Posted 2 May 2011.

Publishing options

These days there are numerous publishing options available to authors. Three of the most common are traditional publishing, self-publishing and partnership or subsidy publishing. Two of these are a good option for authors, and one can lead to trouble. Let's have a look.

Traditional publishing
This is still the most common form of publishing. With this method, the author takes his or her manuscript to a publishing company and asks them to consider publishing it. When considering a manuscript, publishers will consider the quality of the work, its sales potential, the competition and the costs to produce the book, among other things. If the publisher concludes that the manuscript can be turned into a potentially profitable book, they will accept the book and sign the author to a contract. The publisher pays all book production costs, and manages marketing and distribution. If the book doesn't sell well the publisher will not cover costs. The publisher shares the risk, and shares the rewards with the author by paying royalties.

Self-publishing
It is possible for an author to take on the role of both author and publisher. This has both advantages and disadvantages. Having put in the effort to write the book, the author then has to arrange and pay for design, editing, printing, marketing and distribution. Why do people do this? Because the author takes all the risk but gets to keep all the profits.

Subsidy or partnership publishing
With this approach the author invests the time to write the book, but then is asked by the 'publisher' to also help pay for the production costs of the book. This type of publishing completely distorts the risk/reward equation. If we assume the production costs are, say, $7000 to produce 500 copies of the book (subsidy publishers are not interested in normal commercially viable print runs), the subsidy publisher will charge the author $10,000, thus making a profit before a single book is sold. And on top of this they will keep a share of the profits from sales and pay the author a royalty, as a traditional publisher does. So, despite having effectively paid for the production of the book, the author is still sharing the profits with the 'publisher'.

Such publishers often try to masquerade as traditional publishers. You often have to read a few pages on their website before realising it's not a traditional publisher. For example, their websites might profess that they assess all manuscripts and only publish those of a high standard, and that they will market the book. But really the only standard is the author's ability to pay, because they make their money on the book production, not the sales. Profits on sales are just a bonus. And marketing is simply putting the book on their website.

Why do people take this road? Sometimes authors haven't done enough homework and are unaware that this is not how publishing is supposed to work. Or they have been rejected by traditional publishers and see this as their next best option. Unfortunately, as in any field there are shysters in book publishing who prey on these authors. The most extreme examples have seen authors pay thousands of dollars for just a few copies of their book, and walking away completely disillusioned with publishing.

If you want to avoid this happening to you, educate yourself about the publishing industry before deciding how to proceed. If your publisher is sharing the risk with you they are entitled to share the rewards. If you take all the risk yourself you are entitled to all the profits. But if you are paying for the production of your book and the 'publisher' is still taking a cut of the profits, you are taking all the risk but sharing the rewards. And that's not how real book publishing works.

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Posted 4 April 2011.


Tips for getting your book published

1. Make your book as good as it can be. Don't send around your first or second draft 'to see if there's interest'. Only send your completed, polished manuscript. A publisher can tell when you've spent months on the first three chapters to get readers interested and then raced through the rest so you can finish and send it out.

2. Find out which publishers might be interested in your book by researching on the internet, checking writers' guides and visiting bookshops to see which companies published what books. If you send your manuscript out randomly you are wasting everybody's time.

3. Consider using a literary agent. An agent will provide feedback on your book, and will also know exactly which publishers might be interested in what you have written. A good agent will be a champion for your book and be able to open doors that will be closed to you as an unknown author.

4. For non-fiction books especially, include with your manuscript information on who you see as your target readers, why you are qualified to write the book, competing titles and how they have sold, and how your book differs from these titles.

5. Include information on how you think the book can be promoted and what you will do to help with this.

6. Have trusted friends or family read your manuscript to provide feedback. Consider their feedback carefully. Feedback from others can be very valauble.

7. Double space your manuscript, and include page numbers. (Nothing infuriates a publisher more than a manuscript without page numbers. They want to be able to pull pages out, make notes and shuffle things around, and then put it back together again.)
8. Educate yourself. Read about the publishing industry, attend writers' sessions and events, and talk to people in the industry. Presenting yourself to publishers as a knowledgeable, professional writer will help your chances.

9. If you get rejected, keep going – up to a point. One or two rejections are fine; when you get to twenty, perhaps it's time to have another look at your manuscript before trying again.

10. Send it out! Don't procrastinate. We guarantee a publisher is not going to stumble across the manuscript while it sits on your desk.


Coming to this blog soon: traditional publishing, self-publishing, subsidy publishing – why two of them are great and one of them isn't.

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Posted 24 March 2011.

Just signed the agreement with Dennis Jones to distribute Rough Draft books. Hooray! At least I know people will be able to buy them now. Also all booked in with the printer for Pet Tails. Going to print 1 June, books mid August.


Coming to this blog soon: our top tips for getting published.

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Posted 18 March 2011.


Pet Tails update

Our three photographers have been madly running around the place taking great pics of people's animals. People are very enthusiastic about the book. Dennis Jones have agreed to distribute Pet Tails, which is great, and the printing is almost sorted. You can have a look at some of the pics here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melbourne-Australia/Pet-Tails/172168092816270

This week we have some guinea pigs lined up, and a lady who has a horse, cats and dogs. She says they are all friends and we should be able to get them in one image! RSPCA Victoria have seen many of the pics so far and are very excited them.

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Posted 29 January 2011.


New Readings Ebook store

Great new ebook site from Readings. Good news for small publishers. http://ebooks.readings.com.au/


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Posted 25 Janury 2011.


MHPS Top Ten Self-publishing Tips

1. Do your homework. What other books are out there that are similar to yours? What makes yours different? People must have a good reason to buy your book rather than the next one.

2. Have your book professionally produced. Your friend who is good in Word might be able to make great Christmas cards, but that doesn't mean they can typeset a book. And proper editing and proofreading are essential if you are planning to sell your book.

3. Don't print more than you expect to sell. It can be tempting to print more copies because the more you print the cheaper it is per copy. But if you don't sell them, this turns out to be the most expensive option. You can always print more when it takes off.

4. Use a specialist book printer. Your local print shop might offer book printing, but they won't do as good a job as a specialist book printer.

5. Prepare a publicity plan for your book. Send review copies to radio programs and journalists who you think might be interested. Also send a copy to your local paper, focusing on the fact that your book is self-published.

6. Don't give away lots of free copies to family and friends. They should be happy to support your self-publishing venture by purchasing copies.

7. An ebook can be a great way to test interest in your idea. You can see how it sells without paying print costs.

8. Be prepared for the effort required. If you self-publish you are taking on text and cover design, editing and proofreading, printing, marketing, distribution and more.

9. Create a publishing company for your book. This will give it a more professional look.

10. Take advantage of the resources available for self-publishers. There are lots of organisations and pages and pages of info on the internet dedicated to self-publishing. Take advantage of it!

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