Are you an LDS author?
Part of the mission of Mapletree Publishing Company
is cultivating
national markets for LDS authors. Located in
Denver, outside of traditional
LDS enclaves, employing publishing professionals from the general trade
and trained in the publishing business on a national level, Mapletree is
publishing to national standards. We are joining national publishing
organizations, circulating in national circles, employing people
experienced in the national publishing market, hiring national
distributors, and cultivating marketing contacts on a national, and, in
some cases, on an international level.
There are a number of differences between publishing in
the LDS market and publishing in the national, general market. We will
attempt to explain some of those differences here. In reading this, keep
in mind that since its founding, Mapletree has focused on national
markets. So what we know about the LDS market is admittedly limited—we
haven’t grown up in that market and are generally looking at it from the
outside. So we apologize in advance if we don’t fully understand it. But
we do understand the national markets, and from what we can observe, there
seem to be some distinct differences between how successful LDS publishers
operate and how successful national publishers operate.
What do I need to do differently to
succeed on a national level?
Quite a bit. Here are the major
differences between publishing in the LDS market and the national market,
as we see them:
The national market is incredibly
competitive by comparison. As far as we can tell, most books that are
published by LDS publishers seem to find their way into bookstores. On the other
hand, there are about five hundred new titles published every day
in the national market, only a small fraction of which find their way into
most bookstores. So your writing needs to be superb. The quality of the
editing must also be first rate.
This extreme competition on the
national book scene spawns several other areas of difference.
In order to gain attention in the
national marketplace, reviews are important. Booksellers cannot read the
five hundred new titles published every day, or even one of them. So they
rely on reviews. As far as this relates to you, this means you need to
write so as to garner the attention of critics. At Mapletree, we maintain
a reviewer database and routinely send out books to reviewers all over the
country. A favorable review in a prestigious publication such as
Booklist or Publishers Weekly can help generate thousands of
sales.
For nonfiction books, author
credentials are more important in the national market. While credentials
help move a book in the LDS market (for example, a General Authority often
has a ready-made audience), it is possible to sell a number of types of
books without any special qualifications. A mother can write a book about
parenting and it can do reasonably well. However, that same book in the
national marketplace will be competing against books by PhDs and
professional counselors and may be completely overshadowed by the
competition.
Publicity becomes very important.
There isn’t a lot of publicity that is done in the LDS market—it generally
isn’t necessary. But to get attention in the national market—to make your
title stand out from the crowd—you have to get on radio and TV, in the
newspaper, in the bookstore, whatever. You go from town to town doing
signings, speeches, interviews. You meet the store clerks and the buying
public. Those who have gone this route say that writing the book was the
easy part, and once the writing is done, the real work, promoting it,
begins. As a publisher, publicity is a good chunk of our activity. We’re
constantly working on setting up author interviews, radio shows, book
signings, and other appearances. But even with all of that, there is so
much publicity required to make a title successful that we need to rely on
the author to do much of it.
Book signings in the LDS market are a
source of frustration for authors and bookstores. We have heard complaints
that they just don’t seem to work well—they’re hard to publicize and they
don’t seem to make much difference in the sale of the book. However, they
continue to work well in the general market. It is easier for a general
bookstore to publicize a signing to its clientele, and they’re very
important in launching a book. Mapletree requires book signings and other
appearances for its authors—we consider them indispensable to the success
of the book.
An author tour is helpful in promoting
the book. However, the realities of the economics of touring make it
difficult for the publisher to justify investing much money in a tour.
Often publishers will rely on natural connections you have. If you have
family in various cities that you would be visiting anyway, or if you
travel on business, the publisher will help you tie in book promotion to
those travels.
Endorsements are also important. While
we see few cover endorsements printed on LDS books, they are fairly common
for books in the national marketplace. Well-known, bestselling authors
don’t need cover endorsements. But newcomers and others are helped greatly
by them. Mapletree won’t release a book without some kind of third party
cover endorsement. Obtaining these endorsements is generally the
responsibility of the author.
The publisher also needs to spend more
time and money on editorial work. Reviewers for the national marketplace
can be quite critical of editorial laxness. At Mapletree, we go through
your manuscript three or four times or more with at least two, sometimes
three different editors, making suggestions not only in style and grammar,
but in substance and organization, in order to provide the best possible
impression to the critics and the readers.
Finally, there are higher demands for
cover design. When a book is released into the national market, the cover
design needs to be outstanding in order for the book to stand out from the
pack.
Do I need an agent?
Most simply answered, no you don’t. If
you are aiming for the large New York publishers, they will not accept
unsolicited manuscripts and require you to be represented by an agent.
Agents will filter submissions for the publisher, and these publishers
consider that if your work can get the attention of an agent they know and
respect, then it is worth their consideration. But there are thousands of
smaller independent publishers who are a growing force on the publishing
scene who will accept unsolicited manuscripts either with or without an
agent—it makes little difference to them.
Is there anything else I need to
adjust to in publishing nationally?
The only other thing we would add is
that you may need an extra degree of patience in order to publish on a
national level. While a book can be released into the LDS market in a
matter of months, it will take a year to a year and a half minimum in the
national market, maybe longer. Even after all the lengthy editorial work
and market preparation, with a book fully completed and printed, there is
a delay of several months before it is officially released. This is in
order to allow time for key reviewers, for national sales staff, for the
printing of distributors’ catalogs, and so forth. The wait can be
frustrating.
Links:
One of the great LDS games, Mortality
