Pen Press believes books are there to be read. Therefore it is not enough just to give our authors a good-looking book; our ultimate aim is to find its audience and sell it in as large a quantity as possible. Experience has taught us that selling books takes effort, optimism and diplomacy; this is because we are at the mercy of bookshop managers and large chains, with their penchant for big names, limited shelf space and demands for large discounts (usually 45-55%). However, since booksales are in our joint interests, it is a vital part of our service.

As soon as your book is published, it will be accessible to the British public. We undertake all legal registrations, as well as registering it with NIELSEN and BOWKER book data listings - and these are the databases that bookstores download their files from.

Marketing Seminar
We run regular training courses to help self-publishing authors on “How to sell your book”. We will automatically invite you onto this course once we have a date for receipt of printed copies of your book, and this event kicks off the Launch Phase. Those unable to attend will receive a free copy of our acclaimed book ‘What Do I Have to do to SELL a Book! by Jo Anthony (rrp £12.99) packed with advice, ideas, tips and guidelines for authors who wish to maximize their chances of publishing success

Launch marketing
As a result of the Seminar, you will have the outline of a Marketing Plan and Press Release, and we welcome you to visit us to finalise the planning on a one to one basis to tailor it to your specific needs. We work with you to launch the book and start the process of creating awareness of your book:

Local events & media
Local newspapers & radio are often interested in local individuals achieving their ambitions – such as releasing their first book - and bookstores in the region are often willing to hold book-signing sessions for local authors, or perhaps arrange a display of author-signed copies for sale. Our marketing team will implement the local marketing campaign, ensuring your book event has every opportunity of being promoted by way of author interview or book review, in the local press and magazines.

Publicity Material
We can arrange publicity material on your behalf, charging only a small increment for design time and cost of production, which we don’t mark up. We have a range of local suppliers who can produce posters, flyers, postcards, display jackets and order forms for these events. These are all produced to a very high standard to reflect the quality of your book.

Ongoing marketing
Self-publishing enjoys the luxury of being able to exploit the long window of opportunity, whereas mainstream-published authors experience a One Shot, One Season selling period – and one season means 3 months! Inadequate sales result in an early demise of a title onto the De-listed database.Experience has taught us that selling books requires effort, optimism and determination. Writing and producing the book is only the halfway point; the most successful authors are also the authors who embrace self-promotion and pursue all marketing opportunities. Our Marketing Seminar and book not only ensures you are well versed in what we can do to help you but also how you can best help yourself both at launch and onwards. Your book remains in print, in stock and on databases for as long as there is demand, and we will always remain enthusiastic to hear and build on any ideas you have.

National launch
Our recommendation is to follow the Local Launch programme to assess market response, and use this to inform the potential for a National Launch.

National Media Coverage
Whipping up interest at a local level can potentially lead onto national coverage. Pen Press will respond quickly to any opportunities to bring your book to the attention of national newspapers. Reviews in the national media are much desired but are notoriously difficult to get. We are therefore proud to boast of our success with features in media including the Sunday Express, the Observer, the Daily Mail the Mail on Sunday, the Daily Telegraph, Choice, My Weekly and Best of British magazines, plus BBC Radio, and a Richard & Judy TV interview. Pen Press will submit books to the national newspaper literary editors, but with a very specific approach which is based on previous successes, and it is designed to avoid sending out loads of books that sit in a forgotten pile. We are also able to offer an Advanced Marketing Programme or recommend professional independent PR consultants, which is charged additionally and independently, but this is a big time and cost investment and would only be recommended judiciously.

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS
Pen Press are proud to demonstrate success in sales of rights. We work with associated businesses in this field: Skylight Communications, Indepublishing CIA, and US company Books Crossing Borders NY.

TV, Film and Dramatisation Rights
Pen Press offers these associates a first-look option on materials published under our imprint for exploitation within the industry. This includes radio broadcasting, television (free and pay-for), theatre, personal appearances and motion picture.

Within a few short weeks of working with Skylight, they held negotiations on our behalf with LWT (London Weekend Television) and the independent drama producers, Taylor Made Films. Meanwhile, Sheila Geddes’ WWII novel, A Strange Alchemy, was optioned for a TV mini series, and Colin Campbell’s police thriller, Through the Ruins of Midnight was similarly optioned recently.

Due to our links with Indepublishing CIA, Myra Lyng’s teenage adventure fantasy books, Alice and the Witches of Babizar and Alice and the Ofira Charms, are currently with Universal Pictures, having been selected at the London Book Fair. Our ‘beach must read of the year’ (Mail on Sunday You Magazine) Bastards Leave Suckers Who Love Too Much is under similar scrutiny having secured national stock with Borders and Books Etc including airport shops. Launching at the 2007 London Book Fair, C.E. Truman’s The Bone Cradle has attracted the attention of 20th Century Fox, and the pre-release trade publicity in Publishers’ News and The Bookseller of
J.H. Lewis’ The Magic Lantern of Kimbustan has secured interest from scouts worldwide, and advance orders excessing 5,000 from major retailers.

Large Print and Audio Rights
Ahead of paperback release with Pen Press, popular author Claire Lorrimer’s 80th book, You Never Know is with BBC books for large print and audio release.