Selling Books, Editing Books

One of the Internet Writing Workshop's long-time members -- and newest administrators -- Bob Sanchez is the author of When Pigs Fly, a comic novel.

Bob published his novel through iUniverse, a choice that leaves the marketing of his novel in his hands primarily. Recently, he made a post on the IWW's WRITING list about his latest effort to get his work out there.

Last fall, a friend asked me to proofread his novel, and he would pay me a fee. Already familiar with his writing, I knew it would be a lot of work. I quoted him an amount that was more than he was willing to pay, and he reluctantly passed.

Then an idea came to me, and I proposed a deal. I would give his novel a thorough line edit and charge him nothing. He, in turn, would purchase copies of my new novel, When Pigs Fly, as Christmas gifts for friends and family. The quantity he bought would depend on the value he placed on my work, on what he could afford, and the number of people on his Christmas list.

My friend was delighted. He not only got a desperately needed edit but took care of his holiday shopping as well, purchasing 25 copies from Amazon.

Since then, another friend asked me to edit his novel as well (these fellows are both in my local writer's group). At this point he has my edits, and shortly I'll expect him to purchase a quantity of my books. Again, the number is up to him. He'll be on his honor to pay me fairly -- buying just a couple of copies won't cut it -- but on the other hand I won't make a huge issue in the unlikely case he stiffs me.

Anyway, this has me thinking that bartering edits for book sales may not be a bad marketing tool, given that I have the necessary skill set technical editor) and experience. But there may be others on this list with circumstances similar to mine: you have a book published by a small press, you have strong editing skills, and you want to boost your sales. Edits for books may be worth a try.

Whenever someone treks off the beaten path, there's another someone eager to yell, "Hey, watch it!"

The reaction to Bob's post was generally supportive, but mixed. As much as I found Bob's idea novel and innovative, I found his response to the nay-sayers worthwhile.

1. If I needed to make money, I would have to be a blooming idiot to try earning it by peddling my book. I am an optimist, but not a fool. If the stars align properly, I might make back my investment someday. More likely, I will wind up defraying most of my expenses, and that's okay with me.
2. I want people to read my book. I much prefer that they pay me, not because I need grocery money, but because it makes me feel good to know that someone will pay real money for something I created.
3. I've heard that very few self-published books (by which here I mean POD through iUniverse) ever sell 500 or more copies. Call me a dreamer, but that's what I want to do because someone has said I can't.
4. Editing for me is both work and fun. There is a certain pleasure to be had in pointing out the errors in other people's work, you know. It may not swell my wallet, but it swells my head.
5. Every book I sell is the result of hard work anyway, whether it's the result of a reading, a signing, a talk, or an edit. Much of my effort is uncompensated (or poorly compensated) monetarily. When fair pay becomes important, I'll get a job.

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You can find out more about Bob Sanchez -- and When Pigs Fly -- at the link above, or via his blog.