I work for a publisher. Ask me anything.

[isthatapugunicorn]

I’m a senior sales bod at a global publisher... involved in everything from proposal thru to promo.

[HollowTalk]

What do you think writers can do to help improve sales?

[itwillworkout]

Thanks for all this insight, it's fascinating! I'm really glad that the push for diverse books isn't a trend and is here to stay rather than something that will happen for a while and then the trend reverts to the "white middle".

[isthatapugunicorn]

Publishing house versus agent. Depends! Non-fiction not so much. Agents just get in the way and don’t add much in my experience. And you still have to pay them.
Fiction - a good agent is worth having,they’ll negotiate the eBook, Digital rights, translations etc. What if your book is destined for a mini series? A good agent will help with all this.
You have to be good to have a good agent so in an ideal world you’ll need one! Personally if I were doing it I would want an agent and want to go down the named publisher route rather than self publish. But if I thought I wasn’t good enough for the big boys and was going with a small indie I wouldn’t get an agent.

[isthatapugunicorn]

‘Bad track’ - unfortunately if a previous book has bombed then it will be difficult to get a promo for unless the publisher forks out a load of money to get it in, it’s won an award, Richard or Bloody Judy has endorsed it, it’s been made into a film!

[isthatapugunicorn]

BloomedAgain - do you mean for the publisher or the author? Sort of ... there’s book industry numbers that we have access to...

[Nicolamarlow1]

I am currently writing a book based on my life in France, and my experiences as an English child in France in the seventies. Do you think self publishing would be better, or might an agent be interested? Thanks for any advice.

[secretscribbler]

‘Bad track’ - unfortunately if a previous book has bombed then it will be difficult to get a promo for unless the publisher forks out a load of money to get it in, it’s won an award, Richard or Bloody Judy has endorsed it, it’s been made into a film!

Or could the author change name/genre? I know of one author who switched genres and name and did really well in the new genre. Does this sort of thing happen much?

[isthatapugunicorn]

Genre - YES I would strongly encourage all writers to be able to say where their book fits. It’s annoying but there it is - saying oh EVERYONE will read it doesn’t help! If you put a body in a book it’s crime - whether or not it’s a police procedural Or not.
The bookshops need to know where to put it, marketing need to know who to market it to and if it breaks out of that genre all the better but it has to start somewhere.

[isthatapugunicorn]

Hollow Talk - YES the retailer keeps that money regardless. At Xmas that money can be 100,000s...

[BloomedAgain]

Re numbers/revenue either really. I'd wondered about books I've enjoyed but wasn't certain if those figures were public knowledge.

[molemummy]

Fab topic OP!

I would like to write a children's book. (Younger readers age 3-6 ish) any advice on how to go about getting this published? Would you need to have an illustrator who has drawn the pictures already or would the publisher choose their own illustrator?

[isthatapugunicorn]

How can an author help sales? BUILD your platform! That platform is part of the consideration all the way back a proposal
Stage. Who is this author? Why would anyone be interested. It’s tricky
-
Writers INHO aren’t natural self promoters! Talk about your book, Tweet about it. Follow other authors, go to events, get involved with - conferences, festivals, do a local book signing. Get a website with your own name.
Be connected.

[secretauthorhaton]

That’s interesting re: bad track. What constitutes bad track though? I’ve read about it but I’m not sure if it means “hasn’t sold shitloads despite no promo or publicity” or...? (Was it JoJo Moyes who was on the verge of giving up when she had her big break, several books in?)

[isthatapugunicorn]

NicolaMarlow1 - is it good? Well written? Or funny? Or insightful? Then yes - an agent will
Look at anything that stands out - but find the right agent. Most websites show their speciality, don’t send memoir to someone who only represents literary fiction.

Self publishing - well, you get published so that’s a start but how good are you at self promotion? Sales? Marketing? What’s your platform? How will you sell the book and who to? Yes you keep a higher % of the sales but those sales are much harder to come by...

[isthatapugunicorn]

SecretScribbler - not in my experience but if a book is good enough, really good enough to be a bestseller then that will do it. But honestly - having you’re book in a supermarket really isn’t the be all and end all!

[isthatapugunicorn]

Honestly? There really isn’t a ‘bad track’, some books do worse than expected others fly when no one saw it coming. Few authors get the chance to make a ‘track’ of crap book sales... plus, you can always change publishers!

[isthatapugunicorn]

Molemummy - children’s books are the most competitive/ cut throat area of publishing! As always presenting a complete package to an agent or publisher is the ideal BUT if your story is unique and different and attention grabbing an agent will be interested AND will know a whole host of potential illustrators...

[secretscribbler]

I appreciate you might not want to answer this as potentially outing, but what has been your proudest career moment to date and what is your career dream?

[isthatapugunicorn]

Proudest? Mmm yeah I can’t actually say but it involved a very happy author, an amazing event in a non- book London venue. I have helped create many, many successful authors and am incredibly proud and happy with that.
Dream job ... author, obvs!

[isthatapugunicorn]

I’m proud of the fact that my backing a book or are project can get it green lit where I work and then when I talk to the retailers about it they’ll take it on my reputation alone pretty much, and trust my judgment.

[secretauthorhaton]

Thank you! This is so interesting to see it from the other side. So the best thing an author can do to help (besides write a good book) is raise their profile/build their platform? Anything else you’d want in a dream author?

[secretscribbler]

I’m proud of the fact that my backing a book or are project can get it green lit where I work and then when I talk to the retailers about it they’ll take it on my reputation alone pretty much, and trust my judgment.

That's a pretty amazing achievement!

[HanarCantWearSweaters]

Thank you OP!

[isthatapugunicorn]

Ooh the dream author!! Here’s the thing, many authors aren’t nice to work with. It’s an ego thing and, I get it, it is stressful,
They aren’t always the most socialised of people!
BUT as an author you rely not just on me - big important sales bod- you rely on the goodwill and work of my team, and my PA, and not just your Editor but the juniors too. And the Publicity people. And customer services. And distribution. So please don’t shout at them, don’t demand things of them, don’t swear at them.
Treat everyone, no matter how lowly, with respect - not just me- and you’ll be amazed at the results you get. Because we will take a bullet for a great, kind, wonderful author and a great book, we will choose it over all the others we work with. We will treat your book like it’s our baby.
So my dream author is brilliant, and funny, and human, and kind.

[molemummy]

@isthatapugunicorn that's so interesting! I never would have thought that children's writing was so competitive.

What have been the best/most successful children's story ideas that you have worked with?