Welcome to the 21st Century
Publishing Update newsletter. Published about twice a month it is
your source for news and trends in the changing publishing world.
Issue 08 (5 September 2001)
In This Issue:
-JD Writes
-New This Week
-Print On-Demand - what to expect from a POD
company
-Promoting Your
Book Online
- Author's Q & A
- News & Updates
- Resources
-New Last Time (in case you missed it)
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JD WRITES
Hi,
This week I have been bursting with creativity and
have got loads of writing done - I hope you've been bitten by the
same writing bug.
I have a question about this newsletter and I'd love
to hear your responses. Currently I send out short blurbs about the
articles and then link to the individual articles at the site. I know
that some newsletters include the full-text of the article, even though
it makes the newsletter really lo-ong. Which do you prefer? Would you
like me to change or do you like to scan the newsletter and read the
articles online?
Don't forget, if you have any questions, feel free to
get in touch.
Best wishes (and keep writing!),
Julie
NEW THIS WEEK
ARTICLES
What To Expect From Your POD Company
by Julie Duffy
I should really have called this article 'It Depends',
because Print On-Demand (the technology and its application to business)
is so new that there are not yet any conventions. There is no one right
way to do things. Each POD company has a very different business model
and idea of its place in the publishing industry. So bear with me, as I
give three different answers to every possible question!
One of the main differences between the companies is
ideology. Some consider themselves merely a service that helps you with
the technical aspects of self-publishing - like a book packager. They
are simply a service that you hire, as you self-publish your book, much
as you might hire a designer, an editor and a promoter. Others consider
themselves full publishers, simply using a new technology. Most of the
others fall somewhere in between. Each of these ideologies informs what
services the companies offer, what rights they take and what they can do
for you. I have referred to these types of companies as 'publishing
services'.
If they take rights they are a publisher (you'll find
more about rights in the next article, 'What's in a Publishing
Agreement?'). If they are a publisher they should offer all the services
a publisher offers: editorial development and editing; funding the full
cost of publication; promotion and marketing; marketing any sub rights
they take. I have referred to this type of company as 'POD publishers'.
ADVANCES
An advance is the amount of money your publisher
thinks you will make during the first print-run or the first few months
of your book's availability. You are paid the advance up-front, but it
is just that: an advance against future projected earnings. You do not
start earning royalties until your sales surpass this projected number.
It is unlikely that any company offering POD services
will offer you an advance. Publishing Services are allowing you to
self-publish, so they would not give advances. A publisher using POD to
keep costs down, is unlikely to have the spare cash for advances.
However, you should start earning royalties (or earnings) as soon as
your book starts to sell. If you had received an advance, you would not
start earning royalties until you had 'earned out' your advance.
EDITORIAL
SELECTION
Companies operating as publishers and simply using POD
technology to make it cost-effective, (POD publishers) will decide
whether or not to publish a book based on its content. Some author like
this model, because they feel that the reader can then trust the imprint
to turn out quality (or at least readable) books.
Other companies, those that work more as book
packagers or publishing services, will publish almost anything. Their
reasoning is that they are allowing you to self-publish and therefore
you should be allowed to publish your book exactly as you want it to be.
In these cases you should contract with an editor before you send the
book to be printed.
EDITING/PROOFING
Publishers will probably work with you to edit or at
least proof the book. Publishing services, will not. They may offer
editorial services for a fee, or they may provide links to editors, but
the responsibility still lies with you, the author/self-publisher. There
is an advantage in this. If someone else was publishing your book, you
would have to work with the editor they chose, even if you did not feel
they were sympathetic to your work. When you are self-publishing, you
hire the editor and therefore, you are more likely to end up with
someone you like.
If the POD company does provide links to editors, or
copy-editors, find out whether these are links to people they have
tested and approved, or if they are just random links, pulled from a
database somewhere.
When contracting with an editor independently, try to
find out what professional organizations they are a part of; if they
routinely work on books; and get some references from previous clients.
FORMATTING
(creating the interior layout)
Some companies format your manuscript for you, some
don't and this can be both good and bad!
If you have a specific look in mind for your book, you
probably want to format it yourself or contract with a graphic designer
who can prepare the book you want it. If you do not have the skills to
do a professional job yourself (and few people do), and if you do not
have the money to hire a graphic artist (think $$ thousands) you should
look for a company that will do more than simply convert your
word-processor file into a format the printer can read.
Companies that offer to create your layout usually
charge more than companies that simply convert your file - and rightly
so. Even with a template-based system, it takes the companies one
skilled worker and a minimum of an hour to create a layout. If they
simply convert your layout, it takes about five minutes and a nodding
chicken -- to peck the button.
Don't be fooled into thinking that you can create a
professional book layout because you managed to type your manuscript
into the computer without losing it too often. Unless you are a
professional graphic artist, or a serious hobbyist, consider having a
professional create your layout.
COVER DESIGN
As with formatting, some
companies will create a cover for you. Some will allow you to choose
from templates and supply a photo or drawing for the front. Others will
dictate the cover in-house. Still others may allow you to supply a
completed digital cover file, yourself. Again, if you do not have
experience preparing graphics for professional printing, you should
consult a professional designer who does have this experience (and not
all designers do). The company can probably supply you with detailed
specifications that the cover design must meet.
The POD company will probably create the bar-code
artwork too, and drop it into your cover design.
ISBN
The POD company will probably assign an ISBN
(International Standard Book Number) from their stock of numbers. Since
the POD company is acting as your fulfillment agent it is easier if
people see their ISBN and contact them with orders. (Bookstores use the
ISBN to locate the book in databases such as Books In
Print. The first few numbers of the ISBN are associated with the
publisher).
Some POD companies allow you to get and assign your
own ISBNs. In these cases you can end up taking orders from bookstores
and readers yourself, and passing them on to the POD company. To
minimize this, you can designate the POD company as your exclusive
distributor, on the form that is sent to the Books In
Print database. Then, bookstores will know to
contact the POD company. Some companies may accommodate this. Others,
for ease of record-keeping, may not.
BARCODE
If you want your books in bookstores, your POD company
should incorporate a Bookland/EAN barcode on the back of the book. This
barcode should have the ISBN printed above it, in
machine-readable type. The POD company has probably invested in a piece
of software to generate barcodes, so you should not have to generate the
bar-code yourself. Even if you are assigning your own ISBN, the POD
company can generate the bar-code. Since this is digital printing, you
do not have to buy film representations of your barcode, as you would
have had to with traditional printing.
ROYALTIES/EARNINGS
Each company offers different amounts to you as the
author/publisher, when a book is sold. The percentages range from single
digits up to 35% of the net or gross price. Net price is the amount the
company actually receives after deducting the cost of production and any
discounts. Percentages factored on 'gross',
'retail', or 'list' price, are a simple percentage of the cover price of
the book. These are the simplest to work out, because you always know
what the cover price is.
When you look at the small amount that you end up
earning, don't jump to the conclusion that the POD company is being
unnecessarily greedy. Remember that the cost of the book and any
applicable discounts (such as wholesaler and bookstore discounts)
are being deducted from the retail price. Of course, if the number looks
really small (under 10%) then you should start thinking hard about
whether the company deserves such a big cut (if they are a POD
publisher, putting a lot of work into the book, they may).
Also remember that typical royalties in traditional
publishing are around 6-10%, AFTER you have earned out your advance
(which most books don't).
ORDER TAKING
The POD company should have a toll-free number to
allow customers to call and order your book directly. It is unlikely
that the number is staffed around the clock, since most POD companies
are relatively small, as yet.
The company should also make it easy for your
customers to order on or off-line. They should supply a mailing address
that orders and checks can be sent to and they should provide some way
for your book to be ordered on the Internet. Most companies supply a
page for your book in their own online bookstore. Many also list your
book with the major online booksellers, such as Amazon.com. If they are
listing the book with the online booksellers, ask whether or not they
will supply supplementary materials, such as cover art, excerpts,
descriptions and author bio, or if you will have to take care of these
things yourself.
LISTING WITH INDUSTRY DATABASES
If your book is to be ordered in bookstores, it will
need to be listed in the industry's standard database: Books In Print.
This is a list of all books that are currently in print, along with
their ISBN, publisher name and a contact point for
orders. If your company assigns ISBNs it should list
the books with this database. It may also list the book with wholesalers
such as Lightning Source and Baker & Taylor, making it even easier
for book stores to order. If you supply your own ISBN,
you may find that these listings become your responsibility.
Some POD companies simply make books available
directly from the company. While this means the company and the author
make greater profits, it severely limits the availability of the book.
PROMOTION AND MARKETING
If the POD company is publishing your book, worked on
it editorially, and takes some rights, you should
expect them to do some promotion and marketing. You should still be
prepared to do a lot of promotion and marketing yourself. Few authors,
even those at big publishing houses, get the kind of attention they
would like - unless they are in the Stephen King league.
If you are self-publishing, no matter what services
your publishing service says it provides, you are still responsible for
all marketing and promotion. They company may offer to send out 200
press releases about your book, or send you 500 postcards imprinted with
the cover art, but this does not replace a true promotional campaign. A
company that is publishing books for hundreds of authors every year, on
the kind of business model most POD companies use, simply cannot devote
time to promoting every copy. Yes, the company makes money on every sale
and so it seems to make sense that they would want to promote your book,
but in reality they cannot invest in promoting every book that comes to
them.
You should think of anything that the company does as
a bonus, but not very important. No one else will ever be able to talk
about your book with the passion and knowledge that you will.
Having said that, you may want to consider hiring a
book publicist to help you promote your book - if you know you are too
close to your book to talk objectively about it.
BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTS
The standard discount in the industry is 40%. This is
practical for mass-produced books that achieve a low unit cost. It is
less practical for the relatively expensive per-unit POD book. Some POD
companies may not offer the full 40% discount on their books -
especially if they offer hardback books, which are more expensive still
to produce.
RETURNS
Bookstores expect to be able to return books at any
time, in any condition, for any (or no) reason. Because POD books are
printed, well, on demand, most POD companies do not expect returns. This
may cause some resistance on the part of the bookstore.
PAYMENT TERMS
Bookstores customarily buy books on consignment,
meaning they only send payment to the publisher when and if the book
sells. Otherwise, they can hang on to them forever or return them. POD
companies, like some smaller publishers, may require pre-payment,
payment in 30 days, or other payment terms. While not completely
unusual, this may cause some bookstores to resist ordering.
SUMMARY
In most cases you should not expect your POD company
to act like a publisher. Most do not look at the content and simply
allow you to self-publish your book through them. You should expect to
take part in some of the pre-publication preparation of your book and
all of the post-publication work --apart from actually fulfilling
orders. You are promoter, marketer and sales rep, as well as author and,
of course, publisher.
In
this article I have attempted to cover a lot of ground, quickly, and
have not tried to give all the answers thoroughly. If I have raised
questions and you want a more thorough answer, email me at jd@jdwrite.com
and I’ll be happy to clarify, expand on any point in this article, or
address new questions.
back
to top
ARTICLE
Promoting Your Book in Online Groups
by Julie Duffy
Promoting
your book online is possibly the most cost-effective way to spread the
word, but how do you actually do it? Well, as with other forms of
promotion the first two questions you must ask are
Newsgroups, message boards, email
lists – all are great places to promote your book. Each of these
lists, boards or groups, is targeted at people who have identified
themselves as being interested in a particular topic – a marketer’s
dream come true. All you have to do is figure out what topics are
covered in your book, and then go looking for online communities focused
on those topics.
You can search through indices of
newsgroups or email lists for groups that target your subject matter.
This is as true for fiction as non-fiction – with a little creative
thinking. You can find newsgroups through your ISP, or through online
news group archives like Google
Groups. You can find email lists at sites in your subject area or
through list hosts like Yahoo Groups,
Topica and others
These groups are great ways to
become part of an online community. And that is the key to promoting
online: become part of an online community. This is also the area most
fraught with peril for a newcomer. Newbies are likely to make the
mistake of advertising directly to these groups, not understanding that
they are places for people to gather, not be bombarded with commercials.
In the early days of the ‘Net
users were very strict about its non-commercial nature. Any commercials
were strongly resisted. Obviously this appealed to the majority of
people online today because the rules still hold.
In online groups, the modus
operandi is to become part of the community; use your expertise to
answer questions; develop friendships and build a reputation as someone
with useful information to impart. Once you have established yourself
people may be moved to buy the book you mention in the signature file of
every message (you do have a signature file mentioning your book, on
every message, don’t you?)
Technical Tips
- Many
groups have policies posted online or post them to the group
periodically. Read and obey.
- When
posting or replying to a post, ensure that the subject line is
relevant and not something like Re: Email List Digest Jan 25. Having
a proper subject line makes it easier for other people on the list
to scan and read the messages they are interested in. If your
subject line is blank or irrelevant, people may dismiss your post
without reading it.
- It
is acceptable to include the text of the message you are replying
to, so that people can follow the thread of the discussion. If you
do this, however, cut out everything except the relevant parts of
the original post. Cut the ‘hi there’ and the signature files
and only leave enough to clue in a reader who didn’t see the
original post. If you do not do this, each post becomes increasingly
long and complex and difficult to follow.
- Have
a signature file that advertises your book, and that goes under
every message you send. Try to keep it to 4-6 lines. Include your
name, the title, the ISBN or ‘available from’ information; and,
if you have space, a ten-word description of the book. Do not
otherwise promote your book unless it is extremely relevant to
someone’s question.
- Never
respond to a ‘flame’ (an inflammatory post insulting you or your
opinions, or someone else). You will only inflame things further and
spark a string of emails that interest no-one – plus you sound
like you are making excuses. No matter how tempting, NEVER, EVER
respond.
- Don’t
attach anything to emails. These represent virus risks and most
people will delete them, unread, if the list software doesn’t
delete it first.
But don’t let all these rules and
regulations scare you. Join a group, lurk for a while reading other
people’s posts and gauging the tenor of the group, and then plunge in.
This is a great way to build a reputation and spread the word about your
book.
AUTHOR'S
Q&A
This
week John writes:
Hi,
I am just starting an ezine related to my book
Fixing Your Feet and have a basic question. As I read some articles on
writing your ezine, it says to use a fixed-width font, like Courier. Yet
when I received many...ezines they seem to be in other fonts, most of
which are not fixed-width. Please clarify the best way to go. I have not
ordered TextPad yet. Is it one of the easiest editors to use for ezines?
Thanks...
John Vonhof
Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for
Athletes; Second Edition
http://www.footworkpub.com
………………………………….
Hi John,
If you use a fixed-width font, it allows you to line up text on
different lines by using spaces to force the text to a particular place
on the line:
like this
for example.
Some people (like me) choose to receive their email in plain text
format whenever possible (and YahooGroups, for one, allows you to select
that option). If you typed your newsletter in Times New Roman, a
variable-width font, and carefully spaced anything like the example
above, it would get distorted when converted into my plain-text,
fixed-width font. A fixed-width font gives you the most control over how
your readers see the email.
If you had type the above example in Times New Roman, spacing it
nicely, by the time it got to my plain-text inbox, it would look:
like this
for example
You don't need any special software for this. Just save your WP file
as 'text only'.
For my newsletter I use NotePad, the cheapo, basic WP program that
has been on PCs forever. The beauty of NotePad is that it's impossible
to do anything BUT 'text only'. This stops me from accidentally
inserting italics or other things that won't translate into a plain text
email.
I created a template with my section headings and dividers, and I
simply paste the new text into each section, every issue.
One thing I would recommend, is forcing line breaks at around 52
characters. I say this because many email accounts automatically breaks
lines at a set number of characters (my web-based email account breaks
it at 52 characters). Your outbound email software probably has a
setting hidden somewhere that automatically breaks your lines too. If
that is set at 70 characters, I end up reading your email like
this.
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah
which is uncomfortable and puts me off reading it. So, pretend you're
typing on a typewriter and hit 'return' after every 52 characters (a
simple way to know where that is, is to put a line of 52 dashes above
your text, and hit 'return' every time you come near it).
Good luck!
Julie
RESOURCES
New
this week:
new!THE AEONIX PUBLISHING GROUP
Web site has some great explanations of common typo-graphical mistakes; the differences between a
word-processor and a professional layout program; vanity versus traditional publishing. Also has
lists of printers (all based in California)
new!EBook
CAFE
Offering a listing of ebooks and POD books. Authors can list thier e-books and POD books
here for free. Also has a newsletter that announces new releases.
new!E-PUBLISHING WAY
A resource for people looking to publish or self-publish e-books. Includes articles on
formatting and typography, and interviews with e-book publishers and editors. Also includes
listings of e-books, one ways to get your book some online exposure.
new!THE PUBLISHED WRITER
More articles, links and contests, from the publisher of e-Publishing Way. This site also
features the SEEDS report, everyday inspiration for writers.
new!WRITER TO WRITER
A collection of articles and links "for writers of all ages and stages". The News section is not
kept up to date, but it has interesting articles for beginners and a good collection of links.
NEW LAST TIME
THE 21st CENTURY GUIDE TO PRINT ON-DEMAND PUBLISHING
Part III
Third in a series
What are your sales goals for your book, and can print
on-demand help you reach them? This article helps you think about
your:
*earnings expectations
*assumptions about bookstores
*marketing plan and more...
and more...
AUTHOR'S Q & A
This author's question focuses on pricing his self-published book.
NEWS & UPDATES
Xlibris Raises Book Prices...
MWA partners for POD...
Oxford American Magazine pleads for its life...
ABOUT JDWRITE
JDWrite is the online home of writer, journalist and former Xlibris Director of Author Services, Julie McCarroll Duffy.
Julie has expert knowledge of the new world of publishing: Print On-Demand, self-publishing, online publishing, eBooks, the
evolving publishing industry and more. Her role at Xlibris was
to work with authors to help them understand these developments, to listen to authors' needs and communicate those to the
company. She has been a speaker at writers' conferences around the US and seeks to continue to educate authors to understand
their ever-increasing opportunities in the publishing world. After following her husband's career from their native Scotland
to the US, Julie is working on a book about Trailing Spouse Syndrome,
and a book about Print On-Demand Publishing.
All content copyright 2001 Julie Duffy.
For permission to reprint articles, contact the editor at
jd@jdwrite.com.
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