Magic herbs

[mel]

Hi
I have written a magic herb book which I sell with the seeds and plants mentioned in the text .It is a seventy page A5 with about twenty colour pictures .I print make and stitch the book and make a professional job .I have sold a few and have generated a great deal of interest.
I am not quite sure how to proceed next.Do you think I should approach a publisher .Should I get a hundred printed and get an ISBN number and try to sell to a wider market or just continue to bang ‘em out one at a time .
I would be grateful for any thoughts on this matter
Regards
Mel

[garmar69]

I hate to sound rude, but I feel I need to be honest with you.

Judging by the SPaG issues with your post--I would say you need to seek professional advice with your book instead of peddling it yourself. Self-publishing is tricky even if you know the ropes.

The way you present yourself is very important. Especially when asking a question like this on a site for writers.

Consider going to New Member Introductions and telling us a little about yourself.

And best wishes with your book! :)

[mel]

Hi
Thank you for your honesty .I spotted the introduction section 30 seconds after posting and have already apologised.
I did ask for thoughts and you certainly gave be yours .I’m off to a bad start but I will try harder :)
Mel

[garmar69]

No need to apologize.

I always recommend that to new members. Later, when he gets time, Cogito will respond to your introduction with a lot of great information and guidance.

Meanwhile, you can look at another intro post for Cogito's form reply.

It's just a good place to start, not necessarily a rule. :)

[mammamaia]

in case you didn't get it, gar's comments were aimed at the many mistakes you made in punctuating your post, as you have periods all over the place, with only one in its proper place...

it's very hard to get a publisher to take on a book that's been self-published... and as yours is a 'specialty' book, that will probably make it even harder... but that doesn't mean it's impossible, as exceptions do occur...

for the us market, go to www.duotrope.com and send well-written [and properly punctuated! ;-) ] queries to all the publishers who deal in books that are similar to yours... there should be some similar site in the uk [or canada/australia], if that's where you want to have it published...

i wouldn't bother trying to get an agent, since a book like this won't be likely to make them enough money to want to take it on...

good luck!

love and hugs, maia

[mel]

I had missed gars point SPaG did make me wonder. Thanks for pointing out my poor punctuation I can work on that and improve .The thing about self publish no one ever complains about punctuation as long as you get your point over .I joined this site for criticism (friendly I hope) and to move forward and develop .

The money side of the book is secondary to the enjoyment of writing but I would like to fully understand the process that one goes through to get a book on the shop shelf.

Thank you for the link www.duotrope.com it was interesting .I have looked on the net for a similar link in England But the system is swamped with American sites .Do you know of any English sites that are similar ?

Many thanks
Mel

[garmar69]

I don't know if you're still unsure, so I will make an assumption. SPaG means spelling punctuation and grammar.

This is a friendly site for the most part.

I'm sorry if I came across as unfriendly. It was more of a trying to steer you in the right direction type of advice.

Anytime you need help with something, feel free to ask. Just as long as it's within forum rules of course. :)

[Holliemouse]

Hi,

I would rather have great feedback like that then people being polite and not mentioning errors. If i gave my book to my mum she would give me lovely fluffy comments back but it would it would not get me published!

Remember its all good advice and no one knows who you are so get posting !

[mammamaia]

The thing about self publish no one ever complains about punctuation as long as you get your point over

that's a terribly wrongheaded approach, sorry to say... if you pay your good money to have your full-of-goofs ms turned into a book verbatim, who's going to pay their good money for a book full of mistakes in even the simplest grammar and punctuation?... how many would even want to read it for free?... would you?

plus, proper punctuation and syntax is vital to a reader's understanding of what the writer wants to put 'over'... a sentence will be read completely differently and have a totally different meaning, depending on where commas go [or are left out] and how the sentence is structured...

so, to imply that it doesn't matter whether you write well or not, as long as you're saying what you want people to get, doesn't make any sense...

[mel]

First let me thank you both for your attention and guidance I value your opinions. You have highlighted a problem that I was not aware of and I am certainly looking at my little book in a different light.

The thing about self publish no one ever complains about punctuation as long as you get your point over

You have misunderstood what I was trying to say .I work in industry and have produced quite a bit of paperwork for the operation of machinery and that sort of thing .Whether or not it was poorly punctuated or downright unreadable I have no idea no one said anything .They may have just got the manuals smiled and stuffed them in the draw.

so, to imply that it doesn't matter whether you write well or not, as long as you're saying what you want people to get, doesn't make any sense...

Producing quality work absolutely does matter to me .That is why I am here. With your kind help I will be able to identify the areas for improvement :)

Have a great day :)
Mel

[mammamaia]

you can start by putting periods in the right place! ;-)

[NaCl]

...which I sell with the seeds and plants mentioned in the text... If you intend this to be a commercial success, you need to hire a professional to ghost-write for you. They are called copywriters. You supply the ideas while they supply the writing skill, and when it is done, you get all the credit as the "author".

It is a seventy page A5 with about twenty colour pictures .I print make and stitch the book and make a professional job .I have sold a few and have generated a great deal of interest. I have self published and know the costs. Have you contacted a printing company to see how much it will cost to print your full-color booklet in low quantity? A lot! Another option is POD (Print On Demand) where you set up the book and they only print them as needed to fill orders. Be prepared to pay over $20 PER BOOKLET for a full color printing through POD! After you mark up that base cost to produce YOUR profit, will people be willing to pay such high prices?

Do you think I should approach a publisher. No. You don't HAVE a book...you have an unrefined idea. Publishers are interested in finished manuscripts...in your case...complete with all the color photos in at least 300 dpi and PNG, JPEG or TIFF format.

Should I get a hundred printed and get an ISBN number and try to sell to a wider market or just continue to bang ‘em out one at a time. ISBN numbers are only needed for marketing through the traditional book distribution system...book stores. And, that distribution system does NOT accept "self-published" works. The only way to break into that distributing "club" is to form a legitimate publishing company, complete with business licenses, business address and all the additional trappings of a real business. (figure at least $2000 to accomplish that)


Mel,

If you do not want to do this professionally, then go to Kinkos and make your own little full-color booklet. Spiral bind it with one of those binding machines that can be bought at most office supply stores. Use a heavier paper (or light cardboard) for the front/back cover and standard letter paper for the pages. If you are good with computer design and page layout, you can produce a nice looking handout for less than going through a POD publisher. Don't worry about ISBN because you're never going to be able to get this book into any major book stores...maybe a few small "magic" shops...but they don't need an ISBN designation.

Good luck with your project.

[mel]

This is exactly what I was looking for, someone to tell what I should do and what I should not .You have dealt with all of the questions perfectly.
The pay on demand price will take it out of the range of the people who would normally buy it which is what I thought. You have given me an idea about increasing sales though .I will have someone proof the book to make it more presentable and will continue producing it myself with no ISBN number.

Fortunately someone pointed out my punctuation and grammar is total rubbish so I think I will spend quite a bit of time sorting that little problem out.:)

Thank you for your help and ideas they have been a great help to me .I had a quick look at you site earlier I will take a proper look later on

Mel,