Local author is learning the ropes of selling a book in the 21st century
Bill Gay has a simple piece of advice for anyone who thinks they can make a living simply by writing and publishing a book:
“Keep your day job.”
Gay has been learning the ropes as a first-time book author since his “Unseen Body Blows: The ‘Fighting LST 479’ and Its Seven Pacific Campaigns, 1943-1945” was published in April.
Fortunately, for Gay, he wasn’t in it for the money, as “Unseen Body Blows” was a labor of love inspired by his father, Lin “Alex” Gay, who was an officer on the naval vessel LST 479, a tank-landing ship used in World War II.
On Sunday, Gay will be participating in his first book-signing event, at Warwick’s book store in La Jolla, from noon to 2 p.m.
The event marks another step in the journey of trying to create and sell a book in the 21st century. First there’s the writing, which Gay’s case took place over the course of three years. That part hasn’t changed much from the days Shakespeare was writing plays and Cervantes was writing “Don Quixote.” It takes whatever it takes.
Then there’s the matter of being published. Actually, that’s become easier over the past few decades. With advances in computers, software and digital formats, there is a wide range of alternatives to becoming a published book author. Time was, authors were largely at the mercy of the publishing houses. Now many authors are the publishing houses.
That includes Gay, who contracted with FriesenPress, a self-publishing company, to produce his book. “The package I purchased included book design — both cover and inside — copy editing, proofing, copy evaluation, marketing assistance, pricing and distribution, both with Ingram (Wholesale) and on their website,” he said. “The publishing package cost about $4,000. I also had excellent assistance from friends and colleagues who edited and proofread it for me.”
“Unseen Body Blows” is a print-on-demand book, which means copies are printed as they are sold. Such a thing was unheard of even 30 years ago. Advances in printing and desktop publishing technology have changed the mechanics of the business. Many readers don’t even buy physical books anymore, preferring to do their reading online or on devices such as a Kindle. Gay’s book is available in e-versions for Kindle, Nook, iTunes and others, he said.
“And they seem to be doing quite well,” he said.
Getting through the writing and publishing is just the beginning of the modern author’s journey, however. Today, more than ever, a published author has to be sales and marketing savvy to keep the book in the public eye.
“Marketing a self-published book is a marathon, not a sprint,” Gay, whose own day job is that of a partner at Reliance Public Relations in El Centro.
It hasn’t helped that there are no book stores left in Imperial Valley, which takes away a bit of a local author’s home-field advantage. “Like many folks, I miss having a book store in the Valley,” Gay said. “Thanks to Bill Caldwell and Tiffancy Mendoza at Antiques and Auctions in El Centro, they have provided me a sales outlet there. Additionally, the Pioneers Museum will be stocking my book when they reopen this fall.”
Additionally, the distribution package Gay purchased through FriesenPress gives him access to roughly 40,000 retail outlets, including Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
Gay said he is expecting his first royalty check from FriesenPress in August. It will cover April-June sales. He estimates that will represent about 100 copies of the book.
Among the useful marketing channels that Gay said he has found online are Goodreads, Author’s Den and the Military Writers Society of America.
“I am also very proud of the fact my book has been added to the suggested reading list of naval history website called Navsource.org. I have found this website to have the largest, most complete, compilation of photos and histories of U.S. naval vessels. It was an important tool in my research, and I was very gratified they saw fit to add my book to their list of suggested books.”
He’s also been gratified to share the fruits of his research with family members of crewmen who served on LST 479 and provide them information about their loved ones they might not have otherwise known.
“That’s worth the research alone,” Gay said.
There are plenty of reasons to write about book, even if the expectation of getting rich shouldn’t be one of them. “My advice to an aspiring author is to find a topic that truly interests you and take the time to do careful research,” Gay said. “If it is historical nonfiction, my first step was to build a timeline of events in the life of the ship. That really helped organize the book and show where I had factual gaps that I needed to flesh out.” For more information, visit Gay’s website at www.unseenbodyblows. com.