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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Of Making Many Books There Is No End

By Steve Laubeon October 15, 2018
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This past week Bowker, the company that issues ISBN numbers for published books, released their annual statistics. They broke out the numbers for self-published books and revealed a stunning statistic. (If you want the history and explanation of the ISBN, read my scintillating post on the topic here. Each country issues their own ISBNs; Bowker is the one for the U.S.)

The total number of ISBNs issued in 2017 increased by 28% over 2016 for a total of 1,009,188. Over one million books were issued ISBN numbers!

Realize that many books have two ISBN numbers. One for the paperback and one for the e-book. Some do only one or the other. They did look at that statistic and revealed over 750,000 of the numbers issued were for the print version.

This is not inclusive of all books published, only new ISBNs issued to self-published authors who typically buy one number at a time. Major publishers will buy massive blocks of ISBNs at once and use them as needed (10,000 or more at one time). Thus Bowker can distinguish between the individual, the small press, and the large publisher.

In addition, if you publish with Amazon’s KDP program, you don’t have to have an ISBN. Therefore, many will forego that when publishing their own books. Hundreds of thousands of books are published without an ISBN these days. One only needs the ISBN if they wish to enter the trade marketplace (bookstores) or library space.

That’s a Lot of Books

Gasp! One million self-published books. In one year. One million!? The average public library in the U.S. carries 300,000 titles. Another report indicated holdings of 25 books per 1,000 people in the average library.

In other words, the one million newly published books in 2017 would overwhelm most public libraries.

Drop in the number of traditionally published books (popular trade, university press, textbook, etc.) and the total rises dramatically. (In 2010 Bowker reported 3 million books published in that year.)

The Challenge of Discovery

We’ve written a lot about the value of self-publishing in the right situation, for the right reasons, and done the right way. I truly believe it is a great thing that the option is within financial reach for nearly everyone. Remember I founded a company in 1996 to help people self-publish. (I sold the company, ACW Press, in early 2006.) Therefore I know, firsthand, the value of that option to the author.

The upside is everyone can get published. The downside is that everyone can get published! It creates a massive problem for authors to have their books discovered.

The traditional publishers work hard to figure out this puzzle called “discoverability.” Recently, our client David Rawlings’s first novel was sold to a major publisher. He was able to visit the headquarters of the publisher last month. He came away saying to the effect, “I had no idea that over thirty people were involved in some part of the editing, production, marketing, PR, and sales of my book!” I said, “Imagine if you were self-publishing. You would have to do the work of over 30 people to achieve the same result.”

The Call for Curation

Even those who are successful at self-publishing (and there are many) recognize the work that it takes. They have been able to figure out how to get people to recommend their work to others, the word-of-mouth marketing that curates a book to a network of potential readers.

This is what the traditional publisher strives to do. Select the best of the bunch, and then put the muscle of their organization behind them and hope the market agrees.

We agents must also be in the curation business. I wrote a long post on curation many years ago. Find it here.

What Does This Mean for You?

Simply:
Write the very best book you can.
Build an audience who will support your work (i.e. platform).
Decide whether to self-publish (but only do it the right way) or go the traditional route (get an agent).
Figure out how to launch a book (see this 21 day course for ideas – sign up for the next time it is held).

 

 

 

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Category: Book Proposals, Marketing, Platform, Self-Publishing, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

Fun Fridays – October 12, 2018

By Steve Laubeon October 12, 2018
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Stefan Xidas has Down Syndrome and a dream of singing the National Anthem before a Chicago Cubs baseball game. His wish came true a month ago. And, as promised, he now has raised over $20,000 for Special Olympics at this GoFundMe page. This one simply gave me a joy-filled smile. Hope it does the same for you. The full song is below in a second video. Dreams can come true.

Read moreFun Fridays – October 12, 2018
Category: Fun Fridays

Caution: Loose Platform Planks

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 11, 2018
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I love learning about authors on the internet. And as a literary agent, I enjoy the internet and find connections there that would be otherwise difficult to find and maintain. But as professionals, we must be cautious about what we share on any level. One reason is that we all know the internet is forever. Consider Blake Shelton’s recent woes over old tweets. He is not alone. When I was …

Read moreCaution: Loose Platform Planks
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Platform

Remove the Easy “No”

By Bob Hostetleron October 10, 2018
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These are both amazing and perilous times for writers seeking to publish. Whether you’re pitching an idea to a magazine editor, book editor, or agent, an important part of your job is removing the easy “no.” That is, some submissions make it easy for an editor or agent to say, “No, thank you.” Thus, it behooves you (I like saying “behooves”; it sounds fancy) to anticipate the “easy ‘no’” and …

Read moreRemove the Easy “No”
Category: Book Proposals

Eternal Words

By Dan Balowon October 9, 2018
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Every time I read or hear a report of a prominent person’s life complicated by something they tweeted, posted or recorded a decade earlier, I hope the stories are a cautionary tale for anyone desiring to be a media communicator or public figure. We used to be able to put our foolish, youthful or unwise days behind us. But no longer. The world in which we live is one where everything you write is …

Read moreEternal Words
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Platform, Social Media, The Writing Life

Words That Still Get Misused

By Steve Laubeon October 8, 2018
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The infographic below from GrammarCheck.com is a fantastic reminder of commonly misused words. They did miss one. I have to pause every time before I write “affect” or “effect.” Vocabulary.com reads, “Most of the time, you’ll want affect as a verb meaning to influence something and effect for the something that was influenced. The difference between affect and …

Read moreWords That Still Get Misused
Category: Craft, Writing Craft

Fun Fridays – October 5, 2018

By Steve Laubeon October 5, 2018
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For all you band geeks. With high-school football in full swing across the U.S., I thought you might enjoy the creativity of this trombone section from China Springs, Texas. 90 seconds of sheer concentration. One mistake might put someone in the hospital!

Read moreFun Fridays – October 5, 2018
Category: Fun Fridays

Why I Left My (Insurance) Agent

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 4, 2018
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The number-one complaint I hear from authors about their agents is that they don’t communicate with them. My understanding of this was renewed when I was on the side of needing an insurance agent to respond to me. I needed an adjustment to my policy that will mean I’ll pay the company more money. Alas, and alack, the agency I’d been with for decades (which has been sold twice, by the way) never …

Read moreWhy I Left My (Insurance) Agent
Category: Agency, Agents, Communication, The Writing Life

When Can I Call Myself a Professional Writer?

By Bob Hostetleron October 3, 2018
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I’m occasionally asked the question at writers conferences and via other means: “When can I call myself a writer?” That’s an easy one to answer. “Do you write?” I ask. “Well, yeah.” “Then you’re a writer. Writers write.” Another question, almost as common, is a little more complicated to answer: “When can I call myself a professional writer?” I can think of at least three reasonable ways to answer …

Read moreWhen Can I Call Myself a Professional Writer?
Category: The Writing Life

000 – Teaser & What is a Podcast?

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on October 2, 2018
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Welcome to the first episode of the Christian Publishing Show brought to you by the Steve Laube Agency! I’m your host, Thomas Umstattd Jr. This episode is a teaser for the show to come. Think of it like John the Baptist, it is not the show, it is pointing you toward the show to come. In later episodes, we will talk about everything Christian Publishing, from how to craft an amazing book, to …

Read more000 – Teaser & What is a Podcast?
Category: Christian Publishing Show
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