Readers can find books from major publishers fairly easy. It may be hard to sort through all the available titles, but the books are carried in bookstores.
However, finding books published by the authors or small publishers is more of a challenge. You can’t walk into most bookstores and find independently published books. These books are often sold from the authors’ and publishers’ Web sites and perhaps in a few independent bookstores or specialty shops related to the book’s topic. Amazon.com may carry the books, but discovering a new author or a book you haven’t already heard about isn’t as simple as typing in the name of a bestseller or searching for books by a well-known author.
And if finding self-published and small press books is difficult for the readers, getting their books discovered is even harder for independently published authors.
Jerry Simmons spent 26 years in sales and management in the publishing industry, working with several of the major publishers. After he retired and became a writing consultant, teacher, and speaker, he discovered how much more difficult it is for small press and self-published authors to market their books.
Based on his experience with major publishers and extensive research into publishing outside the world of “New York” publishers, Jerry created Nothing Binding. This new Web site, which will launch this summer, is a community for writers and readers to connect. Instead of just listing basic information about their titles, authors can share their inspirations and tell more about themselves and their books. Readers can choose writers and books by genre, mood, or several other options, and they can communicate directly with authors. The building of relationships and community will over time introduce readers to new authors and increase sales for independently published authors.
Though the site has just recently started signing up writers, the last report from Jerry Simmons indicates there were more than 500 titles listed, and I know more have been added since then. However, the goal is to have 5,000 titles by the July 4th launch date and eventually to have at least 25,000 titles. At that point, I understand the site will become an online bookstore. In the meantime, writers can link each title to a point of sale – the writer’s or publisher’s Web site, Amazon.com, Fictionwise for e-books, or anywhere the book is available online.
If you’re a reader looking for books that are different, especially if you enjoy “meeting” the authors, I encourage you to start visiting Nothing Binding and watch it grow. If you’re an independently published writer, now is the time to list your titles and be on the ground floor. If you’re an unpublished writer with a completed manuscript, you’re welcome too.
And if you’re a blogger – as I know many of my readers are – you’re an independently published author, and Nothing Binding is open to you to promote your blog.
Jerry Simmons is upfront that it will take time to build the site to the point writers can expect to make significant sales. But I’m enthusiastic about the future, and I’ve joined and listed my novel Stroke of Luck and this blog. I’ve encouraged my clients to sign up as well.
[tags]Nothing Binding, books, independent publishing, Jerry Simmons[/tags]