Major Publishers Catching On?

Any writer who has tried publishing as a "hybrid" (meaning doing both traditional publishing and self-publishing) quickly begins to understand that these are two very different worlds.

Almost everything works differently—even the mindset with a new release.

In traditional publishing, when a new book comes out, it is an "event." If there is any marketing or publicity done by the publisher, it is all done before the book is published. Pre-order numbers are watched carefully, and a book's success or failure is decided in the first week of publication. Of course… most are considered failures and thus abandoned.

With a self-published novel, the writer puts the first book of a series up, does a little marketing, and gets started immediately on the second book… and then the third. We don't expect to be making much money or to gauge how the series is doing until book four—or even five—goes up. That's also when serious marketing begins. That's when a writer tries for an ad at BookBub. With BookBub, the writer has to apply and show that the series has some potential, and a BookBub ad is expensive, but if you manage to arrange for one, you can really get your series "seen" by thousands of readers. A self-published writer is looking to "grow" a series readership, and this is not a sprint, it's a marathon.

Traditional publishers have begun taking advantage of BookBub, but again… mainly with the first book of a new series that is being "launched." Again, the success or failure of the book is decided in the first week of publication. After that, if it's not a huge success coming out of the gate, the book is considered "done."

This is apparently changing somewhat, and I am both surprised and very happy.

I received a message from my publisher, Ace/Roc (Penguin Random House) letting me know that they are going to drop the price of the e-book edition of The Mist-Torn Witches (book one) to $1.99 from October 16th - 30th and pay for a BookBub ad on the 21st. They are beginning to realize there might be potential in an existing series. I am astonished, but I'm happy.

—Barb