Laura Preble: From Penguin to indie

Author case study: Anna Incognito #book

“I wanted to find an independent publisher that would be invested in me as a writer and in my unique voice. Too many agents and publishers today will only consider the ‘safe’ project: something exactly like something that’s already been published. I don’t think my work is like that, and it deserves to be seen.”

Laura Preble has her second book ready for publication. Her previous experience with a major publisher, Berkley Trade; Penguin RH, left her feeling out of control and let down with attention on her book. She would like to explore additional options this time around. She would like a publisher that takes more care of her as an author but also has credibility and distribution to help get her book into places she cannot by herself.

Through Publishizer, having access to additional publishing options who want a more diverse set of books without having to go through an agent was a huge appeal for her. It was about getting a better deal and ensuring her next book gets the attention it deserves. Read Laura Preble’s Q&A below.

• Email subscribers: 250
• Facebook followers: 1485
• Time spent per week on personal messages: 5 hours
• Result: Funding totaled $4,950 with 254 preorders
• Publisher: Mascot Books

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Here’s what Laura had to say:

Q: What inspired you to find a publisher for your book?

I have been published in many different ways. My first experience was pure self publishing, my second was with Penguin for a YA trilogy, and my last was a partnership with a literary agent using Amazon. I decided to try Publishizer because I’ve been frustrated with the lack of diversity in publishers in big houses (all imprints are mostly owned by only three big publishing houses now.) I wanted to find an independent publisher that would be invested in me as a writer and in my unique voice. Too many agents and publishers today will only consider the ‘safe’ project: something exactly like something that’s already been published. I don’t think my work is like that, and it deserves to be seen. (https://publishizer.com/anna-incognito/)

Q: Coming from a Big 5 publisher, what factors led to your decision to do a preorders campaign and the untraditional crowdfunding part?

Traditional publishing is, I think, every writer’s dream, and it certainly was mine. In 2006, when I received my publishing contract from Penguin, it was a great experience at first. But you quickly realize that these big publishers give you moments of time, and then move on to someone else, even if your book does well. My first book for them, Queen Geek Social Club, went into a second printing almost right away, but I still didn’t get much PR or marketing support past the initial launch. However, straight self-publishing is very hard. Since anyone can do it, there is literally no filter on material, so lots of things are published that probably shouldn’t be.

This model is fantastic in that it allows real publishers to see your work, your platform, your ideas, and consider you aside from literary agents and market demands. Plus, there is a much greater possibility to make money with your book doing it this way. With Penguin, their standard boilerplate contract gives an author 8–10 percent of the cover price of the book. Many of the deals through Publishizer give the author between 20 and 85 percent of the cover price, depending on the contract. In some cases, you may have to put up an initial investment, but it’s not the same as self publishing. You have support from a publisher who is invested in your book and can help get it distributed.

Q: Did you have a plan for getting this book published before you discovered Publishizer?

I did have a plan, but I didn’t like how it worked. I have had several literary agents, and they’ve helped me in many ways, but I couldn’t find one that really fit this book. The agent I had at the time I wrote it loved the voice but thought I needed a murder or a twist. Another thought it was too dark, and another thought it was not dark enough. I knew the book I wanted to write, and I wanted to be the one to decide those things, not an agent (who, in most cases, are not writers themselves).

Q: What was your pre-order goal and how did you go about reaching it? Unique strategy?

I know the big goal is 1,000 books, but I wanted to get to 250.That was my goal. I got 254. I wanted that as my goal because at that level, the book was pitched it independent publishers, which is what I wanted.

The strategy that worked best for me was direct contact with people who’d read my books before. I used Facebook almost exclusively, as well as email. Facebook is really tricky, because you are not allowed to send mass messages to people. Instead, I crafted individual messages to send to maybe 6 or 7 people at a time, and I only send a few every day. These were people I hand selected, people who I knew or people who’d read my books.

Q: How much time did this process take you? On a daily basis?

I dedicated an hour a day to doing this. As I said, if you use Facebook you cannot send large batches of messages, and you really don’t want to anyway. No one wants to be on a group message with 20 other people. It feels anonymous and makes people angry. If you target very small groups of people who maybe have a common interest or background, and send a hand-crafted message to them with the link to your campaign, it’s much more successful.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in this process?

It’s time consuming, but so is a writing career. The way Publishizer works, it forces you to pre-strategize, to create a platform and really put down concrete steps to promote your work. I do this anyway, but it was helpful to have a structure to it, and Lee Constantine and Guy Vincent were both very helpful when I had questions.

Q: What do you envision as the next step for you and your book?

I dream big. The publisher I chose negotiated with me to help put my book up for awards and do Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) for specific review sites. I compiled a list of independent bookstores for my last novel and sent postcards to all of them, and I’ll do that again. After the book is out there and hopefully garners some great reviews and/or awards, I am going to try to get it made into a film. My previous novel is currently in production with a pilot for a series.

Q: Are you happy you chose Publishizer? Are you happy with the publishing deal you were offered? Why?

I loved the fact that I had control of this process. So often it feels like writing is in the hands of strangers who don’t care about books, or only care about the next Big Thing. Small, good things often don’t stand a chance. I’d have loved to get a great offer from Simon and Schuster or someone like that, but then I would be giving up control, royalties, and attention to my project. The people with whom I’m working at Mascot Books really understand my book and love it as much as I do, and they are very hands on. I have a good feeling that things will turn out for me exactly as I want them to.

Q: Any plans for more books in the future? If so, will it be through Publishizer?

I have so many ideas…and I don’t know where they’ll go. I wouldn’t hesitate to use Publishizer again, although one great plus is that now I have a relationship with an indie publisher who has already expressed interest in my other work.

Q: Are you happy with the number of publishers who have expressed interest in your campaign?

I had about 12, which was good. I was a little disappointed that more of the independent publishers didn’t get in touch…I made a wish list of indie publishers based on the descriptions on Publishizer, and wanted to hear from as many of them as possible, but I only really heard from five off that list. A couple of them didn’t follow up despite saying they wanted the book, but that helps you decide who you want to work with. I think I found the right match for my circumstance, and we’ll see what happens!

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