Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing

Consumer Product Safety Act and Self-Publishing Children’s Book Authors

What this means for you…

As a self-publishing Children’s book author, you may have seen news of a new lead testing requirement established in the Consumer Product Safety Information Act (CPSIA) on ALL children’s products, including Children’s books. The deadline for self-publishing authors and printers are looking at for acceptable lead levels is an approaching February 10 of this year.

Testing and certification takes place at the book printer level and full-service self-publishers of children’s books are working hard to make sure they meet requirements.  If you are in the process of publishing or currently looking for a self-publishing option don’t worry. There are those out there already covering their bases. Here is a statement from one printer/publisher posted earlier this week:

publisher and other book printing organizations are continuing their efforts to obtain a complete exemption by the CPSC by providing test results showing that the lead content level is either nonexistent or well below the standard set by the Act.

If it is determined that books are indeed covered by the Act, publisher will comply with the Act’s requirements by February 10, 2009, as the new limits on lead content begin to go into effect for products directed at children age 12 and under.

Make sure to check with your publisher when researching your options and establishing direction for your children’s book.

Have fun and keep writing.

– Karl Schroeder 

Book Promotion, Choosing a Publisher

Traditional Retailers and Self-Published Books

On Monday I mentioned how to find a Barnes and Noble near you to promote your self-published book. Whether you’ve already self-published or you are considering self-publishing, it is important to keep in mind that traditional book retailers often look for four things when deciding whether or not to stock a book on their shelves:

1) Availability with a distributor
2) A very attractive trade discount
3) A returns policy (Keep this in mind if you are searching for an on-demand company for your book since not all POD publishers offer a returnable option.)
4) And demand. As a self-published author, creating demand, or “buzz,” is up to your promotional efforts, but make sure the POD publisher you choose provides the necessary means to fulfill the other criteria.

Good luck and have fun!
Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com

Book Promotion

Promoting your Self-Published Book to Barnes & Noble

Sometimes the hardest part about promoting your self-published book is knowing where to go. The good news is, the Internet can help you find the locations of all the Barnes & Noble (and B. Dalton) bookstores in the nation.

It’s easy! There just might be one right around the corner from you.

Just go to:
barnesandnobleinc.com/stores/find_a_store.do

Good luck and have fun!
Kelly Schuknecht
selfpublishingadvice.wordpress.com

Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing Stats: Retail and Royalty

The self-publishing journey isn’t always an easy one, even though we often claim it to be. There are many decisions to be made, and sometimes choices can get confusing.

While many of my posts may refer to authors who have yet to publish, the information is really universal. One thing I generally see successful self-published authors do is constantly learn and research. 
 
If you have published your book already, you may be starting to recognize some of the “fine print” issues involved with your publisher. For example, you may be discovering with your current publisher that their “20% royalty” is not what you expected.  Or you may be learning that your author’s copy price keeps increasing year after year, or that you have to buy 100 copies at a time just to get a fair price. You may be discovering that the royalty you earn for Amazon sales is much, much lower than the royalty they told you when you signed up. High royalties are usually reserved for publisher’s bookstores, but most books are purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Or you may be discovering that once your book was published, your publisher stopped communicating with you entirely and left you to figure out how to promote your book yourself.

These are all “tricks of the trade” and things that a good self-publisher will not do. Many authors have discovered that switching publishers is actually more profitable in the long run, even with additional upfront fees.

I recently reviewed one case study in which a best-selling author from “Publisher A” to another leading full-service self-publisher and that was the best decision he ever made. His royalties increased from 15% of his retail price to 55% of his retail price as a result. Instead of $3.74 per book, he started making nearly $14 for every book he sold on Amazon.

The good news is switching publishers is easier than you might think. Almost all publishers offer non-exclusive contracts, and you’ve already gone through the process once, after-all.

Have fun. Keep writing and keep learning!

 

– Karl Schroeder

Book Promotion, Choosing a Publisher, Editing Your Self-Published Book, Networking, Self-Publishing

TOP 7 TIPS FOR SELF-PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK THIS YEAR

The second-most common New Year’s resolution is to publish a book (the first is to lose weight). Now with the advent of Web 2.0 and digital print-on-demand technology, at least accomplishing one of your top New Year’s resolutions is a snap. Here’s how you can do it.

#1 – Identify your goals
Is your goal to make a lot of money or to find a lot of readers? Perhaps your goal is more modest – to have a book that you can share with family and friends, or to have a book that shares a certain belief or experience. By identifying your goals early, you can increase your chances of choosing the right publishing path to meet them.

#2 – Identify your weaknesses
Publishing a book is different from writing one; it is a business rather than an art. Unless you have the technical and financial know-how (or the patience, time, and money to absorb the learning curve) you will be better off having a company publish your book for you rather than trying to do it yourself.

#3 – Investigate your publishing options
There are three main roads to publication:

  • Traditional publication, where a publishing company accepts your book and purchases the rights to it in exchange for an advance on book royalties. You will still be required to market your own book.
  • Independent self-publishing, where you keep the rights to your book and undergo the arduous task of starting a publishing company on your own in order to print, distribute, and market it.
  • Full-service self-publishing with a print-on-demand company, where you keep the rights to your book and pay experts to perform the publishing tasks for you, although you are still required to market it yourself.

#4 – Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of traditional publishing

The main advantage to traditional publication is that they pay you for your book up-front. However, that is also their disadvantage; since traditional publishers take a financial risk on each book they publish, they often only accept books by celebrities or from authors who have already published previous books successfully.

#5 – Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of independently self-publishing
The advantage of independently self-publishing your book is that you retain your rights and all the control to your book. The disadvantage is that it is time-consuming and very risky to self-publish a book by yourself, due to the up-front financial investment. Distributors rarely work with one-time authors, so once you have books printed, you may find it challenging to move them from your garage and into the hands of readers.  

#6 – Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of full service self-publishing via POD.
The majority of new authors self-publish their books through a print-on-demand publishing company.  Like independent self-publishing, full service self-publishing authors keep their rights.  Another advantage is that the financial investment is much lower (usually less than $1,000).  The disadvantage is that POD books share the same marketing hurdles as independently self-published books – getting into the hands of readers is a challenge, although most full-service companies typically include wholesale distribution and online listings with major e-retailers to assist the author in getting started.

#7 – Just do it
Your manuscript will not publish itself, so the last tip is the most important. You have to be motivated to reach for your dreams. To publish your book traditionally, buy the latest edition of “The Writer’s Market” for contact information of nearly every mainstream publisher. To independently self-publish your book by yourself, buy the latest edition of “The Self-Publishing Manual” for the financial models and technical specifications you will need to adhere to. To publish through a full-service print-on-demand book publishing company, read “Self Publishing Simplified.”

All three books can be purchased via Amazon.com.

Have fun and KEEP WRITING!

Karl and Kelly