Hello listeners, thank you for joining us today!
We have an amazing guest with us, Emmanuel Nataf, CEO of Reedsy, which is making waves in publishing. It’s a professional publishing services marketplace that lets authors connect with the world's best editors, designers and marketers.
GV: Emmanuel, could you share with us the story behind why you started Reedsy?
EN: It’s been an interesting journey. When I got my first Kindle, I got books and thought that was really cool.
I learned about the industry and saw the way that self publishing is booming. Bowker shows more than 500,000 titles are self published every year, not including ISBN registrations.
Another trend I saw was that the best publishing professionals had left traditional publishing and were working as freelancers. Publishers were looking for a more flexible workforce, and the professionals were available in the market for hire.
So I thought, let’s play with these two trends - where self publishing authors can connect with publishing professionals. So we started Reedsy!
GV: From what you've seen on Reedsy, what are the best ways an author can develop a strong working relationship with their editor?
EN: It’s an interesting question.
I’m not sure you should build a lasting relationship with your editor. We believe you should find the best editor for each individual book you’re working on.
There is an idea that you should work with your editor over a long period of time, however, if you’re starting to work on a different book - especially on a different genre - maybe you should find someone who is experienced in that area.
To help authors find the right editor for their book faster, we recently added profile previews, so you can preview their professional portfolio in a quick glance.
You can make a shortlist of people, and request a quote from them with ideas, messages and offers. You can request a sample edit and see if it’s a good fit. Then, you build a relationship with them from there.
GV: What advice would you give when authors consider hiring a book marketer?
EN: We haven’t added marketers yet, but it’s coming soon. We’ve added publicists though.
In terms of marketing services, we’re adding the best professionals in the industry. The question for authors is most often: which services make the most sense for me and my book?
To solve this, what we did is design the services based on what we did ourselves, for The Fundraising Field Guide. Based on what worked - and didn’t work - we created a three step process.
First, the marketer works with the author on high level strategy. This often includes email marketing, social media, giveaways, promotions, and the overall vision. It’s a high level strategy, and the outcome is a 10-page document with actionable marketing document for the author.
Second is email marketing. Building a proper mailing list is essential for your long-term marketing network. The marketer helps the author come up with their email marketing plan, outreach messaging, and the most important part: conversion optimisation. You need to know what works and what doesn’t work.
Third is advertising, especially paid ads. Recently, Amazon lets authors buy ads to find new readers for their book. Our marketers can help you figure out where you should be advertising, how much you should be spending, and how to optimise your ads for success.
GV: We've seen the self publishing rise, yet traditional publishing remains strong. What has been your experience speaking with authors about choosing to self publish vs working with a publisher?
EN: There’s never been such a wide variety of options for authors. You can go for a traditional publisher who has existed for 200 years, and you can now become an indie author.
I’ve noticed that many indie authors are proud of being indies. They want to be indie, they want to build their career differently.
You have tonnes of players in between those two, who are trying to innovate. For example, there are hybrid publishers who offer a 50/50 split with authors. Some publishers do a crowd-funding campaign before they get published. And you even have some literary agencies setting up their own digital imprints.
As of today, when an authors asks us what they should do, we help them figure out what makes the most sense for their book. The question is: how do you stand out from the crowd? This is also an issue publishers must answer to justify the deals they’re offering authors.
GV: Thank you for joining us Emmanuel! What is the best way for listeners to use Reedsy and contact you?
EN: The easiest way is to signup on Reedsy, add your email address and confirm your email. Then you can start browsing the marketplace, request quotes and receive samples.
There is also a button to ask for help, and you can request a shortlist so the process goes faster for you.
GV: Thank you for listening! If you’re looking for an editor, designer or marketer for your next book, check out Reedsy. It’s a beautifully-designed marketplace, with amazing professionals.
