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Copyright ©
2001-11
WritersServices.com
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I'll Take a Community With That Book, Please!
 By
Fauzia Burke
With today's search empowered readers, do we need to market and publish
books differently? Does general publishing makes sense in an age of Google
searches, micro communities and niche marketing?
Today's readers are tech savvy and resourceful. They know how to get the
information they need and have higher expectations from publishers and authors.
They don't just expect a book, they expect a community with their book.
I often hear publishers say that there are "very few brands in book publishing."
But to thrive in today's competitive, niche markets, perhaps brands are exactly
what we need. What readers choose to read is personal and an extension of who
they are. Shouldn't their book choices be supported by a publisher, a brand
that is invested in their interests?
Many small publishing companies have done an enviable job of branding
themselves and building reader communities around their books. Take
O'Reilly, TOR and Hay House. You may not read their books, but you know what
they publish. Their communities trust them. People who share their point-of-view
flock to their lists. These companies publish for a niche community, and are
trusted members of their community. They provide extra resources, and often
their authors are members of the community itself. TOR has even launched a
bookstore to meet their readers' needs. These publishers show passion for
their books and an understanding of their readers, and as such their readers
reward them with loyalty.
Publishing books for the community
Besides reader loyalty, publishing for micro communities may have other
long-term benefits as well. For example, the focus would help publishers save
money on marketing. Marketing through online communities is less expensive
and much more powerful than trying to reach the general public and hoping to
find the right match. The publisher's website wouldn't have to cater to a
wide variety of people, it would be designed to serve the needs of a small
group. Instead of expensive advertising, they could announce the book to the
community that has already bought into their brand.
Publishers and authors could enlist the support of the community to spread
the word (which will always be the most efficient method for marketing books.)
The logo on the book’s spine would mean the readers have a promise that the book
is worth reading. The readers would know that the publisher looked at over a
thousand manuscripts all on the same topic and is offering them the very best.
So are large general publishers at a disadvantage with today's search-empowered,
community oriented readers? I think so. General trade publishing is for
everyone, yet there is no "everyone" out there. Readers are part of
micro communities. They want good books, and they need publishers who will
support their interests and passions.
The bottom line is that publishers and authors need to evolve their marketing
and publishing strategies to accommodate a new kind of reader. A reader whose
expectations demand more interaction and community. A reader whose loyalty you
can have once you have earned it. A reader who wants more than a 6 week
marketing campaign so you can sell a book to them. This new reader requires an
investment of months and years.
Is that too much to expect? Perhaps. But this is your new reader, and she
will stay with you if you stay with her.
Fauzia Burke is the Founder and President of FSB Associates, a Web
publicity firm specializing in creating online awareness for books and
authors. For more information, please visit www.FSBAssociates.com.
This article featured for several days on the front page of the Huffington
Post
©2009 Fauzia Burke
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