Don't Buy a Pet Fish and Expect it to Act Like a Dog

Chew on This...

The publishing industry changes pretty much on a daily basis. The opportunities for independent authors have never been greater, and the barriers to entry have virtually disappeared. It's just not that hard to publish a book these days -- however, if you plan on being successful, you have to think of it as a business. The good news is that it's easy to get your book out there; the bad news is that a lot of poorly conceived, poorly funded, and poorly edited books also make their way "out there" in droves. The really good news here is that there are people to help you understand the business and your options and what you are getting into. (Hey, btw, we can help you with all that stuff!)  Do your research (check behind their ears, look at their teeth, do a sniff test on Google).

Lots of Publishing Species From Which to Choose...
The new terms in publishing are coming fast and hard, and it's important to understand what they mean to you. I'm not going to give you a glossary of terms here, but suffice it to say, you need to understand the pros and cons of each publishing option.  Don't sign anything until you really, really understand what everything means. Several publishing options are explained and expanded upon throughout this blog.

Who Let the Dogs Out?
Once you choose your publishing breed, don't change your mind and decide it should be doing something instead because some friend told you "You should do ______." Unless they are truly an expert, this is bad advice 99% of the time. Use the best features available from the method you choose and don't expect your method to do new tricks for which it is not set up.

Every day, I hear people who have chosen to publish through a print-on-demand company wonder why their book is not on the shelves of the bookstore. It can be a wise choice for many authors, but knowing your realistic objectives will be your guide. Without clear-cut, realistic, educated objectives, you could be caught chasing your tail.
On the other hand, every month, I meet at least one author who published their book with the fabulous intention of selling it in the back of the room after a speaking engagement. Good plan. A few weeks into the book's life, a friend walks up to the author and says "I went to the bookstore and they said they don't have the book. I want to buy it there." Of course the unspoken message the author hears is "What, isn't your book good enough for bookstores to carry it?" I tell those authors to say "No, bookstores aren't right for my book; however, I take cash, checks and all major credit cards. I'll run out to the car and get you one. I'll even sign it for you!" 

The Tail End of It All...
Making your book available through as many options as possible certainly helps your customer make the decision to purchase your book. Don't buy into claims that your book will be on the shelves of every bookstore, because it won't. (And you don't want it there!) Being available to order at those places is good, however! There are 100,000 books in a pretty big bookstore these days. There are a million new books published each year, and some 30,000,000 titles currently in print, maybe bazillions more. Those aren't very good odds. My final thought is to help you remember that bookstores aren't your target end consumer -- readers are!

Know your plan and stick with it for success!

Self Publishing Contracts - What's the story?

When it comes to publishing contracts, be careful before you jump in with a self publishing company. Read any and all contracts and know what you are signing and who you are dealing with. I have been watching as new consultants sprout up everywhere, with people who have done one book -- their own -- and then suddenly they are doling out publishing advice. I've also seen several people who have been laid off or fired from the traditional publishing world, where they performed one part of publishing, who are now opening up their own consulting firms. So dangerous for you! They often don't understand the whole-picture hurdles and, conversely, the special opportunities in the self publishing world.

If you are considering working with a self publishing company, read the contract, look at the books they have already done, request a detailed proposal or scope of work; also check references. If any vendor holds any rights to any aspect of your book, question it and make darn sure you understand the answer! Don't settle for commonly found lines like "You own 100% of the rights to your work."  You want to know who owns the layout and design of the book when it's done.  That's a good place to start questioning. 

CAUTION:  A check or payment is an implied contract. If you don't sign a specific contract, but you gave them a check or paid them anything, you now have a contract with them anyway. One additional note regarding contracts, don't rely on your regular attorney to know what the terminology means either...you need an intellectual property lawyer (and you want to make sure you know what the terms mean before you talk to them, too.)

Protect yourself by arming yourself with lots of information -- and make sure you really UNDERSTAND everything.

"Put Your John Hancock Right Here"

When entering the vast world of publishing, know what you are getting into and don’t sign anything you don’t understand. Every week, we see eager authors who have signed contracts they didn’t really understand (sometimes with their attorneys who didn’t understand the terminology either). In particular, they get hooked up with agents who are not legitimately trying to place their book) or "self publishing" companies whose contracts are very confusing. So before you send anything to any publisher, editor, or book or literary agent, Google the name or visit a site called Preditors [sic] and Editors (www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubabout.htm). Find out what others say about them first and make sure they are who they say they are.

Remember one thing: With the print on demand/subsidy/vanity houses, their contracts say you retain the rights to your work. However, that doesn’t mean you own anything they have done with it—for example, you do not own the book they produced from your manuscript. Know what the terms mean, or ask a professional before you sign.

Don't pull a Sally Field at the first person who says they will publish your book ("They like me, they really, really like me!"). Know what you are signing. Know what kind of company you are dealing with. Understand their business before you give up any of your rights.

Lisa Pelto, President
Concierge Marketing
and Publishing Services

Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew...Or Sell

Why on earth would you want to fill your garage with cases of books? With technology today, you can order a few books, or even one – you can be your own “print-on-demand publisher”. And because digital technology is so cost effective, you can make modest changes or fix errors the second and third and fourth time around when you print your books.

Editor and publishing colleague Sandra Wendel explains, "Over the course of six printings, we have found a few tiny errors in a book on Las Vegas (actually readers have pointed them out). They were slight errors of fact in history, and we have corrected them easily on the second print run because we run short runs (although the runs are getting longer as the book progresses through maturity)."

You don’t have to broadcast to the whole world that your first run is very small—make sure you have a product that will sell before investing too much in huge inventories. Nearly 400,000 books are published each year—to get the attention of a buyer is tough. Start conservatively and react appropriately. This IS a business, after all!

Lisa Pelto, President
Concierge Marketing
and Publishing Services

When it comes to publishing, do it yourself (or at least keep control of your project).

Why do it yourself? I’ll let one of my colleagues make this point: “I should have remembered the horrible experience with John Wiley publishers 20 years earlier, long before self-publishing was even an acceptable option. I ghost wrote a business and health book. We fought with the editors about the title (they won). We fought with the designers about the cover design (it’s still ugly). And we were disappointed when the book didn’t sell. Nobody told us the publisher does so very little to promote it. We were our own best customers. It was ridiculous. We were paying for our books, and the publisher was returning a small share of that back to us in royalties. Dumb me. I was a ‘with’ author on another book 20 years later and ended up on the same path with that publisher.”

In the past decade, the DIY (do it yourself) publishing industry has added Print on Demand (POD) or "Self Publishing" houses to the model of self publishing. You add your book to their listings, you pay them to publish it, and they bring it into their distribution set up. This publishing method is not addressed at length here, but please understand what these companies are and how they work before getting into a deal with them. This type of publishing is a good deal for poetry, memoirs, and fiction, but NOT the best model for nonfiction with authors who have a “platform” on which to speak outside of book signings and other events related to the book alone.

Do it yourself, but hire qualified professionals to help you along the way.