1) First and most important, be sure your book is really suited to radio and/or television. Not every book is. The broader and more general interest oriented your title is, the better your chances of being invited as a guest. Or you must tightly target the radio market you’re going after. Why would a radio …

PUBLISHED JANUARY 1997 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — I’ve had an opportunity to review the contracts of a number of the important distributors of books in the United States. Each contract contains many similarities and some important differences. The independent publisher is well-advised to review the agreement presented with great care for there are …

In simpler times, authors wrote the books, publishers touched up the spelling and punctuation, designed a suitable package, and published them. Except for literary books, this pattern no longer describes what successful publishers actually do. Instead, an author’s manuscript is usually just a promising beginning for a shaping process that will result in a strong …

We have put together this basic information sheet to demystify the process of book publicity for our authors. It is designed to empower authors with some general knowledge of Chicago Review Press’s approach, to maximize your opportunities for working productively with our publicists, and to minimize misunderstandings and disappointment. Please remember that Chicago Review Press …

The environment of radio and television talk shows is fast-paced, and competition for appearances intense. How can authors and publishers seize the attention of production staff responsible for booking guests? During a lunchtime presentation at PMA’s October Mini Publishing University in Los Angeles, associate producer John Downey III of NBC’s Leeza show and publisher Stephen …

A few weeks ago there was a discussion on the PMA-L listserv site which caused me to reflect upon a process that has been developing over the past few years … bookstores becoming more than places of sales, but becoming actual community gathering spots where people linger, read, chat, and eat. On the surface, this …

The mature market, which I define as people over the age of 55, is so large that it can no longer be categorized as a niche market. This is an enormous group–the fastest-growing group of potential customers in the world. And they have incredible buying power. Because seniors prefer to be regarded as individuals, direct …

Having attended two meetings in San Francisco recently, I thought I would share valuable information with the membership. The first meeting was on “the future of distribution” and featured the marketing director of NBN and Susan Reich of PGW and Harper SF. Some interesting comments: Unless you have $15 million in sales, you will need …

Many veterans of publishing tell us of the monumental changes that have occurred within our industry over the past few years. As a 35-year participant in this industry, I suspect I would concur. But as we approach a new millennium, we can see many, many other changes all around us. Has the automobile industry changed? …

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1996 by Jeffrey Dobkin, author, How to Market a Product for Under $500! The secret of not losing your shirt in a direct mail campaign is to run a test. This is the beauty of direct mail–you never, ever need to lose big money. You can test the response to any package you …

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1996 by Curt Matthews, IPG/Chicago Review Press Of course we all know now that as independent publishers we should exploit niches and practice niche marketing of our books. But what exactly is a niche, and how can you tell a good niche from a bad one? A useful place to start is with a …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1996 by Judith Appelbaum and Florence Janovic, Sensible Solutions The very same people who know that target marketing works for nonfiction are often surprised when we report that it works for fiction too. “How do you identify the people likely to be interested in a novel?” they always ask, and “How do you …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1996 by Howard W. Fisher currently, Partner, Fisher Books Several years ago I joined a distributor, and over the course of 18 months, I learned firsthand what can go wrong in an exclusive publisher distribution business from the distributor’s point of view. The intent of this article is to provide a look over …

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1996 by Nancy Field, Dog-Eared Publications Reprinted from the Aug. – Sept. 1996 MAPA (Mid-America Publishers Association) newsletter. Traveling becomes even more interesting and fun when you find business opportunities along the way. It is possible to create some contacts before leaving on a trip, however unexpected opportunities make it even more fun. …

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1996 by Dianne Jacob, Publishing Strategist The CD-ROM market has many similarities to book publishing. It’s a huge, multi-million dollar business. It’s dominated by large corporations. There’s lots of money to be made if you get good distribution and have the right formula. These days, the right product is almost always a game, …

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1996 by Curt Matthews, Chicago Review Press How important is it to come up with a good title for your book? How much will a bad title hurt your book? Of course the title is just one of many variables that can affect a book’s success, but recently I have had an occasion …

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1996 by John B. McHugh, author of Permissions Management for Requesters and Granters Seeking permissions is an activity filled with many interesting surprises. Maintain a healthy sense of skepticism when you seek permissions so that you will not be unpleasantly surprised. To help you navigate some of the more “tricky currents” inherent in …

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1996 by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney — It frequently seems that book publishers are not in the business of selling books. Rather, it often appears that they are in the business of consigning books. Although the paperwork may be marked “INVOICE,” the reality is that some or indeed all of the books represented …

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1996 by Robert C. Brenner, President, Brenner Microcomputing, Inc. Claire sat back with a determined smile. This month is the anniversary of her business and time to update her business plan. She will evaluate both her strategic plan and tactical plan. Marketing will be a major part of her focus. She has already …

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1996 by Curt Matthews, Chicago Review Press In last month’s newsletter, I complained about the propensity of small presses to complain about irritating aspects of the book business that can not be changed. This time I want to take a hard look at what may well be the leading subject of such complaints: …