It's up to the indies to be more than just bookstores and foster that sense of community that draws people in for more than just books. While I love the convenience of online shopping, I love browsing the shelves of the "Staff Picks" section at my local independent bookstore even more. And at least in our business, I know I"m not the only one.

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