A friend of mine sent me an article titled, “10 Awful Truths about Book Publishing” by Steven Piersanti. He suggested I might find it interesting since I was in the midst of marketing my own book, A Broken Tree: How DNA Exposed a Family’s Secrets. This article was written in 2016 so the data is a few years old. However, given the nature of changes in the publishing world, I expect these statistics are still even more valid than ever. The article is enlightening and a must read for any author who is seriously thinking of becoming a published author.
Some of the statistics Piersanti shares include the following:

• The number of NEW books published each year in the U.S. has exploded to well over 1 million annually since 2007. At the same time, more than 13 million previously published books are still available through many sources. The marketplace is hugely over-saturated.
•  The U.S. publishing industry sales peaked in 2007 according to reports of the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Despite a 2.5% increase in 2015, U.S. bookstore sales are down 37% from their peak in 2007, according to the Census Bureau (Publishers Weekly, February 26, 2016). 
• The average U.S. nonfiction book is now selling less than 250 copies per year and less than 2,000 copies over its lifetime.
• For every available bookstore shelf space, there are 100 to 1,000 or more titles competing for that shelf space.
• People are reading only books that their communities make important or even mandatory to read. There is no general audience for most nonfiction books, and chasing after such a mirage is usually far less effective than connecting with one’s communities.
• Publishers stay afloat in this worsening marketplace only by shifting more and more marketing responsibility to authors. Publishers still fulfill important roles in helping craft books to succeed and making books available in sales channels, but whether the books move in those channels depends primarily on the authors.
• There is constant turmoil in book selling and publishing (such as the disappearance over the past decade of over 500 independent bookstores and the Borders bookstore chain). Translation: expect even more changes and challenges in coming months and years.

     What does all of this mean to established and new authors? It means that your #1 challenge will be to create a powerful, effective author’s platform, including a robust social media presence where readers can learn more about who you are and what you have to offer. To ignore this reality is to ensure the demise of your career as a successful author.
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     I was recently invited to speak a local book club about my experience writing my book The Broken Tree: How DNA Exposed a Family’s Secrets. It’s one of 3 invitations I’ve received so far to come speak to book clubs in the valley. Apparently, word has spread and it seems to be the “choice of the month” for several clubs.
     I have to admit that I totally enjoyed doing a book club gig. Instead of standing in front of large groups as I have when speaking at several family history conferences, in the book club venue, you are seated right in among your audience. It’s so much more intimate and engaging.
     The club that I spoke with last week was made up of about 15 moms who get together once a month at 9pm. I asked them why the late start. The answer was obvious after they told me. By the time they get their families fed, help the kids with their homework and finally get everyone to bed, it’s getting late. By 9pm they are free to meet at someone’s home and discuss the book they read the previous month.
     When I arrived, they were all waiting for me. Everyone one of them had a smile on their face. I knew I was going to like this group. There was little in the way of introductions. It seems the ladies were more than ready to pepper me with questions. The conversations went on and on through the evening. It was wonderful. We laughed, we shared stories and we even had a few emotional moments.
     When things finally settled down we all realized that it was already 11:30pm. Where did the past 2 hours go? It honestly felt like we were there for no more than 45 minutes. In almost every case, speaking at a ladies book club is an amazing and delightful experience. By the time I leave I feel like I’m leaving a bunch of friends that I’ve known for years. With this last book club, as one of the ladies was leaving, she quietly mentioned to me that her husband found out that he was not his father’s son as his dad was baptizing him. The boy was only 8 years old at the time. His dad was baptizing him using his birth father’s last name, not the name he knew all his life. She said that it really traumatized the poor little guy. Can you believe that! It’s amazing to see what stories people are willing to share with you when they find out you have something in common with them. Amazing!