AD AGE REPORTS DROP OF 4.3%

IN REVENUE FOR TOP 100 MEDIA COMPANIES 

In a terribly disturbing report, Ad Age finds that revenue generated by the top 100 American media companies fell 4.3% in the first half of 2009, indicating the annual figure will become the first decline since the publication began ranking media back in 1981. 

These figures actually become even worse when you realize that 2008 volume posted a dismal 0.8% increase, and last year’s six month figures are coming in far worse than that. The economic collapse has been pretty drastic for our industry. 

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THE ONE SEGMENT OF THE BOOK INDUSTRY

EXPECTED TO SHOW BIG GAINS IS  REMAINDERING 

With the Spring Book Show set to open in March in Atlanta, analysts are anticipating confirmation of fears that the combined price wars and general economic malaise will leave remainders the leading growth sector of the book industry. The show is generally considered the nation’s premier remainder show. 

That’s a frightening possibility, but just as consumer reveled in discounts in almost every category of  merchandise this holiday season, so the fierce book war between Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Amazon and other discounters introduced buyers to ridiculous price cutting that left lots of good books collecting dust on the shelves of legitimate bookstores.

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Charlie’s Choice

Weekly Tips to Help You Write,

Publish & Promote Your Work 
 

MARKETPLACE RESEARCH: SELECTING THE

BEST HOME FOR YOUR ARTICLE OR BOOK 

      The time to begin the second phase of your research—we covered fact research last week—is even before the article or book is completed. Different magazines often approach a specific subject from different perspectives, and therefore you should be aware of where you intend to place your piece as you write it.

      With nonfiction books, it is the content that drives your choice. You write, and your search for a literary agent and/or publisher is guided by the subject and the way you choose to handle it. Fiction writers generally search for agents and publishers that historically have worked within their genre, just as nonfiction authors look for agents who have successfully published other books in the subject they write about.  For any writer, much of the success your work enjoys depends on the choices you make

      Making them may sound like a daunting challenge to some of you. In fact, it is not that difficult at all if you follow a logical path when you undertake your market research. Many tools exist to guide you through the morass of periodicals, agents and book publishers.

Analyze Your Potential Markets

      First you must create a list of all the potential markets for your work, keeping in mind that every magazine has its own readership. Similarly, every agent has preferences of subject and genre, as does each publisher. A professional author studies the markets carefully before ever sending a query or a manuscript. 

      Don’t hesitate to include any potential that you think makes sense. Of course, you stand a better chance of acceptance with a lesser-known publication, but if you feel your manuscript and the way you handle the subject is an ideal match for one of the more prestigious periodicals or publishers, take the risk.

      Obviously, experience and name recognition are major factors in any editor or agent’s decision. But if a presentation that crosses his/her desk seems outstanding or unique, there is a strong chance it might be accepted or at the very least be given a careful evaluation. If not, you have little to loose other than a jolt to your ego.

Publication Directories

      Publication directories come in both print and digital format. Some of these are far too costly for an individual writer to own, but are available in most libraries. The Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media (GDPBM): covers over 58,500 newspapers, magazines, journals, and periodicals, radio, television, and cable stations and systems in the U.S. and Canada. In its digital form, the file includes 86,000 listings. Burrelles Luce too lists thousands of media outlets, as does Cision Media Sources, formerly Bacon’s.

      At the end of this column, I will give you a list of directories covering the most popular media categories.  But there are several I think will be particularly useful to you that I will describe here in some detail.

WRITER’S MARKET – This very special directory is available in print or digital form. It is chock full of invaluable information for a writer, and many cherish it as their marketing bible. It contains sections on periodicals, literary agents and book publishers. Right now, we’ll take a special look at the periodicals sections. Agents and publishers will be discussed along with other directories that specialize in those categories.

      The section is divided into 384 pages of consumer magazine listings covering 50 broad topics, with many subtopics within them. Similarly, the section on trade journals spreads over 138 pages of listings on 56 topics, each with its own subtopics. Very few subjects exist that are not covered by this directory.

            The listings generally include the following valuable information: 

                         The contact person’s name and address

                         Preferred method of submitting

                         General requirements

                         Preferred length or parameters within which you can write

                         Circulation of the magazine

                         Percentage of freelance vs. staff-written articles

                         Tips to help you place 

Reading Like a Writer

      Simply perusing the listings of a directory is not enough to make an enlightened decision. You must read the magazine itself to know whether or not it represents a real potential for you. But reading like a writer is very different from the way you have read in the past. It is not done purely for your enjoyment; its purpose is to understand better the essence of the magazine

to see how comfortably your idea will fit in.

      Start with the Editor’s or Publisher’s Column, one of which will appear near the front of the publication. That often will gjve you some insight into their thinking. Turn next to the front cover and study the tags lines. They relate to the stories the editors feel will most intrigue their readers. Review the briefs that often appear near the front. They can be an excellent place to break into most magazines.

      You may be surprised when I suggest this, but read the advertising pages carefully will give you a wealth of information. Madison Avenue professionals do extensive research before they spend their dollars in a periodical. Their ads can tell you a great deal about the magazine’s audience from their choice of product, cost level and degree of style. Capitalize on the monies these agencies spend to investigate a magazine.

      I also urge you to visit the web site of the periodicals you are targeting. While these are designed primarily for consumers, they often have sections giving authors the information they need to submit.

Finding an Agent or a Publisher

      Specific directories are published to help you locate the best fit in an agent or a publisher. Writers Digest books updates its directory of agents each year to include literary and script agents, publicists and conferences.

      Well known literary agent Jeff Herman publishes Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents. It lists 200 of the best known agents who offer insider tips for authors. In addition to volumes devoted specifically to these categories, Writer’s Market includes a much shorter, but very detailed, list of literary agents and publishers, both major and indie.

      All of these directories will give you insight into the preferences of agents and publishers in addition to the basic submission information on how to submit, to whom to submit and the format in which the agent or publisher wants to see your handiwork. They will be of enormous help, but be sure to supplement them by studying the appropriate web sites in detail.

      Next week, we’ll shift gears and look at a subject that a number of people enquired about: how best to schedule their time to complete their writing without destroying their outside jobs or their personal lives. That is always a thorny problem for a writer. If any of you have suggestions to include, send me an e-mail this week at carosbooks@gmail.com and we’ll try to include them and credit you as well. See you then.

      Keep Writing! 

      DIRECTORIES OF PERIODICALS, AGENTS & PUBLISHERS

PERIODICALS

Writer’s Market from Writer’s Digest Books (print & digital)

The Wooden Horse  (digital)

Burrelles Luce  (print & digital

Cision Media Source (formerly Bacon’s)  (digital)

Gale Directory of Publications (print & digital)

Editor&Publisher International Yearbook  (newspapers) 

PUBLISHERS

Yahoo Directory

Association of American Publishers (AAP)

Publishers Global

Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents

nycip.org  (indies)

ibpa-online.org  (indies) 

LITERARY AGENTS

Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents

2010 Guide to Literary Agents, Writer’s Digest Books

Writers.net 

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STUDY FINDS THAT E-MAIL STILL OUTRANKS

ALL OTHER DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES 

StrongMail’s analysis of marketing trends for the forthcoming year indicates increased promotional budgets and heavy use of e-mail.  Of the executives surveyed, 69% chose e-mail as their primary strategy, with social media coming in second at 59%. Digital search was in third place at 42%. All other categories fared rather poorly. 

One approach that has generated new interest is the combination of e-mail and social media. More than 40% of survey respondents selected the combination as a key element of their 2010 marketing plans. Of that group, 18% stated they hoped to combine the two, but were unsure of how best to do it. At least 27% have already implemented the combined effort. 

This is a model that alert authors may want to follow. Many are active subscribers to social media; certainly a majority use e-mail in various ways. By integrating the two with essentially the same message, a much more powerful impact can be made…and that means sales of lots more books. Not a bad plan! 

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EDITOR & PUBLISHER, THE BIBLE OF

THE NEWSPAPER WORLD, IS ALIVE AGAIN 

After a short hiatus caused by Nielsen’s decision to close the “Bible of the Newspaper Industry,” a new purchaser has taken over the property. California-based Duncan McIntosh Co’s purchase ended the two-week shut down.  

There will be some staffing changes. Although Charles McKeown will stay on as Publisher, a new Editor, Mark Fitzgerald, will take over. He has served as the magazine’s Editor-at-large. 

The new owner is best known for its several boating publications. It is also the sponsor of several boat shows. 

It is reassuring for this old newspaper hand to know that E&P will continue its 126-year history of reporting on all phases of news generated by the world of newspapers. 

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A NEW SURVEY REPORTS THAT COMPUTERS STILL

ARE THE FIRST CHOICE FOR READING E-BOOKS  

Despite all the hoopla over Kindle and its ever-growing number of competitors, the number one choice for reading e-books remains the computer, a new study released by the Book Industry Study Group (BSIG) reports. 

Almost one fifth of the respondents to the survey stated that they have abandoned print books in favor of e-books. On the negative side, the major source of complaints is the fact that the programming of the various readers is not interchangeable. 

Although these early breakthroughs in digital readers has hyped up the e-book industry and attracted substantial growth in readership, I suspect there is still a long way to go before e-books become the dominant format that so many self-styled analysts predict.  

As the industry stabilizes, I think you will find interest slowing. That doesn’t mean that digital books and periodicals won’t represent a respectable chunk of the overall publishing industry. It means simply that the current rush to buy and use a digital reader will slow as the novelty wears down and so will the pace of growth. I know that’s counter to what most of the analysts say, but I think it makes a great deal of sense.

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Our plans to launch the new format for the blog today “gang(ed) aft a-gle to plagiarize Bobbie Burns. Our designer apparently overdid the holiday season, and has celebrated the New Year by spending most of 2010 ill in bed. We have reset the target for the first Wednesday in February (the 3^rd). At that time, you will find a new layout with a new masthead as the blog joins a forthcoming book on marketing and promotion and a brand new web site, both scheduled for launch at the end of February. All three are all part of the new Wise Writer program that I think you will find most beneficial. Thanks for your patience.

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A LOOK AT 2010 AND WHAT THE EXPERTS

THINK WILL AFFECT YOUR BOOK BUSINESS 

The gurus at eMarketer have posted some of their predictions for this forthcoming year. Here are several that will impact both authors and publishers. 

The Internet 

The numbers of people using the Internet will begin to stabilize now that usage by Americans has reached 66%. That represents 205.3 million users. With this modest growth, usage is predicted to increase to 70% by 2013. Of course, we all know that promotion on the Internet is something every author must do.205 potential readers is an exciting target. 

Social Media

Advertisers and retailers have made lots of noise about the need to develop strong tools to measure the effectiveness of social media. One of the key questions the eMarketer experts believe will get much attention is the degree to which a large fan base translates into sales or brand loyalty, an important consideration for an author promoting a book.. 

Twitter

This social medium has experienced phenomenal growth over the last two years, reaching 18 million. Now it will turn its attention to business growth as opposed to audience development. There’s been a good deal of chatter about a possible sale, but the gurus doubt it will happen. Instead they see a possible IPO. Probably neither will occur since co-founder Biz Stone has initiated rumors about a novel form of advertising that he expects to adopt this year. That’s something we writer should watch for. 

Media Merging 

The talk at the recent Consumer Electronics Show centered around the new television models that will offer direct Internet connectivity or on-screen access to entertainment sources like Netflix, Blockbuster and You Tube. That will mean a strong movement of the home audience from DVDs to digital streams and downloads. What kind of possibilities does this open up for books, taking the technology beyond even Kindle and its competitors. 

Online  Content 

Where and how will the battle over paid digital content end?  From an initial attempt at monetizing it, the pendulum swung to free ad-supported content. Now media execs are beginning to pay more attention to ways of charging readers without turning them away. eMarketer’s analysts predict continued resistance to paid content by consumers. That may mean that competing outlets that rely on ad revenue and offer free content will snag most of the action. But, they claim, majors like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times will tough it out offering paid content. 

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HEARST’S NEW READER THE SKIFF OFFERS

AN INTERESTING BOOST FOR PERIODICALS 

The Hearst group refused to accept the sorry state of magazine publishing. Seeing the handwriting on the wall for print publications, it revealed its new concept for a digital reader at the recent electronics show. This one is somewhat different from most of the field. It’s larger (9 X 11 inches), but very light and portable at less than a pound of weight. Most important it comes very close to simulating a real magazine or newspaper page. 

One of the people at the show who sampled the innovation, former PC World editor and blogger Harry McCracken, is quoted in The Wooden Horse, saying, “The demo I got, involved digital versions of The Wall Street Journal and Esquire that maintained a newspaper and magazine-like feel, respectively, along with typography, art and layouts you associate with these two publications.”  

It makes one more sanguine about the future of periodical publishing when you see the changing preferences of readers supported by technology designed to meet those preferences by bridging the gap between on and offline publications. Great idea! 

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JOIN THE CELEBRATION OF INDIE AND

SMALL PRESSES COMING UP IN MARCH 

Get out your appointment book and enter  the 22^nd Annual Independent and Small Press Book Fair scheduled for the first weekend in March (March 6 and 7). Get more info at www.nycip.org/events. Designed to popularize the growing community of Indies, so important to our industry, the fair will be held at the General Society Building 20 W. 44^th Street in Manhattan.

It is sponsored by the New York Center for Independent Publishing, one of publishing’s outstanding organizations.  

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