PICTURE BOOK FOCUS Pitch to SALES (Part 6)

 

In Part 6 experienced editor Natascha Biebow shares tips on why a strong pitch matters when selling your book to a publisher and the role of Sales in considering its commercial viability.



If you’re submitting a book for publication at a traditional publishing house you will have heard people say how important it is for you to have honed your pitch and to know and understand the unique premise of your book. But why is this so important and how does this influence whether a book is acquired and ultimately considered commercially successful? 


In this series of blog posts we will look at the different roles in children’s publishing and how your book’s hook is key for each one.



In order to pitch your book in-house the EDITOR must pull together a PROPOSAL to present to colleagues comprised of other key members of the publishing house. 


(Read about the role of the EDITOR in Part 1, the role of FOREIGN RIGHTS SALES in Part 2, the role of PRODUCTION in Part 3 , the role of DESIGN in Part 4 , the role of PUBLICITY in Part 5.)

 


Since publishing is a business, a key consideration when acquiring a book is whether the team can get behind the book in terms of sales. Will it sell? How many copies? And where? Who will buy it?

 


The commissioning editor must onboard the Sales teams (including Foreign Rights as mentioned in Part 2  of this blog series) with a strong pitch.

 


Often this can be tricky, because the vision for the book must encompass something that isn’t yet concrete. The editor may have a manuscript that will be fine-tuned in the various stages of the editing process. 



The design team will have suggested an illustrator approach, but the book hasn’t yet been commissioned so they may only have initial samples. Or, in the case of a project by an author/illustrator, the team might have a working dummy and colour samples, but the book will undergo a lot of development before it hits the shelves. 


 


The editor starts with the manuscript and the pitch: A boy’s quest for a PINK truck to play with challenges gender stereotypes in this humorous rhyming, rhythmical, read-aloud.

Paired with ideas for the illustrator and visual approach from the designer and ideas for how it might fit in the current marketplace and the author/illustrator's track record, the team must carefully consider the commercial viability of the project.

 

The final book PINK TRUCKS by Sam Clarke and Cory Reid, published by Five Quills

 

So, what are key elements for convincing sales and the publisher to put down robust projected sales numbers for the book project?



 

The HOOK! A strong hook will empower the editor to pitch the book in terms of


✓gap in the market


unique selling point


commercial appeal

 



so that Sales teams can envision:


where the book will fit


how it will stand out


what it is like that is currently selling in the market

 


The hook must inspire confidence so that Sales teams can see what the book will look and be like when it’s actually produced, and so they will want to also champion the book at Acquisitions.

 


In Part 5 of this blog series, some questions were highlighted that will also figure into Sales’ consideration of a project, including:

 



target audience – and where people are likely to buy the book: mainstream bookshops, schools & libraries, supermarkets, indies, etc.



the author/illustrator’s online platform and availability to promote the book



themes and hooks on which the Sales team might pin a special bookshop promotion: for example holidays like Christmas, Hannukah, Valentine’s Day or other events, such as Mother’s Day, the Olympics or Earth Day

 


Sales are in constant communication with their customers, the bookshops. These include:

 


• large national chains such as Waterstones, Daunts, Foyles, WHS in the UK and Barnes & Noble in the US
• Independent bookshops

• Library and school suppliers such as Peters and Gardners

• Supermarkets

• Online retailers such as amazon.com, bookshop.org

• special sales outlets such as gift shops, museum shops, amusement venues

 


Will your book be marketed to customers who go to big trade bookshops like Waterstone's on the high street?

Is it a supermarket buy or promotion?


Will it appeal to schools and libraries?


Will local independent booksellers get behind it?

The Sales teams have dedicated ‘reps’ who liaise with these customers daily/weekly to pitch new projects and get feedback on how existing ones are selling through. Sales also look for opportunities to promote authors and their projects with events, conferences and other showcases like roadshows run by their customers.

 


A key consideration is the author or illustrator’s track record:

 


Many publishers use Nielsen BookScan data to monitor sales. They can therefore see how previously published titles have performed if the author or illustrator has already been published;

 

Nielsen BookScan monitors sales from high street and internet book shops, supermarkets, museums, specialist shops and independent bookshops in 12 territories: United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

 

Sales will also consider the general market trend for sales in a particular book category or retailer.

 


In the event that the author or illustrator is a debut, Sales will look at how comparative titles in the same ‘space’ on the retail bookshelf are selling at that time and use this sales data to project sales for the proposed acquisition. It is the Editor’s job to present comp titles to Sales in order to help them visualize the project and its positioning in the competitive marketplace.



For example, comp titles for PINK TRUCKS by Sam Clarke and Cory Reid;

 

The rhythm of PANTS by Giles Andrae and Nick Sharratt and the exuberance of Sandra Boynton's THE GOING TO BED BOOK
 




And for SUNNY SIDE UP by Clare Helen Walsh and Ana Sanfellipo; 
 

JUST LIKE HAPPY by Nicola Edwards and Katie Hickey, THE COLOUR MONSTER by Anna Llenas and THE WORRYSAURUS by Rachel Bright and Chris Chatterton, SUNNY SIDE UP is the ideal book for exploring difficult emotions.




For THE CRAYON MAN: THE TRUE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF CRAYOLA CRAYONS by Natascha Biebow and Steven Salerno;


A perfect fit among favorites like THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT by Drew Daywalt and THE IRRIDESCENCE OF BIRDS by Patricia MacLachlan and Hadley Hooper that explore the joy of colour and nature.




At most larger publishing houses, the editor must compile a profit and loss statement with projected sales figures for the title they are pitching. The projected number of ‘home’, ‘export’ and ‘foreign rights’ sales will show up as ‘income’ versus the costs on the p & l, which include the cost of producing the book as projected by Production, and the cost of editing, designing and marketing & selling the books. The royalties and advance subsequently offered to the author /illustrator will be dependant on the projected sales, which are often an indication a number of factors including how experienced the creators are, their track record, and how commercial the publisher perceives the new project to be.  

Book Profit and Loss Image copyright (c) Natascha Biebow

 
In order to secure projected sales figures from the Sales team, the editor will pitch the project. A strong hook is essential.

 


So, what do you need to consider in terms of your book’s hook when it comes to Sales?

 


•  Let your editor know about competitor titles* that sit alongside your project so they know where the book will sit in the shops. If your book has a specific HOOK audience and promotional possibility be sure to highlight it. 


*author Clare Helen Welsh has an excellent blog on this topic!


 

• If your book is filling a ‘gap’, analyse why this is and make a commercial case for it using statistics or similar market research about trends.

 


Ensure that the GAP you are trying to fill with your HOOK is waiting to be filled with your innovative idea rather than a gap in the shelves that is there for a reason - e.g. there is no market for this type of project.

• If you are previously published, share information about your sales track record (including co-editions) with your editor. If for whatever reason the track record isn’t as positive as you’d like, discuss the reasons for this also. It can include a number of factors that are out of the author’s control, including publication timing, how the book was supported in terms of marketing/publicity and/or competitive publishing.

  


• Let your editor know how you would plan to support the book with your online platform and events in schools, libraries and bookshops so that they can pitch you to Sales alongside your book.

 


Wrap it all up nicely, 


 

and remember the EDITOR is your champion. They will do everything they can to share your vision and onboard SALES. They are on your side!

 

 

*Header image: Ell Rose and Tita Berredo

Other images courtesy of Natascha Biebow

  

 

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Natascha Biebow is an experienced children's book editor, coach and mentor and founder of Blue Elephant Storyshaping


She loves to help authors and illustrators at all levels to shape their stories and fine-tune their work pre-submission. Check out her brand-new comprehensive online Cook Up a Picture Book Course! starting in Jan 2025.


She is the author of the award-winning nonfiction picture book The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons.

 

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Ell Rose is the Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures.
Find their work at https://fourfooteleven.com
Follow them on Instagram and Twitter
Contact them at illustrators@britishscbwi.org



Tita Berredo is the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and the Art Director of Words & Pictures. 
Follow her on Instagram and Twitter or www.titaberredo.com
Contact her atilluscoordinator@britishscbwi.org






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