Publishing Tips

 

Why Self Publish?

Reason #1: Book Royalties

You will more than likely receive a 5-15 percent book royalty if you decide to shop your project and get lucky enough to get a publishing deal. On the other hand, if you decide to self publish, you can have any where from a 20 to 80 percent book royalty margin. A book publisher may have the distribution in place and will finance the project, but you will still be responsible for promoting. Yes, you will do all of the promoting!

Just know that if you decide to self publish a book and it proves successful, then you can pursue a book publisher and negotiate the publishing deal of life! Lesson learned, don't be too swift to seek a publisher, you may be able to self publish and come out 20 to 80 percent on top!

The Benefits of E-Publishing.

 

E-book publishing is a rapidly growing industry. The main US book distributors now accept e-books for release through the mega online bookstores. These companies charge less than $100.00 in set up costs and pay royalties. E-book royalties are the same whether the author chooses a distributor or an e-book publishing company to release their book. E-books sold from the distributor's website earn the author 50% in royalties. Books sold through the mega online bookstores earn 10% royalties.

Read the article below for on-demand publishing information-

On-Demand publishing swells ranks of authors


By CANDICE CHOI, Associated Press
Published on: 01/02/08

New York — Getting a book published isn't the rarefied literary feat it once was.  New printing technologies are making published authors of legions of aspiring writers, a population that once toiled for years on tomes that might not see the light of day. The vast majority of today's instant authors may sell only a few dozen copies of their books, but on-demand publishing is letting thousands realize the ambitions of generations of would-be writers.


On-demand publisher Lulu.com has churned out 236,000 paperbacks since it opened in 2002, and its volume of new paperbacks rose each month of last year, hitting 14,745 in November. Retail giant Amazon.com got into the game last summer, offering on-demand publishing through its CreateSpace, which was already letting filmmakers and musicians burn DVDs and CDs. The programs are easy for just about anyone to use: Authors select basic options, including the book's size and binding style. After the manuscript is uploaded, users go to a page where they select a font and design the cover. Even after a book has been printed, they can fix typos for later printings. Unlike vanity publishing, in which aspiring authors pay to have their books run on traditional presses, on-demand publishing doesn't have to cost writers a cent.


Publishers produce books only after they're ordered and paid for, which eliminates overruns and the need for warehousing. They charge for printing, or take a cut of sales, and they set up payment systems, online bookstores and Web marketing tools. Some authors publish on-demand books in hopes of catching the eye of a major publisher. But not all writers who use on-demand publishers aspire to write the great American novel. The system also allows small businesses to print high-end brochures, screenwriters to shop their scripts and others to assemble wedding and other special-event books for friends and family."I'm just amazed I have the book in my hand," said Catherine Dyer, 49, an Atlanta resident who co-authored a cookbook with her four sisters through Lulu.com. "I knew trying to get a traditional publisher would take ages. With this, I knew at the onset I could have a book in my hand."


"You Want Me To Bring a Dish?" — the sisters' 104-page cookbook — sells for $22.76. They've ordered about 100 copies to stock stores around Atlanta and are promoting the book through local signings and radio appearances.
The challenge for authors is getting the word out about their work."It's all about the marketing and distribution. We realized early on that was the bigger challenge," said Eileen Gittins, founder and chief executive of Blurb.com, an on-demand publisher with 11,000 available self-published titles. To help authors, Blurb automatically creates widgets that can be dragged and dropped onto other Web sites. What makes self-publishing viable is the Internet, which gives writers instant access to audiences that share their same interests, no matter how obscure. Authors also use online communities such as blogs and MySpace.com to market their works.


For most aspiring authors, a book deal with a major publishing house remains the ultimate dream, however.
Companies like Random House or HarperCollins Publishers can promote authors on a national scale and get titles in major bookstores. Professional editors also polish copy in the traditional publishing world, a step that can upgrade a manuscript.
"The value and cachet of being with a larger house is still something authors value," said Tina Jordan of the Association of American Publishers.