the problem i see is that TPBs aren't bought by most bookbuyers... traditionally published [= the writer is paid by, not paying the publisher] books are issued in that format mostly as 'advance reader's copies' sent out by the publisher prior to releasing the hard cover version... i doubt you'd see them on the shelves of major book store chains, though you might find them in pb specialty shops and used book stores, as well as on amazon, which has no 'brick and mortar' stores... and, at much higher in price than the pb's most bookbuyers invest a few bucks in, the market for a self-published book of that sort is severely limited...
Folks, This is an experiment. I have 31 years of marketing experience and have been a self employed entrepeneur for most of that time. Nobody pays me by the hour. Nobody pays the lease for my company office building. And, perhaps most important, NOBODY ever guaranteed me a dime of profit. In fact, my old boss predicted I would go bankrupt within a year of opening my own business...31 years ago. I still have the original business and made enough money to start and sell two other businesses since then. I am an admitted risk taker...perhaps I should have said "addicted". My new company, which I pompously named, American Writers Publishing Company, opened its "doors" a month ago. At this time, it reminds me of my month-old granddaughter; it just lies there sucking $$$ out of my bank account-teat while producing nothing but sh....never mind. mammamaia: you are correct about high pricing, dooming sales. It was my greatest obstacle, negotiating a printing/binding contract. Will this latest business survive infancy? Who knows! I am testing the waters. Is there room for another sci-fi book in the vast maketplace? Again, only time will tell. I priced the book to be competitive as opposed to the self-defeating prices of POD books. I also priced in competitive website-sale discounts...such as, Christmas gift specials (BUY THREE for $29.99, saving 23%!), Refer-a-Friend Discount (20% Discount!), Reading Group Discount (Register your reading group and members get 20% off!).....you get the picture. If I sell off my website, I can offer discounted books for less than $10 (very competitive price!) and still earn more than 10x's what I would have received from a small traditional publisher for each book. After the first 500 books sell, returning my entire initial investment, everything else is profit! I've already got a couple hundred books pre-sold to my fan base from my magazine writing. I posted my actual costs above for starting a true self-publishing entity. It is an honest look at the financial truth, for those who wonder about the alternative to POD and vanity press. I also hope it will serve as a detailed how-to map for the very few writers who might share with me, an entrepeneurial zeal. There is one other cautionary thought that I think I overlooked. The learning curve! If I put a price on the amount of time I invested in learning how to do the following things, it would take far more than 500 book sales to begin making a profit. Fortunately, these things I learned are pretty much a one-time experience and should serve me for many years to come...plus, I haven't had this much fun "learning" anything in many, many years. It was a blast! Here are the time-demanding things to deal with: 1) find the right graphics artist and negotiate the contract; followed by numerous consultations as the artist tweaks initial impressions to produce a finished product. 2) learning curve on CoverPro software that allowed me to produce a print-ready JPEG cover layout. 3) hours spent with the printer adjusting the print-layout to choose fonts, add white space, produce final page numbering, remove orphans and widows, complete final (LAST CHANCE!) editing before going to print. 4) arguing with the County inspector about where my printing press was hidden...no kidding! This complete butt-hole from the county dropped by my business, saying they would not issue my business license until they inspected my printer. I told him I didn't have one and he called me a liar. I even showed him the printing contract and he still refused to believe that I didn't have a printer hidden in my garage at home. I went over his head and got quick resolution after arguing with the inbred for an hour. 5) build a website: technical HTML guys can build any kind of site you can imagine. But, they have the artistic talent of a water buffalo! You pretty much have to imagine how your website will look/function and then spend a few hours guiding the geek team to your objective. Frankly, I could have completed another 100,000 word manuscript with the time it took to build all this infrastructure. Is the time commitment done? Nope. Now, I start the marketing process; passive sales through the 24-hour website and Amazon; active sales to my former fan base, book signings at reading clubs, e-signings (really cool new tool!), radio talk shows, etc. I plan to work my butt off marketing, just like I would have done for any traditional publisher. Damn you mammamaia...after writing all this, you've made me look silly! I guess I'll have to sell enough copies to overcome your expectations! LOL! .....NaCl
sorry, kiddo... wasn't my intent, as i hope you know... does that 'under $10' include shipping and handling?... if not, how much must the book-buyer pay to actually get your book in his/her hot little hands and how long will it take to get there?... and how 'competitive' is that, compared to a best-selling author's latest pb hit that buyers can walk into any bookstore for and walk out with for under $8?... i'm still not trying to make you look silly, only trying to present the total reality of self-publishing, to people who might be considering taking that route, so they won't be unpleasantly surprised when these facts hit them after the money's been spent... btw, i sincerely hope you can prove to be an exception and sell enough copies to at least break even... hugs, m
Mammamaia, While one of the mainstays of traditional publishing has always been hard cover followed up by mass market paperbacks for those that sell well, especially in some genres, trade paperbacks are quite prevalent on fiction shelves. At least in the stores I frequent. I am not one who personally favors self-publishing, but I think you're trying to compare a mass market paperback, which except for romance maybe, most first runs are trade paperback or hardcover for what is destined to be best sellers, which is what you're comparing his efforts against. As an example, Sandra Kring's books (which I mentioned in a post above), she was a first time author, published by Bantam/Dell. Her first novel came out in trade paperback. It's into it's third printing and she's sold another novel, that came out in trade paperback as well. It was picked up by Target as one of their book club picks. The publisher decided that being first time out, as she explained to me, that hardcover would have been a tougher sell, but readers would be willing to pay for a trade paperback. Indeed they have. She'd earned a six figure advance after her first novel for two more. While that may sound like a lot, which it is in a way, it is also what she has to live on for her next two (her third is slated for October '08 release.) As a full time author, she has to live for two or more years on the advance, and until she earns through the royalties (although she is earning some on her first novel which is still selling moderately well). Will NaCl have the distribution and marketing and backing of a major publisher? No. Will he turn a profit? Maybe. A big enough profit to make it a worthwhile venture? Maybe but a long shot, in my opinion. I think that he has pointed out very well the investment he has made in time and cash--what many self-publishers do not--in his bid to make it with his novel. Will he sell 500? Maybe...and you're right, Mammamaia, in pointing out that each dollar spent on things like shipping and in handling and the like, is a cost in funds out of pocket and also time out of his life. He's even pointed out that the time spent in getting ready to sell this novel has cost him the opportunity to write another. It may be that he is destined to sell only a hundred beyond the initial 200 he feels are likely to sell based on his contacts and current reader base. Maybe not. I think what is different here with NaCl, compared to most writers who are contemplating self-publishing...either out of desperation, impatience, that they just want to have a book in-hand is what matters, or just because they are delusional as to how 'easy' it's going to be to sell their stock, is that: 1. He has done real research and preparation. 2. He has been willing to invest more than a marginal sum in his bid for success. 3. His experience in business, sales and as an entrepreneur. Still the odds are steep, but they're better than for the vast majority who chose (or will choose) the publishing road he is about to travel. You are right, Mammamaia, to point out that all but a very very miniscule percentage of self-published authors (except under certain circumstances--such as for example, a motivational speaker who sells books based on his program) and especially fiction authors sell more than 50 or 60 books, most of which go to family and friends and maybe as personal gifts by the author. The rest sit in a garage gathering moisture, or are POD ready but never ordered. All that babbling of mine aside, I don't think that the book NaCl intends to sell is priced as to inhibit success. Of all the factors to overcome, that is not a barrier, I think. I guess we'll have to disagree on this point. Terry
Playing devil's advocate here: Many people are avid gamblers. I'm not talking about the gambling addicts, but the ones who save up for vacations to Las Vegas or other gambling meccas, and carefully allocate what they can afford to lose. They know the odds are stacked against them making a profit, but they not only look forward to their next gambling vacation but look fondly back at past ones. They enjoy it, even without tangible profit. Some self published authors could be viewed in a similar light. They know that they don't stand a good chance of recouping their investment, but meanwhile, they have a book, in print, their own creation. And every book that does sell brings a moment of joy. Does this make any sense? I'm only theorizing, with no facts to back it up.
"Some self published authors could be viewed in a similar light. They know that they don't stand a good chance of recouping their investment, but meanwhile, they have a book, in print, their own creation. And every book that does sell brings a moment of joy." Actually that makes perfect sense to me at least. The gambler has a dream of striking it rich. the author has the dream of seeing his babies make it into the world. We all have a dream of some sort and if by self publishing gets that dream going why not go for it. Just remember the intelligent gamblers creed or mantra. "never spend (or bet) more than you can honestly lose"
The key concept here is "eyes wide open". POD publishers and most Vanity Press are manipulative. They prey on insecurities, frustrations and desperation of unsuspecting writers who are struggling with "hope". I strongly object to such ethics...or better stated...lack of ethics. When I contemplated true self-publishing, I knew it would cost a bunch. I did extensive research. I submitted my MS to a group of 10 Sci-Fi fans for review. I even invested money in an independent editior, giving her the MS and a deadline. No further communications. You should have seen all the red ink between the double-spaced lines. OUCH! I took her criticisms to heart...rewriting some sections, killing some darlings and making most of the changes she suggested. Ironically, when you spend a lot of money to put out a book, it makes you demand the best...even in criticism. I would also like to say that this is NOT a gamble. This is a calculated business investment which includes risk. By the way, no risk=no reward. As such, I have a complete business plan (reviewed by my attorney and accountant), contracts for various services such as graphic arts, internet development, printing and a budget for marketing. And for the record, I won the last Texas Hold'em Poker tournament I played a few months ago! LOL! One last comment: when I was a freshman physics major in college, my "career" counselor strongly recommended that I switch to electrical engineering because there were too many physics majors. She said I was unlikely to find employment after graduating. I went home defeated and depressed. When I told my dad, he said, "Son, let me tell you a little secret about life. The truth is..." He put his arm around my shoulders, guiding me into his den. "...there is always room at the top! If you are the best of the graduating class, you will find employment and some less accomplished person will be moved out." Pretty brutal thought, but dad was right! Dad's dead now, but he still guides me. .....NaCl
New authors are signed everyday. Plenty of small publishers that need material sprout out of the woodwork. POD is the wrong way to go. I just read a study that said the internet has a relatively minimal impact on sales, as opposed to word of mouth and a sales representative. They studied the sales of cell phones, music and real estate and found only 10% of the buyers were influenced by the internet. Now imagine books. Do you honestly think there is much of an internet market for books? Of course, this is speculating that you are counting on people to shop your book via lulu. You may have additional plans, perhaps marketing on your own terms, but I wouldn't rule out traditional publishing. If your novel isn't getting picked up, it's for a reason. Perhaps the writing is sub-par. Do you really want to self-publish a sub-par novel?
The bottom line with any new author is word-of-mouth. No novel, whether self-published or released by a traditional publisher, will succeed if it fails to create a "buzz" among readers. First-time authors carry most of the burden for creating that marketing result....book signings, radio talk show interviews, reading club visits, e-signings...and yes, interenet exposure! These are all tools to help "sell" books. It ain't magic. It's hard work and the publisher's name on the book will not make the story any more exciting for readers. Ultimately, readers decide the fate of a story! Not publishers. That is a risk I gladly accept! .....NaCl
You want me to define sub-par? Go read some of the previews or free downloads of the books on lulu and you try to compare them to Shakespeare. Much of your opinion of the field seems to depend on the success of a person's marketing skills. You regret to mention how extremely difficult it is for a self-published author to sell any of his books. You neglect to mention that a great deal. How are you going to convince a reader to purchase a bad book? If you can't get picked up by a traditional publisher, your book just isn't good enough. It doesn't matter how green you are. If your book is amazing a publisher will buy it. There's no hidden agenda. These guys want to sell books. They'd like to sell good books. Whenever any of my manuscripts were rejected, I made no excuses. I knew the work was lacking. I revised and revised until I was picked up. These hurdles exist for a reason. If you can't leap over them, you have no business being on the track team.
Hold your angry horses there, Wintermute. Did I ask you to spend a dime on MY endeavour? Did I ask you to even buy my book? These expenditures are solely mine, as is the decision to take this risk. If you wish to view the world through there's-only-one-way-to-do-it glasses, then that's your loss. It takes people with vision and guts to explore "outside the box". Imagine if Christomer Columbus gave up on his quest because he listened to the naysayers. You obviously feel quite comfortable inside your narrow view of "traditional publishing"...BTW - I might point out that mainstream publishers are presently struggling with the "New World" of publishing. More and more people have stopped reading books in favor of getting their entertainment on the internet. This article was written by the President and CEO of a traditional publishing company. He speaks with a refreshing honesty about the future of his industry. It's a wake-up call. http://www.michaelhyatt.com/workingsmart/2005/12/the_death_of_tr.html And, as far as your attempt at personal insults: "If you can't leap over them, you have no business being on the track team." You don't get it...I intend to leap over the whole damn traditional publishing building! Besides, I'm not the least bit interested in affiliating with any "team", if it is comprised of self-righteous, condescending members who show no respect for others who are trying hard. So, you're welcome to your myopic view of the world. It serves you well, and believe it or not, I wish you great success as you follow the clearly marked trail through the forest. But I'll take my axe and blaze my own trail...if for no other reason than it is, as my kids say, hella fun! .....NaCl
go for it, kiddo!... you certainly seem to have your head on straight and not be wearing blinders, so why not try for the brass ring, if you really have your heart set on it and are ready/willing to do the work?... best of luck with it all... i hope you sell enough to make this guy eat his words!... m
Truth is mammamaia, I've already succeeded. I learned so much in this process that it has been wonderfully exciting. There's a lot more to building a publishing company than I ever expected. And it takes you away from "writing"...ironic huh? That's my only regret. As far as anybody eating their words, I don't empower negative people. I genuinely hope he makes a good living with his own writing. I would hope he showed the same good will towards me. But if anyone is so entrenced in a narrowminded point of view, I don't care. OMG...does that make me arrogant too! LOL!
