Over two decades of examining emerging technology and providing lengthy analysis for clients helped Vinnie Mirchandani hone his writing skills. As the president of Deal Architect, a technology advisory firm, Mirchandani travels globally to meet with clients and give talks on business innovation. Between consultations and speaking gigs, he also blogs regularly for both Deal Architect and his own personal site on global technology innovation, New Florence New Renaissance, and contributes to publications such as InformationWeek. He has published five books on technology and innovation—two with John Wiley & Sons, two on his own, and one as a partnership with a German technology company. Wearing his analyst’s hat, Mirchandani is critical of the publishing business, contending that the traditional model doesn’t reflect the realities of today’s marketplace. I talked with him about his books and why he has chosen to self-publish. For some perspective on the business-book arena, I also spoke with Cynthia Zigmund, a literary agent and editorial consultant, and Rob Nissen, a book publicist.

The Author’s Approach
Vinnie Mirchandani is the founder of Deal Architect, through which he helps clients evaluate and negotiate technology contracts and also advises companies on IT risk management, software, and globalization issues. Previously, he worked as a technology-industry analyst with Gartner and as an outsourcing executive with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is the author of five books, most recently SAP Nation 2.0: An Empire in Disarray (2015).

As an author, I’m a later bloomer. I didn’t publish my first book until 2008, but now I have five under my belt. Wiley published my first two, The New Polymath: Profiles in Compound-Technology Innovations (2010) and The New Technology Elite: How Great Companies Optimize Both Technology Consumption and Production (2012). In early 2014 I partnered with the CEO of the German technology company Software AG to copublish The Digital Enterprise: The Moves and Motives of the Digital Leaders. I then self-published my first book about the multinational business-software company SAP, SAP Nation: A Runaway Software Economy, in December of the same year, and its follow-up, SAP Nation 2.0, less than a year later.

As an observer of the business world, I am well aware of the importance of a brand. In part, that’s why I signed on with Wiley. I was also very busy and thought that I wouldn’t have time to do everything on my own. However, dealing with a large publisher turned out to be a big negative. The copy and production editors were not familiar with the topic so their value was limited. For The New Polymath I gave detailed input on what I wanted for the cover design, but the publisher ignored my recommendations and instead used a stock photo. I insisted on revising the design three times without help from the in-house designers. During the negotiations for the second book, the publisher assured me I would have its full support and the process would be much smoother. In some ways the experience was worse. In addition to fighting over the jacket design, the copyedit on The New Technology Elite was awful and I had to insist that obvious errors such as the spelling of Estonia be corrected. With both books, the house’s marketing efforts were minimal. I believe there are many capable first-time business authors whom publishers like Wiley could be helping, but they need to move to a more author-nurturing model.

For SAP Nation, my wife did the initial edit; she is not a technologist but has an eye for readability. I then hired a professional editor and a graphic designer, worked with the company 1106 Design on the formatting, and submitted it to Amazon. From start to finish, I probably spent less than ten thousand dollars for three formats: a hardcover, a paperback, and a Kindle version. It took less than three months—far less time than when I worked with a publisher. Because I blog and have written many articles over the years, I have strong media contacts so I don’t usually hire a publicist. The topic of my book was somewhat controversial so I was able to get specific coverage in technology publications as well as mentions in Forbes and BusinessWeek. I sent advance copies to thirty or forty people who requested review copies. Then, three weeks prior to publication, I sent out another announcement asking the media to opt in and request a review copy.

I’m obviously an advocate for self-publishing, but I would offer several cautions to authors:

• Writing a book is tough enough, but it’s only a fraction of the total effort you’ll need to make.

• Editing, formatting, and other minutiae are important but probably the least enjoyable part of the process.

• Marketing will require a lot of effort. You need to be out there pushing the book. Establish a decent budget so you can get the word out.

• If you’re hiring a publicist, do your research. Find out whether the firm has contacts in your subject area. I hired one for my first book with minimal results. The right publicist for your book doesn’t have to be a book publicist.

• Learn to maximize your own sales channels, even if they are modest. Take advantage of Amazon promotions to vary the price of your book by global location.

In spite of my experience, I would advise first-time authors to consider an offer from a traditional publisher. You have plenty to worry about just finishing your manuscript. I look forward to working with other publishers in the future, having learned quite a bit through the self-publishing process.

An Agent’s Take
Cynthia Zigmund, founder of Second City Publishing Services, has extensive editorial experience in business books. She was publisher at Kaplan Publishing and also worked at Wiley, Irwin (now McGraw-Hill), and Van Nostrand Reinhold. 

Authors need to realize that publishers don’t do everything they did in the past. If you’re not certain whether you should self-publish or sign on with a traditional publisher, reach out to authors and ask about their experiences.

A traditional publisher should provide a developmental edit, copyedit, and design of the interior and cover. If the book needs an index, the publisher will usually have one prepared and charge the cost against the author’s royalties. The publisher handles distribution, both brick-and-mortar and online, and also prepares the files for e-book formats, which can be time consuming. For these reasons, some authors will sign with a traditional publisher even if they are obligated to purchase books and understand they will get minimal, if any, marketing or publicity support. While the prospect of maintaining control and making all the decisions is appealing, you must recognize there’s a lot more to self-publishing than simply printing physical copies of a book.

If you don’t have an extensive platform, it’s probably not worth taking the time to find a publisher because so few editors will take a chance on your book. If you have previously self-published, you need to sell several thousand books within the first year to attract an agent or publisher. If you blog, you need thousands of regular readers. The publisher wants evidence that you’ve developed a following that will translate into book buyers.

The reality is that many authors trying to reach a targeted segment of readers, such as financial advisers or management consultants, can successfully self-publish. If you want to be treated like a professional, your book needs to look as if it were published by a traditional publisher. You can’t simply format a twenty-page document, hire a designer, and say you’re an author. The most successful self-published authors are willing to make an investment of time and money to produce a quality book. You also have to know how to use your network and promote to it.

Mirchandani’s experience with a publisher isn’t uncommon. That’s why it’s the author’s responsibility to communicate publicity and marketing plans long before publication. Ideally, the author and publisher should divide the efforts, but that doesn’t always happen. The author should decide the most effective use of time and budget and get input from the marketing team. One author I worked with put up a billboard. I didn’t even know what to say; it was a waste of money and didn’t boost book sales or his consulting business. Since Mirchandani already had a disappointing experience with Wiley, it was probably unrealistic for him to expect more marketing support for the second book.

If your goal is to be published by a traditional publisher but your platform is still modest, then self-publish and do everything you can to sell lots of copies. Then, when you have a track record of sales or media appearances, you can approach an agent or publisher for your next book.

I believe many authors need to revise their expectations. Remember that many commercially published books are flops. If your self-published book gets you more speaking gigs or several new clients, you should consider your book a success even if you only sell a thousand copies. Did your business increase by 25 percent after you published a book? All publishing is an investment and you must be willing to do it right. (It shouldn’t look like you printed your book at Kinkos.) If you’re self-publishing and it looks professional, readers won’t know the difference.

Too many authors want to short-circuit the self-publishing process. If you’re busy running a business, then you should hire an editor, a copyeditor, a designer, a proofreader, and an indexer so you’re able to produce a quality product. The most successful self-published authors invest time and money, seek advice from experienced insiders, and view the book as an integral part of their business.

A Publicist’s Perspective
Rob Nissen, owner and CEO of Nissen Public Relations, worked in the publicity departments of major publishers including John Wiley and Grand Central Publishing before founding his own company. His work includes pitching to television, radio, and print as well as social media and booking events for authors.

Many people write books as a calling card for their business. They’re often looking for speaking and/or consulting opportunities. Initially, authors should focus on building their brand and their profile. When authors write for inc.com or entrepreneur.com, their brand is getting exposure. Authors need to get more visibility, even before the book is available. Once the book is available, authors can tweet specifically about the book.

Authors should develop a content strategy rather than simply a book strategy. A lot of what I do is create content—bylined articles or excerpts—for online venues. These outlets are not necessarily covering books but they are looking for content. There are more online opportunities because print magazines have shrunk in size and there are fewer book-review sections. Authors always want reviews, but they’re not likely to get them; getting a book mention in a feature piece or being included in a Q&A is the next best thing.

Media attention around the pub date is ideal but timing around book publicity is more complicated. Websites and bloggers are looking for material all the time and authors can comment on something in the news cycle, but arranging for a lengthy profile or feature can take months. Authors should:

• Start building a base on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms at least six months before the publication date and become comfortable posting and sharing their content.

• Determine how to divide the book into small chunks that can be distributed to different outlets, such as finance, personal-finance, and insurance publications.

• Work their connections to get corporate speaking gigs. Start making deals to speak at a reduced fee in exchange for the venue’s purchasing books. If you don’t have speaking experience, you should make a free presentation for a client, or talk at a local networking event or even a library and have the presentation videotaped. This video can then be shown to other venues or used to approach speakers bureaus.

• Pitch local media first. Get experience in smaller markets; you can use the tape to pitch national media. Also, think about the specific audience for your book: If the book is about health care, then pitch health care–industry publications. Focus on the particular market instead of exclusively targeting national outlets.

While authors can handle their own publicity, there are advantages to working with a publicist. Experienced publicists know the top bloggers in a particular category or the most popular sites in the subject area of the book they’re working on. I focus on these outlets as well as the more prominent publications. Publicists need to pitch the author and book in different ways to different publications. For example, Inc., Wired, and Fast Company cover similar subjects but have unique approaches. A publicist helps the author figure out the right pitch so the writers and editors get exactly what they want.

Authors and publicists need to be creative. A national newspaper isn’t likely to be interested in a new corporate-management book, but if you’re an author who can offer insight into developments at Yahoo or Apple, then you can be interviewed as an expert and the book will be mentioned. Authors should be prepared to research talking points, especially for a national show. And they shouldn’t overlook small-circulation outlets since any publicity can only help spread the word about their book. 

Your promotion efforts never really end. You have to continue to look for opportunities to mention your book. You can offer yourself as an expert on ProfNet or contribute to a website. Especially if you plan to write other books in the future, you must constantly put yourself out there so that you’re a go-to source for the media.

Debra W. Englander is a New York–based freelance editor and writer. She managed a business-book program at John Wiley & Sons for nearly seventeen years and previously worked at Money magazine and Book-of-the-Month Club. She has written about business and books for numerous publications, including USA Today, Good Housekeeping, and Publishers Weekly.