Publicity Hound Paul Furiga tipped me off to a Wall Street Journal article about C. Ben Bosah, an environmental engineer from Ohio who was convinced that a non-fiction book about women’s health, written by his wife, a gynecologist, would be a best-seller.
The couple self-published the book. But because they weren’t familiar with the publishing industry, here’s what they did wrong:
—They chose a title for the book that limited potential readership. Many readers associated “Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist” solely with black women.
—They failed to line up a distributor before publication.
—They neglected to send galleys of the book several months before publication to the key magazines that do early reviews.
—The couple refused to go with a print-on-demand company and instead ordered 15,398 books. Today, 4½ pallets of books clutter the three-car garage at the Bosahs’ home.
—The book was unavailable at local bookstores when the Columbus Dispatch reviewed it on Oct. 19 last year. People wanting to read the book had to borrow it from local libraries.
You can read the rest of the story here at but do it today. The Wall Street Journal might remove the article from its website.
After I wrote about this in last week’s newsletter under the headline “Another Publishing Disaster,” Ben emailed me and took exception to the headline I used. His response is below in the comments section.
If you’re thinking of writing a book, don’t fall into the traps above. Join me for a complimentary 90-minute teleseminar at 9 p. m. Eastern Time on Monday, December 3.
My special guest is Adam Wittey, who will explain “How To Write and Publish a Book, Quicker and Easier Than You Ever Imagined.” More than 500 Publicity Hounds listened in several weeks ago when Adam and Tom Antion delivered a content-rich teleseminar on how to sell books online. I was inundated with emails from happy Hounds who loved their tips. And this call will be equally valuable.
In the meantime, authors who want to park in their garages can learn “How to Revive a Dying Book Marketing Campaign.” Book publicist Lissa Warren has a bag of tricks designed to boost sales for even the most lethargic titles. They include:
—Writing letters to the editor commenting on articles that tie into the topic of your book.
—Taking another look at your marketing materials and pitches. While they might have gotten a passing grade when you created them, you might have better ideas this time around.
—Tie your pitches to hot topics in the news.
Far too many authors give up far too soon.
About Joan
The Publicity Hound
I chanced upon your ezine by accident and I read with utter disbelief the characterization of my adventure in publishing as a disaster. Publishing Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist has been one of my most rewarding ventures in my life and I enjoyed it so thoroughly I am going to do other books next year. I am not a sadomasochist. There were definitely more than a few missteps, but those mistakes did not rise to a disastrous level, and I do not think that the article by Mr. Jeffrey Trachtenberg, or my experience resembled the story headline in your ezine. Since English is not my first language, although one I pride myself in speaking and writing better than most people, I took the humble road to my dictionary to ascertain that my understanding of the word disaster was correct. The two definitions obtained from the in-built dictionary (Encarta World English Dictionary) in Microsoft Word are below:
dis·as·ter n
1. An event that causes serious loss, destruction, hardship, unhappiness, or death
2. Somebody or something that fails completely, especially in a way that is distressing, embarrassing, or laughable (informal)
Even in its mildest form, my experience cannot be described as a disaster – a failure that is laughable. I have sold a bunch of books, and continue selling. I have discovered new outlets not traditionally targeted by booksellers, either at the retail or the wholesale level. I have forged new relationships and built a network that will be invaluable for my future efforts in publishing. The book have changed many lives. If your view of success, or lack of, is based on monetary terms, I have completely recouped my initial investment and is presently enjoying ‘the long tail, just as much as I enjoy oxtail.’ A more apt title for your story may have been A (bumbling Publisher finds Success) with debut book. Get a copy of the book and take a peek, and surprise yourself with some titbits you can pick up about women’s health. If after reading the book, you write me and tell me you were unable to garner one useful bit of information, I will issue a complete refund to you.
Joan, thanks for publishing my rejoinder. I have new found respect for you. For that reason, I am going to subscribe to your ezine.