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Self-Publishing Primer
by Daniel
Steven
Self-publishing is hot. Compared to
traditional publishing, your book can be in print faster, you’ll have more control,
complete ownership, and you won’t have to share revenue. Even authors who have been successful with
traditional publishers are reacquiring rights to their books in order to offer them
directly to readers. Here’s what you
should know about this growing trend.
What is self-publishing?
In traditional royalty publishing, the publisher screens books for quality and
marketability and then, at its cost, handles editing, manufacturing, marketing, promotion,
sales, warehousing, and fulfillment. The
author receives a royalty on sales. The self-publisher,
by contrast, undertakes all of these tasks at his/her own cost, but keeps all revenue.
What type of books should be self-published?
Almost any kind of book – novel, short stories, poetry, non-fiction,
children’s, reference, professional can be self-published. Self-publishing, however, shouldn’t be
attempted solely because you can’t find a traditional publisher. Your book might not be suitable for publishing
because of quality or marketability. On the
other hand, books about controversial
subjects or directed at limited markets are ideal for self-publishing. For a good explanation of when it is appropriate
to self-publish, see the article at www.writer.org/resources/selfpub.htm.
How do I get started?
Do your homework. Go to one of the many
online sites devoted to self-publishing and learn all you can, or buy a book on the
subject. Check out the Small Publishers
Association web site (www.spannet.org). Then,
shop around for a printer or book manufacturer (not a vanity publisher, see below). Get quotes from at least three different
organizations. After you choose a printer,
review the contract and make sure it covers price, specifications (binding, paper, ink,
pages, etc.) and delivery. You’ll need to design a book cover; the printer will be
able to refer you to a graphic artist, or you can find one yourself. You’ll also need to decide on the print run:
in general, the higher the amount of books printed, the lower the unit price. Most self-publishers print in the 1,000
–5,000 copy range.
Tell me about vanity publishing.
You’ve seen the ads and received the e-mails.There are thousands of firms
just dying to publish your book. These vanity
publishers, for a fee, will print and bind a book, register its copyright, provide an
ISBN number, and offer a “package” of services including “promotion”
and “marketing.” Despite their
claims, these publishers will NOT get your book into bookstores, nor will the books be
reviewed. They do, however, put your book on their web site and in their
“catalog.” (When was the last time
you shopped for a book in a vanity press catalog?) Although
it would seem that vanity publishing is easier than self-publishing, you will be
overcharged and the tasks will not be done any better (and usually worse!). Keep in mind that vanity publishers (e.g., Vantage
Press, Dorrance Publishing) will publish anyone, regardless of the quality, and thus a
stigma is attached to their products. To
avoid this stigma, many vanity publishers call themselves “subsidy” publishers,
which they are not. True subsidy
publishing is a hybrid of traditional and self-publishing: the author pays a
fee to the publisher but the publisher also contributes a portion of the cost, and thus is
selective in what is published.
What other options are available to a self-publisher?
New technology has brought more printing options. Print on demand (POD) books are stored
digitally; when a customer or a bookstore orders a copy, the POD publisher (e.g.,
iUniverse, Xlibris, and 1stBooks) uses its technology to create a copy, thus eliminating
the cost of inventory and returns. POD is
substantially cheaper ($99-$250) than paying for a print run, so it’s a good
alternative if you plan to sell only in small, sporadic amounts. Unfortunately, POD print and graphics are often
fuzzy and less readable than traditional printing, and the books carry a high retail
price. As with vanity publishers, there is no
marketing or promotional effort. If you are
interested in POD, be sure you are aware of precisely what rights you are giving to the
POD publisher, and for how long. Will you be
able to terminate the contract and get the full rights returned to you in the event you
sell your book to a traditional publisher?
Another alternative to traditional printing is electronic books. Electronic books are manuscripts converted
into a digital format that can be purchased and downloaded over the Internet. Also called virtual books, e-books, digital books,
and online books, they require the buyer to own compatible “reader” software. Electronic books are much cheaper to produce than
conventional books, but have obvious limitations. You
can sell electronic books directly from your own web site, or contract with an electronic
book distributor, who will pay you a royalty of from 30-50%. Electronic books are suitable as an adjunct to a
print publication, or for very limited audiences where the potential demand cannot justify
printing.
How do I copyright my book?
Copyright registration isn’t necessary in the United States to obtain copyright
protection, because under the 1976 Copyright Act, copyright is automatic when a work is
created, and creation occurs when the work is fixed in a copy (i.e., the instant you lift
a pen from paper or your word processing software saves to a disk). You should,
however, always provide a copyright notice on your work. Book-length works are generally
registered at publication; you can download the Form TX from www.loc.gov/copyright. The fee is $30.00; you’ll need to send two
copies of your book with the registration.
What else will I need?
You can’t distribute or sell your book to stores without an ISBN (International
Standard Book Numbering). The ISBN Agency provides “blocks” of numbers to
publishers. The cost for the minimum block of
10 numbers is $225.00. Go to www.isbn.org for
details; the site also has listings of bar code suppliers – you’ll need the
Bookland EAN barcode to make the ISBN scannable. If
you want to sell to libraries, you’ll also need a Library of Congress Preassigned
Card Number (PCN) that will appear on the copyright page of each book. Contact the copyright office at
www.loc.gov/copyright/circs.
What about insurance?
Ideally, all book publishers should have insurance against copyright
infringement, defamation, invasion of privacy, right of publicity, and negligence -- a so-called “publisher’s policy.” Practically, such insurance is usually too
expensive for most self-publishers, but you should get several quotes from your insurance
broker. Argo Insurance has a
self-publisher’s policy that is worth considering: go to http://www.publiability.com. You also can limit your personal liability by
assigning your book to a corporation or limited liability company.
How will bookstores order my book?
You’ll need a way to supply orders from bookstores (traditional and online),
catalog houses, and directly from customers.There are several options.
Distributors are suppliers with sales forces selling to wholesalers, catalog, and the
retail marketplace; a distributor will warehouse your books for a fee, taking them on
consignment, and pay you the proceeds less 50-70% of the list price. Services include order taking, invoicing, packing,
and shipping. Ingram and IPG (Independent
Publishing Group), both major distributors, have special programs for distributing
self-published books. Wholesalers will
buy small amounts of your book for 40-60% of list price and fulfill orders, but not
provide any sales force. Alternatively, you
can hire a fulfillment house that, for a fee, will warehouse your books, provide an
800 number order line, accept credit cards, pack, ship and invoice. Some independent printers and book manufacturers
will provide this service. Of course, you
also should be selling your book directly from your own website (see sidebar).
If you’ve got the money, the audience, the desire and – most important
– the right book, self-publishing just might be right for you.
Selling From Your Website
Whether your book is traditionally published or self-published, a web site is ideal
for marketing and sales. Your site can
display the book’s cover, your background and credentials, contact information,
reviews, awards, book signing dates, excerpts, and sample chapters. If your sample material is valuable apart from the
rest of your book, you can buy software (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) that will allow viewing but
not downloading. For most books, however,
this isn’t necessary: there is little use in downloading the first chapter of a
novel.
Your selling choices are numerous. You
can link directly from your site to an online bookstore that lists your book or to your
traditional, POD, or electronic publisher. If
you have a supply of books with a fulfillment house, you can link to its site or give the
800 number. If you want to sell electronic
downloads from your own site and/or are willing to ship books directly to the customer
from your own stock, you’ll need a credit card merchant account and a “shopping
cart” interface. Paypal.com offers a
free “shopping cart” that is great for the self-publisher just starting out.
Once your web site is set to sell, make sure it is included on your business card,
stationery, and publicity materials, and work to get it listed with as many search engines
as possible.
© Daniel Steven 2002 |
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