Publishing Options (a.k.a. Do You Have a Book Just Waiting to Be Published?) ©2008 Cheryl Kaye Tardif
By Jerry D. Simmons | July 27th, 2008 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Once you have completed a manuscript for a book―whether a novel or work of non-fiction―you then have to decide how you want it published. This decision will depend on many things, including time and money.
You have two major choices: find a traditional publisher or self-publish. There are pros (advantages) and cons (disadvantages) to each.
Traditional publisher: This is the publishing company (like Bantam, Avon, TOR, Harlequin) that you must query, then follow their guidelines as per outlines, synopses, full manuscripts etc.
Self-Publishing: There are two main ways to do this―DIY or ‘do it yourself’ (some people call this “true self-publishing”) or subsidy publishing, where you pay for a package and the publisher handles some of the distribution.
The main disadvantages of a traditional publisher:
1. Finding a traditional publisher is a long process and there are no guarantees. It can take years of rejection letters before you even get a request for a full manuscript. Less than 2% of all manuscripts submitted are ever published.
2. Your book is NOT guaranteed to be on every bookstore shelf.
3. Promotion and advertising is up to the author.
4. Events are also the author’s responsibilities.
5. You will earn less per book.
The main disadvantages of DIY self-publishing:
1. You have to do everything yourself―design the book or hire someone, handle all sales and shipping, and receive returns.
2. You have to get vendor accounts at Amazon.com and Chapters.ca to sell your books there. While this can be done, it is time consuming and sometimes not that easy.
3. You’ll need space to store thousands of copies.
4. Distribution will be done by yourself or by hiring a distributor.
5. You will probably have to do consignments in most stores.
6. Your book will NOT be on every bookstore shelf.
7. Promotion and advertising is up to the author.
8. Events are also the author’s responsibilities.
9. You will pay thousands of dollars for set-up and start-up costs to run this business.
10. You won’t have as much time to write since you’ll be too busy with orders and promoting your book.
The main disadvantages of subsidy publishing:
1. You’ll pay anywhere from $400 to $2400 for a publishing package (depending on the company)
2. Sometimes quality is a lacking.
3. You will have to do consignments in most stores.
4. Your book will NOT be on every bookstore shelf.
5. Promotion and advertising is up to the author.
6. Events are also the author’s responsibilities.
The main advantages of a traditional publisher:
1. They have the best distribution. They have their own distributor set up and they take care of all orders and returns. Having a wider distribution enables your book to be on bookstore computer systems and makes it easier to get on the shelves.
2. Often, once you have proven yourself to a traditional publisher, they will pay for some book tour expenses.
3. You don’t have to invest any of your own money up front to have your book published.
4. Bookstores see you as a serious writer.
5. You’ll have more time to write.
The main advantages of DIY self-publishing:
1. You can be published in about 6 weeks.
2. Print costs will be less than subsidy publishing.
3. You earn all the profit.
4. You are in complete control.
The main advantages of subsidy publishing:
1. You can be published in 8-12 weeks.
2. Some subsidy publishers have editors or editing packages, and other talented people (graphic designers for covers, typesetters etc).
3. You won’t have to worry about shipping and receiving or returns.
4. You won’t have to set yourself up on Amazon; most subsidies will do this as part of the package.
5. You earn a larger royalty than from a traditional publisher.
6. You have most of the control, depending on some restrictions from the subsidy publisher (such as size of book).
7. You’ll have more time to write.
There are other pros and cons to each of these, but the above are the main ones and the ones that need careful consideration. If you want to go through the long process of submissions, choose a traditional publisher. If you want a business, choose to DIY. If you want a book published quickly but still want time to write, choose a subsidy publisher. All 3 are viable choices.
Cheryl K. Tardif a.k.a “Shameless Promoter”, is a freelance journalist and bestselling suspense author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention. Cheryl has spoken at numerous writers conferences on the topics of book marketing, especially online marketing. She currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Hot Trends, Hot Markets – How Can Authors Use Online Social Networks? By Cheryl K. Tardif © 2008
By Jerry D. Simmons | July 27th, 2008 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Social Networking
In July 2008, I presented on a panel at the 2008 CanWrite! Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. The topic of the panel was Hot Trends, Hot Markets. As an author, I was looking at this topic from the perspective of aspiring and published authors.
As someone who’s been nicknamed “Shameless Promoter” because I promote my books with everything I’ve got, utilizing everything I can think of or learn about, I want to share what I’ve learned. This information will help writers and authors connect with readers and fans, which can lead to sales once a book has been published.
The question I asked myself was: “Which hot trend or market is really on fire today, one that actually benefits writers and authors?”
The answer I came up with?
SOCIAL NETWORKING!
Let me give you the outline. Social networks are prevalent on the Internet, and if you learn how to use them correctly, you will benefit greatly. This is a way to meet thousands of people and an acceptable way to promote yourself.
There are three main categories of social networks:
1. Book collection or catalog networks – ex. LibraryThing, GoodReads, Shelfari
2. Book seller networks – ex. AmazonConnect, Chapters Community
3. True social networks – ex. MySpace, FaceBook, Ning (multiple networks here)
There are many more networks than just the examples shown above, but these are the most important ones, and I highly recommend that every writer and author utilize each of them.
I invite you to click on the network links above and join each one. Please note: to set up an Amazon profile/blog on AmazonConnect, you must be a published author with books available on Amazon.com. The other networks are all open to writers and readers, as well as authors.
~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, a.k.a. “Shameless Promoter”, is a freelance journalist and bestselling suspense author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention. Cheryl has spoken at numerous writers conferences on the topics of book marketing, especially online marketing. She currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
This web site would also like to HIGHLY RECOMMEND you join the leading social network for writers, authors, and publishers, NothingBinding.com.
What is Distribution and Why does it Matter?
By Jerry D. Simmons | July 6th, 2008 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
One of the most crucial elements to a book’s success in the marketplace is the distribution. If a title has the wrong mix of retail, mass merchant, jobber and wholesale placement then it is destined to fail. Distribution and the proper placement of books in the correct mix of booksellers are absolutely necessary to obtaining a high sell-through.
Distribution is the process of selling books into the marketplace by obtaining orders long before the title is published then shipping into those accounts for sale to the public. The fact that a title is listed in the database of a book jobber such as Ingram or Baker & Taylor does not constitute distribution. When a distributor and their sales force take on the distribution of a group of titles and pre-sell those into the marketplace, then you have full fledged distribution for your book.
The key, is working with a publisher that understands the market and can position your title against the competition, which in turn makes it easier for the distributor to sell your book into their account base. The more understanding the publisher has the better your chances of having a high percent of sale, which is the basic requirement of the marketplace.
The upcoming distribution program that is being developed will do all these things. You will have your book pre-sold into the marketplace by a group of sales people, your title will be positioned and the distribution carefully evaluated for maximum exposure to obtain the highest percent of sale possible. All the requirements of a traditional distribution program in exactly the same way the big publishers do it with their list of books.
This is not some half baked fly by night program, this is the same model that all the big companies use, on a smaller scale in the beginning but a proven formula that works. This will be an introduction into the market of Independently Published Books from around the world. We are now accepting a query and synopsis from authors with published books and from writers with unpublished manuscripts.
Books and manuscripts will be evaluated the same way the big publishing companies evaluate books and manuscripts, we want the best of the best. Submit your query and synopsis today and let’s get this program started, I’m in your corner and with you every step of the way and you all know that it’s my goal to make this the best program possible.
This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.
