Southern Writers Magazine Southern Writers_JAN-FEB_2019_without_Bleed (2) fi | Seite 5

by p.m.terrell
T
hrough The Novel Business, I’ve had the pleasure of
working with a number of authors in various stages
of their careers and I’ve discovered even New York
Times bestselling authors can lose their publisher. Sometimes
the publisher has simply decided the title has run its course.
Far more often, however, it’s the publisher experiencing
problems ranging from personal illness to a lack of capital
required to keep the doors open. More than one author has
contacted me in a panic; after heavily promoting their books
and their author brand, they are left with no product in the
marketplace. What do you do when this tragedy strikes?
First, understand your rights. The original publishing
contract should spell out what happens if the publisher
discontinues your titles. Look specifically for whether all
rights revert back to you. Written correspondence between
you and your publisher should clarify this issue; do not rely
on oral communication. Contact an attorney if necessary to
ensure that you own the rights to your titles.
Second, obtain the latest electronic copies. Particularly
if your publisher edited your manuscript, you will want the
most polished copy—not the rougher version you might have
originally submitted. The refined manuscript will give you
the best chance at republishing, receiving decent reviews and
selling copies.
Third, record your sales or ask the publisher for a detailed
report. A track record begins once a title has been published.
This means that traditional publishers and literary agents
can quickly look up your book’s sales figures if the sales were
through traditional outlets. If sales were non-traditional,
prepare to disclose how many were sold, when and to
whom—individual names are not needed but retailers,
organizations and channels are helpful.
Fourth, decide whether you want to sign with another
traditional publisher, a hybrid publisher or self-publish. If
you want another traditional or hybrid contract, include in
your query letter that the book was previously published,
when and by whom, how many copies were sold and why
the publisher is cancelling your contract. I knew an author
whose major publisher cancelled their series because sales
had fallen below 150,000 copies in six months, but a
mid-sized publisher considered those sales figures as highly
profitable. Also include in your query letter how you
promoted your titles including links to your website, blog
and social media platforms, including the number following
or subscribed to you.
Fifth, if you decide to self-publish, rethink your books’
titles. Once a book has been traditionally published,
the record remains forever. If you publish with the same
title, there could be confusion whether the title is still in
circulation because the first publisher’s entry will remain in
the databases but flagged as unavailable or discontinued.
Consider a completely different name or if you’re committed
to the original title, add “2nd Edition”, “Anniversary Edition”
or another unique designation.
Sixth, if you have several titles that have been left out in
the cold, consider traditional queries on the most successful
ones. If self-publishing, contemplate releasing one title at
a time. This provides each title a 3-to-6-month window in
which you can promote that particular book as a re-release.
If you republish the entire backlist, your promotional efforts
will be spread out and less focused.
I know several bestselling authors that still maintain
relationships with major publishers for some titles, while
self-publishing discontinued ones. This has provided them
with the best of two worlds: the strong distribution and
exposure a large traditional publisher can provide as well as
a self-published backlist in which they can earn more money
per sale. n
p.m.terrell is the award-winning,
internationally acclaimed author of more than
21 books in various genres. She is also the
founder of The Novel Business dedicated
to helping authors navigate the publishing
industry, including consulting services and a
52-Step Marketing Plan to catapult sales. For
more information, visit www.pmterrell.com
and www.thenovelbusiness.com.
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