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Martin Foner’s Publishing Newsletter

Because You’re Serious About Success, or You’re Not. Which Are You?

Volume 22, Number 6

How Important Are Endorsements? Do They Carry More Weight Than Amazon Reviews? It All Depends on Where You Are Aiming…

How to Use Pre-Pub Marketing to Weed Out The Titles You Shouldn’t Be Publishing… Why Did You Wait This Long to Decide? But If You Did, Here Is One Simple Way To Determine What Gets Printed and What Doesn’t.

DUE TO A STRONG RESPONSE, MY COMPLIMENTARY OFFER TO REVIEW YOUR TITLES FOR BULK AND CUSTOM POTENTIAL IS EXTENDED TO APRIL 30TH, 2017… YES, I HAVE TO BE CRAZY, BUT I AM HAVING FUN AND STAYING SHARP.

How to Collect ANY Overdue Invoice to ANY Federal Government, or Maybe State Government, Agency, FAST.

Listings of Our Client Publishing Companies for Sale.

Hello, Everyone…

My offer to do a free bulk and custom analysis of one of your titles is still valid… and has been extended to April 30^th because of the overwhelming response so far. Don’t miss this opportunity! See article shortly into the newsletter for details.

How Important Are Endorsements? Do They Carry More Weight Than Amazon Reviews? It All Depends on Where You Are Aiming…

This comes from a question I received last week from a publisher trying to determine if it was more important to feature endorsements on his cover or to boast about having dozens, even hundreds of Amazon reviews.

The answer is fairly simple: It all depends. Back to your Strategic Plan.

If your primary method of selling is through Amazon, then Amazon reviews can be critical. Of course, if your primary method of selling is through Amazon, then you aren’t exploiting all the possible markets for your products, unless you are simply using Amazon as your warehouse and fulfillment center… a different story. But if Amazon represents your promotion, PR, media, and marketing… good luck to you. But if your book is a straight fiction title and you have some positive Amazon reviews, then fine.

On the other hand, if you are getting your book out to the general public, or to your primary target markets, and you know who these markets are, then endorsements from people well known in those target markets will carry far more weight than advertising how much random customers on Amazon like your book. This goes in spades if your book is instructional, technical, a STEM or other academic book, or other forms of non-fiction. These customers want to know that an expert in their field, or multiple experts or known people are endorsing the book.

If you plan on doing any real PR, TV appearances, radio, newspaper interviews… these professionals are going to look at your endorsements first before booking your book and you with it. Unless your Amazon reviews and corresponding sales are deep into the thousands, they won’t really mean very much to the serious media.

One argument I hear is, why not both? Well, it is difficult to have experts endorsing a type of book that the general public would be equally competent to review… and that seems to be the rub on this. If you have that special title that gets both serious endorsements and reviews and can garner a ton of Amazon reviews, you are in luck.

So, take your time and decide strategically how you are promoting and positioning your titles and then go for it!

How to Use Pre-Pub Marketing to Weed Out The Titles You Shouldn’t Be Publishing… Why Did You Wait This Long to Decide?

But If You Did, Here Is One Simple Way To Determine What Gets Printed and What Doesn’t.

Ok, let’s start with the basics.

Pre-Pub Marketing… Is what you do for a title BEFORE you print it. From the time you know when it will be available until the actual available on the shelf date… is your Pre-Pub time.

Decision-Time… Is when you absolutely positively have to decide to print or bail out on a title. Usually it is about four or five days before you send off your files to print.

You mean you have NEVER bailed out on a new title? NEVER? Even if the evidence was that you were going to do poorly with it?

What evidence?

Well, you have waited this long to figure out what to do with the title, so let me give you some input. Read this carefully and then engrave it in stone on your desk:

I will not publish any book that does NOT earn at

least 50% of my production and print cost ahead

of the print date. Postpone the date or kill the title.

Let me tell you how many times this little engraving has saved my ass.

When we didn’t hit our target pre-sales, it was a HUGE red flag that something was wrong.

Here is another one. Read this carefully and then engrave it in stone next to the other one on your desk:

There are only three reasons a product succeeds

or fails… the three P’s. Presentation, Product, or

People. If something is wrong, check them all, you

will find the problem. Then fix it!

So, what am I saying?

You HAVE to do Pre-Pub sales. Usually, 90 days in advance of the pub date. Longer if you know. And when you do them, you HAVE to recover at least 50% of the print cost BEFORE you go to print. If that doesn’t work, one of the three P’s is wrong. If nothing else, look at this as your own marketing research.

People… Your target market.

Product… Your book or other material.

Presentation… Your promotion, ad piece, sales letter, whatever.

Yes, it is just that simple.

To be perfectly honest, in all my years as a day to day publisher, MY minimum was 100%. If I didn’t earn back IN ADVANCE at least ALL my printing bill, I put the brakes on the project. Most of the time I also wanted to earn back the production costs, but I figured I have already spent those… they are out the window.

So at least if I recover my printing cost with Pre-Sales… then I am not ‘out’ any more money on this project… and I have a decent chance to recover my production cost with all those free books in the warehouse.

And if you see the red flag? Delay the pub date for another month and start over and figure out which P is wrong. Or kill the project altogether.

You are in business to stay in business, not go out of business!

Business and be profitable. Publishing a book that can’t cut it in advance, is a very, very bad thing. It is a hole from which that book may not recover… and then take you with it. Enough said.

DUE TO A STRONG RESPONSE, MY COMPLIMENTARY OFFER TO REVIEW YOUR TITLES FOR BULK AND CUSTOM POTENTIAL IS EXTENDED TO APRIL 30^TH, 2017… YES, I HAVE TO BE CRAZY, BUT I AM HAVING FUN AND STAYING SHARP.

I have to say, this is a barrel of monkeys! I truly enjoy doing these bulk and custom analyses. They are fun and frankly, keep my mind sharp for the clients I have and will have in the future. It is just like going to the gym to keep your body in great shape. Anyway, to repeat for those who haven’t seen this offer or haven’t taken advantage of it yet:

*** HERE IS MY SPECIAL OFFER TO YOU. I am offering ALL publishers an opportunity to have ONE BOOK analyzed by me for its Bulk and/or Custom Sales potential, and even give you a report of a couple primary target markets to approach… AT NO CHARGE… COMPLIMENTARY… just so you will begin to have the idea of why Bulk and Custom Sales are so important to your survival.

I have done this once before eight years ago. It was very strongly received with 500+/- books submitted to me to analyze. Yes, it took about six weeks to get to everyone, but I got a great deal of positive feedback… and we all need that. Currently, I have received over 300 requests and have extended the deadline by 30 more days.

Feel free to submit your book now. Send me an email with your book information, a link to it on your website, a copy of the Table of Contents, full size front and back covers, and your email and contact information. If you prefer to send me an eBook of your book, that is ok also, with the other information… to mfoner@nplconsult.com .

Subject line: Bulk-Custom Book Analysis

Remember, fiction, children’s fiction, romance, sci-fi, etc., anything of a fiction nature really doesn’t lend itself to this process, and I will likely reply with a blank page to those requests. Non-fiction works for the most part, informational, business, self-help, technical, are good.

I will analyze ALL the books I receive, other than those mentioned above, one per publisher, extended through the 30^th of April, 2017 ***

And, if you would like to speak confidentially about the potentials of success with your titles and bulk, customized, and special sales… contact me at mfoner@nplconsult.com . I have over thirty years of experience in Bulk and Custom sales… tens of Millions of Dollars in revenues… my largest individual unit sale was 250,000 units of one title, one order. We should talk if you want to succeed in Bulk and Custom selling. Many dozens of publishers have and have done well from using the expert help I can offer.

How to Collect ANY Overdue Invoice to ANY Federal Government or Even State Government Agency, FAST.

I am not sure I have spoken about this tactic in quite a while, so it should be new news to most of you. Let’s say you do business with some office of the Federal Government, the Military, Veteran’s Services, anyone or any office of the Federal Government. And like me for many years with the Military, we could never get them to pay on time (before the advent of using credit cards… which still have limits, some 5K, some 25K).

In fact, what finally drove me to do this was, long ago, when the Army owed me over $100,000 on an invoice where we shipped a $1,000 order to 100 Army bases around the world. We simply couldn’t get them to get their paperwork together… it ran on for months and months until…

One day I had an idea.

Let’s ask our Senator or Congressperson to help us.

So my controller took our paperwork to the local office of our Congressperson. Short story… the Congressperson’s office sent a letter to the Army Finance handling this invoice. What we learned was that this constituted a Congressional inquiry into the matter. The Army then had ten days to respond.

So rather than responding, they simply sent the check, and THEN responded to the Congressperson by saying, gee whiz, funny you should ask, that check just went out two days ago, and your constituent should have it promptly.

Thus any Federal invoice can be handled that way but it needs to be 1) old, 2) decent sized, and 3) have issues you can’t resolve. As we were told by the office people… don’t look at us as your collection agency… but if you have a big one and are getting nowhere, then contact us.

I can’t say if this same program works on the State level, but I suspect it does, so again, for State agencies, consider this program.

Listings of Our Client Publishing Companies for Sale

1. I have a small educational publisher who specializes in early reading and math for sale. I have mentioned the company before and they are willing to sell the whole small company at once or sell off their titles individually. The owners want to retire now, and are not really interested in a long term buy out. Just to retire. For the whole company, under $75,000.

Contact me asap at mfoner@nplconsult.com for the information as I would like to have this wrapped up within 30-45 days, all titles sold.

2. I also have a 25 year old small publisher specializing in travel guide books… US, Europe, everywhere… about 40 titles… a few titles in genealogy… and a few titles in careers… If you are interested, I am going to have the genealogy and career books separated, if possible, for separate sales… so let me know now, which parts you are interested in, or if you would like the whole company. It appears… not with many details yet, that this will go in the under $250,000 range.

Contact me asap at mfoner@nplconsult.com for the basics in advance.

3. I am in the process of putting under contract a small primarily ebook company with over 600 titles who has gotten smart and is now focusing on making those titles into physical and audio books. Has been in biz for under ten years and genres are all over the place. I am getting more numbers each week, but the value of the company lies in both the changeover from ebook to physical and audio…and the value of owning over 600 titles and growing. Looks like a reasonable asking price will be under but close to $200,000.

Contact me asap at mfoner@nplconsult.com for the basics in advance.

4. I have a very fascinating series of books… very, very much in the format and writing and style of Harry Potter, except written to a higher level, well-illustrated, and really a more adult version based on reading level. This was written in three trilogies… nine books total. Many are now in print, self-pub, and a few are in production phase, ready to print. The author is looking at $50,000 for all including any inventory of the already in print, and a downline royalty.

Contact me asap at mfoner@nplconsult.com for the information and a copy to read of one of the books.

5. I also have an interesting company, in business for a short time, with almost 150 titles, many in thriller, mystery, some western, and a smattering of non-fiction. Most are in ebook format and some are dual, ebook and physical. Sales are just beginning to increase toward 100K…and they are seeking roughly 350K plus a downline percentage/royalty on the works.

Contact me asap at mfoner@nplconsult.com for the information.

And for those of you thinking about selling… contact me mfoner@nplconsult.com so we can discuss it confidentially. Don’t wait… the world doesn’t wait and neither do buyers. There is a fair amount of buying activity despite the “unusual” political activity. I believe it has something to do with the Fed raising interest rates yet speaking of two more raises this year. If the Fed feels there is strength, and that is coming in the summer and fall, this is a good time to make a move as a buyer… thus, we need sellers to match to buyers…

WHAT PUBLISHERS ARE LOOKING TO PURCHASE… AT LEAST WHAT MY CLIENTS ARE LOOKING TO PURCHASE

Currently, here’s what my clients are looking to acquire…

Content Driven Online Subscription – exactly what it says… if you have a magazine, subscribed content, or a large quantity of online content that could be monetized in this way, I have a client who is interested in either acquiring a going concern or creating it from current content

Relationship Related Non Fiction and Informational – topics dealing with relationships, human interest, people, and their issues

Pure EBook Companies, 100-1,000 titles+ considered – buyer is prepared to invest from a few hundred thousand to upwards of $3-$4 million, if the product line and revenues reflect this type of selling price

Interesting Craft, Hobby, and Personal Interest DIY and Non Fiction – client expanding into more personal crafts, hobbies, instructionals, DIY work, and related non-fiction, informational… is ok acquiring as few as a title or two or an entire company

Directories and Annuals – anything information that comes out semi, or annually, or biennially, in hard copy directory format, or online only… with or without paid advertising… small to large

Great Home for Sale in Los Angeles

Let’s cut to the chase. If you need a great entertainment home/larger home in L.A., this is it. PBS Celebrity Chef owned, (by my client, Tommy Tang), 3,800+ sq ft amazing house, drought resistant 1/3 acre oasis in the suburbs of a busy city. Too many features to mention here. Price is $1.195MM. Go to www.6421orionhome.com and have a look. Then contact me directly at mfoner@nplconsult.com.

AND NOW A FINAL WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR (ME)

If you believe your publishing business, or any commercial business you own, isn’t up to what it should be creating or earning… then you should contact me at mfoner@nplconsult.com. I can help you grow your company to your goals and then help you exit profitably.

If you want to acquire another publisher, or line, or even a few titles, then you should contact me.

If you want to sell your company, or lines, or a few titles, contact me.

If you want to succeed as a self-publisher… contact me.

If you finally get the idea you should have a Strategic Plan, then for certain and right now, you should contact me at mfoner@nplconsult.com.

There should be an unsubscribe button somewhere at the footer of this email, but if there is not, simply email me directly at mfoner@nplconsult.com, and I will have you removed from future emailings.

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NPL Publishing Consultants, a division of Professional Publishers Group Corporation, Post Office Box 1010, Ventura CA 93002. www.nplconsult.com

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