Susan's Blog

Home › Community › Susan's Blog

Susan Driscoll serves as a special advisor to Author Solutions. Her 20 years of traditional publishing experience and in-depth understanding of the business uniquely qualifies her to assist in positioning iUniverse as a respected alternative within the publishing industry.

Susan Driscoll
Advisor
Author Solutions, Inc.

Our Journey

Jun 17, 2008 | Perspectives on Publishing, Advice for Authors, iUniverse Facts | No Comments

My best advice for new authors is this: Be open to where the journey takes you. When you publish a book, it’s impossible to predict how many copies you will sell, but it’s an absolute that the process will open doors, lead to unexpected opportunities, and result in new friendships.

When I joined iUniverse in 2003, I embarked on a journey to create a professional alternative to traditional publishing. That mission led me to move halfway across the country, travel extensively, and throw my heart into a business that I knew very little about. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege to work with an amazing staff of committed professionals in Lincoln, Neb.; to learn from and marvel at the skills of the iUniverse team in Shanghai; and to witness the talent and energy of the new associates in Bloomington, Ind. iUniverse is all about the people who do the work, and we do it for one reason: the belief that we can indeed make authors’ dreams come true.

My journey has been life-changing, but it couldn’t have been possible without the support of my husband, Justin, and our three beautiful children. They moved from New York to Lincoln—and back; they weathered the disruption of my regular commute from New York to the Midwest; and they’ve allowed me to share my life with so many of you. I’m well aware of the sacrifices they’ve made, and I’ve known that the time would come to shift my priorities back to their proper focus. Now is that time. I’ll be leaving the daily demands of iUniverse at the end of this month.

To our authors: You are the face and the heart of iUniverse, and my greatest joy has been to hear your stories, share your friendships, and help you to succeed. It’s difficult for me to move on, but I do so with absolute confidence that the Author Solutions team is able to carry on with my original mission for iUniverse. My dear friend and Get Published! co-author, Diane Gedymin, will continue to provide her editorial expertise and her immeasurable wisdom. (Truth be told, Diane is the true publishing brain behind iUniverse and she’s taught me much of what I now know about the business.) Kevin Weiss is one of the smartest CEOs I’ve ever met, but he’s also a genuinely good guy who really cares about authors and their dreams. I’m stronger and better for having had the privilege to work for him. My friends and colleagues at Author Solutions—Keith, Bill, Terry, Tom, Dave, and Chris—each bring skills and strengths to the table that will enhance what we’ve already accomplished, and plans are underway to hire additional staff to strengthen the bench even further. You are in very capable hands.

I’ll be moving on in my journey to a new challenge that is closer to home, but I won’t be leaving iUniverse altogether. I’ve agreed to stay involved as a special advisor to the board, and I hope to write a blog column from time to time to let you know what I’m up to.

But for now, it’s time to say goodbye. My heart will always be with you. My wish is that your own iUniverse journey be as life-changing and rewarding as the journey has been for me. Thanks for sharing the ride.

iUniverse Bloomington: Open for Business

Apr 17, 2008 | iUniverse Facts | 1 Comment

It’s been several weeks since my last post, weeks that have been both busy and anything but easy. My colleagues in Lincoln, Neb., did an extraordinary job at keeping books moving, and they were professional and upbeat during this difficult personal and professional period. To those who ultimately chose not to make the move, I say thank you. I will always treasure my years in Lincoln, the friendships that my family and I developed and the memories of lunchtime cookouts and company retreats.

We’ve now hired many new iUniverse associates in Bloomington, Ind., and I’m impressed with their talent and commitment. Training is ongoing — the professional publishing standards that are the iUniverse hallmark cannot be taught overnight. The moving trucks are scheduled to arrive today and we’ll soon be settled in the new location.

The next few months will bring more change. We’ve got a major systems initiative underway that will provide authors with more access to information, will streamline our production processes and will provide the backbone from which we can launch new products and services. We’re targeting a go-live date in late July and I’m very excited about it. But for now, it’s business as usual, it’s springtime in Bloomington, and it’s great to be settling in our new iUniverse home.

We’re Moving

Jan 23, 2008 | iUniverse Facts | 1 Comment

Last evening we issued a press release announcing that iUniverse Lincoln, Neb., operations will be relocated to Bloomington, Ind. iUniverse employees will be offered positions in Bloomington, but I fully expect that personal factors will prevent some associates from making the move. I am very fond of Lincoln and of the many talented people with whom I’ve worked so this was a difficult announcement — but I’ve been around long enough to know that talented people land on their feet. And, I believe the decision is the best one for iUniverse authors because it provides more capital to invest in better processes, better training, and better products and services.

First, about the operations: the move announced yesterday represents an opportunity for iUniverse (and for AuthorHouse too.) There are interesting differences in the businesses, and operating the brands side by side allows us to more easily adopt the best practices of each. As we make changes, rest assured that everything we do will be consistent with the professionalism that authors have come to expect from iUniverse. There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re all rolling up our sleeves to get it done quickly and properly, and without disruption.

Second, about the people: in the past few months I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in Indiana and am now quite familiar with the city of Bloomington and with those who call it home. Bloomington is a lovely place, and the people open, friendly and smart. It’s interesting that both Lincoln and Bloomington are college towns, and both allow for the all-important balance between family, career and culture. I hope that many of the Lincoln employees will visit Bloomington as they make their relocation decisions and that many will choose to make the move. I’m going to do what I can to encourage that.

If recent history is a guide, our competitors will use this announcement to fuel speculation about the future of iUniverse and indeed, even about my own future. From my perspective, those predictions are nothing more than competitive wishful thinking. At Author Solutions, I’m working with my colleagues to build a stronger, more professional iUniverse brand; one with more choices for more authors.

In the coming months, our vision will be revealed. And publishing will never be the same — just wait and see.

iUniverse and Author Solutions — What Does It All Mean?, Part 2

Dec 14, 2007 | iUniverse Facts | No Comments

I continue to receive letters from authors in response to my Author Solutions post a few weeks back. I'm paraphrasing a bit here, but this excerpt from a recent letter captures the essence of the questions I've received:

"I was totally unaware of your connections to AuthorHouse until I read this article. I appreciate your honesty in posting the news about your affliations with AuthorHouse, but now I'm concerned about a few things. I'm hoping you can put my mind at ease here.

Who will now be considered the "parent" company (the one making the decisions)? AuthorHouse did not offer certain services that you do. If they are in charge, should I expect services to be cut to match what they currently offer? I also found AuthorHouse to have services of the "a la carte" variety, unlike your package deals. Will you be following what they have, or will it be the other way around? In addition, your company, iUniverse, was the only one that I could find that takes editing a work seriously and offers multiple approaches to editing an author's much labored work so that both the author and publisher don't look like incompetent fools and can be proud of the finished product. At the time I considered AuthorHouse, they did not offer similar services. Do I need to worry again with your involvement with AuthorHouse?"

While we are now a "sister" company to AuthorHouse, there are no plans to destroy the integrity of the different brands. As this letter points out, our editorial services are quite unique and are the hallmark of the iUniverse brand, so those services are here to stay and will likely evolve further. In the coming months, iUniverse will be launching new author marketing services that are also built on traditional publishing standards. Good things are yet to come.

I'm a member of the Author Solutions corporate team, and I can assure you that it's in everyone's best interest to keep and expand the quality and range of services that characterize iUniverse. As would happen with any integration, we are examining the best practices of iUniverse as well as AuthorHouse. The two companies are an interesting complement to one another, and by drawing on the strengths of each we'll be able to develop service standards —and services — that are second to none.

Which came first … the blitz or the buzz?

Nov 30, 2007 | Advice for Authors | No Comments

For those of you who are new to the world of "Web 2.0" and social networking, I invite you to join me in the iUniverse Authors group on Facebook, where you can share information and success stories and can get advice from your peers and from me as my schedule permits. From time to time, I'll identify important questions or stories that are posed on Facebook and will answer them in this blog.

Recently, an iUniverse author asked a question on Facebook that I'm sure is on every author's mind:

On Nov. 6, Shireen Jeejeebhoy asked:
Hi! Has anyone had success getting their book into bricks-and-mortar bookstores? And if so, how did they get customers in to buy the books? First time ever I've done this, and it's both exciting and scary!

Shireen, you're asking the right questions — but you'll have the most success if you focus on them in reverse order. First, how will you get people interested in your book? Identify and hone in on your target audience, and plan a two- or three-week blitz to find them. You can schedule events, contact your local newspaper(s) and radio stations or place fliers in public places. Make sure you have a "hook" or story that will make your audience want to buy your book; the fact that you wrote and published it isn't enough.

Next, make sure that your blitz is scheduled one month out. Once you have all the dates/plans in place, create a plan that you can present to your local bookstores. Although the iUniverse business model isn't designed for bookstore stocking, authors who present a professional appearance and a well-planned marketing campaign are likely to have success with local bookstores.

Remember that it's not what the bookstore can do for you, it's what you can do for the bookstore. Bookstores care about selling books and want to make sure that every inch of shelf space is filled with books that will drive traffic into the store. If yours is one of those titles, your local bookstore manager will be open to hearing your pitch.

Only Mechanics Find Success in the Garage (or: Publish Smarter not Harder)

Nov 21, 2007 | Perspectives on Publishing, Advice for Authors | 21 Comments

There’s an amusing article in today’s Wall Street Journal that highlights the best and the worst of self-publishing. The article tells the story of a successful Nigerian businessman, C. Ben Bosah, who self-published a book written by his wife. Bosah had (actually, still has) bold expectations for the book, and so he ordered a first printing of 15,398 copies. Most of those copies are still sitting in his garage.

Many people — especially those with publishing experience — will view Bosah as a shining example of what’s wrong with self-publishing. I happen to think that, while he did make some fundamental errors, Bosah has most of what it takes to be successful. However, he would have been much smarter if he’d started his publishing journey with iUniverse, and then moved on to fully doing it by himself. Here are some lessons Bosah could have learned by starting with us:

1. Quality matters. Bosah hired an experienced designer to help him create a compelling cover and interior design. That’s essential; the book looks compelling and professional. What’s not addressed in the story is the quality of the writing. It’s not clear whether Bosah hired an editor to work with his wife; if he didn’t, then that would be a major flaw in his publishing strategy.

2. Experts can help. Ironically, although his designer and printing representative recommended print-on-demand or a smaller, 5,000-copy first printing, Bosah ignored their advice. His theory was that by printing 15,000 copies, his cost-per-book would be lower (with offset printing, the more you print, the lower the cost of each individual copy) and therefore he could charge less for the finished book. Big mistake for two reasons. First, he sunk a lot of money into inventory that could become damaged — a garage is not the safest environment for cardboard boxes full of paper products. Second, after he printed all of those books, he realized that the book’s title, Letters to my Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist limited his target audience. If Bosah had started by using on-demand printing through iUniverse, he’d have been able to test the market, adapt his product and re-release it with changes that would have increased its marketability. When he had the right formula, then he could have terminated his iUniverse contract, fully self-published and offset printed a larger number of copies at a much lower risk of failure. (With iUniverse, the author controls all publishing rights.)

3. Distribution is essential. I’m amazed at how many self-published authors focus on the publishing and printing aspects of the book, but don’t think about how to get the book into customers’ hands. Again, by starting with iUniverse, Bosah would have had full online distribution and bookstores worldwide would be able to order his book. Those services are included in most of our publishing packages.

4. Marketing makes the difference. The Journal article suggests that Bosah should have printed advance reading copies (also called ARC’s or galleys) so that publications like Library Journal or Kirkus could have reviewed the book. Bosah contends that his sales suffered because bookstores didn’t stock the book (in his words, “Only a miniscule percentage of people will buy a book without first thumbing through it.”) I disagree on both counts. Traditional media outlets are not likely to review self-published books; I think it’s better to minimize time-to-market rather than go through the six-month traditional review cycle with likely very little payoff. In regards to bookstore browsing, Amazon and bn.com now allow for “virtual thumbing” through a book; the reality is that online channels represent equally viable ways to reach target audiences who don’t have time for brick-and-mortar browsing. (As a likely member of the target audience — all professional women — for this particular book, I know that I do most of my browsing online.) In fact, this is a perfect title for Internet marketing — it would be easy to find women online who are looking for advice from a female gynecologist. Bosah does have it right when it comes to pounding the pavement and focusing on non-traditional marketing venues. Increasingly, that’s becoming more of a focus of bookselling for all publishers.

5. Persistence pays off. I love Bosah’s spirit; he’s got the never-say-die attitude that will likely lead to future success. We often say that publishing is a marathon, not a sprint. Despite his mistakes, here’s a self-publisher who is still motivated to succeed and who exhibits the determination that he’ll get there.

So what does it take? Quality, Marketing Savvy and Persistence — and help getting started from iUniverse for those authors who want to avoid costly mistakes and a garage full of unsold books!

iUniverse and Author Solutions—What Does It All Mean?

Sep 13, 2007 | iUniverse Facts | 1 Comment

Many authors have written to me since the Author Solutions deal was announced last week, and it's clear that many are wondering what's in store for them and for iUniverse. In case you're curious too, here are my answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Will this mean a change in the quality of iUniverse services or in the integrity of the information that iUniverse provides?

The answer is a resounding NO. We've built our reputation on offering professional services at affordable prices and on offering authors honest information about the choices available to them. It's that reputation that made us attractive to Author Solutions and I can say with confidence that we'll continue to build on that reputation as we move forward.

Will you offer more services and more options to authors in the months ahead?

Absolutely, yes. The primary reason that AuthorHouse and iUniverse have joined together is so that we can expand our offerings to meet the needs of any author who wishes to self-publish. Over time, we'll introduce new services that will likely include more choices for printing, distribution and marketing. However, nothing will change overnight. We'll keep you updated on our progress, and as we launch new products and services in the future, our authors will be the first to know.

Will my royalties, my book listing on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or my contract change?

No—really, it's business as usual. You'll continue to work with iUniverse just as you always have, and your royalty statements will continue to be generated by iUniverse.

Will this change mean that it will be easier to get my books stocked in Barnes & Noble?

The answer to that question is no. While we will continue to work with Barnes & Noble to offer programs to qualified authors, there's no magical formula to getting books stocked in bookstores. Retailers are interested in stocking books that will sell, and that means that authors who are able to market their book are more likely to be of interest to retailers.

It's a very exciting time to be at iUniverse, and I thank you for your continued interest and support. In future posts I'll address additional topics related to our announcement and as always, I welcome your comments and questions.

Statistics Don't Tell the Whole Story

Jun 15, 2007 | iUniverse Facts | 26 Comments

I'm constantly asked about statistics related to the average sales of our titles and about the percentage of titles in our Editors Choice, Publishers Choice, and Star programs. In the world of self-publishing, statistics are very misleading because they don't take into account the many different reasons that people self-publish. Since many people are writing for family and friends or simply for their own pleasure, they don't feel the need to market and sell more than a handful of copies. To judge those people based on the standards of the profit-driven publishing world is, in my view, wrong.

I take a similar position when asked about the percentage of iUniverse titles that receive special designations. Authors with modest goals often don't feel the need to purchase our Editorial Evaluation or the additional editorial services that might be recommended. And, some authors take any less-than-positive comments from the editor to heart and decide to modify their publishing goals or not publish at all. Other authors have already invested in editorial services before they publish with iUniverse, and those authors often choose to forego the editorial evaluation process and the designations that are tied to it. Because authors and their goals vary so much, statistics simply don't tell the whole story.

We do list our Editors Choice, Publishers Choice and Star titles in special sections of the iUniverse bookstore, and I invite you to browse the many titles that have received those special designations. We're confident that the readers of these titles will have a positive experience and will find that the content and structure of these books is commensurate with the standards of traditional publishing.

The "Right" Stuff: The Authors Guild vs. Simon & Schuster

May 23, 2007 | Perspectives on Publishing, Advice for Authors | No Comments

For the past week, the publishing community has been abuzz over the debate raging between the Authors Guild and Simon & Schuster. For those who aren’t familiar with the controversy, Simon & Schuster recently changed its contract by removing the minimum sale requirement that determined which books they kept in print. Their reason? Print-on-demand technology now enables them to keep a book available forever; therefore, the exclusive license to publish that book should remain with the original publisher forever. The Authors Guild has a quite different view. They feel that a publisher should actively promote a book in order to hold onto its rights, and in their opinion, merely making a book available does not constitute active promotion.

Read the Authors Guild position and the Simon & Schuster response. For the record, iUniverse provides services to the Authors Guild Back-in-Print program, so we have a vested interest in upholding the freedom of authors to take back their publishing rights.

There are three relevant points here. First, print-on-demand technology is widely used by every major publisher. Print-on-demand quality is so good (for most types of books) that publishers switch between print-on-demand and offset printing as necessary. If you don’t believe me, read the Simon & Schuster letter. If you choose to publish through iUniverse, know that our print partner is the same one used by virtually every major publisher. In other words, your readers won’t be able to tell the difference between the print quality of an iUniverse book and that of a traditionally published title.

Second, it is in the best interests of authors to maintain control of their rights. The Authors Guild is actually objecting to an author’s loss of control. While many authors may choose to stay with their original publisher forever, they should have a choice. If you’re just getting started in the business, be sure to work with a company that clearly has your best interests in mind. At iUniverse, our contracts give an author control to take their book elsewhere at any time. That type of flexibility is very important in the publishing industry.

Third, and most importantly, if you’re giving up your rights to a publisher, make sure you’re getting active marketing in return. It’s not enough to have the publisher simply put your book in a catalog or into distribution—you should expect a written marketing and sales plan in exchange for granting exclusive rights to that publisher. There are far too many horror stories written and published about authors who learned this lesson the hard way.

Many Unhappy Returns

May 7, 2007 | Perspectives on Publishing | 25 Comments

For newcomers to the publishing business, here's the reality: publishing is one of the few industries that accepts full return of its unsold product, and for major titles, about 40 percent of all units sold to retailers will eventually be returned.

I recently received this query from an author who heard me speak publicly about the returns problem in traditional publishing: "I wanted to make sure I understood this. Did you mean 40 percent of all books manufactured and sent to bookstores are returned—meaning that if a publisher sells 100,000 books in one year, they'll have 40,000 (40 percent) of them returned?"

The answer is that for major titles, at least 40 percent of the units printed and shipped to bookstores will likely be returned. (When I refer to retailers I'm also including the warehouse club stores like Costco or Sam's Club and online stores like Amazon.) While this sounds crazy, there is a logic to why these books are returned. First, there is competition among retailers. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Wal-Mart and your local independent bookstore all want to sell you a copy of that new best seller, so each retailer orders a copy of the book for you. However, you will buy only one copy, from only one of these retailers—leaving the other copies sitting on the competitors' shelves. No retailer wants to run the risk of not having the title in stock when you come in to buy it, so retailers always order more copies than they may need.

Second, geography plays a role. Barnes & Noble, for example, might buy five copies of a new title for every one of its stores. Certain books often sell better in different parts of the country (or in urban or rural locations). The reality is that 10 stores in the Northeast might continually order additional copies from the publisher even though there are hundreds of stores in other parts of the country that haven't sold the initial five copies that they bought. Because it's more efficient for a retailer to return unsold copies than to move copies between stores, there is always stock sitting out in the market that will ultimately be returned. That's just how the business works.

I should add that no one in the publishing industry likes the returns problem. It's expensive for retailers to pay for shipping of returns, so it's in their best interests to order just enough rather than to have to return large quantities. And of course, publishers pay the printing costs—and usually the initial shipping costs—so there's an incentive for them to control inventory as closely as possible. The major publishers are putting a tremendous emphasis on inventory management and just-in-time fulfillment, and the retailers are using historical data to better predict demand. But the reality is that the returns problem in traditional publishing is here to stay.

When an author decides to self-publish completely on her own and wants to pursue bookstore stocking, the inventory issues can be staggering. With little or no experience in inventory management, authors are likely to make catastrophic mistakes—printing too many copies, or worse yet, not enough. Authors may get lower royalties from a traditional publisher than they would on their own but they also assume much less risk.

All of this explains why I'm such an advocate of the demand-first approach—which is, of course, the iUniverse approach—to publishing. With print-on-demand technology, iUniverse offers twenty-four-hour order fulfillment with no risk of returns and no unsold inventory. Authors can focus on finding their readers rather than on inventory management. Isn't that the way it should be?

‹ Previous Entries

Search & Browse

Blog Subscription

Subscribe directly to the iUniverse Blog RSS feed. (What is RSS?)

RSS/XML Feed