C3 Commitment, Consistency, Credibility

Before a publishing company can begin, three critical tenets must be accepted. If you adhere to all three, you will be well on your way to success. Without any one, your publishing efforts will most likely fail. These three critical factors are what I call "C3" — cubed because credibility, which results from merging the attributes of commitment with those of consistency, is significantly more meaningful and important to a publisher than simply being a product of the first two. When a publisher is credible it can do and achieve infinitely more than if it is just consistent in its activities or committed to a goal. Yet without consistency or commitment, credibility is impossible.

Let's look at these tenets individually.

Commitment

Before beginning any publishing venture, you must be committed to seeing it through some very rough times, from start-up through continual daily crises. You must initially be committed to

• funding the enterprise yourself or through loans;

• developing your editorial concept and niche or fulfilling your organizational mission;

• progressing on a regular schedule;

• producing quality products that your target audience wants at a price it can afford;

• marketing your product and getting the word out about it;

• excellent fulfillment and customer service.

Commitment applies to many factors you will face. And many will probably think you should be committed as well!

Consistency

Whether you plan on being a trade, professional, direct response, academic, or religious publisher, whether for profit or not-for -profit, consistency is critical. Each type of publishing runs on a seasonal basis, which you as a publisher must recognize and adhere to if you want to be a successful member of that community. It does no good to try to bring out books at a time when they are not needed or when they are least likely to succeed. This is true whether you are a trade publisher getting books out in time for Christmas or an academic publishing house getting books out in time for the coming school year.

Whatever your market, you must make sure your program runs on a consistent schedule so everyone involved knows what is coming and when it is coming. Your company must acquire books consistently, and they must be produced on a regular schedule that meets the needs of your vendors and your customers. There must be a consistency to the commitment, especially on the part of management, who is responsible for funding the program. Without consistency, chaos results too easily.

Without consistency, chaos results too easily.

Many publishers ask how many books are necessary to ensure their success in the marketplace. They wonder, "Is there a critical mass of books that must be published to ensure their recognition and sale within the market?" The answer to this question is simple. It's not the number of new books you publish that's important, but the quality and consistency with which they are published. That's the key! If your budget limits you to only two books per year, that's fine, as long as you continue to publish at least that number each year. That way your reps, distributors, wholesale buyers, and retail buyers begin to know you — and begin to understand your publishing program. If you can publish two books a year well, and do so on time, providing all the support needed to make each book visible and achieve solid sell-through via your chosen sales channel, then you will, through consistency, become credible.

Credibility

This trait is the result of successfully coalescing the first two factors. Credibility is the necessary ingredient large and small publishers strive for, but it is highly elusive. It can be defined concisely as doing what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it. It implies being honest, open, and just in your dealings with people.

One reason credibility is so elusive in the publishing process is because events always seem to conspire to prevent completing projects on time. You may, if you are under-capitalized (i.e., if you haven't made a great enough financial commitment), be unable to produce your book because the printer wants money up front. You may find your authors don't deliver their manuscripts on time, jeopardizing your entire program. You may well find that your printer puts you on press last, because you are a new account, and a small one at that. You may have an interview or autographing party set up and the author's plane may be delayed. These are only a few of the reasons that your credibility can be hurt, and over which you have little or no control.

It's not the number of new books you publish that's important, but the quality and consistency with which they are published.

Credibility is a fragile trait that is built over time but it is one you ultimately must have to be successful. To be credible, you must focus on commitment and consistency. With these two under your belt, credibility will be achieved.

The Publishing Environment

To see just how interrelated commitment, consistency, and credibility are, you need to understand the publishing environment in which every publisher functions.

Graphically, the progression of any book flows as follows:

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In its simplest definition, the essence of the book publishing process is to create a profit by disseminating information. The idea is to create books that will flow smoothly from the author directly, or for the author through the publisher, through each of a number of intermediary organizations, and ultimately into the hands of the consumer. The flow may be direct or it may get highly circuitous. For instance books may flow:

• directly from the publisher to the consumer via direct response means, including website and Internet sales

• from the publisher to the retailer and then to the consumer

• from the publisher through the distributor, to the wholesaler, to the retail account, and then on to the consumer

There are many other routes as well, and many that are in operation at the same time, including from the author directly to the consumer via the Internet or to and through an online retailer such as Amazon. Each of the...