From Publisher’s Weekly
Translation: The internets and digital technology are the TNT that’s blowing up those gates.

Yes, this is indeed an exciting time for all of those independent and underground publishers. The exclusivity and high barriers to entry of the traditional publishing world, combined with the continuing trend of increased fragmentation of reader demand have made it potential WIN for indie and self-publishers and potential FAIL for traditional publishers. The evidence of the latter is all around us.

Heather Reisman, empress of  Indigo-Chapters was just quoted in the Globe and Mail as estimating that there will be a 15-per-cent erosion in its book sales in the next five years, lost to the digital world.

You hear that Self and Indie press? That’s opportunity knocking. There will always be a small place for the traditional book (on the special edition/”keep shelf”), I’m sure, but the future is digital and smaller publishers are more poised to adapt and aggressively grow/ transition into this format.  After all, our “smallness” will help us take the leap into digital a lot faster because we have less red tape and internal politics, we’re less hierarcheral, more innovatively creative (one must be when one has no budget), and we’re younger (in terms of willingness to learn new technologies:)) and as strong self-marketers we are a step ahead of the pack in terms of self-branding in the digital age (because it costs nothing). Plus, thanks to this whole digital thing, we can reach out to a kajillion potential readers on the fly, and for cheap!

I encourage all indie presses and writers to really supercharge yourselves ahead of the giants and aggressively invest in and expand your digital offerings, whether it”s acquiring new digital technologies to self publish online or simply just LEARNING and TEACHING yourself everything you need to know to publish and sell online, please do so.  Staying ahead of the curve will reap rewards – if not now, then 10 or 20 years from now.

I love it.

I’m going to throw up some photos from BookcampTO09 (#bcto09), as well as pics from the “apres-unconference” at the Bedford Academy in the Annex. Enjoy!

morning briefing!

Malle and Connie

Mitch Joel

Storytime!

National Post Book Critic!

beautiful saturday afternoon: books and beer at Bedford Academy

cheese!

*Take the few months leading up to a book release to plan an integrated online marketing campaign.

Database of potential and current readers

Value added free content with a theme surrounding the book (but don’t give away part or whole of the book away) – there are tons of things you can do [I will add more ideas later]

Twitter

Facebook

Podcast

Website/Microsite with a buy online feature

Traditional Marketing mix

*Personally, I think the important thing to remember is to make sure that the look, key messaging, etc. are all consistent across all channels.

Through the usual internet purusing I stumbled across her website a few months ago and was already intrigued, but now, I just may have to go out (or sit back and order it online direct) and get her book, The Line Painter.

She writes for Champagne Press, a small romance book publisher based out of Calgary, if I heard correctly. I’m fascinated with the idea of an independant romance publishing house…but alas, I can’t find the website!

Nevertheless, here is Ms. Chin’s: http://businessromance.com/

Covers are still very important

you can find good designers that may just need a small quittance and another work for their portfolio…or hold a cover design contest ;o)

guest beside me asked: what do small presses differ when it come to online strategy?

answer: they put their frontlist online for free for a first time novelist – more chance for reader engagement

ebooks offer a great opportunity to release controversial/micro-niche content and also to do market testing/focus group…but it would depend on the type of book (perhaps not poetry)

one guest expressed distaste for the term “small press” and “literary press” is a misnomer, ghettoizes the concept, a disadvantage…some “small press” authors sell thousands of books

-dichotomy – act small,

-direct sales from website still only represents a small %age of sales

-important for backlist

-another guest 10-20% of sales are from website

Coach House launched a Young Adult book, risky but branching out is a great opportunity

Invisible Press – a new small literary press challenging to get books out there, they should be collaborating with each other way more. COLLABORATION [note: this is a great take-away point]

biggest challenge is reaching out beyond the clique of small publishers

great idea – start a twitter account for a specific book – to seperate book from publisher brand

another guest: engage with your audience in social media, keep the dialogue going….don’t stop!

Part 1 (very rough notes!)

advantages and challenges of small press publishing

in past challenges outnumbered advantages

but no longer true

anyone can be a publisher

less value on a finished book

So What are publishers for?

1. infracstructure

2. gatekeeper to means of production but not really anymore, so…

…now: arbitors of taste – we curate for readers

brings focus and consistency to reader when you brand your small press (like Coach House) and as they become curators, that branding becomes even more important

longtail/niche marketers – now becoming an advantage in today’s world

ADVANTAGES

focus lists, we know our readers

agile

flexibility in staff – jack/jackie of all trades type of stan

freedom

make beautiful books

gov’t support

love of the books

profit is not primary motive and it won’t ever be

CHALLENGES

no money for advances and staff, large scale promotion

distribution is expensive

different formats – quadruples work load

website

Case in point.

When I worked for a publisher, I always plotted sneaky ways of getting our books placed in the public eye through celebrity events, which I am lucky to attend on a fairly consistent basis (thanks to friends who work in the media), etc. For a while, I was even carrying around copies of books in case an opportunity arose. But alas, I never got that golden placement, that magic photo op with someone famous holding my company’s book in hand that would cause the book to become an overnight sensation. I was not yet able to have a taste of the PR notoriety and admiration for my brilliant publicity/WOM campaign skills and strategic savvy.

I suppose on one hand I was a little naive in thinking that all it takes is a single lucky moment to strike that gold as opposed to hours of planning, persistence and effort. Or maybe it is simply a combination of both publishing savvy and a bit of dumb luck, as was the case with Raincoast Books when they landed that oh-so-lucrative deal distributing Harry Potter books in North America.

Anyone have any thoughts/examples of small press Cinderella stories?