Articles by Julie

What are my options for publishing my book? What are the advantages and disadvantages of Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing houses, are there any other alternatives?

Here is Part Two of the simple evaluation questionnaire you answered in Part One.  Now read the summary below to see which option might suit you better.

Self Publishing – Print Your Own Book (answered mostly 1’s)

You are completely responsible for the look and content of your book and the registration/copyright, production and design of the print ready files (you can pay for freelance services  like layout technicians, illustrators, editors, publicist etc; if you can not do them all)

You want the maximum return on investment and you are willing to make a business out of selling, distributing and promoting your book.

You want to maintain complete control of your book and keep the most profit too.

Up front money/capital investment:  As little as $150 depending on how many books you print (and whether you use a POD printer) but you have to provide a print ready file for the printer, purchasing your own isbn number is not expensive.

You pay  to have you book printed, plus costs  for a designer/graphic artist/ format and layout technician to get your manuscript ready in an art ready file ready for printing.  You organize ISBN/Library registration/barcode/copyright etc

You pay per book for printing; An example is my book that I first printed myself and cost me for 200 copies, 220 pages black and white with full colour laminated cover, size 6” x 9” = $6.42 per copy – $1284, therefore at $20 RRP you need to sell 65 books to cover your costs and the balance gives you pure profit of $20 per book.

There are really two approaches here…

• Print-then-Sell – using a traditional printer. The downside to this is that you’ll have no built in distribution and your initial investment (and exposure to risk) will be higher. Benefits include lower unit cost for larger orders and typically higher quality production (with more options) than you get with Print-on-Demand.
• Print-on-Demand – using a printer such as LighningSource. The benefit of LightningSource is that you get good distribution built in and you still get to set a discount that suits you. Booksurge offers similar distribution now but will force you to give roughly 65% discount to sell on Amazon compared to typical 35% with LightningSource. The downside is that quality is slightly lower than a typical traditional print run and unit cost is higher than printing a batch of books up front.

Self-publishing – using Paid for Publishers aka Vanity Publishing (answered mostly 2’s)

You want an attractive professional looking book that someone else produces and you pay for.  The more you pay the more professional it will look.  It is your responsibility to get the book edited at your cost, or choose not to edit it. This is “your book, your way” the publisher will make no suggestions for your book they will just print what you give them.

You are willing to pay up front costs to produce a professional looking book and to have distribution channels set up for you such as Amazon etc.

You understand your book will be available to but not necessarily stocked in book stores because your margins using POD on demand will not enable you to offer the same discounts as larger print-then-sell publishers; for this reason book stores will rarely accept your book unless you give it to them on consignment and they’ll often want it on Sale or Return/Destroy rather than Firm Sale (ie no returns).

You want the flexibility of just having a few copies for friends and family and the ability to print on demand to fulfil orders as they come in.  You want the option of being able to buy bulk copies of your book with bulk discounts.  You understand that buying copies of your book and selling them can bring you up to 50% or more profit on your book sales, but you are completely responsible for selling them.  You understand royalties through distribution channels such as Amazon will give you small royalties because of the big discounts they take. (A typical example is a $20 retail book will pay you approx $1.50 royalty in sales if sold through Amazon/Trafford)

Please note – some publishers describe themselves as Print on Demand publishers but this is misleading as most vanity presses will now use Print on Demand printers (such as LightningSource) to print your book and then charge you more than it would have cost to do it yourself. At Publishing Academy we consider these companies to be essentially vanity presses.

You want someone else to take care of all the details and have different options available to you for marketing and promotion, design and layout and distribution.  You’d like someone else to handle online sales and distribution.  If you want to spend more money on marketing and advertising you would like those options easily available to you.

Simple packages cover core admin services i.e. ISBN/Barcode, copyright/library of congress and layout from around $1500.  This can be as low as $800 if you can do the layout (or use the services of a independent technician at $35 an hour www.impact-webdesigns.com) If you just want to buy copies of your book and are willing to provide a print ready file this can be as low as $400.

Packages go up to $2600 if you want to include book trade distribution, publicity and promotional tools and you can buy marketing packages such as trade shows and email campaigns for $1,000’s You would like the option of purchasing your own stock for book launches etc.

This is not a great idea if you intend to make a decent profit from your book – and as standards can be absolutely awful (as most paid for publishers will print anything) you are unlikely to be treated seriously as an author by most of your fellow authors, publishers and retailers. Still, a perfect option if you are printing a book for your family and friends as a legacy for your future generations or want to print a book to raise funds for your non-profit or as a celebration of  a special occasion. Maybe another name for this could be “Hobby Publishing”.

Here is a simple Evaluation Survey to help you decide What is right for your book.

What are your options for publishing a book? What are the advantages and disadvantages of Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing houses; are there any other alternatives?

Try this simple evaluation questionnaire and then read the summary below to see which option might suit you better.

Out of each section, choose the letter beside the statement that you think best suits you.

Content

1. I like to decide what my book looks like and the content, I don’t need any help
2. I would prefer someone else to give me advice after my input, help me with the cover design and formatting and marketing and I’m willing to pay for it all.
3. I do not want the responsibility; I’d rather someone else made the final decisions and look of the book and the content.  I’m happy to do as many edits as I’m told to do until I get it to the standard set by my publisher.
4. I would prefer someone else to give me expert guidance and I’m willing to work hard in partnership with them in return for their expert advice on the cover design, formatting and marketing.

Investment

1. I’d rather just pay for the printing of the book and outsource all the other services I need independently.
2. I’d like to pay a package price and choose from a menu, of the options I want to include to make sure the book looks professionally produced.
3. I don’t want to pay anything up front, I’m happy with a small royalty (usually 5%) when the book sells.
4. I don’t want to pay anything up front but I’m willing to work hard in partnership with the marketing of the book in return for high royalty payments (20-40%). I am willing to pay for professional coaching to present my proposal as professionally as possible to give me the best possible chance of being accepted.

Creative Control

1. I want to be my own boss and have my own business and make all the decisions
2. I like to be independent but I don’t want to handle everything, I’d like help with distribution, marketing and formatting.
3. I would rather have the security of being told what to do and what my book should look like, publishers are the experts, I’ll go where and when I am told.
4. I am willing to listen to expert advice on editing, cover design and title/subtitle and work with the publisher on marketing my book.

Sales and Marketing

1. I am willing to spend the time promoting my own book and organizing book signings and shows. I know it is up to me how many books I sell.
2. I am willing to pay for extra marketing services and opportunities and/or a publicist to promote my book
3. I don’t want to promote my book unless the publisher tells me to. I’d like my book to just be available in the book stores  I understand I may have to pay all my own travel/hotel costs as needed and go where I am told to go for book-signings/book shows – if/when my advance runs out.  I understand an advance is that, an advance on future sales.
4. I am willing to put time and effort into marketing my book but with expert advice.  I understand the way forward with making your book a best seller is with new internet marketing strategies and that it is difficult to have my book in the bookstores because of their policy of sale or return.  I am willing to responsible for my own travel costs to promote my book and to actively seek out speaking engagements and other publicity activity.

How did you do?

Now add up how many 1, 2, 3, and 4’s and look at the results below to see which would be the best publishing solution for your book.

The results:

• Answered mostly 4’s    The next generation Publishing 2.0
• Answered mostly 3’s    Traditional publishing house
• Answered mostly 2’s    Vanity-publishing/paid-for publishing
• Answered mostly 1’s    Self-publishing/print your own book

To understand the difference between these different types of publishers, and the pro’s and con’s for each, please now read parts two and three of this article

A seminar I presented recently at the San Francisco Writing for Change conference, addressed many of the issues raised by other speakers at the conference, and provided some solutions to writers. Here are some of the challenges which face writers when submitting proposals and some of the comments from editors, agents and publishers on those same challenges:

Editors Panel key points:

• “Many writers are not able to articulate what their book is about in a concise way.  Rambling means that the writer is unable to conceptualize and this will discourage an agent or editor.”
• “Often, we receive a proposal where the first 20 pages of their book seem more about the author explaining the story to themselves.”
• “If your material is too unripe you will never be able to get the attention of an agent, editor or publisher”, don’t expect to come to an agent and say “will this work?  We’re not in the business of re-imagining your work”
• “What do you promise your reader and are you fulfilling that promise?”
• “An educated author is a publisher’s greatest asset, pass your work through an expert first, team up with authors who have already published.  The author needs a platform and to make a business case for their book”
• “Your book is not the frontline, it is the author themselves that sell the book, you have to prove your ability to promote your book, your book should be a believable extension of what your are already an expert at, the author is the publishers agent”
• “70% of books published don’t earn back their advances, now days the promotion plan is more important than the content, we’d like to see more authors test marketing their own books using Print on Demand publishers”
• “Self-publishing is not the kiss of death, if an author has proven themselves and is at a highly polished level we would never turn down a successful author”
• “Often a manuscript falls apart because the writer isn’t ready, become a scholar, get help to get it right!”

Would you like to be published by a mainstream New York Publishing house?  Want to know the secret to getting your manuscript considered?

Carefully follow the submission guidelines, here is an example from Morgan James Publishing in New York:

You need to answer all these questions

• Why do you feel compelled to write this book?
• Why will someone want to read it?
• Is there a particularly timely nature of the subject area?
• What are the specific benefits of your book?
• How do you plan on marketing the book?

You must mention any:

• workshops
• teleseminars
• speaking events which will give you the opportunity to sell back of room
• newsletters
• networking groups
• websites where you can sell your book

Now describe the contents of your book in plain English. Be as precise as possible, providing both a general overview and a rundown of subjects treated in detail. Indicate how in-depth your coverage will be.

We all have a book inside of us, but for so many, time, money and a general lack of understanding of the publishing industry stops us from even starting the process.

Back in 1998 when I left England and started my journey around the world, I promised my 92-year-old grandma I would write letters to her every 2 weeks.  The next time she saw me was in 2001 when I came back for a visit.  She presented me with a suitcase full of my letters and postcards and told me “now write that book”

That planted the seed that maybe I could write a book, even though I had no writing qualifications.  I did not consider myself to be particularly good at grammar or spelling, but everyone kept telling me I had an interesting life and it would make a good book.  Anyway, I had heard how difficult it was to get your book published as a first time author and that seemed like a lot of hard work.

While I procrastinated my Grandma continued to receive my letters and I continued to travel.

In April 2005 I attended a workshop in Singapore on “how to write your book” and that turned out to be the inspiration and motivation I needed to get me started!  By the end of 2005 I was at the final editing stage and by Feb 2006 I self-published my book.I dedicated my book “A seven year journey around the world – discovering my passion and purpose” in memory of Bea, my grandma who inspired me to write my book.  Not only did she pass away before she saw the book in print, she didn’t even get to know I had actually started work on it, thanks to her.

Don’t let this happen to you!  Write your memoirs before its too late, write that fiction book you’ve been dreaming about, write that business book to promote your business and give you credibility, put all those poems and essays into a book, turn your thesis into a book!  Just start.

Remember, you don’t have to be an expert at grammar or spelling or sentence structure, that is what editors are for!  It is just up to you to tell your story from the heart and get started and take the time to educate yourself with the many resources available to make the task  easy and enjoyable!

How will your story make a difference to others?

I hope to inspire some of you to realize the gift hidden within you and give you the tools you need to spread that message and give new ideas and knowledge to make this world a little better for everyone. If you have a unique gift or ability, a book is the easiest way to spread that message to as many people as possible.

I would like to share with you the stories of some of the authors who I have helped to recognize their gift and spread the “word” with their published book.

One of those authors, Annie Hopper, has discovered a cure for Fibromalgia, MSC and Chronic pain syndrome and she is sharing her story to help other sufferers so that they can learn how she cured herself.  She hopes that if one sufferer can find a cure by reading her book, she has been successful in reaching out to other people who are going through the pain of the illness that once made her homeless.  Annie also offers workshops and since writing her book she has been able to spread her message to a much wider audience by giving radio interviews and being featured in the press.

Dr Daniel Scott is helping people to self-defend themselves in the workplace from verbal abuse with his book “Dr. Scott’s Verbal Self Defense for the Workplace.” He demonstrates how Neuro Linguistic Programming can be used against the workplace bully. His book will guide the reader through a detailed process of learning and practicing all the skills necessary to verbally defend themselves effectively in a professional manner. The exercises will include learning how to properly consider other people’s perceptions while still respecting and adhering to their own personal morals and principles, all within the structure and expectations of the company. Dr. Scott’s Verbal Self Defense for the Workplace is written primarily for general office workers and service industry staff; anyone who deals with individuals that become angry or confrontational with an organization’s employees and volunteers. He is providing a service to other people by helping them to overcome workplace bullying, something many of us have been the victim of. More information on this book at www.VerbalSelfDefenseBook.com

Another example of a book that was written to help other people is “Care of the Caregiver” It is an easy-to-follow and practical working guide to help families and friends navigate the vital details of everyday life while caring for a loved one at home during a chronic or debilitating illness. When Lynn Longmuir’s husband Niall was diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in 1996, Lynn gradually found herself in a full time care-giving role with limited resources and no way of knowing how to deal with her own grief and pain. Taking care of someone you love is difficult and taking care of yourself in the process, without help, is practically impossible. After discovering how difficult to access and few resources existed for caregivers, she dedicated herself to ensuring that others in her situation have both the practical and emotional tools to be strong for themselves and their loved ones. Lynn is able to bring a voice of experience and compassion to this important topic. She can be found at www.CareForTheCaregiver.ca

Many entrepreneurs I know are inspiring and helping other entrepreneurs by offering insightful business leadership tools, sharing their knowledge to help. So ask yourself now…

• How will your story help others?  How can you be of service to others with your book?
• How can you help other people with the knowledge and experience you have?
• How can you best get that knowledge across so it is easy for the reader to understand?

What is stopping you from sharing your knowledge and experience? Don’t let Fear and Ego get in the way of writing and publishing your book.

The biggest obstacle for writing your book always comes down to fear and ego, these are the top 3 objections:

• Is my story interesting enough?
• Will people be interested in reading it?
• Is my writing good enough?

When in reality you should be asking yourself:

• How can I be of service to others with my book?
• How can I help other people with the knowledge and experience I have?
• How can I best get that knowledge across so it is easy for the reader to understand?

Asking these tough questions up front will help you organize your book with the benefits to the reader always at the forefront of your outline.  The most challenging questions I always ask are at the beginning of my InspireABook™ workshops are:

1. Who is your reader? (i.e. age, sex, demographics, customers, friends, family or specific group i.e. cancer patients, entrepreneurs, parents etc,)
2. What will they learn by reading your book? (i.e. educational, inspirational, motivational etc)

Once you can answer these questions we have learnt the focus of your book and from here we organize your content to always reflect the lessons you want your reader to learn in a way it is easy for them to learn.

I’ll give you some specific examples from my clients in the next post – so stay tuned!

1. We take the financial risk to produce, edit, typeset, design and publish your book. That means we only get paid by making your book a commercial success and not by selling services or overpriced copies of books to our authors.
2. We play by new publishing rules and reward our authors fairly for their talent. This means you get paid 20% to 40% royalties from day one.
3. As an Influence Publishing author you get access to Lean Marketing’s Publishing Academy as well as exclusive book promotion training courses, materials, templates and hands-on support as well as InspireABook™ one-on-one coaching.
4. Your book will benefit from full international distribution via all the major wholesalers including availability to USA, Canada, UK, Europe and Australia simultaneously.
5. Your book will be distributed in all the popular eBook reader formats via the major wholesaler for this channel meaning increased income potential and reach.
6. We will actively seek out foreign language rights deals for your book and share 50% of any resulting profit.
7. You get the kudos of a mainstream publishing contract (we only publish books with potential) plus the income of self publishing with none of the risk.

Authors: Submit Your Book Proposal Here…

Four Reasons Why Influence Publishing is Not the Right Publisher for Everyone

1. Compared to the big name publishing houses, we’re small and relatively unheard of. The benefit of this is that your book really makes a difference to our bottom line – it counts! The downside is that we don’t have the gravitas of the big publishing houses. So, if you’re looking for a way to include the name of a big London or New York publishing house on your business profile then you need to fill out our general inquiry form and we’ll direct you to one of our other partners…
2. Although full distribution is in place to serve all the major retail channels we don’t accept the outdated and unfair terms dictated by many bricks-and-mortar bookstores still playing by the old rules. We expect retailers to share a fair amount of the risk for a fair reward. In the past bookstores took none of the risk for most of the reward while authors got paid a pittance – our terms put the author first. This means your book, unless it’s very successful, is unlikely to take pride of place on the retailers’ bookshelves.
3. We use Print on Demand (the printing technology) to reduce risk and take on books that may not have the same wide commercial appeal that mainstream publishers using a print-then-sell model will require. This means we only publish books in a limited number of formats and print/production quality is equivalent to a mass-market paperback rather than a premium new release with matte covers and laminated letters. We truly believe, however, that the content is what people are paying for and the exact format of that content is becoming more and more secondary. Plus, if you love trees you’ll be glad to know that books only get printed when somebody buys them. No waste. No pulping.
4. We give you every opportunity through the InspireABook™ program and one on one coaching to hold your hand through the entire writing, editing, publishing and marketing process.  However, like any educational service, we expect you to be willing to invest in your education to be an informed successful author. We offer 30 minute or one hour coaching sessions by telephone as required.  Once your book has been accepted, we work together on your marketing plan and you no longer pay for coaching to assist in the marketing of your book (since we would have already coached you to the highest standard and we will be an established team working towards your success.) However, any additional marketing or advertising expenses will be your responsibility.

Authors: Learn More About Your Full Range of Publishing Options Here…

Authors: Submit Your Book Proposal Here…

1. 40% of any resulting profit.
2. You get the kudos of a mainstream publishing contract (we only publish books with potential) plus the income of self publishing with none of the risk.