Why The Details Matter
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
To be successful, you have to pay attention to the details and take care of them. It’s a lesson that I see played out in the publishing world over and over. In this article I’m going to write several of these detail stories in the hopes it will encourage you to handle the details in your life and work.
Some Social Media Details
To draw your attention to this article, I selected a detailed painting around a door. The artist put a lot of work and effort into these paintings. It is the type of effort each of us have to do with our efforts. For example, I read and receive blogs from many others in the publishing community. The creator will send an article without an image that I can use when I post this article on social media. The lack of an image will limit the readability for this article. It’s been proven our eyes are drawn to read a social media post because of the image connected to the words. I’m intentional about this detail and if an article doesn’t have any images, I go to my royalty-free images and quickly add something I can use with that article. This additional detail will pay off in that more people will read my social media post with an image than if I just posted the words without the image.
Besides an image on a social media post, I also add a hashtag which pushes more people to look at the article. It’s another important detail to attract readers. A final important detail for social media is to “tag” the author when I add it to my Facebook feed. This past weekend, a publishing colleague told me that she reads her husband’s articles on Facebook because I’ve tagged his name with my posts. These small details are important and will get you additional readers for your efforts.
An Incorrect Barcode Can Affect Your Sales
When an author or publisher will send me a new book, I will look at the details of this book. If it is a self-published book, frequently the barcode is incorrect. If your book has a 90000 on that code, it means that the person who created it did not include the price in the barcode. If you are selling your books in a bookstore, they scan that code and it does not work properly because this detail was not correctly handled.
Recently I reviewed a how-to-write book from a traditional publisher. I was surprised to see this well-known publisher had a barcode without the retail price and included the 90000. Bookstores will have to sticker the price on the book or punch in the price each time the book is sold (nuisance). It is a detail that will not be discovered for months down the road (if ever) yet it will affect the sales of this book.
Incorrect Spelling and Links which Don’t Work
In these entries, I’ve been including recent podcast appearances. When I get the notice the podcast has launched I will quickly review it. Occasionally my last name has been spelled wrong and an important website link is not included or is not active so it can be clicked (opened). I will politely email the podcast host and ask for these corrections to be made to their website and gratefully in each case they have fixed these details. In each case, they matter.
Incorrect Length for a Children’s Book
As an editor at Morgan James Publishing, I handle some children’s picture book submissions. Some of these authors pitch the incorrect length for a picture book. The standard lengths are 24 pages, 32 pages or 48 pages. If you publish the wrong length, booksellers and librarians will notice and this incorrect detail could limit your sales and distribution.
Always Carry Business Cards
Last weekend, I was on the faculty of the Carolina Christian Writers Conference and meeting many new authors. A number of them did not bring business cards or one sheets or anything with their contact information. As an editor, I’ve learned the hard way about the importance of gathering this information on the spot so I can follow-up with an author. Again, the details matter.
My Encouragement
These examples about the details are only a few of the important topics within book publishing. Others that I’m not touching in this article include endorsements, book reviews, a foreword and many other aspects. Wherever you are in the publishing journey--and even if you self-publish--take 100% responsibility for your own success. For this reason, I’m constantly pitching in different areas and working on getting my books in front of new readers. As writers we are on a journey and not a one-time event. What detail have I missed? Please let me know in the comments below.
New Podcasts:
In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week several of my podcast recordings were launched.
Rich Bennett (@Convers94013273) and I spoke about How to Get a Book Deal on the Conversations with Rich Bennett Podcast. Listen to our conversation at: https://bit.ly/3DtIiln
Scherrie L. Prince (@ScherriePrince) and I spoke about Publishing Myths Debunked on the Play Big Faster Podcast. Listen to our conversation at: https://bit.ly/3Fomfxa
Curtis Jackson (@djcurveball1) and I spoke about my journey from an English Teacher to a Global author on the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast. Listen to our conversation at: https://bit.ly/41R6XbA
Tweetable:
Let’s Meet at an Event
One of the most life-changing actions for anyone in publishing is to attend an event. It takes effort and will cost but you put yourself in an environment which can open new doors for your writing life. I will be speaking at three events over the next three months. Follow this link to check it out and make plans.
Even if you self-publish your book, you need to be cautious about your decisions and who you choose to work with for your book production. I’ve met authors who have spent thousands of dollars in the self-publishing process and unknowingly worked with someone in the Philippines and produced a terrible looking book which is only sold online. I’ve heard the unrealistic expectations of writers. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.
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Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA
Labels: barcode, business cards, children's books, conferences, images, social media, Terry Whalin, The Writing Life, Why The Details Matter
