The Essentials
New Publishers Need to Know
by Fern Reiss, CEO, PublishingGame.com
So you’re ready to publish your first book?
Keep in mind the following tips, and you’ll find
the path to success much smoother!
- Bookstores don’t buy POD books. Rather than
taking on all the details of self-publishing, many wanna-be
publishers are opting for the heavily-advertised
Print-On-Demand
companies, which promise publication at low fees.
For the right project—a niche book with an easily-found
audience, such as a church cookbook—POD can
indeed be a great option. What the POD companies
won’t
tell you, however, is that neither bookstores nor
libraries will generally buy a POD book. So if
you’re
planning to sell your books directly through a
website or via
speaking engagements, POD may be a fine option.
For writers who are hoping to see their book in
bookstores
and libraries, however, better stick with true
self-publishing.
- You can judge a book by its cover.
And that’s
what most people do. So if you’re not going
to spring for a professional, polished cover, you
might
as well not bother self-publishing the book. You
can get a decent cover for as little as $500 and
a fantastic
cover for around $1000 and up.
- Don’t use a Ma and
Pa print shop. Use a printer that specializes in
printing books. Not only will
you have fewer problems with production, but the
prices
will be much less expensive. (You can find a good
list of printers in my book, The Publishing Game:
Publish
a Book in 30 Days.) You should be able to print
3000 copies of a 250-page softcover book for under
$2 per
copy.
•
Get 100 ISBNs. ISBN stands for International Standard
Book Number, and every book sold in bookstores
or on Amazon must have an ISBN. In the U.S. ISBNs
are available
only from Bowker.com, and you can buy them in blocks
of ten, 100, or 1000. The fewer you buy the less
it costs—but buying just a block of ten marks
you as a one-book publisher. And everyone in the
publishing
industry can figure out how many ISBNs you’ve
purchased by looking at your ISBN number. So be
a player; spring for the $800 block of 100.
•
Don’t wait to start marketing. Many first-time
publishers focus on the nuts and bolts of the publishing
process, and put off thinking about the marketing until
they have books in hand (or garage.) Bad move. Your
book will succeed or fail on its marketing plan. So
before you start your self-publishing project, sit
down and figure out who your audience is, and where
you will find them. Only once you’ve mapped
out the marketing should you move forward on a
publishing
project.
Self-publishing can not only be extremely lucrative,
it can be a lot of fun. But follow these five
simple rules, and you’ll be enjoying the publishing
game. Good luck!
Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com (www.PublishingGame.com) and Expertizing.com (www.Expertizing.com) and the author of the books, The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days, and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days as well as several other award-winning books. She is also the Director of the International Association of Writers (www.AssociationofWriters.com) providing publicity vehicles to writers worldwide. She also runs The Expertizing® Publicity Forum where you can pitch your book or business directly to journalists; more information at www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm. Sign up for her complimentary newsletter at www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm.
Copyright © 2011 Fern Reiss
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