Author Cooperatives - Part 3: The Realities by Maggie Lynch

Therese & Morgan say: In this third and final installment on author cooperatives, Maggie discusses the realities of being part of a co-op.

Maggie Lynch says: 

An Author Cooperative is Not for Everyone - Too Cold? Too Hot? Or Just Right?  

There are disadvantages to being part of a cooperative. The biggest one for independent publishers is that you are no longer fully independent. Depending on how the group is set up, there may be rules for what you can write, the book formats they encourage (some are ebook only), the distribution recommendations or requirements, and even rules about perceived quality of your books and covers. For many self-publishers, submitting to this scrutiny goes against the entire reason they are self-publishing.

Also a cooperative means that you are now part of a group of people who are counting on you to help them as much as they help you. All co-ops have a required commitment that takes you away from your writing and your personal goals. In a marketing/promotion cooperative these commitments mean using your blog, facebook, twitter, and other social media network to talk about every members books, not just your own. Depending on the size of the membership, this can be daunting. In a publishing cooperative it means committing to take on a major effort that is needed by the press. It may mean you edit other members’ books. It may mean you are the one in charge of all the twitter postings for the press, or the one to coordinate and write the newsletter each month. In other words, if you are already having difficulty with time management to get your books done, adding additional time to your day to benefit the cooperative may not be the right choice for you.

Sometimes the direction the group decides to go is not the direction you would have chosen on your own. Sometimes a new person joining the group, or someone who has been there a long time, may rub you the wrong way and make it difficult for you to communicate effectively. In these instances, you need to determine what you are willing to give up/give in for the good of the group versus what return you see on your investment of time and money that moves your career forward. Most cooperatives have a means for separation. Determining when to exercise that can be difficult, particularly if the members have become personal friends.

Author Cooperative Advantages Can Be Tremendous

The advantages of joining a coop are obvious: marketing and promotion; practical and emotional support; opportunities to participate in anthologies and boxed sets; being part of a professional press. An author cooperative can be significantly greater than the sum of its parts. Reader reach is magnified. Shared knowledge and experience generates returns that cannot be quantified, but that members can see moving their career forward.

Every founder of an author cooperative does it with the belief that when like-minded people gather together for a common cause they will rise together. If you believe that too, you may find that joining a cooperative is the right answer for you. I founded Windtree Press because I truly believe that we can achieve greater heights together than we can separately. I believe that in helping others to do well, I will do well myself. Am I sometimes frustrated by the commitment it takes? Absolutely. Do I find myself having to give up writing time to help others? Yes, that is the nature of cooperative efforts. But in the end, for me, it is truly worth it. Not only in sales, but also in friendships, in gained knowledge, and in knowing that I am not alone on this journey.

Author Bio

Maggie Lynch has never missed a chance to learn something new. With degrees in psychology, counseling, computer science, and education she has had opportunities that have taken her around the world, including Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Her current publishing credits include five non-fiction books, a number of science fiction short stories, and seven novels. She has scheduled five more novels to be published this year.

Now able to spend full time journeying into her imagination, Maggie writes romance and science fiction under the name Maggie Jaimeson, and young adult fantasy under the name Maggie Faire. Her non-fiction is written under Maggie McVay Lynch.  

Gary D. Robson Book Signing Tips

Do what you need to do before the signing. Booksellers don’t like telling customers, “Yes, the book signing was supposed to start now, but the author is having a smoke/going to the bathroom/buying a soda/calling home.” Take care of everything in advance and be at your table ready to go at the scheduled start time for the event.

Author Cooperatives - Part 2: Joining by Maggie Lynch

Therese & Morgan say:  In part one of this post, Maggie defined the different types of author cooperatives. Today, she offers options to research, questions to ask, and skills to discuss if an author co-op appeals to you for your career as a writer.

Maggie Lynch says:

How Can I Join a Cooperative?

Each cooperative has different rules about joining. Most of the marketing cooperatives are closed to new members. They are formed by people who know and trust each other, and their desire is to keep the group small. If you want to be part of a marketing cooperative, the best way is to start one yourself with people you know.

Publishing cooperatives are often open to new members. You need to visit their press sites, read the about pages, and determine if you fit the criteria. Each one has a different approach to what they are trying to do—the genres they cover, the level of previous publishing credits desired, the required member commitment. It never hurts to send an email, describe your career goals and what you have to offer. Most of them will take the time to write back with more information than you can find on the website. Here are some things to consider when creating your own cooperative or evaluating joining one.

1. Are the authors people you know and trust? People who have a reputation of helping others, not just themselves. 
2. Read the books that are part of the cooperative and be sure you like them. It’s hard to sell a book you don’t like, and readers will no longer trust your judgment if the other author’s books aren’t of a quality equal to yours. 
3. Decide if genre is important to you. Are you looking to be part of a cooperative that is a single genre (e.g., historical romance writers) or are you open to multiple genres. Would you feel comfortable reading and selling in a genre outside of what you write? 
4. Be sure every member of the group is willing to do his/her share of the work. If you don’t know the members, ask a lot of questions about how the work gets done and see if that matches the way you like to work. 
5. Does the cooperative do live events or are they focused purely on ebook marketing/promotion/publishing? How are the events coordinated? Are the group events or individual events? How does that fit your needs? 
6. Are the skillsets in the group complementary? For example, if you enjoy social media but hate public speaking, you want someone in the group who is good at public speaking. If you are a technophobe, you need someone in the group who takes on the role of getting things on the Internet. The cooperative needs a variety of people to cover the gamut of skills required to be successful.

Join us, next week (Part 3), to learn about the realities of being part of an author co-op.

Author Bio

Maggie Lynch has never missed a chance to learn something new. With degrees in psychology, counseling, computer science, and education she has had opportunities that have taken her around the world, including Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Her current publishing credits include five non-fiction books, a number of science fiction short stories, and seven novels. She has scheduled five more novels to be published this year.

Now able to spend full time journeying into her imagination, Maggie writes romance and science fiction under the name Maggie Jaimeson, and young adult fantasy under the name Maggie Faire. Her non-fiction is written under Maggie McVay Lynch.

Gary D. Robson Book Signing Tips

Let the store know when you get to town. As a bookseller, it frustrates me when an author is coming in from another state, and five minutes before the signing starts, I have no idea whether they’re a block away or caught in traffic in another town. If you’re running late, call and tell them. As my wife says, “If you’re not five minutes early, you’re late!” When you arrive, drop by the store and tell them you made it. Then (if you have time) go out and grab some dinner or whatever else you have to do. 

Author Cooperatives - Part 1: The Basics by Maggie Lynch

Therese & Morgan say: As the buzzwords and publishing options continue to change at warp speed we know there are more than Marketing Myths to be debunked. One of those new buzzing options is that "Author Co-Ops are The Thing." Fortunately, our friend Maggie Lynch was pleased to share her wit and wisdom on author cooperatives. Maggie is one of the founding members and key organizer of Windtree Press, a publishing and marketing author cooperative. This first post presents the variations of co-ops for authors to consider. Thank you, Maggie, for your time and expertise!

Maggie Lynch says:

Just like Goldilocks, writers find themselves in a predicament when they are exhausted from completing their book and hungry to find a publishing home that will yield financial results and maybe even some literary awards. The process of sending out manuscripts to editors and agents often results in cold rejections. If one gets a contract, or decides to self-publish, that too has its own problems. Many authors feel burned when the reality of financial return and literary reward doesn’t materialize or meet their expectations. They don’t see the desired return-on-investment for all their work in preparing the manuscript. So, how do you find a path that feels just right? One that will keep you writing the next book instead of crying into a porridge that is too cold or too hot? Or feeling that you will starve before you find a good, nurturing environment? One way to navigate the new publishing landscape is through creating or joining an author cooperative.

What is an author cooperative?

Author cooperatives are simply a group of authors who get together and form agreements about their goals and how they want to achieve them. The vast majority of author cooperatives are formed purely for marketing and promotion. Think of them like an author street team. The members agree to pool financial resources for advertising, and to talk about each other’s books in their social media outlets. Of course, they also share knowledge and provide support in the journey to publication. This is a fairly simple cooperative model and only requires that a group of writers get together, set some goals with a subsequent budget, and make a few rules on how they will work together. As it is focused on marketing and promotion, this type of cooperative can be used for both traditional and self-published members. There are some things to consider if you form or join an author marketing/promotion cooperative.

A second type of author cooperative is an author publishing cooperative. Please note this is different from a term you often see from self-publishing middlemen, “cooperative publishing.” Those middlemen (Lulu, Book Baby, etc.) charge a fee for taking your manuscript, getting it into shape and distributing it for you. I would prefer they call it contract publishing, but it is very different from what I’m discussing here.

An author publishing cooperative is focused on the self-publishing efforts of its members. It is controlled by the authors who are members of the coop. In this model the members agree to publish under a specific press name. They agree how all the aspects of publishing will be handled: editing, cover design, distribution, marketing, etc. Some publishing cooperatives do this by a work exchange. That is the Book View Café model. Some members do editing, others do cover design, others do formatting, etc. The press keeps afloat by taking 5% of all book sales in all distribution outlets. Book View Café currently has over 200 books in its catalog and 49 authors.

Another publishing model is to charge a fee to each member who joins the coop. That fee allows the coop to hire editors, cover designers, marketers for the press as a whole. This model varies from taking a percentage of all sales (ranging from 10-25%) or charges substantial fees in order to maintain the cadre of professionals needed to produce a book. An example of this cooperative model is Word Branch Publishing. It is a cooperative in that all members, from editors and book designers to the authors themselves, take a percentage of the sales. Word Branch currently has 18 authors and 36 books in their catalog.

A third model is to have the coop members take care of the publishing elements themselves, do their own distribution, and use the cooperative press as a vehicle for direct sales and marketing. In addition, the members also operate like the marketing/promotion cooperative in terms of joint promotion and live events. That is the model of Windtree Press. There are no fees or percentages taken by the press, but the cost of the publishing process is borne by the individual members. The press recommends professionals for each stage of the process where the member needs assistance. The press generates revenues for advertising and promotion via anthologies and other cooperative story generation. Windtree Press currently has 11 authors and over 70 titles in its catalog.

Next week (Part 2), Maggie will discuss how to join an author cooperative.

Author Bio

Maggie Lynch has never missed a chance to learn something new. With degrees in psychology, counseling, computer science, and education she has had opportunities that have taken her around the world, including Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Her current publishing credits include five non-fiction books, a number of science fiction short stories, and seven novels. She has scheduled five more novels to be published this year.

Now able to spend full time journeying into her imagination, Maggie writes romance and science fiction under the name Maggie Jaimeson, and young adult fantasy under the name Maggie Faire. Her non-fiction is written under Maggie McVay Lynch.

Gary D. Robson Book Signing Tips

Communicate your special needs well in advance. Do you need a second chair at the signing table for your spouse or assistant? Do you need a projector, screen, or computer for your talk? Do you use a wheelchair and need help setting up? Do you need an easel for your signs or props? Do you need to leave right at 6:00? Do you need to be paid on the spot for books you supply? Figure it all out in advance and tell the bookstore — preferably in writing (email or letter).

Websites that Wow by Collette Cameron

Morgan says: I just love Collette Cameron’s website, because it allows her persona and genre to shine. So, of course, I asked Collette to share her thoughts and experiences with web design. Thank you, Collette, for your time and insights!

Collette Cameron says:

Okay, I admit, the title is a little misleading because I’m no expert on websites, and what I consider wow someone else might think is bleck. In my case, anything sparkly and frou frou with lace and scrolls is generally a winner. 

Still, when Author Marketing 101 asked me if I’d do a write up about my author website, collettecameron.com my first reaction was, “Why me?” and the second was, “Heck yes!”

I didn’t come up with the website concept entirely by myself. I was privileged to work with Christy Carlyle of Gilded Heart Designs. Not only is she a member of my local RWA chapter, Rose City Romance Writers, she’s a dear friend.

Collette Cameron's homepage designed by
Christy Carlyle of Gilded Heart Designs.

I wanted a website that immediately identified to visitors what genre I write (Historical Romance-Regency & Scottish), and that also reflected my branding, hence the cobalt blue and blue roses. I truly am a romantic at heart so script fonts, feminine colors, and tea cups were perfect. The tea cups are actually photos of cups I own.

Christy came up with the idea to make them tilt. Isn’t she clever? The matching saucers at the bottom of the page contain the icons for my social media contacts. That was her idea too.

The matching saucers provide social media links.

Equally important to me was a site that was easy to read as well as navigate. The royal blue font  stands out against the white background, and again, it reflects my branding. First time visitors can quickly find my books, promotional items such as bookmarks, my blog, Blue Rose Romance, how to contact me, and even media kits for each book.

I wanted to add personal touches that invited guests to explore the site too. I’ve included an Authorgraph icon where readers can request an electronic autograph, review snippets, book excerpts and casts of characters for those interested in the books, and of course a clickable buy link. Again, ease of use was factor in all of these.

I’ve thrown in a couple quotes I like, but that were carefully selected to mirror my tag line, “Divine Encounters With Love.” All the quotes on the website and blog contain something about divine love. Another personal touch I included was pictures of some of my dachshunds, my gardens, and my writing room, oh and a professional head shot of moi.  I think that helps readers and visitors connect with me, and that’s what my website is really all about; connecting.

So, as you can see, in my case there was no magical formula to designing a successful author website. Mine mirrors who I am as an author, and  I hope my visitors like what they see.  

Author Bio

Award winning, Amazon best-selling, and multi-published historical romance author, Collette Cameron, has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching.  A Pacific Northwest Native, Collette is married, has three amazing adult children, and five dachshunds. Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list. Learn more about me and my adventures at  collettecameron.com.

Gary D. Robson Book Signing Tips

Send promotional materials to the store. Sometimes, especially with new authors, I have a devil of a time finding a good hi-res photo of the author or the book cover to use on our posters and announcements. When you confirm the signing, ask the store manager if photos would be useful. If you have any little giveaways, like buttons or bookmarks, send some in advance for the bookstore’s promotional display.