Marketing Matters. Part 1 of 10

1. Make a Plan.

Parson’s Porch Books is probably more aggressive than most at marketing its authors’ books. But as almost any author will tell you, today, when the book business is in worldwide disarray, the most effective marketing is usually done by the authors themselves. Therefore, it is imperative, even before your book comes out, to sit down and draft a plan for how you yourself can most effectively present it to the public.

Write down every idea you have, however farfetched or preposterous it may at first appear. Don’t worry about the order of your thoughts; you can always arrange them later. The most important thing is to give them free flow, so that you allow your imagination to do its best to tell you the things you can do to bring your book to everyone’s attention.

Process, Cost, Risk and Reward

There are four components to consider when publishing a book with Parson Porch Books: process, cost, risk, and reward.

Process. The process to publish a book with us is simple: The author sends us a completed manuscript, and we do the rest. The author writes, and we publish. Once a manuscript is received, we unformat it and build it back to meet the specifications of the printer. When we finish the galleys, both the interior and the exterior, we send it back to the author for their approval. Once the author approves our work, we release the book to the printer. The author also can make changes or corrections to the book. Once approved, the book is released to sell on our website and other online bookstores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others.

Cost. Simply put, there is no cost or any other fees the author has to pay for use of our services to publish a book. If the author needs typing, editing, or marketing services, we do provide them for a fee. 

Once the book is published, the author can purchase copies of their own book with a 40% discount from the retail price of their book.

Risk. We reduce the risk for the author to a bare minimum. We require the author to sign a contract stating that they are responsible for their content. If in the unlikely event the author plagiarizes their book, it is their liability, not the publishers. 

We, as the publisher, bear the responsibility for everything after we receive the manuscript such as formatting, proofing, and managing the book after publication.

Reward. Publishing a book is one of the most gratifying experiences a writer can experience. Also, selling one's own book is a source of income for both the writer and the publisher. We share the income generated from each book sold to support the Porchless (homeless) people in our community.

If you are an author who is contemplating publishing a book, send it to us, and we will do the rest. If during the process, you decide that publishing with us is not for you, just let us know, and we will stop. When your book is already published with us, and you decide you want it unpublished, we ask for a sixty (60) day notice.

Send your manuscript to dtullock@parsonsporch.com, and we will turn your words into a book!