Every day publishers all over the world pursue success for their authors, but for most publishers, that success is limited to the bookstore world. If a book takes off at Barnes & Noble or Borders, the publisher (and author) will be excited - and that is certainly cause for joy.
But what happens when the retail sales fade, or when bookstore and distributor returns wipe out a significant portion of those sales? Well, that excitement certainly diminishes, and pretty quickly at that.
What then?
Most publishers move on to their next big project and look to a new book to grasp onto for success. And they run that book to the retail market, hope the public catches on at the stores, and repeat the process again and again. And while this routine is certainly understandable, what becomes of the author that made that initial splash and then quickly got left behind?
For most publishers, not much, unless the author can replicate success on a second or third book. But I would argue that the first book has more life in it than the publishers will ever know, mostly because they are locked solely inside the walls of the bookstore.
But for Tate authors, that isn't the case. We have great relationships with bookstore buyers and managers and know that bookstores play a vital role in the visibility of a new book. In fact, every month we schedule between 300 and 400 retail store book signing events for our authors (available for view on our events calendar).
In addition to the store side, Tate Publishing authors have the opportunity to go beyond the bookstore as our authors partner with their Tate Marketing Representative to discover the long life of their book in their niche market. Since more than half the books sold in the U.S. now are sold outside the bookstore, it only makes sense that we assist our authors in finding those opportunities as well. After all, the unique audience for a particular book may not ever darken the door of a traditional bookstore.
More books than ever are sold now at churches, coffee shops, schools, gyms, hospitals, day care centers, Civil War re-enactments, arts festivals, Lion's Club meetings, etc. The upside for the author is huge here...that author can reach more people in their target audience, sell more books, and make more money than they may ever make through bookstore sales.
Tate authors have an advantage for more long-term success because of this multi-level approach, and this year I've heard from countless authors that are having their greatest success 2 or 3 years after their release date. That's simply because we don't give up, we don't run a project out to the bookstores and then quickly jump to "the next big thing," and we don't just fly our flag in the bookstores alone.
We know that every author deserves the chance at long-term success, and our process allows Tate authors to experience a higher level of success for a longer period of time. And when you aim for more than one target, you are more likely to hit the bulls-eye.
