This is the Transcript of the #WeddingMarket Chat on June 27th, 2012 with Sharon Naylor. The answers were made on Twitter so responses will appear different.

This Transcript was sponsored by WeddingMarketingOnline.com

Sharon Naylor is the bestselling author of over 35 wedding books for brides, bridesmaids and the mothers of the bride and groom. Her titles have spent time in the #1 book, e-book and wishlist spots on Amazon and BN.com for their categories, and Publisher’s Weekly named three of her books among the best of the best. She is often excerpted on many of Bride Tide’s Top 100 Wedding Blogs, and she has been featured in the top bridal and honeymoon travel media.

In Magazines
Sharon has been featured in the top bridal magazines, includingBridal Guide, Brides, Southern Bride, WeddingBells, Get Married, New York Weddings, New Jersey Bride, VOWS Magazine, I Do for Brides,Destination I Do and many more. She has also appeared inRedbook, Ladies Home Journal, Self, Health, Shape, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, and many others.

 

Learn more about Sharon Naylor at http://www.sharonnaylor.net

 

Join Our Wedding Market Chats For Wedding Professionals Every Wednesday at 10:00PST, 1:00EST, and 6:00GMT (UK time) with the #WeddingMarketChat Hashmark On Twitter. Learn something new to help your business grow every week. The chats are hosted by Wedding Market editor Julie Albaugh (@juliealbaugh).

Q1: @SharonNaylorWed How did you get involved with the wedding industry ?

AQ1: I started writing articles at age 16, had too much material for an article, made it my first book! I wrote to several agents, a wonderful one took me on, and told me to stick with the one topic, be a specialist. My first book was on the topic of budget wedding planning, and it’s in its 3rd edition…still going!

Q2: @SharonNaylorWed How many wedding books have you written so far?

AQ2: I’m on my 37th book so far! I’ve written books for brides, bridesmaids, the moms, grooms, on vow renewals & more. This industry keeps evolving, which gives us all more to write about every year.

Q3: @SharonNaylorWed Which of your books are you most proud of?

AQ3: I’m proud of all of them, but my books for the moms of brides and grooms have been extra special. I get the greatest number of thank-you notes from the moms, who appreciate the tips they found. It’s immensely rewarding to know that someone found something in my book that created a big family MOMENT. So when you write a book for brides, you’re helping everyone around them.

 

 

Q4: @SharonNaylorWed In this era of blogs and bridal sites, why are wedding books so popular?

AQ4: Brides LOVE to go to the bookstore and grab up those gorgeous full-color wedding books & tip books. Blogs are terrific and inspiring, and books are as well. Books just provide a different format for tips, features & more. Plus, books become KEEPSAKES that brides store with their leftover invitations, binder…they love to look back on them.

Q5: @SharonNaylorWed How many wedding books do brides buy?

AQ5: Brides usually buy 5-7 books; a few of the big, photo-filled inspiration books and tips books. Important: guests buy wedding books to give with those inexpensive bridal shower gift items. And vendors buy wedding books to give away as prizes, so mention that in your book proposal. Wedding industry novices buy books, so they can learn all about their craft and the related categories.

 

Q6: @SharonNaylorWed Are publishers looking for new wedding books now?

AQ6: Yes, I was just at the publishing conference Book Expo and publishers are definitely asking for new wedding books.

 

Q7: @SharonNaylorWed Which kinds of topics are in-demand?

AQ7: Publishers are looking for fresh material on budget weddings, DIY, personalizing and especially photography. For photo-oriented books, make sure you have an instructional angle, not just ‘here’s my work.’ Publishers like crafty books right now, since craft stores are huge buying channels. Important: editors are always looking if a topic is an article, a chapter in a book, or a book. Be sure your topic can fill a book. And gift books count! Short topics can be hot-selling gift books!

 

Follow Up Question: Doesn’t featuring DIY hurt those of us who are planners?

AQ7A: Always emphasize that DIY can be the LITTLE things. You’ll kill your book’s chances of success by ever hinting that you can cut out the vendors. Vendors are key .

Q8: @SharonNaylorWed How much money can you make from publishing a wedding book?

AQ8: The amount of money you make from a book varies. A big pub house may pay $4K to $20K depending on topic – just averages. $$: It’s always going to depend on what the publishing house has spent on other authors, how they assess your brand. And publishers like to see lots of Twitter and Facebook followers, so you have a reach. After you get an advance, books sell to earn it back, and then you get royalties for each book sold. Royalties can be great…paying you for years. And some books don’t sell well, delivering no royalties.

If you self-publish, you can start making money right away…no big chunk up front, but no waiting 6 months+. Before self publishing, you might want to read a little on the self publishing vs traditional publishing debate to make sure that self publishing is the right route for you. Your marketing efforts will sell books, and my agent said to get your Twitter ?#s? up to 10K+ followers to impress ?

Q9: @SharonNaylorWed What does ‘being an author’ do for your brand?

AQ9: Being an author just boosts your brand, can get you booked on TV, quoted in magazines, on panels. Brides get impressed, and it’s also a self-confidence thing for you. You made your dream of being an author come true.

Q10: @SharonNaylorWed How do you land an agent?

AQ10: A great agent is essential! They lunch with editors, and — important — they review contracts to get you good $/rights . If a pub house is slow to pay, the agent goes after them.

You could look online for agents who take wedding topics, or I may be able to connect you.

I consult on book proposals, and bring them to my agents and editors. A great agent knows which houses are buying what, & which small houses are starting wedding book lists. I’ve had great fun at small publishing houses, pitching one book and getting 5 assignments! Agents get 20,000 or more submissions per month, so you have to stand out.

 

Q11: @SharonNaylorWed How do you promote your book after it’s done? ?

AQ11: BEFORE the book is done, publishers send out pdfs to bridal magazines and reviewers.

They send out early so reviews can get in magazines in time for the book’s launch. Publishers will reach out to your contacts and to their lists, including TV producers and others ?. You’ll get a few months of hot attention, and then you keep going, always promoting. Chats are a great part of book promotion…it gets you quickfire opinions and you get to interact, plus RTs. Contests are also hot to promote your book. Friendly bloggers will be happy to feature your book as a prize. I like to post free chapters on my blog. Gets a ton of Twitter traffic.

 

Q12: @sharonnaylorwed Some of us are not great writers. How do you help with the writing process?

AQ12: If you need help w/ writing, a ghost writer, or a consultant like me. Writing the book proposal is hugely important. A good editor will go through and help you with transitions, or take your brainstorm and write it out fully. Many creatives are great with the expertise of their industry, but not confident w/their writing. And one thing to keep in mind is that people will post bad reviews on Amazon if they see a typo in a book. So you need a good writer on your side. Don’t count on the publisher’s copyeditor to catch everything. A book might be 80,000 words — easy to miss some.

 

Q13: @SharonNaylorWed What would you like the ?#WeddingMarket ?to take away from this ?#WeddingMarketChat? ?

AQ13: I’d love for everyone to know that they CAN be authors, the market is open, brides want books!

 

#WeddingMarketChat Question: Whats the 1st step to take when you want to write a book? ?

Tweet Answer: I make the time to write…I wake up at 5am, make my to-do list, print out templates I’ll work on & just hit it. When you love what you do, it’s not work. The first step to take when you want to write a book is brainstorming. Just write down everything you can think of. Brainstorming 1st step: don’t censor yourself, and you’ll find that in the middle of your notes is that gem. You’d laugh if you saw some of my brainstorming pages… What’s leftover from your brainstorming can become blog posts. Recycling! Bloggers can go to publishers to see if they can have their posts turned into a book. BUT a publisher will want there to be FRESH material in that collection as well. Go for 1/3 blog posts and 2/3 fresh.

#WeddingMarketChat Question: Where do you get photos/images for your books?

Tweet Answer: Photos for your book: if you have great hi-rez images, publishers LOVE that.

But be aware that some traditional publishers have specific styles of photos for their book series… ..they may give you a budget to have it re-shot or have their pro shoot it. Books with full-color photos cost more for the publisher to print, so they’re picky about them.

BUT publishers know that brides love books with full-color photos! So they’re always looking for fresh takes. And yes, there are self- and e-publishers who let you print books with full-color photos.

 

#WeddingMarketChat Question: What do you recommend to wedding pros who are asked to ‘contribute’ to a book for no pay?

Tweet Answer: …if you’re being asked to write a chapter for no pay, for ‘exposure,’ turn it down. Ripoff city. If it’s a quote with your website, that’s a good credit.

#WeddingMarketChat Question: How do you recommend pitching a book idea w/out giving to much of idea away?

Tweet Answer: You have to be fearless on that…you need to show the gem of your idea as a whole, prove it’s a book not an article……and don’t worry about them stealing.

Important: editors are always looking if a topic is an article, a chapter in a book, or a book. Be sure your topic can fill a book. And gift books count! Short topics can be hot-selling gift books! A book proposal has concept, outline, your credits, market & competitive titles (a detailed look)

 

#WeddingMarketChat Question: How do you come up with good book titles?

Tweet Answer: You can suggest a title AND A SUBTITLE, but expect agent/editor to change it. Like websites, book titles now have to SEO-charge. Publisher advises on book title, and you HAVE to make sure you’re heard so you don’t get a bad title. If you’re self-publishing, check to see if your title is trademarked first, so you don;t get sued. Publishers will also design the cover, which is reallly important. A bad cover will kill sales. If you dislike the cover, speak up. You do get a say, and this is your BABY. Agent can help you fight.

 

#WeddingMarketChat Question: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you wrote your first book?
Tweet Answer: You have to be assertive. No one knows your book better than you, so if an editor wants to cut out something you believe in, you get to overrule. Friendly assertiveness is just fine in publishing, and you’ll have a better book, more self confidence. Publishers LIKE to deal with experts who believe in their work.

 

#WeddingMarketChat Question: At any time should we seek legal advice?

Tweet Answer: A literary agency has legal reps who will work on your behalf, for free. If you’ll self-publish, check out writer’s associations for legal resources. Always want a ‘publishing attorney’ to look over your contracts.
#WeddingMarketChat Question: What is a book proposal?

Tweet Answer: A book proposal has concept, outline, your credits, market & competitive titles (a detailed look).