This blog continues your options for self-publishing, should that interest you. In addition to full-service companies, there are 2 types of self-service: á la carte and ATM. They’re described below:
SELF-SERVICE Á LA CARTE COMPANIES, like self-service pumps at the gas station, place the bulk of the responsibility on the author and provide minimal assistance, even if your pump leaks. Lulu and CreateSpace are both affiliated with Amazon for distribution. Lightning Source is the largest printing and distribution company in the U.S. It is connected with Amazon and Ingram, the largest bookseller in the U.S.
Depending on the author’s knowledge of the production and printing processes, it may cost less than the above full-service packages. Costs are based on book size, paperback or hardcover, number of pages, black and white or color, and related specs. You prepare the final PDF manuscript and complete color cover to precise specs and then upload both.
You must pay for each separate phase of the production process, such as manuscript preparation and formatting, copyediting and proofing, conversion to PDF, front and back cover design with or without graphics/photo images, obtain copyright and ISBN and LOC (Library of Congress) numbers, and sizing of PDF and cover to publisher specs. All of this must be completed before the uploads are possible. The company then prints and distributes your book based on POD. This option may not be appropriate for newbie and nontechy writers. All of these companies are worth investigating to find the one that is a best-fit to your needs and knowledge beyond book writing.
SELF-SERVICE ATM PUBLISHING is the brainchild of U.S. editor Jason Epstein and engineer Jeff Marsh. In 2004 they invented the Expresso Book Machine (EBM) that can print, cover, and bind a single paperback book, like POD, but in 5 minutes, while U wait! It’s like a Jiffy Lube oil change, but without the oil and the jiff. All you need is a PDF file. The machine is only $75,000. Look for sales in Best Buy. Kidding. They have been installed in bookstores and libraries at several locations in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and Africa. EBM is essentially the “Netflix” of books. It is turbo-charged POD. This direct-to-consumer model of publishing eliminates shipping, warehousing, and returns of unsold books; it provides global availability of millions of titles. It’s another option to consider. However, the quality of the books compared to the previous options has not been reported yet.
My next blog will address marketing your books.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I gratefully appreciate the feedback from my publisher John von Knorring (Stylus Publishing) on an earlier draft of this blog. He brought the EBM to my attention as another self-service option.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
Self-publishing is a hot, hyphenated buzz word in the trade world. It is also growing leaps and bounds. In the academic world, it’s not even a word without any leaps or bounds. As noted previously, publishing, including self-publishing, has been around since Jurassic Park. Cave men and women experienced some of the same frustrations authors have today trying to get their work published. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that self-publishing became a booming business. This was attributable to 3 revolutions: (1) the American, (2) the French, and (3) the Iranian…”WAIT! That’s ridiculous! You’re notes are all mixed up.” Sorry. I meant (1) desktop publishing, (2) print on demand (POD), and (3) online bookselling.
Traditionally, “vanity” presses are publishers who would publish any academic book on the author’s dime. They have been considered the publisher of last resort, albeit the evil alternative, because the book was not worthy of publication by a commercial publisher or university press. Typically, it was not subject to the revered peer review process. (Personal Note: I mentioned in a previous blog that one of my manuscripts was panned by reviewers because of the humor. My publisher proceeded with serious text plus buckets of humor in spite of those reviews. He has been blessed. End of Shortest Note Ever.)
These vanity presses have been replaced by a bunch of self-publishing options that still retain the same evil stigma by academicians. What’s to prevent them from crossing over and publishing in the trade world? There are many professors who could be labeled “cross-published.” On campuses, that’s part of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Write” policy.
SELF-PUBLISHING
Self-publishing with POD has become an attractive alternative for those 90% of authors who have been whacked by commercial publishers. It has a 100% hit rate if you have the dough to pay for it. Nonfiction works seem to be the most profitable, although fiction is improving. There are 3 types of self-publishing: (1) full-service, (2) self-service a la carte, and (3) self-service ATM. It’s just like going to the gas station, but instead of gas, a book is pumped out.
FULL-SERVICE COMPANIES transform your manuscript into a book and handle printing and distribution (e.g., AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, Wordclay, Booklocker, and BookSurge at Amazon). Prices range from $400 to $3000, depending on what services you want and the company.
Once you submit the manuscript, you decide on the package. Services are provided on a graduated price scale for different packages, ranging from plain brown cover with text printed on recycled paper bags to glossy brown cover with your pic and text printed on recycled Bounty paper towels. Of course I’m kidding. You can also pick a black cover. Services can include cover design, page design and typesetting, copyediting, proofing, printing, and distribution. Customized designs are more costly than templates. They have something for everyone’s taste and budget.
The various packages are appropriate for newbie writers with little knowledge of book production as well as veterans who want custom features. As always, the book product follows the old adage: “A bird in the hand… WAIT!! That’s the wrong adage. It’s “You get what you pay for,” including an adage that ends with a preposition.
My next blogs will describe self-service a la carte and ATM. Stick around. The plot thickens. I hope some of these ideas are swimming around in your noggin. Let me know your thoughts and experiences in publishing.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
Today there are 100s of publishing houses. In fact, some of them use “house” in their names. After the previous bloggorino, you should have some inkling on whether you need a trade or academic publisher. Let’s probe these options in a little more detail.
TRADE PUBLISHING
Commercial trade publishers, such as Random House, For-Sale House, and Fore-Closed House, require only a detailed prospectus of your planned book to make an initial decision. I recommend checking individual publisher prospectus requirements.
The biggest problem is that most of these publishers rarely consider unsolicited manuscripts, unless your name is Tom Wolfe or you wear white suits. You need to hire a literary agent or secret agent to promote your submission. (Note: If Jack Bauer wasn’t preparing episodes for the spring season of 24, he would be an ideal choice to persuade a publisher to publish your masterpiece, if ya know what I mean. Wink. Wink.) Rejection rates are typically greater than 90% (kinda like the best journals). If you’re not Stephen King or Dave Barry, find another band. If the publisher is interested in your work, it will request a more detailed or extensive “treatment” of the content.
In general, if your book is accepted and published, you will receive a “book advance,” in lieu of royalties, which is one lump sum to be determined by the publisher. If you’re a newbie unknown writer, that amount is usually less than $1 mill. That’s it. There are no regular life-long royalty payments. Instead of the advance, some publishers may offer a royalty of 10-15% of net sales until the book is dead.
ACADEMIC PUBLISHING
Commercial academic publishers, such as John Wiley and His Sons---Jossey Bass, Cliffs Notes, and Betty Crocker (Can you believe that John named 1 of his sons Betty?), and university presses, which are covered in lots of ivy on high towers, typically require a brief prospectus, including a content outline and a couple of sample chapters. Check individual publisher prospectus requirements. Rejection rates with these publishers are also extremely high with the exact percentage locked in a vault somewhere in Langley, VA.
Once your book proposal is accepted, you can negotiate a royalty, which is typically in the range mentioned above. Sometimes publishers will consider a graduated scale, such as 10% for up to 2000 copies sold, 12.5% for 2001-3500, and 15% above 3500. These escalating rates encourage the author to promote his or her book to receive the higher rates. The publishers usually only have to sell a few hundred books to cover all production, printing, and distribution costs. They’re already riding the gravy train while you continue to market your book. (Marketing will be covered in a future blog.)
I hope these options help to clarify where you need to direct your publishing efforts. The next blog will address one of the most popular choices for trade books and most dissed and evil option for academic books: self-publishing (aka “vanity publishing”). Keep on writing.
Please comment on your publishing experiences and any of the above.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
Book publishing has been around since prehistoric times. Producing a book during those times was very time consuming and expensive. Each one had to be chiseled on stone tablets. Several tablets were required for lengthy books. They also became very heavy. A NYTimes best seller of 8 pages could weigh 50 lbs. You’d need a derrick to lift a John Grisham-type novel.
Fortunately, that production process has changed significantly over the last 9 billion years, give or take a month or 2. It’s become more streamlined and less expensive, especially with Print on Demand (POD). Now you can lift a Grisham novel even without a wheelbarrow.
WHAT IS POD?
It means printing books on a computerized press with lasers and toner like a monster laser or inkjet printer. It can efficiently and inexpensively produce just a single copy of a book. Previously, publishers would have to print several 1000 copies to keep cost per copy low. POD has been used to keep in print books whose sales have dwindled to a trickle. It can save on storage costs and tying up money on printing 12 copies that may take a year to sell. POD has also been applied to scholarly books that may sell 400 copies or less during their “life.”
Now POD is used by self-publishers and even major publishers for slow-selling books and urgent orders. How does the quality compare to books printed the old-fashioned way by offset or litho printing? They’re pretty close. In fact, most people can’t see the difference. That factor alone provides a compelling argument for its value to commercial publishers.
Whatta ya think, writers? There are more options for book publishing now than ever before. Future blogs will cover trade, academic, and self-publishing. Stick around.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I gratefully appreciate the feedback from my publisher John von Knorring (Stylus Publishing) on an earlier draft of this blog.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
