Basically, what is happening is “publishers” (really they are publishing services companies) such as Author Solutions are offering traditional publishers a way to profit from the authors they don’t deem worthy of taking a risk on and publishing in the traditional way. Author Solutions is the parent company of self-publishing imprints AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing and Xlibris. All of these are listed in the “Publishers to Avoid” chapter of Mark Levine’s excellent book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: The Contracts & Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies–Analyzed, Ranked and Exposed.

I’m not necessarily against this new “partnership publishing” model. It’s probably inevitable, because the “old era publishing” model is becoming less and less viable. Retail outlets are closing right and left, publishers’ profit margins are getting thinner and thinner. As Mark Weiss stated,  this new partnership model allows publishers to use this new approach  as a “proving ground” for authors.”They get the opportunity to, in essence, create a farm system. … [Traditional publishers] get the opportunity to watch these writers and see how they do in the marketplace before they give them an advance.”

But, do the authors really benefit? They pay for the privilege of getting published … the media know what’s going on, and very rarely take books by subsidy publishers seriously, no matter what these “publishers” say. Distribution (in retail outlets) and coverage by the media have always been the issues subsidy publishers adroitly avoid addressing.

I thought it puzzling that Weiss said, “Because we do so much volume, costs are much lower than [traditional publishers']. It gives traditional publishing the opportunity to look at a different form of production of the physical book and start to experiment, and see how other people do things and get a much closer look at it. … It gives the publisher the opportunity to get involved in a new form of publishing without building all the infrastructure and expending all the time and energy that it takes to build something new.” Is he saying that traditional publishers don’t know how to edit, promote, and get books into the distribution channels?

Seems to me there IS something traditional publishers don’t know how to do, that many  subsidy publishers are very good at. That is profiting from authors’ work, while giving very little service. Author Solutions published 21,000 books last year. Can any company that services that many authors truly provide service? In the past, “old era” model, the publisher did take a big risk. The publisher only profited when they were right about a book, that it would sell well and make up for the 97% of books that didn’t sell out their advances. Yes, it’s been a risky thing, now more than ever, which is why that model is crumbling.

However, authors must be very wary of the new options being put forth. Always ask, “Who is really profiting here?” Make sure there truly is a win-win opportunity, and it’s fair. It’s fair for an author to pay for publishing services, if they are fairly structured and priced. It’s fair for the publisher to make some profit on their services, but not to mark up, say, the printing so much that the author must price the book higher than the market can bear in order to make a profit.

Author beware! Contact me for a consult before you sign on any dotted line. I have no interest in any company (which is why I refuse to allow ads on this site), and will give you my best, unbiased advice, based on your situation and my “publishing insider” knowledge.

My guest will be Noah St. John, author of The Secret Code of Success, the book published by Harper Business books that got him a six-figure advance.

Noah is a pioneer in what I call “New Era Publishing” strategies, and tomorrow he is going to reveal what he’s done in two specific areas: the media, and building a community.

I will also reveal some tidbits about what I’ve been learning about what big publishers are looking for now, from my ongoing dialog about one of my client’s books.

Learn too what Noah is doing to try to get on the Oprah Winfrey show–and how you can participate.

And of course, ask your question! If we have time, we’ll get to it.
http://www.greatauthorpromotions.com

Part 2 reveals the fascinating (and encouraging) story of how Randy got published, how his amazon campaign went for the launch of his book, the “new era publishing” strategies that are working for him, and more.
http://www.wordstoprofit.com/tamingemailbeast.html

1. Specific tips for “taming the email beast” and restoring email sanity from time management expert, Randall Dean.

I’m going to confess just how many emails are sitting in my email inbox–or rather, were, before I learned Randy Dean’s email strategies.

Find out how to go from hundreds of unread emails (or more!) to zero … how to drastically cut down the time you spend on email … how to keep email from usurping personal and work time … and more.

You even get to ask Randall your question, now and during the call.

There will also be a special offer just for listeners of this call. (But you’ll get a lot out of it even if you don’t take advantage of that, so listen in-and tell your friends and colleagues!)

Just go here: http://www.wordstoprofit.com/tamingemailbeast.com.

2. Randall is the author of two books, including (surprise) Taming the Email Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your Email Overload. His publishing story is quite interesting—and will provide hope to authors who aspire to get published by a traditional publisher. We’ll talk about the “new era publishing” strategies he’s used and is using to get published and to promote his book and other products.

Randall also recently conducted an amazon.com campaign to launch the book. Find out what it takes to do that.

You can listen either via phone (there are a number of local call-in numbers available now!) or via webcast, on the computer. Click here now for the call-in details and to ask a question.The call will be recorded and archived, so if you’re reading this “after the fact,” you can still listen at your leisure. But you can’t ask us questions about either topic live, so ask now and/or on the call!

Publisher Thomas Nelson just announced a new program called NelsonFree, which “allows readers to receive content in multiple formats—physical book, audiobook and e-book—without making multiple purchases.” With NelsonFree, the price of the hardcover book includes both the audio download and the e-book, available in several formats, including EPub, MobiPocket and PDF.

Once readers purchase a book with the NelsonFree logo, they are directed to a Web site where they register and answer a security question. They then can download an audio MP3 file and choose the format of e-book.

Interestingly, Joel Miller, v-p and publisher, business and culture, said Nelson will not raise the price of hardcovers in the NelsonFree program. “I only see the price going up if a particular project has unique added expenses in producing the audio and digital books,” Miller said.

Nelson president and CEO Michael S. Hyatt said, “I believe that the industry is shifting and we, as publishers, need to explore new methods of getting our content into the hands of customers. NelsonFree will give readers a new level of value and flexibility. It will enhance their literary experience and allow greater employment of the content without breaking the bank.”

I applaud Nelson for being proactive here and leading the way. As an author’s advocate, I can’t help but wonder, do authors get any added royalties for the digital content? My guess is not, if the publisher is not charging extra.

On the other hand, making the content available in many formats should only boost sales and gain an author more exposure and reach. And isn’t that what we want as authors?

Noah revealed his own journey as an author … which holds many surprises.

Did you know this successful author, who is represented by one of the top literary agents in the country, started with a self-published book held together with tape?

And that, only 3 years ago, he was $35,000 in debt and living in his parents’ basement?

How did he dig out of THAT place to get a six-figure publishing contact with a top publisher, and exposure on the alphabet soup list of top national media (NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, etc.)?

Find out in this telling interview. You will be encouraged by Noah’s story.

More than that, you will come away with tips on how to build your platform (and the mathematical formula for what an author platform is), and what to do if you, like Noah, don’t LIKE marketing (he much prefers writing and teaching).

You will come away with New Era Publishing marketing techniques that will get your readers to actually consume your information (even if it’s NOT about money or success), how to contact media who are looking for what you have to offer, and more.

Listen to the replay and, please, DO the action steps, suggested! They’re very simple.

And if you have another question about how to promote a book/information product, ask it here.

(By the way, he got a six-figure advance for the book from a major publisher, no doubt on the strength of the content, the platform he’d already built, and his marketing plan.)

Noah is currently doing a “bookinar” in which, over the course of 4 or 5 modules, he is being interviewed by Alex Mandossian about the content of the book. The book is your “ticket” to attend the webinar, which makes sense, since the book is the curriculum. On the bookinar Noah explains the book, and gives exercises that will enable you to get the most out of the content.

It’s a lot like a Virtual Book Tour, but it goes a step beyond by becoming an interactive course, based on the book.

Brilliant. This is “New Era Publishing” strategy at its best. Noah is providing a way for readers to connect with him, via the “marketing intimacy” of hearing him explain and expand upon the book.

He also interacts with readers via the bookinar. You may ask him questions before, during, and after each session. The content is recorded and made available so that you can listen when you like. There’s an Action Guide along with the audio.

I encourage you to get a copy of his book and attend the bookinar. (He’s already 2 modules into it, but you can always go through it at your own pace.) The book itself is revolutionary. (I’ve been following Noah for years, and think his approach is ground-breaking and brilliant. His concept of “afformations” alone will change your life.)

As you experience the book through reading it and attending the bookinar, pay attention to not only what Noah says, but what he as an author does. For instance, look at what he does in “Act III,” chapters 11-13. (Hint: Keep your receipt. It’s worth $2,990.) What do you think of this approach, as a reader? If you have a nonfiction book yourself, especially if it’s not yet published, how can you incorporate this approach yourself?

(Noah’s publisher, Collins Business, a division of the major publisher, HarperCollins, has fully backed this approach. Publishers are “getting it.”)

I urge you: Get the book. (It goes well beyond any “success book” you’ve ever read.)

Attend the bookinar to experience the connection with the author and take action on the great content of the book.

Finally, study Noah’s approach as an author and come up with a plan for your own book. It’s a winning approach, and I believe this book will very soon become a best seller. (Not only because of brilliant marketing, note, but because of great content.)

By the way: If you want to do a bookinar with me as interview, let me know! Check out www.virtualbooktourexpert.com for background on Virtual Book Tours that I’ve done.  A bookinar would be set up in a similar way.

“How would I be able to get the word out if I published a book? I currently have no “platform.’. I am not on tv/radio/public speaker . . . what are some of my options, or should I wait until I get a platform?”

I’m not sure if Michael already has a book written yet, but the time to think about “getting a platform” is before you even start writing.

And you don’t “get a platform,” you build one.

A “platform” is publishing and media industry speak for your following. So, what you need is to build a following. How?

A number of ways. First, you need to find the people who are already interested in your topic. Here are some suggestions:

1. Google “[yourtopic] forums” and “[your topic] discussion groups” and find some groups that are interested in what you want to write about. Join them, and “listen” to the discussions. When you find a topic with a lot of activity, write an article about it. Then, post to the group that you have an article about it. Also check out Ning groups–there you can create your own.

2. Open a Twitter account (free report on how to here). Find some well-known person in your field on Twitter and follow that person. But not only that person–follow other people who are following them. Reply to people and give good information. Chances are, people will read that and follow you, too.

3. Open a Facebook account and post all about you. (Facebook seems to have come up on top of the Social Networking sites, more than MySpace, which has gotten spammy.)

4. Start a WordPress blog. Start blogging about your information.

An excellent course that teaches all about using Twitter and Facebook with a WordPress blog is Cathy Perkins’s Blogging with WordPress in a 2.0 World. She also has wonderful free weekly teleseminars about blogging with WordPress.

5. Likewise, write articles for ezinearticles.com and other article directories. (Find a list of links here.)

6. Once you get even a small following, begin doing a teleseminar or podcast. You can interview other experts, or do your own teaching. The audio element adds “marketing intimacy,” Alex Mandossian says. Even if you don’t have a lot of people listening initially, teleseminars are a way to create content that you can “repurpose” into blog posts and articles.

7. If you have a book or even an ebook, do a Virtual Book Tour in which someone interviews you about the book. Alex Mandossian, who created a particularly helpful kind of Virtual Book Tour, says, “Authors don’t make money writing books, they make money explaining books.” So true!

All of the above methods work together. Over time, when you work at it steadily, as you create your content and get it “out there” in all these ways, you create your following.

With that, and a book proposal in hand, you then approach a publisher or agent. Nowadays no publisher will even look at you unless you have a very strong platform.

But don’t be discouraged. As you go about building a platform, if you do it in the way I and those I recommend teach, you will be creating intellectual properties (including a print book, but other products as well) that will be valuable enough for your followers to pay for.

Building a strong platform is the primary business of an author-not just the writing. You need to have important things to say, you need to say them well, but most important of all is finding ways to connect with people who are already looking for your information.

This is the heart of what I’m calling New Era Publishing. It’s easier to do now than ever. That’s why I continue to say–no matter about the economy; this can be the best time to be an author.

Especially if you’re willing to see yourself as something of a carpenter/writer. (Get it? A writer who builds platforms…)

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a major New York publisher, just called a moratorium on acquiring new titles across its trade and reference divisions. What this means for the future of that company (e.g., are they
on the block to be sold?) remains to be seen.

If you’ve been following me for some time, I’ve been predicting a sea change in traditional publishing because its business model is fatally flawed (in my humble opinion).

HOWEVER, this does not mean that book publishing is dead! Please hear me: I still think that this is the BEST time to be an author.

But, as I said on last week’s teleseminar, ONLY if you embrace a new publishing paradigm.

Case in point: Morgan James, a new kind of publisher (they call themselves “entrepreneurial publishers”) just posted that their title acquisitions are up 32% and overall book sales are up 52%.

Morgan James is an example of “New Era Publishing.” They have a new and different model. And obviously, it’s working.

Embrace the new publishing paradigm, and you can win. Big time.

Part of the new publishing paradigm is delivering your content in other ways besides a print book.

Teleseminars are one of the other ways to deliver content that work extremely well in the “New Era Publishing” paradigm.

That’s why I’m encouraging you to sign up now for Alex Mandossian’s Teleseminar Secrets Preview Call.

I got you a VIP discount, so this call will only be $20.

There’s even a way it will cost you nothing.

When you take the Teleseminar Secrets course, I will refund your $20.  In fact, if you’re one of the first 5 people to sign up, you’ll get an additional $100 rebate from me.

Check out these and other added bonuses here. (Alex’s are worth $16,749, plus my bonuses add up to $18,260 value.)

There are so many wonderful tools and opportunities to promote books that weren’t there before to create success as an author.

In addition, the Internet and other technology has allowed us authors and aspiring authors to actually make a huge profit from the information we have to share with the world.

Whereas before, we could only hope for 10-15 percent of “net” royalties from a publisher (if we were so lucky as to be published), now we can not only self-publish and keep ALL the profit, we can also deliver our content in a variety of other ways.

Just about all of these alternative ways–teleseminars, membership sites, articles, ebooks, multi-media home study courses, etc.-have a much greater profit margin than printed books.

You would do well to consider these new methods of getting your message into the world.

I’d like to recommend you take a 2-minute quiz to start you on this path. It’s an Electronic Marketing quiz put together by one of my colleagues, Alex Mandossian, who is an amazing marketer and one of the best trainers I’ve ever come across.

When you take this quiz, you will receive a customized analysis of your current starting point. You will also begin to receive some free training on marketing that is very worthwhile.

So take this quiz and go from there. Don’t worry, in the coming days and weeks I’ll be helping you put the things you’ll be learning into the context of being an author and getting your message into the world in ways that could very well change your life (as they did mine).

Just click here to take the 2-minute quiz now.