Back To Press

The words are simple yet loaded with power: Back to Press. People who do not work in book publishing (as I do) often believe books sell by themselves. They do not. In fact, depending on the amount of books that you print for your first printing, many books never go back to press for a second printing.

Yes, the books on the bestseller list return over and over for new printings--yet it is a rare book which lands on the bestseller list. What about the books that most people write? They do not return for another printing. In fact, many of them fade quietly into out of print status. It may shock some of you but I'm a realist and understand the Rule of Seven, which is a long-term advertising adage which explains an individual has to see an ad or learn about a product a number of times before they act on it (buy it).

As a publisher, I'm speaking with many people who have dreams and aspirations and visions about their own publishing. We provide the printing information to our authors and encourage them to be conservative and realistic in their plans. Some individuals follow our advice and others do not. Then a month or two passes after their book is released. They will call or email wondering why their book isn't selling in the marketplace. They discover that we are actively fulfilling what we have promised for our marketing efforts but it takes a partnership--the author and the publisher--to sell books. It does not happen in a vacuum or without the author assuming responsibility for the sales of their own book.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox but I'm passionate about books getting into the hands of people--not just for the sales but because of the life-changing message they contain. That message only changes lives if the reader acts on the information. Over thirty-five years ago, I had my own personal transformational experience with a book. You can read about it here and notice the key involvement of a book called Jesus the Revolutionary. It is one of the major reasons that I'm still involved in book publishing.

Let's return to the topic at hand--a book going back to press. In the last couple of days my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets To Skyrocket Your Success went back to press for a new printing. It was not a simple reprinting. Throughout the book, I referred to my literary agency which has been closed for over a year. In the process of reprinting, I removed those references and changed them to my current role as a publisher at Intermedia Publishing Group. Also with the first printing, I've received some suggested changes to the book from different readers. I kept these changes and have carefully gone through my book and handled each one with the reprinted book. Finally, I needed to add a dozen more pages of content to the book because the optimal length of the book was 12 pages longer. This request gave me an opportunity to revise, expand and update a chapter on marketing in the book. Also these changes have allowed me to label the book not simply a reprint but a revision. I've noted this information on the copyright page and the book has been issued a different International Standard Book Number (ISBN). Why is this detail important?

As Dan Poynter explains, "Always include a new ISBN when you publish a revision so the book industry will treat the book as new. Your distributor will put it back in the front of the catalog as a new book. The book trade is new-product driven. Make a legitimate revision, assign a new ISBN and bar code to keep your book new."

With the revision release, I will be producing new press releases, new marketing efforts and doing other things to boost the presence of Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams in the marketplace. My new efforts are tied to the revision of this book into the marketplace.