Good day everyone! Starting in 2012 Tribute Books will be transitioning to become an eBook publisher of young adult titles. Nicole is joining us today to spread the word and let everyone in on exactly what is happening. So without further delay I’m going to let Nicole have the floor…
Tribute Books began in 2004 and we’ve published over 30 titles since that time. Some of our books have gone on to win awards such as the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year and the Mom’s Choice Award while others were endorsed by PBS and The Thoreau Society. We’ve covered a wide range of genres from children’s picture books to history to sports under both traditional and subsidy contracts.
In 2012, we will transition into being an ebook publisher for young adult titles. Over the course of 2011, we’ve watched our ebook sales outpace our print sales by 2 to 1 due to the explosion in popularity of e-readers such as the Kindle, Nook and iPad. The under $5 price point of most of our e-titles and the ease of purchase and delivery surely facilitated this rapid change.
Overall, our transition is based on three factors. On a business level, the young adult genre sells especially if it is well written and has a paranormal romance theme. On a marketing level, the devotion of the young adult fan base is unparalleled. On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoy a good young adult novel and review many on my blog at http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com. I’m a believer in doing what you love and working with like-minded people, when it’s at all possible.
Interested authors can submit their manuscripts via email to info@tribute-books.com. There will be no charge for the authors we select to work with, and they will receive 50% of the net profits of their ebook sales in quarterly royalty payments. We’re looking for Microsoft Word documents with a maximum of 350 pages of text with no photos, charts, illustrations, graphs, etc. Manuscripts that have already been professionally edited will receive greater consideration. Our preference is to work with authors who have already been published through a royalty-paying press and who know the ins and outs of book promotion. An established social media platform is a must, and we will not consider writers who do not have a well-followed blog, Facebook page or Twitter account.
Our preference is for damn good writing, the particular topic is secondary in importance. However, books written with a series in mind or those that delve into the paranormal will have a slight edge. I’m most excited about working with authors who enjoy promoting their book on a daily basis. Ones who know the ins and outs of the time and effort it takes to make a book a success because I’m ready and willing to work with them every step of the way.
I am a big believer in the power of social media. I even conduct monthly blog tours for outside publishers and authors in order to help them increase the online presence of a book. Book bloggers are a powerful force in the book industry. With more and more book stores closing and book review columns being cut from major newspapers, readers are depending on bloggers to help them find the books they want to read. They are turning to the internet as a reference point to fill this information gap.
In my opinion, social networking is the bread and butter of any author’s promotional efforts. Without it, it’s like trying to paddle upstream without a canoe. Readers want to connect with the person who wrote the book. They crave interaction with an author. Nothing beats getting a writer to comment on a blogger’s book review post or getting a personalized thank you tweet from your favorite author. The days of authors being isolated from their fans is over. They’re now able to build an online following and receive instant feedback for their work. They have the opportunity to take part in creating their own literary community.
We try to keep an active online presence with our web site (http://www.tribute-books.com/), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks) and blog (http://tributebooks.blogspot.com/). We’d love to have anyone who loves young adult literature to join us for the ride.
Thanks so much for joining us today Nicole and keeping us informed with what is happening at Tribute Books! I too love Young Adult novels so I’m excited about your new venture!
What an interesting post! I shall definitely keep in touch with Tribute Books. I already speak to them via Twitter. If I struggle to find an agent, I will definitely be heading there way!
I wish them the best of luck. It was interesting to me to hear how vital the social media platforms are to author/book success these days…
Darlene – thank you for your generosity in hosting me for a guest post and for helping to spread the word about our call for young adult manuscript submissions. Your support is much appreciated!
Vivienne – yes, please do keep us mind, and I’m sure I’ll see you on Twitter.
TheBookGirl – thanks for your words of encouragement, and I’m glad that you are also a fan of social media and book blogs.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I am looking forward to seeing what Tribute has in store for the future!
Very interesting post. I can see how the social media can influence book sales. I don’t have facebook or twitter or any of those but I do enjoy reading a handful of book blogs and find their comments and reviews helpful. (Or not, depending on how they are adding to my already long list of books to be read.)
Nicole: I wish you great success in your work. This sounds like a project that you are very passionate about and that means you are halfway to a successful business.
Good Luck! I love the YA book scene and I’m excited about this!
Interesting guest post 🙂 I agree with Nicole, book bloggers are a powerful force in the book industry nowadays. It really is an amazing thing.