| How to Know If a Book Is Good |
| Sometimes when you get so many books to read, look at, review, or provide testimonials for, you might have to follow the simple method used by the great Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski to decide which books are worthy of your attention. Because he did not have time to read every new book in his field, Malinowski would take each new book he received, open it immediately to the index, and check to see if his name was cited there (and how often). The more Malinowski, the more compelling the book would be. No Malinowski, and he doubted whether the subject of the book was anthropology at all. I have used this same method when I receive new books on publishing, self-publishing, and book marketing. If my name is not cited in these books--and often, they can't be worth much. If my 1001 Ways to Market Your Books is not mentioned, they are hardly worth the effort to crack the spine. My thinking is very simple: If they do not cite me or my book, they do not know much about the field of publishing and marketing. You should use the same criteria when reviewing books in your own special field. If they don't cite you, ask them why. And they better have a good reason. |
posted by John Kremer @
2:32 PM
4 comments |
|
Open Horizons, P.O. Box 2887, Taos NM 87571 Phone: 575-751-3398 Email: John Kremer Copyright © 2008 by John Kremer. All Rights Reserved |
4 Comments:
The frightening thing is, you're serious, aren't you?
There are people who have been in the printing and publishing business for decades longer than you and have acquired a vast amount of hands-on knowledge that is very valuable. And they have no idea who you are. There are books written by marketers who have repeatedly had successful multi-million dollar ad campaigns (BANG!, for example) and I doubt they have ever heard of you.
Sometimes I tire of you self-declared experts. More importantly, I avoid you and would never recommend you. Your book's layout (at least the one I saw) was not good. Not only did you have first-paragraph indents your margins were far too small to make reading comfortable. Packaging is very important and can often indicate a book that was done on the cheap. Hopefully you've addressed these issues in subsequent editions as they do indicate a certain lack of knowledge or care about the package.
--- A name no one would recognize, 'cept dear ol' ma.
Yes, I am serious. Of books on marketing books, mine is the best. The second best is the two-volume Book Marketing Handbook by Nat Bodian. I check for both of our names to verify whether or not a book on marketing books is reasonable or content rich.
I've read every new book on publishing, marketing, and publicizing books that has come out in the past 25 years. I have never seen another book that matches either of these titles for their depth and comprehensiveness. There are certainly some other great books on publishing, marketing, and publicizing books. I know that because I use them.
If you'd like to review all the books I've read on the subject, check out my bibliography at http://www.bookmarket.com/1001bib.html. Only when you've read at least 20 to 30 of the titles on that list will I accept your judgment of my book. I would be slap-happy if I were to accept your judgment without that qualification.
Now, while many people (readers as well as reviewers) have called my 1001 Ways to Market Your Books one of the best books on marketing they've ever read, I don't claim that the book can compete with the many, many books on general marketing that are currently in print. But, for books on marketing books, it is the best, bar none.
You are right: Many bestselling authors and marketing experts have never heard of me. Or, at least, won't recall having heard my name. Indeed, many people working at the big New York publishers will not recognize my name. Of course, they are the same people who don't generally recognize as valid any book published west of the Hudson. That's their loss.
On the other hand, there are many, many bestselling authors and well-known marketers who do know me by name. Many are my friends. But they are a small percentage compared to those who don't know my name. Now, to some extent, of course, that is my fault. I am lazy. I don't do everything I could do to hammer my name home to those people. I could, but I don't. That's my choice.
I am not a self-described expert. My expertise has been heralded for many years by many, many authors, publishers, bestsellers, booksellers, agents, publicists, and more. Only after those heralds have I ever taken on the moniker of book marketing expert. Now, of course, I use that moniker all the time -- not because I have a big head but because it's true.
My dear ol' ma probably never acknowledged me as a book marketing expert, but that's okay. Even my wife hesitates to recognize me as such. But neither is really into publishing or marketing books. My wife, by choice, doesn't want to know what I do. I respect that.
It is fine if you avoid me and don't recommend me. I have thousands who do recommend me. And thousands is not an exaggeration. I would certainly rather that you be wrong than those thousands of fans. And, given the number of Kremer critics versus the number of Kremer fans, I feel very confident in continuing on the course I have set -- that of providing the best book marketing advice in the world.
You probably find that last statement frightening as well, but it is founded on my experience consulting with thousands of authors and publishers, including many bestselling authors and successful small publishers. I am well aware that there are many other book marketing consultants (I list them at http://www.bookmarket.com/101bkmark.html), and many of them are incredible at what they do. I send many of my clients to them for detailed advice in specific areas. But, if you want the best advice, you come to me. If I weren't that confident in my advice, I couldn't charge $500 per hour and have clients actually pay my fee.
As for your critique of my book's design, I would offer the same critique. My book isn't pretty. The book design is functional, not pretty. It's designed to get the most information into the smallest number of pages.
I'm not sure what you have against first-paragraph indents, but I guess that's your preferred style. Good typography allows for no first-paragraph indents, large cap first letters in first paragraphs, first-paragraph indents, and many other options. I have never heard of a first-paragraph no-indent law in book design and certainly have seen no evidence of it in many, many well-designed books.
My margins are far too small for comfortable reading. I will admit that. I wish I could make them more spacious but to do so would mean a much larger book (which my readers have told me they don't want). You could, of course, make the same critical comment about many editions of the Bible, dictionaries, or other reference works.
If I were to use what I consider a great design for a book, I'd have a 1200-page book (after widening the margins, using more white space elsewhere, increasing the type size to 11-point, and including more illustrations). The problem then would be two-fold: 1) I'd have to raise the price of the book by $10 to $20, and 2) I'd scare off too many readers by having such a big door-stop book. The book, for some potential buyers, is already much too big and intimidating.
Packaging is indeed crucial to a book's sales success. Having written many articles on the importance of book design, I am a strong advocate of improving the packaging of most books. 90% of books could benefit from some design changes. Whenever I can, I advocate book design changes to my clients (if they can afford the changes and are going back to press soon).
My book is not done on the cheap. Its design is not the result of a lack of knowledge or care about the package, but just the reverse. I do care about the packaging, and I know good book design when I see it. But every book is -- or at least should be -- the result of many design decisions and compromises. In this instance, I chose to have a smaller and less intimidating book at the expense of white space, illustrations, and margins.
Amazingly, these choices have not caused my book to be unreadable. Indeed, most people who have written to me have told me that my book is one of the more readable they have ever read. Those comments, of course, do not arise from the book's design. They result from a writing style that comes from the heart and well-earned experience.
Enough said.
Just exactly what we need, another arrogant author. One thing I have learned is that even though I may know more some things than anyone else, there are many things that at least one other person is more qualified than me to discuss the subject. There are so many topics of discussion that it is not such a remote idea that even the foremost expert (to which you seem to compare yourself) could be left out of the book and it still be the definitive book on the subject. No expert is so knowledgeable that he cannot learn from others. To claim that one is, is to declare one’s self to be God.
Number one on your list of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books should be “Be Humble.” Somehow I doubt it made the list. At one point, I considered purchasing your book, but I don’t trust arrogant people.
Most people who know me or have met me would not call me arrogant. But I am passionate. And number one on my list of ways to market your books is to be passionate.
If you don't believe in your book, if you don't believe it's the best (in whatever way you define), then why write the book? Why be second best? Why burden the world with a book that doesn't add something new, something better?
If someone is writing on an important subject and cites some books but not the most important book in the subject, you really should question that book. PhD candidates, lawyers, doctors, etc. are all judged by who they cite. Cite the wrong case, the irrelevant case, they flunk. Why shouldn't book authors be held to that simple standard?
If an author writing about finding a job doesn't cite What Color Is Your Parachute?, where has he or she been the last twenty years? Now, if an author cites no other others, then fine, he doesn't need to cite the best book on the subject. But if he does cite other books, he better show that he really knows the field by citing the most significant books.
If you don't buy my book, that's fine. Check it out of your local library. But do read it if you are interested in doing the best job of marketing your books. Don't sell your book short by settling for a lesser book. That's not arrogance, just truth.
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