Services for Unpublished Authors
Overview
Today there are more books fighting for less shelf space at the bookstore. Publishers, distributors, and retail accounts need to be convinced that each book has a clearly defined market and an intelligent plan for reaching that market. Authors need to be savvy about the book industry if they want to succeed. City Desk can bring that savvy to the development of projects as well as proposals and mailings.
Editorial Guidance & Market Analysis
One of the best ways to increase your chances of turning your manuscript into a publishing contract is to seek the input of a publishing professional before sending a proposal.
Drawing on nearly ten years of experience reading submissions, contributing to acquistions decisions, and pitching books to a sales force, City Desk understands what a publisher is looking for in a book. We can provide editorioal guidance that helps increase the marketability of your project without watering down the content (often quite the opposite).
Small adjustments in the direction of a book based on professional market assesment can also be the difference between a book that interests a publisher and one that is rejected.
Book Proposals
A great book proposal is essential if you want to find a publisher. City Desk book proposals go beyond a simple description of the book. They define the value of the material and identify the target audience. City Desk maintains extensive databases on possible print, TV, and radio outlets available to promote the book. We are also well versed in the growing world of online book marketing - the most vital development in bookselling since Amazon.com. Proposals include targeted web marketing resources in addition to conventional publicity channels.
Using Bookscan, proposals isolate powerful comp titles-books that are similar to yours in content. Comp titles are relied upon heavily when selling books to retail outlets. They prove absolutely the market viability of your project. Doing this research also provides an opportunity to rethink aspects of your project if certain book types have proven to be particularly profitable or particularly disastrous.
The proposal writing process also includes help titling your project, shaping the table of contents, and selecting the most effective sample chapters.
Publisher Mailings
Once the proposal is complete, let City Desk help target appropriate potential publishers or agents. City Desk maintains close contacts throughout the publishing world, as well as an extensive publisher database, and high visibility on industry websites and blogs. City Desk can provide the insider insight that the LMP can't provide. Hiring City Desk to assist in your search for a publisher or agent increases your chances of success and decreases the time you invest in searching.
Publisher Mailings
Once your proposal is complete, City Desk can work with you on targeting publishers that are right for your project. Getting help with this process will increase your chances of landing your proposal on the right desk as well as saving you excess mailings and needless rejections that come with untargeted publisher mailings.