Interview with Wee Gee – Kevin Smokler, author of Bookmark Now and Practical Classics
Over the last couple months, I’ve been digging into the publishing (and self-publishing) industry from various vantage points in order to get some insider info for the writing community I’m a part of.
That journey has included speaking with Boyd Morrison, top-selling author of the Ark, who told me about his forward thinking self-publishing story; Michael Prescott, top-selling author of The Shadow Hunter, who recounted his self-publishing journey; Joanna Penn, prominent writing blogger and consultant based out of London who provided insights for aspiring writers; comments from friend and bestselling author Donald Miller; and the experience of 5 “average” people who self-published their books (including costs and sales).
This week, I’m pleased to bring you advice from notable writing expert, Kevin Smokler.
Called “A publishing visionary” by The Huffington Post and Mashable, Kevin Smokler is the author of Bookmark Now (SF Chronicle Notable Book, 2005) and the forthcoming essay collection Practical Classics (Prometheus Books, 2013). He has written for the LA Times, Fast Company, Paid Content, The San Francisco Chronicle and National Public Radio.
Kevin also sits on the advisory board of SXSW Interactive.
Sarah: The media often latches onto the rare self-publishing projects that seem to generate “overnight success”. But obviously these are often the exception, not the rule. In your experience, what is the normal person’s experience with self-publishing?
Kevin: The normal person sadly still has normal-for-1973 ideas about the publishing process. Here in 2011, just because you publish a book, by any method, doesn’t mean anyone knows about it. So any book, but most importantly a self-published book needs 6-12 months of relentless marketing. It will not sell itself. So before you self-publish, ask yourself with rigorous honesty if you are ready for that. If you are ready for a serious crash course in 21st century book marketing and 6-12 months and hustling for your book beyond the inner circle of your friends and family.
Sarah: Normal-for-1973. Love that. So if an aspiring author came to you and said they were weighing self-publishing options against traditional publishing, what advice or questions would you suggest he/she consider?
Kevin: Set clear, realistic goals and know when you have achieved them. I can’t tell you how many hundreds of aspiring writers I’ve talked to and asked “How many copies sold is a success” and the answer is something in the neighborhood of 100,00. Do you have any idea how many of anything 100,000 is? That’s like saying “It’s my first time on a bicycle. Victory would be winning the Tour De France” 100,000 copies is the book equivalent of beating Lance Armstrong.
Sarah: It sounds like you have a lot of experience with this. What is the biggest mistake you see people make when trying to self-publish?
Kevin: Not doing #2. Not acknowledging #1.
Sarah: Meaning your answers to questions 1 and 2. Here’s another topic that is hot right now. In your opinion, does it make sense for authors to publish only e-books? Or do hard, print copies of books still represent a viable market?
Kevin: I couldn’t say. I think it depends on your intended reader. About 90% of the time, the intended reader is someone just like the author. How does the author consume his or her books?
Sarah: That’s intuitive. There’s usually not an all inclusive answer for everyone, is there? Can you share any general philosophy or wisdom you would give to the aspiring writer, especially in relation to the way the industry is changing via the digital revolution?
Kevin: The game of publishing is the same as it has ever been. Finding the right readers for the right book, in this case yours. Be rigorously honest about who the audience is (your memoir about say, being a grandmother does not have a teenage male reader in mind), find out where they spend their time (where do fans of authors who inspire you spend their time), Educate yourself on the available tools, choose the right ones for your project (i.e. do not run after every shiny new technological development) and be ready to work hard, face rejection and live to fight another day.
And never forget, we are fortunate to be able to do this. No one owes us a readership. We owe it to our potential readers to communicate with them, produce a great book and introduce them to it.
You can visit Kevin’s website online here or find him on Twitter here.
** If you’re a writer, you may be interested in joining my free writing community for aspiring authors to get occasional free guides, access to videos and to eventually experiment with growing platform by being featured on this blog and many others around the web. In addition to interviews, I also post weekly publishing and writing related news and culture commentary as well as tips on how to write and get paid for it.
In other news, yesterday I shared that I’m considering breaking the writer-resources off this blog and providing them in a more focused website away from this more personal space. Would you like to share your opinion on that move?