2020 has been a year that’s brought unexpected changes into every sphere of our lives, and the world of writing, reading, and publishing is no exception. But one key difference is that the publishing world had already been shifting constantly for over a decade.The coronavirus pandemic has pushed so many industries to take massive, previously unthinkable leaps into the digital world. But for the publishing industry, many of these changes were far from new.
The Ongoing Impacts of Covid-19
The publishing industry has already been facing radical changes in recent years.
Direct access to bookstores was one of the last big advantages for traditional publishers, and those already-struggling brick and mortars have now sufered from the initial lockdowns, as well as the public’s continued efforts to stay at home when possible.
It’s good news for Amazon and other online platforms, and bad for news brick and mortar bookstores.
- Non fiction for young readers saw the most gains of all—perhaps thanks to more education happening at home.
- Books about social issues and social justice also became more popular in 2020.
- Within the junior non fiction category, education/reference/language, and games/activities/hobbies were the most popular subcategories.
Author Platforms
In a crowded book market, authors without an established platform don’t have a clear path to success. If readers don’t have a reason to seek out your book, the quality of your writing won’t matter, because few will see it.
You might be an established academic expert writing a non fiction book for the general public. Perhaps you’re a successful artist publishing an art book, or a respected chef publishing a cookbook.
Start small. If you want to publish a fiction book, start publishing short stories and sharing them on social media. Even a small following can give you your first set of readers, positive Amazon reviews, and a jumping-off point for success.
Book Cross-Promotion
Cross-promotional strategies are becoming more important as a way to reach a wider audience. Whether it’s books published alongside films and documentaries, books published to promote a business, books published to boost speaking events, or cross-promotion with books from other authors, this marketing approach is an increasingly appealing way to reach a wider audience.
Also consider connecting with other authors, or anyone publishing content that could help attract readers to your book.
AI in Publishing
Artificial intelligence technology is capable of some surprising feats these days. In publishing, AI is being used in everything from marketing to translation. Before investing in your book, it’s always wise to get initial feedback on whether it’s ready for the investment. AI can provide this feedback objectively. Readers often gravitate toward a certain writing style, and this can be harder for a human editor to quantify. AI analysis is quick, objective, and provides a great supplement for assessments by experienced editors.
Understanding the Competition
Authors are learning how important it is to pay attention to their competition—ideally early on in the writing and publishing process. How is the competition marketing books? Is social media an important element? Is there an online community for your genre that competing authors are involved in? It’s about finding a balance between taking cues on how authors are connecting with their audience.
Be on Alert for Plagiarism
More and more self-publishing authors have found their work plagiarized in recent years. There’s no question that this trend will continue into 2021. With anyone able to publish a book on platforms like Amazon, plagiarists will either copy a book word for word or tweak it just enough to make it harder to detect.
There are many steps you can take to protect your book, and in 2021, you’ll most likely want to do everything possible.
- Register your copyright.
- Use copyright notices.
- Look into Digital Rights Management for your eBook.
- Use tools like Google Alerts to get notifications of where your text is showing up online.
- You can search for short, unique phrases from your book since many plagiarists will work harder making changes to the beginning portion of a book.
Collaborative Publishing: The Best of Both Worlds
In recent years, self-publishers have been faced with a problem. The same publishing revolution that made publishing so accessible now allows literally anyone to publish a book. With that crowded marketplace, while it’s easier than ever to publish, it’s harder than ever to succeed on your own. Traditional publishers are no longer all-powerful gatekeepers controlling who can publish a book.
With access to the right networks, there’s nothing stopping them from working with the exact same professionals that major publishers have relied on for years. Those professionals bring decades of experience and deep knowledge of proven approaches to editing, design, and marketing for each genre and book category. They know their audience, they know how to stand out in a marketplace, and they know how to get results.
Conclusion
In an industry facing such rapid changes, authors gain a real advantage by staying on top of trends and shifts in the market— especially after a year like 2020. The next decade will see it take shape into a mature, established alternative to the time-tested world of traditional publishing. The most successful authors will stay informed and stay ahead of the curve.
What makes us different from other book publishers
With us, your ideas are always welcome. There’s no need to please an editor or stakeholder. We foster an environment that’s encouraging for everyone — the author, their team, and our publishing company.
-
Experienced
When you chose us, you have a team of experienced book publishing professionals at your disposal.
-
Collaborative
Collaboration is our hallmark. It's your book project, we're here to make it easier for you.
-
Strategic
With years of publishing experience, we have valuable market insights to share with you.
-
Creative
As storytellers ourselves, we know what creative energy and out-of-the-box ideas can do for a book project.
-
Invested
When you succeed, we succeed. And we’ll work with you each step of the way.
HOW WE WORK
We’ve done it before, and it works. Our Plan, Pick, and Publish service is a proven process that
empowers every author, making their dream of creating and publishing their own book a reality.
PLAN
We assist you with this crucial first step by doing a manuscript assessment. We then strategize together to come up with a plan to align with your goals and vision.
PICK
We carefully curate 2 to 3 publishing professionals for you to choose from, for each step of the process — all experts with years of experience and proven results.
PUBLISH
We will be working on your behalf in the background, navigating all the other details to make sure your project is ready to be published.
YES, IT'S PERSONAL
You will have a dedicated book publishing consultant who is here to guide you and answer all of your questions, every step of the way.
