Pick a Title, Any Title

Blogs can bump up sales
Armato says books that have pre-existing blogs related to the book’s subject can help ensure more sales and will be getting more of his attention. “We had a book on breast cancer, and the related blogs raised the purchase of the book substantially,” he says. “It causes us to pay more attention to whether there’s a strong grass-roots set-up in the fields we want to publish in.”

Another thing to consider is whether your author would be willing to keep up a blog related to the book, even if it’s just checking in from different legs of the book tour.

Get graphic
Sometimes it’s not just about the book offering a different perspective on a topic, but about looking at a completely different type of books.

For example, Terry Nantier, president of NBM—which published Ted Rall’s “Silk Road To Ruin” and whose award-winning books have consistently required multiple printings and generated much publicity—says that publishers could do well
to invest in graphic novels, if they appreciate the nuances of the genre.

“The visual is such a large component for us, so we’re looking for good-quality of art and an understanding of the use of pictures in telling a story. It’s about continuity and setting out the pages the right way,” he says.

Not convinced of this burgeoning niche? The film “300” took in millions at the box office, one of the most
successful films of the last few years. It was based on a graphic novel written and illustrated by legendary artist Frank Miller. Oscar-nominated “A History of Violence” also came from a graphic novel. Regardless, that doesn’t mean just any story will do. The same strategy of selecting unique books applies.

“Even though it’s comics,” says Nantier, “it needs to often be more sophisticated in style or tone, and more deeply involving than your average superhero comic. A lot of general publishers are just throwing themselves into this field because so many [other] things are flat right now. You need to understand the specific skill set that has nothing to do with regular prose books … or bring someone in who does.”