CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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PREFACE—NOTE TO THE READER

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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WARNING—DISCLAIMER

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1 YOUR PUBLISHING OPTIONS

Why you should consider self-publishing

 

Becoming a Celebrity Author

A Book Lasts Forever

Your Own Publishing Business

The Book Publishing Industry

Your Publishing Choices

Eight Good Reasons to Self-Publish

Should You Self-Publish?

The Future of Publishing

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2 WRITING YOUR BOOK

Generating salable material

 

Picking a Subject

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Writing It Yourself

Choosing a Title

Developing the Book’s Covers

Drafting Your Back-Cover Sales Copy

Research: Finding Material for Your Book

Copyright: What You Can Legally Use

Organize Your Material with the “Pilot System”

Input: Getting It into the Computer

Where to Start: Nonlinear Writing

Concentrated Writing

Using Stories

Lay Out the Binder

The Order Blank

Writing Style

Other Ways to Generate a Manuscript

Negotiating and Contracting with Authors

Advances, Royalties and Fees

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3 STARTING YOUR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY

Basics for taking the plunge

 

Business Structures

Where to Look for Help

Setting Up Your Business

Licenses and Taxes

The Laws You Must Know

Keeping Records and Paying Taxes

Financing Your Business

How Much Does It Cost to Publish?

Equipment You’ll Need

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4 PRODUCING YOUR BOOK

Designing books, typesetting, layout, book printing materials, the printing process

 

Information Packaging

Production and Printing Time

Book Design

Book Format

Color Printing

Printing Materials

Hardcover or Softcover

The Book Cover

The Binding

Printing Books

How Many Books to Print?

Estimating Sales

Reprints

Size of Inventory

Selecting a Book Printer

Other Editions

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5 ANNOUNCING YOUR BOOK

Telling the book world you’re a publisher and an author

 

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

Bar Codes

Other Important Filings

Directories to List Your Book In

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6 WHAT IS YOUR BOOK WORTH?

Prices, discounts, terms, collections and returns

 

The List Price

The Pricing Formula

Other Pricing Considerations

Discounts

Terms of Sale

Collections

Accounts Receivable

Returns

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7 PROMOTING YOUR BOOK

Making the public aware of your book without spending for advertising

 

The Cost of Advertising

Advertising vs. Publicity

Editorial Copy vs. Advertising Copy

Beginning the Promotion

Keep Track of Corrections

Pattern of Sales

Best-sellers

Promotion Is Up to the Author

Key Media Contacts

Promotional Materials

Publication Date

Book Reviews

Selecting Review Periodicals

Review Package

More on Reviews

News Releases

Press Kits

Radio and Television Talk Shows

Author Promotion

Book Awards

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8 WHO WILL BUY YOUR BOOK?

Markets, distribution channels

 

Wholesale vs. Retail Sales

Distributors and Wholesalers

Selecting a Distributor

Bookstore Chains

The Library Trade

School Market

Prepublication Sales

Nontraditional Markets

Target Your Markets

Seasons Affect Your Sales

Selling to the Government and Military

Premiums and Incentives

Fund-raisers

Catalogs

Subsidiary Rights

Opportunities with Other Publishers

Book Exhibits 335

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9 ADVERTISING YOUR BOOK

Using ads smarter & thinking beyond them

 

Your Web Site

Direct Marketing

Co-op Advertising

Point-of-Purchase Sales Aids

Online Advertising

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10 FULFILLMENT

Moving your book out the door

 

Mail-Order Selling

Order Taking

Credit-Card Orders

Order Processing

Credit and Invoicing

Delayed Orders

Quality Control

Inventory and Storage

Picking and Packing

The Packing Process

Shipping Rates

Posting

Alternatives to Licking and Sticking

Returned Books

Order Fulfillment Alternatives

Remainders

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11 COPING WITH BEING PUBLISHED

Or what do I do now?

 

Your New Status

How to Autograph Books

Writing Articles

Consulting

Speaking Engagements

Author Promotion

Your Will

Stay in Your Field of Expertise

Local Stores

The Honor of Being Copied

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AFTERWORD

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APPENDIX 1: YOUR BOOK’S CALENDAR

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APPENDIX 2: RESOURCES FOR PUBLISHERS

Recommended Reading/Bibliography

Book Production & Promotion Resources

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GLOSSARY

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COLOPHON

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ORDERING INFORMATION

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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING...

 

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A common observation by those who use a highlighter to indicate important parts of The Self-Publishing Manual is that their copy winds up completely yellow.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR



DAN POYNTER is the author of more than 120 books and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). He has been a successful publisher since 1969.

Dan is an evangelist for books, an ombudsman for authors, an advocate for publishers and the godfather to thousands of successfully published books.

His seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal and his story has been told in U.S. News & World Report. The media come to Dan because he is a leading authority on publishing and the Father of Self-Publishing.

His books have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, British-English, Russian, German, and others. He has helped people all over the world to publish.

Dan shows people how to make a difference as he makes a living by coaching them on the writing, publishing and promoting of their books. He has turned thousands of people into successful authors. His mission is to see that people do not die with their books still inside of them.

He was prompted to write this book because so many other authors and publishers wanted to know his secret to selling so many books. Now Dan is revealing it to you—the good life of self-publishing.

 

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PREFACE—NOTE TO THE READER

 

This is an exciting time to be in the book business. Book writing, publishing and promoting are changing—for the better!

You will encounter pivotal stories of my own experiences and some from people like you who wanted to write books and perhaps now play a part in influencing what others think and do—to possibly even change the course of a reader’s life. I hope you enjoy these stories. I have also included quotations from experts in the field of writing or publishing, related quotations from others and some of my own thoughts (they are the unattributed quotations).

There’s not enough room in one manual to include everything you should know about self-publishing. Consequently, Para Publishing has prepared many supplemental reports (called Documents, Special Reports or Instant Reports), which are referenced in relevant places throughout this manual. You may not want or need these supplements right now, but when you do you can find them on our Web site (by typing in the document number in the search box) or can contact us by email or telephone about getting copies. Appendix 2 gives a comprehensive listing of these resources.

Dan Poynter, Santa Barbara

 

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

I have not attempted to cite in the text all the authorities and sources consulted in the preparation of this manual. To do so would require more space than is available. The list would include departments of the federal government, libraries, industrial institutions, periodicals and many individuals.

Scores of people contributed to the earlier editions of this manual. Information and illustrations have been contributed to this edition by Jay Abraham, Bill Alarid, David Amkraut, Judy Appelbaum, Walter Becker, James Scott Bell, Susan Bodendorfer, Chuck Broyles, Jerry Buchanan, Dan Buckley, Gordon Burgett, Judy Byers, Jack Canfield, John Culleton, Jack Dennon, Dave Dunn, Robbie Fanning, Elizabeth Felicetti, Scott Frush, Alan Gadney, Bud Gardner, Barbara Gaughen-Müller, Eric Gelb, Peggy Glenn, Scott Gross, Bill Harrison, Don Hausrath, Ken Hoffmann, Sam Horn, Lee Ann Knutson, John Kremer, Paul Krupin, Michael Larsen, Andrew Linick, Terri Lonier, Ted Maass, Tess Marcin, Maggie Mitchell, John McHugh, Susan Monbaron, Jan Nathan, Christine Nolt, Terry Paulson, Raleigh Pinskey, Tag Powell, Bob Richardson, Ed Rigsbee, Joel Roberts, Joe Sabah, Ellen Searby, Dan Snow, Ted Thomas, Doug Thorburn, George Thornally, Jan Venolia, Liz Wagner, Dottie Walters, Mary Westheimer, Liz Zelandais and Irwin Zucker.

Special thanks go to Robin Quinn for editing, Patricia Bacall for interior design, Ghislain Viau for typography, Alan Gadney for technical editing, Robert Howard for cover design, Brookes Nohlgren and Arlene Prunkl for proofing and proofreading, Laren Bright for marketing copywriting and Ellen Reid for guiding the process to excellence.

I sincerely thank all these fine people. I know that they’re as proud of the part they have played in the development of entrepreneurial publishing as they are of their contribution to this work.

 

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WARNING—DISCLAIMER

 

This book is designed to provide information on writing, publishing, marketing, promoting and distributing books. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

It is not the purpose of this manual to reprint all the information that is otherwise available to authors and/or publishers, but instead to complement, amplify and supplement other texts. You are urged to read all the available material, learn as much as possible about self-publishing and tailor the information to your individual needs. For more information, see the many resources in Appendix 2.

Self-publishing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Anyone who decides to write and publish a book must expect to invest a lot of time and effort into it. For many people, self-publishing is more lucrative than selling manuscripts to another publisher, and many have built solid, growing, rewarding businesses.

Every effort has been made to make this manual as complete and accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes, both typographical and in content. Therefore, this text should be used only as a general guide and not as the ultimate source of writing and publishing information. Furthermore, this manual contains information on writing and publishing that is current only up to the printing date.

The purpose of this manual is to educate and entertain. The author and Para Publishing shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book.

If you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may return this book to the publisher for a full refund.

 

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1 YOUR PUBLISHING OPTIONS

Why you should consider self-publishing

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Books are the main source of our knowledge, our reservoir of first faith, memory, wisdom, morality, poetry, philosophy, history and science.

Daniel J. Boorstein, Librarian of Congress Emeritus

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Nearly everyone wants to write a book. Most people have the ability, some have the drive, but few have the organization. Therefore, the greatest need is for a simple system, a road map. The basic plan in this book will not only provide you with direction, it will also pro-mote the needed drive and expose abilities in you that may never have been recognized.

Magazines devoted to businesspeople, sales reps and opportunity seekers are littered with full-page advertisements featuring people with fabulous offers. Usually, these people discovered a successful system of business in sales, real estate or mail order, and for a price they are willing to let the reader in on their “secret.” To distribute this information, they have written a book. Upon close inspection, one often finds that the author is making more money from the book than from the original enterprise. The irony is that purchasers get the wrong information; what they need is a book on how to write, produce and sell a book!

Writing a book is probably easier than you think. If you can voice an opinion and think logically, you can write a book. If you can say it, you can write it. Most people have to work for a living and therefore can spend only a few minutes of each day on their book. Consequently, they can’t keep the whole manuscript in their head. They become overwhelmed and confused, and find it easy to quit the project. The solution is to break up the manuscript into many small, easy-to-attack chunks (and never start at page one, where the hill looks steepest). Then concentrate on one section at a time and do a thorough job on each part.

People want to know “how to” and “where to,” and they will pay well to find out. The information industry—the production and distribution of ideas and knowledge as opposed to goods and services—now amounts to more than one-half of the U.S. gross national product. There is money in information. To see how books are tapping this market, check the best-seller lists in Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.

Your best sources for this salable information are your own experiences, plus research. Write what you know. Whether you already have a completed manuscript, have a great idea for one or need help in locating a suitable subject, this book will point the way.

Since poetry and fiction are very difficult to sell, we will concern ourselves with nonfiction. Writing nonfiction doesn’t require any great literary style; it is simply a matter of producing well-researched, reorganized, updated and, most important, repackaged information. Some of the recommendations here can be applied to fiction, just as the chapters on promotion and advertising might be taken separately and used for other products and businesses. However, all the recommendations are written toward, and for, the reader who wishes to become an author or an author–publisher of useful information.

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Writing ranks among the top 10 percent of professions in terms of prestige

Jean Strouse, as quoted in Newsweek.

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BECOMING A CELEBRITY AUTHOR

The prestige enjoyed by the published author is unparalleled in our society. A book can bring recognition, wealth and acceleration in one’s career. People have always held books in high regard, possibly because in past centuries books were expensive and were, therefore, purchased only by the rich. Just 250 years ago, many people could not read or write. To be an author then was to be an educated person.

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Books through the ages have earned humanity’s high regard as semi-sacred objects.

Richard Kluger, author and editor

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Many enterprising people are using books to establish themselves in the ultimate business of being a celebrity information provider. Usually starting with a series of non-paying magazine articles, they develop a name and make themselves visible. Then they expand the series of articles into a book. Now with their credibility established, they operate seminars in their field of expertise, command high speaking fees and issue a high-priced newsletter. From there, they teach a course at the local college and become a consultant, advising individuals, businesses and/or others. They find they are in great demand. People want their information or simply want them around. Clubs and corporations fly them in to consult, because it is more economical than sending all their people to the expert.

Achieving this dream begins with the packaging and marketing of information. Starting with a field you know, then researching it further and putting it on paper will establish you as an expert. Then your expert standing can be pyramided with interviews, articles, TV appearances, talks at local clubs, etc. Of course, most of this activity will promote your book sales.

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Recognition is everything you write for: it’s much more than money. You want your books to be valued. It’s the basic aspiration of a serious writer.

William Kennedy

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In turn, all this publicity not only sells books, but also opens more doors and produces more invitations, leading to more opportunities to prove your expert status and make even more money for yourself. People seek experts whose opinions, advice and ideas are quoted in the media. Becoming an expert doesn’t require a great education or a college degree. You can become an expert in one small area if you’re willing to search the Internet (the world’s largest library), read up on your subject elsewhere too and write down the important information.

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Sample expert bio

 

Dan Poynter is a parachute expert who advises attorneys, judges and juries about what happened or what should have happened in skydiving accidents. He is not a lawyer or even an engineer, but has written seven books on related subjects. His technical books on parachutes and popular books on skydiving give him the expertise to be hired and the credibility to be believed.

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A BOOK LASTS FOREVER

A book is similar to a new product design or an invention, but is usually much, much better. A patent on a device or process runs only 17 years, whereas a copyright runs for the author’s life plus 70 years. Patents cost thousands of dollars to secure and normally require a lot of legal help. By contrast, an author with a simple two-page form and $30 can file a copyright. Once you write a book, it’s yours. You have a monopoly on your book and there is often little direct competition.

Many people work hard at a job for 40 years and have nothing to show for it but memories and pay stubs. However, others take their knowledge and write a book; the result is a tangible product for all to see. A book lasts forever, like a painting or a sculpture, but there are many copies of the book—not just one. While a sculpture can only be admired by a limited number of persons at any one time in the place where it is displayed, books come in multiple copies for the entire world to use and admire simultaneously.

Another success secret is to cut out the intermediaries who are the commercial publishers and produce and sell the book yourself. You can take the author’s royalty and the publisher’s profit. You get all the rewards because you are both the author and the publisher. Now, in addition to achieving the wealth and prestige of a published author, you have propelled yourself into your own lucrative business—a publishing house. This shortcut not only makes you more money (why share it?), it also saves you the frustration, trouble and time required to sell your manuscript to a publisher. You know the subject and market better than some distant corporation anyway.

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It circulated for five years, through the halls of 15 publishers, and finally ended up with Vanguard Press, which you can see is rather deep in the alphabet.

Patrick Dennis

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To clarify for those readers who might misunderstand, publishing doesn’t mean purchasing a printing press and actually putting the ink on the paper yourself. Nearly all publishers leave the production to an experienced book printer.

 

YOUR OWN PUBLISHING BUSINESS

A business of your own is the great American dream, and it is still attainable. In your own business, you make the decisions to meet only those challenges you find interesting. This is not goofing off; it is making more effective use of your time by working smarter, not harder. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day. If you are to prosper, you have to concentrate on what will bring the most return.

Running your own enterprise will provide you with many satisfying advantages. You should earn more money because you are working for yourself rather than splitting your efforts with someone else. You never have to worry about a surprise pink slip. If you keep your regular job and moonlight in your own enterprise as recreation, it will always be there to fall back on should you need it. In your own company you start at the top, not the bottom, and you work at your own pace and schedule.

In your own small business, you may work when and where you wish; you don’t have to go where the job is. You can work till dawn, sleep till noon, rush off to Hawaii without asking permission. This is flexibility not available to the time-clock punchers.

Before you charge into literary battle and attack your keyboard, review Chapter 11 of this book. It describes how your life will change once you become a published author. Being an author–publisher will sound like a good life, and it can be. However, working for yourself requires organization and discipline. Yet work won’t seem so hard when you are counting your own money.

 

THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

To help you understand what’s ahead, here are some definitions and background on the book publishing industry:

* To Publish means to prepare and issue material for public distribution or sale or “to place before the public.” The book doesn’t have to be beautiful; it doesn’t even have to sell; it needs only to be issued. Salability will depend upon the content, the packaging and the book’s promotion.

* A Publisher is the one who puts up the money, the one who takes the risk. He or she has the book assembled for the printer, printed and then marketed, hoping to make back more money than has been spent to produce it. The publisher might be a big New York firm or a first-time author, but he or she is almost always the investor.

* A Book by International Standards is a publication with at least 49 pages, not counting the covers. Books should not be confused with “pamphlets,” which have less than 49 pages, or “periodicals,” such as magazines and newspapers. Periodicals are published regularly and usually carry advertising.

 

THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY in the U.S. consists of some 82,000 firms (up from 3,000 in 1970), according to the R.R. Bowker Co., but there are many more thousands of publishers. Altogether, they publish more than 200,000 titles every year. The large publishers, based in New York, are consolidating, downsizing and going out of business; there are just six left. There are perhaps 300 medium-sized publishers and more than 81,000 small/self-publishers. Some 8,000 to 11,000 new publishing companies are established each year. Currently, 2.8 million titles are available or “in print” in the U.S.

 

YOUR PUBLISHING CHOICES

An author who wishes to get into print has many choices. You can approach a large (New York) general publisher or a medium-sized niche publisher. You can work with an agent, deal with a vanity press (a bad choice) or publish yourself. And there are also choices when it comes to printing (see Chapter 4).

If you publish other authors as you expand your list of titles, you may graduate to the ranks of the medium-sized publisher. You could one day even become a large general publisher. Here are the choices.

 

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1. LARGE PUBLISHING FIRMS are like department stores; they have something for everyone. They publish in many different fields and concentrate on books that anticipate audiences in the millions. A look at the numbers in big publishing will help us to better understand their challenges.

It has been estimated that more than 2 million book-length manuscripts are circulated to publishers each year, and many of the large publishers receive 3,000–5,000 unsolicited manuscripts each week. Reading all these manuscripts would take an enormous amount of time, and a high percentage of the submissions do not even fit the publisher’s line. They are a waste of editorial time. Consequently, many of the publishers refuse delivery of unsolicited manuscripts by rubber-stamping the packages “Return to Sender”; writers are being rejected without being read!

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Authors do detailed research on the subject matter but seldom do any on which publishing house is appropriate for their work.

Walter W. Powell, Getting Into Print

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The 12,000 bookstores in the U.S. don’t have enough space to display all the 200,000 titles published each year, so they concentrate on the books that move the best in their neighborhoods. Consequently, most publishers figure that even after selecting the best manuscripts and pouring in the promotion money, only three books out of ten will sell well, four will break even and three will be losers. Only 10% of the New York-published books sell enough copies to pay off the author advance before royalties are paid.

Have you ever wondered why books in bookstores tend to have very recent copyright dates? They are seldom more than a year old because the store replaces them very quickly. Shelf space is expensive and in short supply. The books either sell in a couple of months or they go back to the publisher as “returns.”

Large publishers have three selling seasons per year. They keep books in bookstores for four months and then replace them. Most initial print runs are for 5,000 books. Then the title remains in print (available for sale) for about a year. If the book sells out quickly, it is reprinted and the publisher dumps in more promotion money. If the book does not catch on, it is pulled off the market and remaindered (sold off very cheaply) to make room for new titles.

The financial demands cause publishers to be terribly objective about the bottom line. To many publishers, in fact, a book is just a “product.” They are not interested in whether it is a good book; all they want to know is whether it will sell. Therefore, they concentrate on well-known authors with good track records, or Hollywood and political personalities who can move a book with their name. Only occasionally will they accept a well-written manuscript by an unknown, and then it must be on a topic with a ready and massive audience. A published writer has a much better chance of selling than an unpublished one, regardless of the quality of the work.

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Few of the major trade publishers will take a chance on a manuscript from someone whose name is not known.

Walter W. Powell, Getting Into Print

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Publishers, like most businesspeople, seem to follow the 80/20 principle: they spend 80% of their effort on the top 20% of their books. The remaining 20% of their effort goes to the bottom 80% of their line. Most books have to sell themselves to induce the publisher to allocate more promotion money.

Many publishers today suggest that their authors hire their own PR firm (at the author’s expense) to promote the book.

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A SAVVY SUCCESS STORY

 

There is a story about one author who sent her relatives around to bookstores to buy up every copy of her new book. The sudden spurt in sales excited the publisher, who increased the ad budget. The increase in promotion produced greater sales and her book became a success.

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Royalties: The author will get a royalty from the large publisher of 6% to 10% of the net receipts (what the publisher receives), usually on a sliding scale, and the economics here are not encouraging. For example, a print run of 5,000 copies of a book selling for $20 could gross $100,000 if all were sold by the publisher at the full retail list price, but an 8% royalty on the net (most books are sold at a discount) may come to just $4,000. That isn’t enough money to pay for all the time you spent at the computer. The chances of selling more than 5,000 copies are highly remote, because after a few months the publisher takes the book out of print. In fact, the publisher will probably sell fewer than the number of copies printed, because some books will be used for promotion and unsold books will be returned by bookstores.

Your publisher will put up the money, have the book produced and use sales reps to get it into bookstores. However, they will not extensively promote the book— contrary to what most first-time authors think. Authors must do the bulk of the promotion. Once authors figure out that very little promotion is being done, it is often too late; the book is no longer new (it has a quickly ticking copyright date in it) and is about to be remaindered. They also can discover, to their dismay, that their contract dictates that they must submit their next two manuscripts to this same publisher.

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Whether you sell to a publisher or publish yourself, the author must do the promotion.

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Big publishing houses provide a needed service; however, for many first-time authors, they are unapproachable. And once in, an author doesn’t get the best deal, and getting out may be difficult. In addition, these publishers often chop the book up editorially, change the title and take a year and a half to publish it. Authors lose artistic control of their delayed book.

Their publishing approach might be more acceptable if the big commercial publishers were great financial successes. They aren’t, or at least they haven’t been so far. One publishing house even admits that it would have made more money last year if it had vacated its New York office and rented out the floor space!

But there is a brighter side for the small publisher who understands who his or her readers are and where they can be found. Since the old-line, big department store-like publishers only know how to sell through bookstores, there’s a lot of room left for the smaller boutique-like publishing house and self-publisher.

Be careful if you hang around with people from the traditional book industry. Learn, but don’t let their ways rub off. Study the big New York publishing firms, but don’t copy them. You can do a lot better.

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To the smaller publisher, there is no front list or back list; it is an “only” list.

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2. MEDIUM-SIZED (NICHE/SPECIALIZED) PUBLISHERS are the smaller and newer firms that serve specific technical fields, geographic regions, categories of people or other specialized markets (business, hiking, boating, etc.). Some of these publishers are very small, some are fairly large, but the most successful ones concentrate on a single genre or subject area.

The owners and staff are usually participants in their books’ subject matter. For example, I publish parachute books with a sense of mission—because I like to jump out of airplanes. Participants at these firms know their subject matter and where to find their reader/buyer because they join the same associations, read the same magazines and attend the same conventions the readers and buyers do.

The secret to effective book distribution is to make the title available in places with a high concentration of your potential buyers. When a niche publisher takes on your book, they can plug it right into their existing distribution system. For example, while some parachute books are sold in bookstores, more than 90% are sold through parachute stores, skydiving catalogs, jump schools and the U.S. Parachute Association for resale to its members. Usually three or four calls to major dealers can sell enough books to pay the printing bill—before the book is even printed!

Some writers may think a large New York publisher is more prestigious (good for impressing people at cocktail parties), but a small to medium-sized publisher will usually sell more books because they sell to nonbook trade accounts as well as to bookstores. Remember, most book buyers are interested in the subject matter of the book and want to know if the author is credible. Rarely does anyone ask who the publisher is.

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Professionals sell then write, while amateurs write then try to sell.

Gordon Burgett

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Contacting a niche publisher: If you decide you want your book published by someone else, the secret is to match the manuscript to the publisher. To find the right publisher, check your own bookshelf or go to your nearby bookstore and consult the shelves where your book will be. Check the listings at an online bookstore such as Amazon.com. Look for smaller publishers who do good work. When you contact a niche publisher, you will often get through to the top person. They know and like the subject, and they are usually very helpful. They will be able to tell you instantly whether the proposed book will fit into their line.

Niche book publishers tend to be helpful and friendly. No two niche books are exactly alike; it is rare that two books on the same niche subject are published in the same year. Consequently, these publishers do not feel threatened by other publishers. In fact, publishers often promote other books and each other. This is why when you contact a publisher and they decide that your manuscript is not for them, they are eager to recommend another publisher. They know of lots of other publishing companies, and most relish being able to help you and the other publisher get together.

 

3. VANITY OR SUBSIDY PUBLISHERS produce around 6,000 titles each year; roughly 20 firms produce about 70% of the subsidized books. Subsidy publishers offer regular publishing services, but the author invests all the money. Under a typical arrangement, the author pays the full publishing costs (more than just the printing bill) and receives 40% of the retail price of the books sold and 80% of the subsidiary rights, if sold. (See a fuller explanation of subsidiary rights in Chapter 8.) Many vanity publishers charge $10,000 to $30,000 to publish a book, depending on its length.

Vanity publishers claim that they will furnish all the regular publishing services including promotion and distribution. All this might not be so bad if they had a good track record for delivery. But according to Writer’s Digest, vanity publishers usually do not deliver the promotion they promise, and the books rarely return one-quarter of the author’s investment.

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A CAUTIONARY TALE

 

Soma Vira, Ph.D., paid $44,000 to have three of her books produced by a well-known subsidy publisher. She received 250 books but could not verify how many were printed and suspects they made very few for stock. The books were not properly edited, typeset, proofed or manufactured. Distributors, bookstores and reviewers refuse to consider books from this and other vanity presses. The books she received cost her $176 each and she had to start over.

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Legitimate publishers don’t have to look for manuscripts.

L.M. Hasselstrom

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Since binding is expensive, the subsidy publisher often binds just a few hundred copies; the rest of the printed sheets remain unbound unless needed. The “advertising” promised in the contract normally turns out to be only a tombstone ad that lists many titles in The New York Times. Sales from this feeble promotion are extremely rare.

POD publishers also provide a subsidy service; the author pays. Most of them make more money selling books to the author than to the public. Most of their marketing efforts are aimed toward the author. (See discussion of printing options in Chapter 4.)

The ads reading, “To the author…” or “Manuscripts wanted by…” easily catch the eye of the writer with a book-length manuscript. Vanity presses almost always accept a manuscript for publication and usually do so with a glowing review letter. They don’t make any promises regarding sales, and usually the book sells fewer than 100 copies. Vanity publishers don’t have to sell any books because the author has already paid them for their work. Therefore, subsidy publishers are interested in manufacturing the book (as few copies as possible), not in editing, high-quality cover design and typesetting, promotion, sales or distribution. Since they are paid to publish, they are really selling printing con-tracts, not books. They are simply taking a large fee to print unedited and poorly reproduced manuscripts.

Review copies of the book sent to columnists by a subsidy publisher usually go straight into the circular file (trash can). The reviewer’s time is valuable, and they do not like vanity presses because they know that very little editing has been done to the book. They also realize that there will be little promotional effort, that the book has not been distributed to bookstores and that the title will not be available to their readers. The name of a subsidy publisher on the spine of the book is a kiss of death.

One major vanity press lost a large class-action suit a few years ago, but they are still advertising in the Yellow Pages; they are still in business.

 

4. LITERARY AGENTS match manuscripts with the right publisher and negotiate the contract; 80% of the new material comes to the larger publishers through them. The agent has to serve the publisher well; for if he or she submits an inappropriate or poor manuscript, the publisher will be reluctant to consider anything more from that agent in the future. Therefore, agents like “sure bets” too, and many are disinclined to even consider an unpublished writer. Their normal commission is 15%.

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Agents are 85% hope and 15% commission.

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According to Literary Market Place, about 40% of the literary agents will not read manuscripts by unpublished authors, and a good 15% will not even answer query letters from them. Of those agents who will read the manuscript of an unpublished author, 80% will charge for the service. Eighty percent of the agents will not represent professional books; 93% will not touch reference works; 99% will not handle technical books; 98% will not represent regional books, satire, musicals and other specialized manuscripts. Although most agents will handle novel-length fiction, only 20% are willing to take on either novellas or short stories, and only 2% have a special interest in literature or quality fiction.

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It’s harder for a new writer to get an agent than a publisher.

Roger Straus, president Farrar, Straus & Giroux

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On the fringe, there are people who call themselves agents who charge a reading fee and then pay students to read and critique the manuscript. They make their money on these fees, not from placing the manuscripts. For a list of literary agents, see Writer’s Market, Literary Agents of North America and Literary Market Place. Also see the directory of agents on the Writers Net Web site at http:// www.writers.net and the Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc., an organization of independent literary and dramatic agents, at http://www.publishersweekly.com.

 

5. SELF-PUBLISHING is where the author bypasses all the intermediaries, deals directly with the editor, cover artist, book designer and printer, and then handles the distribution and promotion. If you publish yourself, you’ll make more money, get to press sooner and keep control of your book. You’ll invest your time as well as your money, but the reward will be greater.

Self-publishing is not new. In fact, it has solid early American roots; it is almost a tradition. Well-known self-publishers include Mark Twain, Zane Grey, Upton Sinclair, Carl Sandburg, James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Stephen Crane, Mary Baker Eddy, George Bernard Shaw, Edgar Allen Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Robert Ringer, Spencer Johnson, Richard Nixon, John Grisham, Tom Peters, Stephen King, Ken Blanchard, L. Ron Hubbard and many, many more.

These people were self-publishers, though today the vanity presses claim their books were “subsidy” published.

Years ago, authors might have elected to go their own way and self-publish after being turned down by regular publishers. However, today, most self-publishers make an educated decision to take control of their book—usually after reading this manual.

Do self-publishers ever sell many books? Here are some numbers (at last count): What Color Is Your Parachute?,22 revised editions and 5 million copies; 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth, 4.5 million copies; How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, 2.2 million copies; Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, over 0.5 million copies; and Final Exit, over 0.5 million copies. These authors took control and made it big. For an expanded self-publishing success list, see Document 155 at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

Self-publishing is not difficult. In fact, it may even be easier than dealing with a publisher. The job of the self-publisher is not to perform every task, but to see that every task gets done. Self-publishers deal directly with the printer and handle as many of the editing, proofing, cover and page production, promotion and distribution jobs as they can. What they can’t do, they farm out. Therefore, self-publishing may take on many forms, depending on the author–publisher’s interests, assets and abilities. It allows them to concentrate on those areas they find most appealing and use outside services for the rest.

Properly planned, there is little monetary risk in self-publishing. If you follow the plan, the only variable is the subject of the book. Unlike poetry and fiction, most nonfiction topics sell relatively easily, especially to their target markets.

Because the big publisher tests a book only for a few months and then lets sales dictate its fate (reprint or remainder), the first four months are the most important to them. The self-publisher, on the other hand, uses the first year to build a solid market base for a future of sustained sales. While a big publisher may sell only 5,000 copies in total, the self-publisher can often count on 5,000 or more each year—year after year.

Para Publishing’s Is There a Book Inside You? has a self-paced quiz to help you decide between a large publisher, a medium-sized niche publisher, an agent, a book producer, a vanity press and self-publishing.

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Do you realize what would happen if Moses were alive today? He’d go up to Mount Sinai, come back with the Ten Commandments, and spend the next eight years trying to get them published.

Robert Orben, humorist

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EIGHT GOOD REASONS TO SELF-PUBLISH

1. To make more money. Why accept 6% to 10% in royalties from a publisher when you can have 35% from your bookstore distributor (or 100% if you sell direct to the reader)? You know your subject and you know the people in your field. Certainly you know more than some distant publisher who might buy your book.

Although trade publishers can get your book into bookstores, they don’t know the nonbookstore possibilities as well as you do, and they aren’t going to expend as much focused promotional effort. Ask yourself this question: Will the trade publisher be able to sell four times as many books as I can?

2. Speed. Most publishers work on an 18-month production cycle. Can you wait that long to get into print? Will you miss your market? The 18 months don’t even begin until after the contract negotiations and contract signing. Publication could be three years away! Why waste time shipping your manuscript around to see if there is an agent or publisher out there who likes it?

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NIXON & THE SPEED OF SELF-PUBLISHING

 

Richard Nixon self-published Real Peace in 1983 because he felt his message was urgent; he couldn’t wait for a publisher’s slow machinery to grind out the book.

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Typically, bookstores buy the first book published on a popular subject. Later books may be better, but the store buyer may pass on them since the store already has the subject covered.

3. To keep control of your book. According to Writer’s Digest, 60% of the big publishers do not give the author final approval on copyediting; 23% never give the author the right to select the title; 20% do not consult the author on the jacket design; and 36% rarely involve the author in the book’s promotion.

The big New York trade publishers probably have more promotional connections than you do. But with a huge stable of books to push, your book will most likely get lost in the shuffle. The big publishers are good at getting books into bookstores, yet fail miserably at approaching other outlets or doing specialized promotion. Give the book to someone who has a personal interest in it—you, as the author.

4. No one will read your manuscript. Many publishers receive hundreds of unsolicited manuscripts for consideration each day. They do not have time to unwrap, review, rewrap and ship all those submissions, so they return them unopened. Unless you are a movie star, noted politician or have a recognizable name, it is nearly impossible to attract a publisher. Many publishers work with their existing stable of authors and accept new authors only through agents.

5. Self-publishing is good business. There are many more tax advantages for an author–publisher than there are for just authors. Self-publishers can deduct their lifestyle.

6. Self-publishing will help you think like a publisher. A book is a product that comes from you, somewhat like your own child. You are very protective of your book and naturally feel that it’s terrific. When someone else publishes you, you think the book would sell better if only the publisher would pump in more promotion money. The publisher will respond that they are not anxious to dump more money into a book that isn’t selling. So if you self-publish, you gain a better understanding of the arguments on both sides. It is your money and your choice.

7. You’ll gain self-confidence and self-esteem. You will be proud to be the author of a published book. Compare this to pleading with people to read your manuscript.

8. Finally, you may have no other choice. There are more manuscripts than can be read. Most publishers don’t have time to even look at your manuscript.

The greatest challenge facing the smaller and newer publisher today is finding a system for managing the excitement. Nonfiction book publishers in their how-to books provide valuable information that readers willingly buy because it is going to save them time and money. We send out review copies, draft articles, make email solicitations and circulate news releases on our books—and customers respond. That is exciting! Publishing is an easy business, a profitable business and a fun business. The publishing business is truly excitement-driven.

 

SHOULD YOU SELF-PUBLISH?

Would-be author–publishers should be cautioned that self-publishing is not for everyone. Writing is an art, whereas publishing is a business, and some people are unable to do both well. If you are a lovely, creative flower who is repelled by the crass commercialism of selling your own product, you should stick to the creative side and let someone else handle the business end.

On the other hand, some people are terribly independent. They will not be happy with the performance of any publisher, no matter how much time and effort is spent creating and promoting the book. These people should save the publisher from all this grief by becoming their own publisher and making their own decisions. Fortunately, most of us fall somewhere in between and can handle both the creative and promotion sides of publishing.

SELLING OUT TO A BIG PUBLISHER: Many self-publishers find that once they have proven their books with good sales, they’re approached by larger publishing houses with offers to print a new edition. If you’re considering selling to a large publisher, see the related discussion in Chapter 8 along with my noted precautions and recommendations.

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$4.2 MILLION PAID!

 

Richard Paul Evans took six weeks to write the 87-page Christmas Box. He did so well selling it for two holiday seasons that Simon & Schuster paid him $4.2 million for it. Now it is in 13 languages. Sometimes authors begin as self-publishers, get attention and then sell to a larger publisher.

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THE FUTURE OF PUBLISHING

Packaged information is becoming increasingly specialized. More and more books are being printed in smaller quantities. The information in books is going out-of-date faster. Books are being produced more rapidly. Computerized equipment allows people to rapidly write, edit, lay out, print and deliver books. The customer wants more condensed and targeted information, faster.

The chapters that follow describe in detail an alternative to traditional publishing. This self-publishing route will enable you to get your book into print at minimum cost. This book could be your second chance. It will show you the way to publication, fame and extra income—a new life.

Obviously, your success cannot be guaranteed, but many people are doing very well in the writing/publishing business. This isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme; there is work involved. Even though you are working for yourself, at your own pace, it is still work. You won’t get rich overnight. Building a sound business venture takes several years.

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Make effective use of your most valuable asset—your time.

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The secret is to invest your labor. Your time is precious. Like gold, there is a finite quantity. You have only 24 hours of time each day. You can use your time in several ways: you can throw it away, sell it or invest it. For instance, you can waste your valuable time in front of the television set; time is easy to lose that way.

Most people spend their lives punching a clock, going to work and getting a check. They trade their labor for money on a one-to-one basis. If you don’t punch in, you don’t get paid. But isn’t it better to invest your time in a book that will sell and generate income while you are away doing something else? Your labor becomes an investment that pays dividends for years while you are playing or working on another investment. Don’t throw away your time; invest it. It is up to you.

You have all the ingredients it takes to be a successful published author. This book is your recipe.

 

* * * * *

 

2 WRITING YOUR BOOK

Generating salable material

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Write on a subject you love. Your profit center should also be your passion center.

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What are your talents and what do you want to do? Do you enjoy writing, or do you want to become a published author but find writing painful? Analyze your abilities, motivations and overall agenda. Do you want to write, publish or sell books, to pursue any combination of these activities or even do all three?

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I love being a writer. What I hate is the paperwork.

Peter de Vries

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In this chapter, I’ll cover areas to help you make an educated, personal choice about who will do the writing part of the equation. First, I will discuss how to get your thoughts on paper yourself. Then I will look at avenues for obtaining writing from others. The second part of this discussion will also take us into areas of publishing.

 

PICKING A SUBJECT

This is the first step. Consider the elements necessary for selling nonfiction:

* The subject is interesting to you. What topic do you want to be talking about two years from now?

* You have the expertise (education) or experience (you have been there, done that).

* The subject interests others; it must be salable. If you build it, will they come?

* The subject matter is tightly focused. Readers want specific, narrowly targeted information today.

* The market is easy to reach. You will be able to determine who your potential customers are and where your customers are. You’ll know what stores they visit, what associations they join, what magazines they read and what events they attend.

* The market of potential buyers is large enough.

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There are three rules to successful writing: (1) have something to say, (2) know how to say it, and (3) be able to sell it.

David Hellyer

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The book should be on a subject that you’re interested in and on which you are an expert—or on which you would like to become an expert soon. Perhaps you’ve spent years working at, specializing in and learning about something, and there are thousands of people out there willing to pay good money to get the inside information from you. Or if you select your hobby, there are a number of advantages— (1) you know what has been written in the past, (2) you have the contacts for gathering more information and (3) your further participation in that hobby will become tax deductible.

If you need help evaluating your project, contact author–publisher Gordon Burgett at Gordon@sops.com. He will read your manuscript and make recommendations on market targeting, manuscript rework (if necessary), publishing and marketing; he will report on readability and salability.

 

FICTION VS. NONFICTION

Nonfiction is information that people buy because it will save them time or money. It is much easier to convince people to buy nonfiction than fiction. Unfortunately, the unknown fiction writer or poet is at the same point as the unknown painter or musician.

Nonfiction. Most often, the subject of a book—not the name of the publisher or the comments of a reviewer— is what sells nonfiction. Every new national craze requires how-to books. Don’t be discouraged if your subject has already been covered. That just proves someone else thought it was important. Using your own experience and the latest information, you can do it better. The how-to subjects with the best sales potential are money, health, self-improvement, hobbies, sex and psychological well-being. Find a need and fill it. Remember, most people buy nonfiction to learn some-thing or to solve a problem. You can help them.

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130,000 SOLD!

 

One specialized book that sold for years was my title Hang Gliding. It went through the press 10 times for 130,000 copies in print. And the printings sold out.

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Fiction is related to all other books of fiction in its category. A reader who buys one mystery is a prime candidate for another mystery. Fiction must compete for a person’s leisure time too. He or she must choose not only between reading this book of fiction and reading other books, but also between reading this book and engaging in other forms of entertainment, such as going to a movie, renting a video or walking on the beach.

Poetry is even more difficult to sell than fiction. But since we receive so many requests for this information, we have assembled the Instant Report 606, Publishing Fiction and Poetry; find it at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

At Para Publishing, we specialize in coaching nonfiction book publishers to sell more books. We do not claim to have any expertise in magazine or newsletter publishing, fiction or poetry. There are many kinds of publishing. Some of our programs, ideas, leads and resources will work for creative literature, but that is not our specialty.

There may be more money in publishing your information in short monographs than in longer books. Timely mono-graphs usually command a higher price, can be published in shorter runs and take less time to produce. You can even sell them on the Web as downloadable information. Don’t overlook well-researched short reports.

 

WRITING IT YOURSELF

Creating your own material is easy if you have a system; all it really takes is organization and discipline. When you follow my system, creating copy becomes challenging fun, and you see the progress you’re making—which is encouraging.

Although writing a book is not difficult, it’s not for the lazy. As with joining Alcoholics Anonymous or going on a diet, you’ll have to change your lifestyle. This means waking up one morning and making a decision to do it now. Getting into the system and developing good habits will provide you with a sense of purpose and a feeling of accomplishment. Once you have selected a topic, only the decision to start stands between you and the finished book.

For more detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to write your book, see my book Writing Nonfiction at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

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Writing has to come first.

Sue Grafton

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Time,—that is,—a lack of it, is the most frequently heard excuse for not completing a book. But somehow we always find time for those things that are important to us. We just naturally put them first. Often we can fit in an hour of writing time each day by completing our other chores faster. Another way is to get up one hour earlier. This is perfect scheduling, because the house tends to be quiet, the tele-phone doesn’t ring and you are refreshed; most writers find the early morning to be their most creative and productive time. But you must put this daybreak hour first and not let anything interfere with it. Once you gather momentum in your project, you’ll find that rising early will be easy; you won’t even miss that hour of sleep. Or, like some other writers, you may prefer to write at night after work, in the wee hours after other people in your household have gone to bed or on the weekends.

Set up a writing area in a spare room or in a corner of the living room. Keep your computer and research tools there. Your creative-writing time is precious; don’t waste it trying to get organized in a new location each time.

 

CHOOSING A TITLE

Spend time on your title. A good title is essential; in fact, it’s half your sales package. If you have a poor title, your potential customer may never recognize the book as being valuable to him or her.

Start with a short, catchy and descriptive title and add a longer, explanatory subtitle. If the first word of the title is the same as the subject, it will make the book easy to find in the alphabetical book directories.

Brainstorm the title and also come up with a good one-liner that tells a complete and compelling story about your subject. Write down all your ideas for both. Your title may evolve and change as you write the book. The title is the single most important piece of promotional copy you will draft for the book.

If you need more explanations, see Document 630, Selecting a Book Title that Sells, at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

 

DEVELOPING THE BOOK’S COVERS

FRONT COVER: Your front cover will feature your title and subtitle. In the planning stages, list the most important person in your field (association or industry) for the Foreword (and please note the spelling of Foreword).You will try to get him or her to pen the Foreword later.

SPINE: If you stack the title on the spine, it will read more easily on the shelf. (See the spine of this book.) An image is also a nice touch to grab attention. I often use the logo for my publishing company.

BACK COVER: Write your back-cover sales copy before you write your book. This exercise will help you focus on your audience and what you plan to give them. You have to draft the back-cover copy eventually, so you might as well do it before you write the book.

 

DRAFTING YOUR BACK-COVER SALES COPY

Stores have tens of thousands of books displayed with their spines out. With all this congestion, it’s hard to get attention. Initially, all that buyers see is the book’s spine. If they take it down, they will gaze at the cover for about four seconds and then flip it over to read the back cover. On average, they will spend just 14 seconds here, so the trick is to keep them reading longer. Your back-cover copy has to be punchy and laden with benefits; it has to speak to the potential buyer.

Your cover designer will lay out the packaging of your book and incorporate the illustration, put it all on disk and send it to you ready for the printer; however, you must draft the sales copy. The back-cover layout shown above will take you step by step through the sales-copy drafting process. Use your computer so you’ll be able to move the copy around once it has been entered.

Here are explanations for each area of the worksheet.

* CATEGORY: Visit a bookstore and check the shelf where your book should be displayed. Note the categories on the books and the shelves. Listing the proper category on the back cover of your book will ensure that your book will be easier to find, because the book-shop personnel will place it on the right shelf.

* HEADLINE: Now you need an arresting headline addressed to potential buyers. You want them to relate to the book and find themselves in it. Do not simply repeat the title here; do not bore the potential buyer. You have already printed the title on the front. For an example of a strong headline, look at the back cover of this book.

* DESCRIPTION: Concisely (in two to four sentences) state what the book is about. What will the reader gain by reading this book? Get to the point—many times. This section is all the potential buyer will read before skimming the rest to make a buying decision.

* BENEFITS AND HIGHLIGHTS: Focus here on the specifics of what the reader will get from your book in terms of benefits and coverage. Concentrate on the most valuable and most important items.

 

Say, “You will discover:” and then present the list:

l [item]

2 [item]

3 [item]

4 [item]

 

* TESTIMONIALS AND ENDORSEMENTS: Dream up three different quotations from people you would like to quote. Use names or titles recognizable in your field, sources that might impress potential buyers. This is just a draft; dress it up. You will secure some of these endorsements later.

 

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* AUTHOR: Show that you, the author, are the ultimate authority on the subject. Just two or three sentences will do.

* SALES CLOSER: End with a sales closer in bold type. Ask the browser to buy the book. Use something like “This book has enabled thousands to..., and it will show you the way too.”

* PRICE: Bookstores like a price on the book. The price is a turnoff, so place it at the end of the sales copy. Never locate the price at the top of the back cover. If this is a hardcover book, place the price at the top of the front flap.

* BAR CODE with the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and price. The bar code on a book identifies the ISBN, which in turn identifies the publisher, title, author and edition (hardcover, etc.). Make room for, but do not worry about, the bar code and ISBN now.

Your title, subtitle, back cover headline and benefits/highlights may be swapped. Once you have written them, you may wish to move some of them around. For example, one of your benefits might actually be a better subtitle.

The back-cover copy on most of the books you see in bookstores is weak and uninspiring. The title is repeated and then is followed by several quotations and a bar code and that’s it! Haphazard copy is the sign of a lazy (or maybe inexperienced) copywriter. This lack of effective competition on the shelf will give you the upper hand. Work on drafting mouth-watering, action-producing, customer-stampeding, riot-provoking, wallet-grabbing sales copy.

Years ago I said, “Write your ad before you write your book.” This was to help writers focus on their audience and what they were going to give their readership. Then I realized that the most important “ad” you will ever write is your back-cover copy. Now I say, “Write your cover copy before you write your book.”

 

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Unfortunately, many nonfiction books are written without a specific market in mind, and since the book does not provide what the potential buyers want, it does not sell. The book-cover writing will help you focus on who your customer really is.

For more information on covers, see Document 631, Covers That Sell Books, at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

 

RESEARCH: FINDING MATERIAL FOR YOUR BOOK

Research is simply reading, making notes, condensing and rearranging the gathered pertinent information. All research should begin with the Web because you’ll pick up more current information there than at any library or bookstore. Register your information needs with Excite and Google. They will send you clippings from several sources.

Search online bookstores such as Amazon.com. Research what has been written in your field. Then study actual copies of the related books. What’s missing? What could you do better? Use the Internet search engines and library resources to find more information.

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The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading in order to write.

Samuel Johnson

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Be a detective. Gather everything ever written on your subject. Load yourself up with so much material that you’ll have to decide what to leave out. Overdo it, and you will be proud of the result—secure in the knowledge that you have covered the subject completely.

You’ll want your readers to know about all the books, magazines, newsletters, tapes, software and other references available on your subject. List them in the Appendix of your book.

As an author and opinion-molder, you may not have to buy some of these resources. Ask the publishers for free reference copies, and discuss the possibility of permissions and attributions for used information. Now that you are researching, you’re a member of the print media and will be able to attend a lot of related events for free. Use your new business card to get a press pass, media packet and preferential treatment.

 

COPYRIGHT: WHAT YOU CAN LEGALLY USE

Copyright is a subject that interests potential authors. They want to know how to protect their precious material from others and also how much they themselves can borrow.

Copyright does not cover facts or ideas. Copyright covers only the expression of ideas in a sequence of words. Copying ideas is research; copying words is plagiarism. So copy ideas, copy facts, but do not copy words. Make it a rule never to repeat any three words in a row.

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GETTING PERMISSION

 

If you find material that you wish to use as is, contact the author for permission. Type out exactly what you wish to use and email: “I would like to quote you in my book. The wording is below. Since it has been some time since you wrote it, I am wondering if you would say it exactly the same way today. Please look it over, make your changes and let me know how you wish to be credited at the end of the paragraph.”

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The 1987 Copyright Act was amended by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998. Your copyright will last for your life plus 70 years. See the Copyright Office Web site for details and see the charts at http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm and http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/Hirtle_Public_Domain.htm.

Many documents are not copyrighted. If you want to find out whether some material is protected under either the current or pre-1978 law, the U.S. Copyright Office at the Library of Congress will conduct a search for you. Send them as much information as possible, such as the author, title, publisher and publication date. The easiest way is to photocopy the title page and copyright page of the book. The Copyright Office charges for the time spent, and they should be able to make two searches per hour. Get a copy of Copyright Office Circular 22, How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work, by calling the Copyright Office at 202-707-3000 or the forms hotline at 202-707-9100, or print out the circular from the Copyright Office Web site at http://www.copyright.gov/forms/.

Government and military publications are in the public domain. Even if they were not, the Freedom of Information Act would probably cover them. If you really need some material, military or civilian, ask for permission. It is safer and cheaper than hiring a lawyer later to prove you had a right to use it.

Your copyrighted material is valuable property, or it may become so one day. File copyright forms on all those magazine articles you write but don’t get paid for. You may need an article for inclusion in a book someday, and the expenditure on fees for your copyright application will justify to the IRS that you really are in the word business.

If, on the other hand, you are asked for permission to reprint some material from your book, you might consider limiting the permission to a section or two and stipulating that an editor’s note must indicate that the material was used with your permission and came from your book. This will show, once again, that you are an expert; it is also good publicity for the original work. A copyright on your book is not only for protection—it carries prestige because it shows you are a professional. Copyright is discussed in several other places in this book. See the Index. For more information on copyrights, see the Copyright Office Web site at http://www.copyright.gov/.

 

ORGANIZE YOUR MATERIAL WITH THE “PILOT SYSTEM”

Start by drawing up a preliminary Table of Contents; just divide your notes into 10 or 12 chapters. Then sort all your research material and “pile it” as required.

SORT, SHUFFLE AND MARK: Decide on your chapter titles. Now, using scissors when necessary, sort all your research material into the applicable chapter piles. During your research, you must have written down a number of interesting observations and many of your own experiences. Make sure these notes are added to the piles.

Now spread out the individual chapters. They could completely fill your living room. Pick an interesting pile—any one, not necessarily the first—and go through it, underlining important points and writing in your additional comments. Write out longer thoughts on a tablet and place those sheets of paper in the pile in the order you plan to write that chapter.

Your notes ensure that you will not leave out any important points. And you will be entertained as you compare what other authors say about the same item. The similarities are often remarkably coincidental, sometimes to the point of including the same words and phraseology (which is why you should explain the information differently). This experience also emphasizes the importance of being accurate. Others will research and refer to your work in the future.

This floor spread will enable you to see the whole interrelated project, lending excitement and encouragement— a great incentive. Move the chapter piles around to ensure a good, logical flow of thought and to avoid duplication of copy. Condense the material by discarding unnecessary and duplicate material.

As you read what others say on a particular point, your memory will be jogged. You will have additional points, a clearer explanation or an illustrative story. Where you disagree with another author, you can always say, “Some people believe…” and then tell it your way. You have the advantage of the most recent information, since you are coming later.

MAKE NOTES: Carry paper and pen with you at all times, especially when running or engaging in any solo activity. This is a time to think, create, compose; this is when there is no one around to break your train of thought. Some authors keep a writing tablet in their car and compose away from home. I know of a detective-writer who outlines his stories while on stakeouts. When you are confined, captive or isolated, you have nothing else to do but create. Make use of any available time. Good material could develop while attending a dull meeting, for example.

Some people like to work with a small pocket tape recorder, but remember that someone must transcribe your dictation. It all depends on how you perform best. If you regularly dictate material and have someone transcribe your tapes, this may be the most comfortable and efficient method for you.

When a particularly original thought or creative approach hits you, write it down or you may lose it. Keep on thinking and keep on taking notes. Add your thoughts and major pieces to the piles. As you go along, draw up a list of questions as they come to mind, so that you’ll remember to follow up on them for answers.

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There is nothing to writing. All you have to do is sit down at the keyboard and open a vein.

Red Smith

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INPUT: GETTING IT INTO THE COMPUTER

Keyboard (or dictate with speech recognition software) your sorted notes. Write as you speak; relax and be clear. Don’t worry about punctuation, grammar or style. You will edit the work later, and it is always easier to edit than it is to create. Right now, all you want to do is get your thoughts and research material onto the hard disk. Make notes where you are considering illustrations, graphics or tables.

Read a whole section of notes to grasp the overall theme. Then boil it down and use your own words. Think about the section and how you might explain the basic message better. Can you say it more clearly with fewer words? For organization, list the main points and rearrange the pieces. If you’re having trouble with a section, skip ahead and come back to it later.

 

WHERE TO START: NONLINEAR WRITING

Don’t start your writing with Chapter 1—to do so makes book writing feel like an impossibly steep climb, and it is hard to get started. Select the chapter pile that looks the smallest, easiest or most fun. Once you have drafted it, take the next most interesting chapter and so on. Skip around. Soon you will be past the halfway mark and the going will be downhill. You will be encouraged and will gather momentum. Using this approach, you will probably find you are writing the first chapter last. This is as it should be, because the first chapter is usually introductory in nature to the overall book, and you cannot know where you are truly going until you have reached the end. Many authors wind up rewriting and re-slanting the first chapter because they wrote it first. They may never proceed to Chapter 2. By the end, you may have drawn some new conclusions, which you will want to allude to in the introductory chapter.

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The last thing one discovers in writing a book is what to put first.

Blaise Pascal

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Don’t be concerned with what goes into the computer the first time around. The important thing is to get it down. Often these first impressions are the best; they are complete, natural and believable. In any case, later you’ll go through the draft making corrections, additions and deletions. It’s called “editing.”

As you keyboard the rough first draft, and later as you review it, you will decide that whole paragraphs are misplaced and belong elsewhere. With your computer, it is an easy matter to move and modify material. Writing on a computer with all the capabilities of word-processing software will allow you to create in a nonlinear (random) fashion. You can easily move paragraphs, add, delete, change words and thoughts—much like the mind works.

If you lack a certain piece of information, a number or a fact, put a note in the text to remind yourself and move on. Don’t lose momentum. Some authors use three asterisks (***) as a marker, because asterisks are easy to see (or find with a computer search). Similarly, if you find yourself repeating material, make a note with three asterisks so you can com-pare it with the other material later. Keep on writing.

 

CONCENTRATED WRITING

If possible, keyboard one whole section at a time. One whole chapter at a time is even better, and the entire book straight through is the best way to go. Most beginning authors are working at other jobs and can devote only a short period each day to their writing. But the more time you can put into each piece of the book the better, because there will be greater continuity, less duplication and clearer organization. If you can do only a small section at a time, try arranging the pieces in the evening, reviewing them in the early morning, thinking about them while commuting, etc., and then after you have formulated the section in your mind, come home to keyboard it.

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HOW I’VE WORKED

 

My first book, on parachutes, took eight years to produce. I worked on this labor of love without guidance or direction. The huge, steady-selling manual became the foundation upon which I built my publishing company. My second book was a study guide for an obscure parachuting rating; it sold better than expected. In 1973, I became interested in the new sport of hang gliding. Unable to find any information at the library, I wrote the first book on the subject. I foresaw a trend and cashed in on it; the book sold 130,000 copies over 10 years, allowed me to move back to California and buy a home in Santa Barbara. Total writing time: two months.

By this time, I had developed a writing system. My fourth book took less than 30 days from idea and decision until I delivered the typesetting to the printer. And most of this time was used in waiting for answers to my many letters requesting information. The first draft took only five days.

From there, I concentrated on several high-priced, low-cost course pamphlets, turning out most of them within a week. My ninth book took all of two weeks to first draft, and it was typed clean. Very few editing changes had to be made to the original copy.

Using a word processor, I took 31 days to write, edit and type-set a book on computers. The actual time spent working on the book was just 18 days. Lately, my books have been longer and have required more time, but I still produce manuscripts efficiently. Writing a book is easy if you know the formula.

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If you can, take a few weeks off from work, shut out all distractions and become totally involved in the manuscript. Do not pick up the mail or answer the telephone. Eat when hungry, sleep when tired and forget the clock except as a gauge of your pace. Keep up the pressure and keep on keyboarding. Focus on, say, one chapter per day. You should not have to force yourself to write, but you will need organization and discipline. After a couple of books, you will find yourself making very few major changes to your original draft.

Writing from notes is much easier than composing from thin air. Thin air produces writer’s block. Incidentally, many writers say the hum of a computer—knowing the electricity is on—prompts them to work.

Don’t throw out your materials and notes once your draft is typed. Put them in a cardboard carton. Someone may ask where you found a particular piece of information and you may want to trace it. Traceability is especially important with photographs and artwork.

 

USING STORIES

Stories make your points memorable; note how stories are used in this book. Solicit them from your colleagues. You can also submit your request for stories to the readers of my Publishing Poynters Marketplace newsletter. See http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/newsletter.cfm.

Clean up the submissions; add the name and URL (most people want to drive traffic to their Web site) and email the piece back to the contributor for approval. Set the stories in a different typeface or indent them to make them easier to find and set them off from the main text.

 

LAY OUT THE BINDER

Now that you’re generating copy, you need a place to store it. Find a wide, three-ring binder and add dividers corresponding to the chapters you’ve selected. Punch and insert the rough draft pages as you complete them. As the piles come off the floor, move across the desk and flow through the computer into the binder, you’ll gain a great feeling of accomplishment.

Inserting the front matter of the book into this binder will further encourage you. As well, as you encounter resources, add them to the Appendix in the back. Soon you’ll have a partial manuscript, the book will be taking shape and you’ll have something tangible to carry around. The binder will make you feel proud and will give you the flexibility to proofread and improve your manuscript when you’re away from home.

Write your name and address in the front of the binder with a note that it is a valuable manuscript. You do not want to misplace and lose your future book. With your binder in one place and your hard disk in another (and your book also on a backup CD), you won’t have to worry about the financial and emotional disaster of losing your work in a fire, theft or computer crash.

Carry that binder with you everywhere you go; busy people often have trouble finding the time to return to their desk and their book. With the binder system, the book is always with you. As you go through the day and find a minute here and there, open the binder—to any section—and write in your changes, notes and comments. Periodically enter your changes into the computer and print out new pages. The binder is an anti-procrastination crutch, and it works! With the binder under your arm, the book will be continually in your thoughts. Your work and your manuscript will improve.

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UNANTICIPATED BINDER BENEFIT

 

Ed Rigsbee agreed the binder was helping him stay on his project, but he also found an added benefit. His wife became much more supportive of the project once she saw the tangible evidence!

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THE ORDER BLANK

The last page of your book should contain an order blank; place it on a left-hand page—facing out. Some readers will want to purchase a copy for a friend, and others may want a copy for themselves after seeing your book at a friend’s home or in the library. Make ordering easy for them by listing the full price of the book, including sales tax (if applicable) and shipping. This order-blank system works. Several orders on the form are received for The Self-Publishing Manual each week.

 

WRITING STYLE

Before creating an article for a magazine, a professional writer will always read one or more editions of the periodical thoroughly to absorb the style and subconsciously adapt to that magazine’s way of writing. The same technique can be used in writing a book by reading a couple of chapters of a book by a writer you admire.

Writing is a communication art. Write as you speak, avoiding big words where small ones will do. Most people regularly use only 800 to 2,000 English words available to them. Use simple sentences and be precise with words. Vary sentence and paragraph length, and favor the shorter ones. Try to leave yourself out of the copy; avoid the word “I.” Read Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style, which revolutionized writing in the 20th century.

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I just sat down and started all by myself. It never occurred to me that I couldn’t do it as well as anyone else.

Barbara Tuchman

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Relax, talk on paper, be yourself. Explain each section in your own words as you would to help a friend who is new to the subject. Keep your writing short. You are paying for every word that will be printed, so edit out the junk.

Like a speech, every paragraph of your book should have a beginning, a middle and an end. The first sentence of the paragraph either suggests the topic or it helps the transition from the preceding paragraph. Stay with one subject per paragraph. Each paragraph should tie in with both the pre-ceding and following paragraphs (use good transitions).

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If a reader doesn’t understand a paragraph, don’t blame the reader.

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Be a professional and give the readers their money’s worth. Your material will be used by others in coming years and you’ll be quoted. If you’re accurate and correct now, you won’t be embarrassed later by the written legend you have created. As a published author, you have the responsibility of being a recognized expert. Use proper terms; don’t start a new language. Steer away from jargon (words that are unique to a certain audience), coinages (words that aren’t in the dictionary) and buzzwords (words that move in and out of vogue); you will only turn off your reader.

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CHOOSE WORDS WISELY

 

In the early 1970s, hang gliding was a hot new subject. It was the rebirth of aviation, using a wing made in the sail industry, and the participants were kids off the streets. The terms for flying and parts of the glider could have come from the aviation community, the sail industry, or popular (new) jargon could have been used. Aviation terms became the choice. This was impressed upon the early book and magazine writers; aviation terms were used almost exclusively, and this usage aided the introduction of hang gliding into the community of sport aviation.

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One technique for educating your readers in the correct terms is to use the proper term and then follow it with the more popular word or explanation in parentheses. Educating the reader as you progress through the book is preferable to making readers wade through a glossary.

You are finished when the manuscript is 95% complete and 100% accurate. Don’t wait for one more photo, one more statistic, one more piece of information. Get your book to press and to your buying public. Hopefully, you will sell out in a few months, make corrections, add some updated material and return to the press with a revised edition.

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Don’t let perfection interfere with possible.

Keith Cunningham

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And your book will still be just 95% complete. Our society is evolving too rapidly, our technology is progressing too fast—your book will never be 100% complete. As soon as you put words on paper, the clock starts ticking. Get over it and go to press.

 

OTHER WAYS TO GENERATE A MANUSCRIPT

Help is available to those who still cannot write even after learning the tricks mentioned previously.

1. HIRE A WRITER (Work-for-Hire): If you cannot get your thoughts on paper, try the team approach. There are a lot of writers out there—people who love to put good thoughts into words. Look for a moonlighting newspaper reporter.

They are trained to listen and put your thoughts down accurately. Once they have your material written out, you may edit the work for rewriting. Plus, his or her media contacts could be invaluable.

Make sure your contract has a work-for-hire clause, or you may wind up not owning what you have hired the person to write. For more information on collaborating, responsibility charts, an explanation of work-for-hire and a sample contract, see Is There a Book Inside You? in Appendix 2 under Para Publishing Books & Reports or at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

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AUTHORING, BUT NOT WRITING

 

Joe Karbo sold millions of dollars worth of The Lazy Man’s Way to Riche$, and although he “authored” the book he did not write it. He gathered his original thoughts and materials and hired a writer to put it all on paper.

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To find a ghostwriter or advanced editor, see http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/supplier.cfm.

2. HIRE AN EDITOR: All savvy authors hire editors. Get someone who can take your information, restructure it, rewrite where necessary and put energy into it.

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A DOCTOR SELECTS AN EDITOR

 

Dr. Rick Hartbrodt wrote a medical book about a common disease. The manuscript contained a lot of solid, helpful information but it was hard to read. He contacted writers’ groups, editorial services and secretarial services listed in the Yellow Pages and located four people who were willing to help. He gave each a copy of the first chapter and asked them to edit a couple of sample pages and to quote their fee. Some editors only wanted to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, whereas others wanted to do complete rewrites. Using this method, he was able to compare their work and select the type of work he wanted, the editor he liked most and the best fee.

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See the list of editors in the Suppliers section of our Web site at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/supplier.cfm.

Many people who are not professional writers get into print. If they cannot pick up the skills, they ask for help. You can too.

3. COMMISSIONED WRITING: Some of the more successful book houses approach publishing from a hard-nosed marketing position. They know what their clients want; what they have been able to sell in the past. They often stay in their field of expertise by hiring writers to produce more of these types of books.

Once you decide on the category for your books, you too can approach others to write for you by paying cash outright (work-for-hire) or using modest advances and royalties (a share of the proceeds) as an inducement. The accounting is simpler and the arrangement is often more cost-effective when you pay outright for material rather than paying royalties. Flat fees for shorter books are often $5,000 to $15,000, half on assignment and half on acceptance. Moonlighting advertising copywriters might wrap up these books in fewer than 60 days.

4. AUTHOR SUBMISSIONS: Another source of material is the traditional one of unsolicited author submissions. If you are concentrating on a certain genre or interest area and selling books to a select market, you are also in contact with those people best qualified to generate new material for you. Once you publish something they like, they will come to you. Many people have always cherished the dream of becoming an author, and they will seek you out once they recognize your publishing success.

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Publishing is an active life while writing is a quiet life.

Linda Meyer

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You can always wait for manuscripts in your interest area to come to you, but you will save time and a lot of use-less manuscript reading by soliciting manuscripts yourself. Prepare one-paragraph outlines of the books you need to round out your catalog and send the summaries to writing magazines such as Writer’s Digest (http://writersdigest.com). Also, fill out a form for a publisher listing in Writer’s Market. Make it easy for qualified writers to find you. The quickest response will come from a listing in my Publishing Poynters Marketplace newsletter. Subscribe to Publishing Poynters, and you will receive both newsletters. See http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/newsletter.cfm.

5. CO-AUTHORSHIP (Multiple authors): Consider co-authorship if you have a book you want to write yourself, but recognize that you lack the required technical expertise. Find an expert in the field to write part of it while you write the other part, and then each of you can edit the other’s material. This approach has many advantages, including the endorsement of an expert, more credibility for the book and another body to send on the promotional tour. The disadvantages are smaller royalties, extra accounting and author hand-holding (which can require a lot of time as you teach them the business and explain what you are doing and why).

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FRISBEE BOOK PARTNERSHIP

 

I shared the responsibilities for the Frisbee Players’ Handbook with disk expert Mark Danna. Danna wrote the throwing and catching chapters, and I wrote on history, record attempts and competition, and also assembled the Appendix. I came up with the unique package and marketing idea (a circular book packaged in a Frisbee), but did not have enough expertise or credibility as a Frisbee player. Mark Danna rounded out the team well.

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Spouses may choose to co-author a book if one is an expert in the field and the other is a better wordsmith. A project like this gets both of them published, provides the couple with a common project (which may do great things for the marriage) and elevates their job stature.

6. GHOSTWRITERS: Lee Iacocca did not write those two best-sellers by himself. Iacocca is the author (it is his material), but he is not the writer. He does not have time to write. If you don’t have the time or inclination to write, but you do have material recorded in articles, on tape, in lecture notes, collected in files, mapped out in your head, etc., you can hire a ghostwriter to put it all in book form. If you decide to work with a ghost, see Is There a Book Inside You? at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm for details and the contacts in Appendix 2.

7. REPUBLISHING ARTICLES: Many author–publishers have gone the easy route by simply editing the material of others after they had researched a subject they were interested in and found that many fine experts had already written about it. The collection of these articles, one per chapter, can form a book called an anthology. To pursue this course, contact each author for permission to use his or her material, send a copy of the article and ask each to update their piece with any new information or changed views. This makes your chapter better than the original article. If the chapter must be shortened, ask the author to do it. This is faster and easier than doing it yourself and then negotiating your changes with the author.

8. OUT-OF-PRINT BOOKS: Sometimes you can find good books that large publishers have let go “out of print.” Normally, the copyright has reverted to the author. These authors are usually thrilled to have a new publisher put their books back into print. See the R.R. Bowker directory called Books Out of Print, available at your library.

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MAKING THE OLD NEW

 

Bill Kaysing discovered an out-of-copyright book called Thermal Springs of the World. He abstracted just the data on hot springs in the western U.S., added some original comments and reprinted it as Great Hot Springs of the West. Review copies sent to several major magazines resulted in an entire column of flattering coverage in Sunset. Some 3,000 copies were sold in a little over a year.

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9. TRANSLATIONS: Look for foreign language titles online and at U.S. and overseas book fairs that you can acquire, have translated and then publish. Contact publishers in other countries that specialize in books that interest you. See International Literary Market Place or the PMA Foreign Rights Virtual Book Fair Web site at http://pma-online.org/programs.cfm.

A good translator is a highly skilled artist whose writing does not read like a word-for-word translation. He or she will spend time searching for the single right word or phrase to convey the original meaning. Translators must be bilingual. English (the destination language) must be their first language, and they must be good writers. To find translators, see the American Translators Association Web site at http://www.atanet.org.

The English language rights to foreign language books are rarely expensive, so this is another interesting source of material.

 

NEGOTIATING AND CONTRACTING WITH AUTHORS

The object of an author–publisher contract is to clarify thinking and positions by laying all the details on the table and arriving at a mutually beneficial agreement. There will never be a second book if one side takes unfair advantage of the other; it pays to keep the future in mind. Small publishers should not offer less than the industry norm unless they will be satisfied with just one book per author—and there is no need to offer more.

Each contract will be somewhat different, but you can start with a standard one. For sample contracts ready to load into your computer, see Para Publishing’s Publishing Contracts in Appendix 2 under Para Publishing Special Reports and on our Web site at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm. It is easier to edit form contracts than to create them from scratch.

First-time authors will be eager to become published and may not be terribly concerned about the contract initially. Many creative people are not business- or commercially-oriented. It is imperative that contract negotiation and signing be taken care of first to avoid misunderstandings later. Print out the contract and ask the author whether it is generally acceptable. If he or she has made any other commitments, such as for some subsidiary rights, this information must be added to the contract. Include a work schedule and a clause allowing you to cancel if he or she fails to meet deadlines; always keep the pressure on writers to perform. (See Is There a Book Inside You? at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.)

Unless you have a narrow field of interest or the writer has very strong feelings about a particular aspect of the con-tract, you want a contract that gives you all possible rights and territories. Once you have published the basic book, you want to entertain the possibilities of translations into other languages. Then there are book club adoptions, film rights, magazine excerpts, newspaper serializations and mass-market paperback rights. You will also want to sell through bookstores, other types of stores, through the mail, to associations, over the Internet, etc. Your promotion will rub off on all areas, so take advantage of it by taking control of the complete project. Remember that people who write con-tracts slant them their way. Take control. Use the Special Report Publishing Contracts (at http://ParaPublishing.com) to create your own contract.

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Many first-time authors are not concerned about the advance or royalties; they seek notoriety. They get smarter on their second book and look for the money.

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ADVANCES, ROYALTIES AND FEES

ADVANCES (money paid “in advance” by the publisher) depend on the proposed retail selling price, the projected print run and the sales potential of the book. An advance seals the deal, which is an important legal consideration, and it puts pressure on both the author and the publisher to perform. The advance makes the author feel accepted and has great psychological value; it does not have to be large to work as an incentive.

Advances generally range from $100 to $10,000, and small publishers often keep them low as that is all they can afford. A good rule of thumb is to offer an advance equal to the projected first-year royalties (the author’s share of the book’s proceeds). One way to create an incentive, or at least make the author feel morally obligated, is to make progress payments. One-third can be paid on signing the contract, one-third when the writer submits the first draft and one-third when he or she completes the proofreading.

Advances are paid against royalties—that is, royalty payments are first deducted from any advances issued to the author before royalties are actually paid out. Ordinarily, advances are nonrefundable; the author keeps them even if he or she fails to deliver the manuscript or the book is never published. This is another good reason for publishers to protect the investment with progress payments and a written contract.

Authors may demand high advances from publishers in order to commit the publisher to push the book. The publisher, with a lot already invested in a book, has to bring it to market quickly and promote it well. The advance is the publisher’s gamble.

FLAT FEES OR ROYALTIES: Should contributors get a percentage of the book or be paid a flat fee? Obviously, flat fees are simpler, and they are occasionally cheaper (you avoid semiannual accounting). An illustrator creating a major portion of the book should get royalties, whereas someone doing basic research or contributing a drawing should be paid a flat fee. Everyone must understand clearly what is in it for him or her. If you require a few drawings, go to a graphic artist to have them drawn to order. Then pay the bill and be done with it. With children’s books, however, where the illustrations are considered to be equally as important as the text, the royalty split is typically 50/50.

THE ROYALTY FORMULA traditionally has been to pay the author 10% of the list (cover) price for each hardcover book sold through “trade book” channels, such as book wholesalers, bookstores and libraries. Graduated royalties for the hardcover edition might be 10% of the list price on the first 5,000 books sold, 12.5% on the next 5,000 and 15% on sales over 10,000. Often softcover authors command 7% for the first 12,000 sold and 9% above that number.

In the late 1980s, most of the larger publishers changed their terms by offering authors 6% to 10% of the net on books. They amended their contracts with some generous-sounding wording such as “We will pay you 6% of the net receipts.” What they don’t say is that many of the books are sold at varying wholesale discounts of 40% to 66%, so authors receive roughly half of what they used to receive.

Accounting for sales on the net is very time-consuming; every sale has to be calculated. A percentage of the list price is preferable to both author and publisher because it is much easier to calculate.

Royalties for college texts range from 10% to 18%, and those for heavily illustrated elementary and secondary school texts run from 4% to 10%. Royalties for children’s books range between 10% and 15%, to be split between the author and illustrator.

Mass-market paperback publishers usually pay 4% to 7.5%, but they print in much greater quantities.

Most traditional contracts call for the author and publisher to split the subsidiary rights (films, book clubs, etc.) at some percentage. Many of the big publishers barely break even on the book itself and hope to make their money on the subsidiary rights.

Before going on to Chapter 3, turn to Appendix 1, “Your Book’s Calendar.” Before you start, it’s nice to know where you’re going. For more information on publishing choices, you can take self-evaluated quizzes to help your-self make a decision; see Is There a Book Inside You? at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

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My hobby is writing. Fortunately, I have found a way to turn my avocation into my vocation.

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SHARING WHAT I’VE LEARNED

 

I have operated and worked for large firms, but I opted to go it alone in 1969. It was 1983 before I decided to take on my first employee. In terms of both dollar volume and books sold, I was probably the world’s largest one-person publishing company during those early years. Now Para Publishing is larger than it was then, but I have help.

Because I had committed myself to the “luxury” of a one-person enterprise, I had to operate efficiently. I concentrated on those areas that provided a maximum return on my investment of time and money—the highest profit and best results for the time and energy expended.

I know small business and small publishing inside out because I play both roles; I set policy as management and implement it as labor. Consequently, I have developed simple systems to handle every task. In this book, I share my experience with you.

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If the large publishers are doing so well, why do they require authors to send return postage with their submitted manuscripts?

 

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3 STARTING YOUR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY

Basics for taking the plunge

 

Forming your own publishing company is not difficult, and many of the requirements can be postponed until you are ready to send your manuscript to the printer. But you do need a system and must get into the habit of using it. Publishing your book is, after all, a business.

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Writing a book is a creative act. Selling a book is a business.

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Having a business is just good business. Tax laws favor businesses because owners can deduct goods and services that the wage earner must pay for with after-tax dollars. If you don’t have a business, you don’t get to deduct very much.

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JOB: Gross —> Taxes —> Net

 

BUSINESS: Gross —> Expenditures —> Net —> Taxes

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If you own a business, a lot of what you’re already buying becomes deductible because it’s part of maintaining your business (car washes, membership dues, magazine subscriptions, travel, taking people out to dinner, the business portion of your home, etc.). Having your own business will improve your lifestyle.

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My take-home pay won’t take me home anymore.

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BUSINESS STRUCTURES

There are three forms of a business—(1) the sole proprietorship, (2) the partnership and (3) the corporation—and each has advantages and disadvantages. You don’t have to make the choice right now. If you do not file for corporation status, you’ll be operating as a sole proprietorship or partnership anyway. All you have to do is say, “I am a business,” and file a Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) with your tax return. Schedule C is where you list your deductions.

Here are a few things to keep in mind while you’re focusing on your most important concern—your manuscript.

* As a sole proprietor, what the business earns is yours to keep; what the business borrows is money you owe. The business is you.

In a book-publishing sole proprietorship, you have the choice of keeping your financial records on a modified cash basis or an accrual basis. The cash system is easier to understand, allows you to defer more income and requires less bookkeeping, which makes more sense for a small business. You can always switch to accrual when you grow larger. Once you use the accrual system, you cannot switch back to cash. Most accounting software programs, such as QuickBooks, operate best in the accrual system.

* Many business consultants discourage the formation of a partnership because its success rate is not much better than that of marriages—for a lot of the same reasons. It’s a rare pair who complement each other well enough to divide the work so that both are happy. If two or more people want to form a company, they should consider a corporation.

* In a corporation, you are an “employee” of the corporation. This results in more accounting, payroll deposits, taxes, paperwork, annual meetings with published minutes, corporate taxes and possible annual registration fees. Incorporation may lend an air of permanence, but it can also be expensive to form, plus saddle you with unwanted paperwork, meetings and legal bills.

Incorporation limits liability. Although the corporation can be sued, the individual stockholders, employees and officers are normally protected. However, the attorney for the plaintiff will name both the publishing company and the author as defendants, so incorporation may not protect all of those with interests in the book.

There’s a recently popular business structure that also limits your liability—a Limited Liability Company (LLC). This may be less expensive to form, less complex to manage, and offer better tax aspects than a corporation, yet provide many of the same benefits.

There is also a corporate structure called a Sub-S Corporation (S-Corp) that allows corporate income and deductions to pass directly to the individual shareholders, who then pay only their individual taxes rather than also being taxed at the corporate level.

All these business structures offer benefits and drawbacks and should be discussed with your lawyer and accountant.

 

WHERE TO LOOK FOR HELP

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides a toll-free answer desk at 800-827-5722 to provide information on free counseling, pre-business workshops and many other SBA services. The national office is in Washington, D.C., and can be reached at 202-205-6665. You may find your local office more helpful, however. Look for its number in the U.S. Government section of the white pages of your telephone directory under Small Business Administration. The Web site is also helpful: http://www.sba.gov. The SBA has numerous educational, business-development and loan-guarantee programs.

SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is the Small Business Administration’s volunteer network of experienced men and women who you can call or email for counseling. There is no charge for this service except for occasional out-of-pocket traveling expenses. There are several hundred SCORE chapters around the country. Call the SBA office nearest you to see if there is a local SCORE chapter. Look in the U.S. Government section of the white pages under Small Business Administration. Tell them what you need, and they will find someone tailored to you and your business. Naturally, it’s always best to get this advice before you get into trouble; do it sooner, not later. SCORE’s Web site is http://www.score.org.

PUBLICATIONS: Publishers Weekly magazine will teach you about the book trade, provide many stimulating ideas and generate enthusiasm. Purchase a copy of Literary Market Place (the LMP); it is the resource of the book industry. Due to its price, I used to recommend using a library copy whenever it was needed, but it has become too important for just occasional use. You can also subscribe to it online at the LMP Web site, http://www.literarymarketplace.com. Some areas of the site are free.

Writing references—such as dictionaries, writing style and usage manuals, and a thesaurus—can be purchased inexpensively in used bookstores. Also, get the free InfoKits from Para Publishing. See http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/infokit.cfm.

 

SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS

YOUR COMPANY NAME will have to be selected before you go to press, so keep thinking about it. You could name it after yourself, such as Sam Horn Enterprises or Gail Gardner Publishing Company, but these choices don’t make your company look as “big” as if you used a fictitious name. (By the way, the use of the word “enterprises” is often the sign of a rank beginner and may give the impression that you don’t know yet what your company is going to do.) If the business succeeds and one day you decide to sell out, the name will be sold with it. What is the value of Gail Gardner Publishing without Gail Gardner? A different name will have more value. For instance, toward the end of the 20th century, any company name with a dot com in it got a lot more attention and had a lot more value. A year later, that changed. Appearing to be larger may be important when applying for credit from your vendors (suppliers) or asking a paper mill for samples. A fictitious company name will create the impression that you have a going business.

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GETTING TOP BILLING

 

Starting your company name with an A will place your business high in alphabetic listings. Peggy Glenn changed her PiGi Publishing to Aames-Allen to ensure top billing in directories.

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Non-English names can pose cataloging problems. Would you list La Cumbre Publishing under L or C? If people don’t know where to catalog you or where to look for you, you may not be found—and you could lose business.

Geographical names can be limiting. Which makes you sound larger, East Weedpatch Press or North American Publishing? Which company would you rather run? What happens if you move to West Weedpatch?

To find a new name, one that isn’t being used in the publishing industry, you can go to the library and look through Books in Print and several other directories. But start with a Google search. This exploration is fun, and you will find that the newer publishing companies have some pretty interesting names. As a new, small outfit, it does not hurt to have a “handle” that attracts attention.

Pick a name that isn’t being used by anyone else. If you select a name that has already been taken (or is even close), you will receive some of their mail, some of their returns as well as calls from confused customers. No name is worth that hassle.

After you select a name for your new publishing company, you will probably be required to file it as a fictitious business name with your city or county and also to run a notice in a local newspaper. This Doing-Business-As (DBA) notice is your way of letting the public know that you and the publishing company are the same person.

 

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YOUR LOGO is a graphic image, an easily recognizable symbol; it may consist of a drawing or just the company name in a distinctive style of type. If you can dream up something clever and easily recognizable, start putting it on all your letterhead, labels, business cards and brochures. If you look carefully at the Para Publishing logo, you will see a parachute canopy.

YOUR PLACE OF BUSINESS will be your residence for a while. Initially, you will not need a lot of space to write—or to store and ship books. When you have several titles, need more space and have employees, you may need to move your business elsewhere. But for now, a home location has many advantages. Working at home (in your house, apartment, mobile home, camper, etc.) can save money on gasoline, clothes, additional rent and utilities, plus allow you to avoid the headaches of a second property. Operating the business at home requires some organization and discipline, but for many it is very comfortable working in an atmosphere with less stress.

Almost 40 million people in the U.S. work out of 35 mil-lion households, and they can measure their commute with a yardstick. According to The Wall Street Journal, many states are now realizing that home-based businesses are more stable than large companies.

Before you begin sorting, shipping and selling books in your living room, quietly check the zoning ordinances. Local regulations may allow only certain types of businesses to be run from residences in your area. The publishing business will be small at first, and as long as you don’t have employees and large trucks aren’t pulling into the drive every few minutes, no one is likely to complain. Avoid walk-in traffic and refer to yourself as an “author” or “writer” rather than a “publisher,” and you shouldn’t encounter any difficulty.

Working from your home should not be confused with an “office” in the home. The IRS has cracked down on offices that are in addition to one’s place of business out-side the home. If you use 50% of your home for your business activities and don’t have another office, you may deduct 50% of most of the house expenses—for example, mortgage or rent payments, electricity, gas, water, insurance and cleaning. If you use more of the home for business, you may deduct proportionately more of your expenses.

If you’re worried that a visiting vendor or client might not be favorably impressed with your home setup, make a lunch appointment in a restaurant. Actually, the visitor will probably envy you. Working out of your home is more comfortable, more efficient, less expensive and safer—you don’t have to commute at night.

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I never said starting your own publishing company would be easy. I just promised it would be worth it!

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RENTED POSTAL BOX VS. STREET ADDRESS: There are many good arguments for each of these choices. Some people feel quite strongly that a street address is more effective in a mail-order ad or sales brochure because the location reflects more substance and stability. But, today, even the big firms are using boxes. This is probably the result of the higher incidence of urban crime. There was a time when the mail was sacred, and no crook would dare to touch it—but not anymore.

If you rent a box from a private company, make sure the firm is stable. If it goes out of business or loses its lease, you will have to change a lot of business cards and you will lose a lot of mail-order business. Incidentally, you may not call your mailbox a “suite” in Pennsylvania. In 1991, Attorney General Ernest D. Preate, Jr., said it is misleading to call a 5'' x 3'' cubbyhole an “office” or “suite.” Check the ordinances and laws in your area.

Long street addresses (“1234 Northwest Whispering Valley Parkway, Suite 1701” vs. “Box 3”) could cost you more in classified ads where you are charged by the word.

Box mail can be available earlier in the day than home-delivered mail. Another advantage of a box is that you can maintain the same address even if you move to a new home in the same area. With most boxes through private firms, someone is there during office hours to receive deliveries such as FedEx packages. Perhaps the most important reason to maintain a box is to keep your excited, loyal readers from dropping by at all hours to meet their author.

Apply for a box now, and consider getting a large one. In some areas, boxes are in short supply and there is quite a waiting list. It may take you months to get one. Write your name, your company name and the title of your book on the box registration card, so you will get your mail from the post office no matter how it is addressed.

TELEPHONE: Fortunately, telephone service is becoming less expensive. I suggest that you retain your present line for the family and get a new one for your company. Get a third line for your fax and perhaps your modem. If the business gets large enough, get a fourth line just for outgoing calls so you will not block incoming orders. Call-waiting can help on the company line for a small business, especially when combined with a voice-mail answering service. However, don’t fool with fax/phone switches.

Shop around for the best phone package, including long-distance flat rate plans. The savings can be considerable.

YOUR COMPUTER is your most important piece of machinery; spend the money and get a good one. You are a wordsmith now and require the best and fastest word-processing equipment you can afford.

Your computer will speed up your writing, and it can be used for email, other correspondence, mailing-list maintenance, typesetting, order entry and bookkeeping.

INTERNET ACCESS: As soon as possible, you will need DSL, cable or wireless access to the Internet.

 

LICENSES AND TAXES

The legal requirements of operating a business are covered in many parts of this book, just as you will encounter them in every facet of your daily publishing life. The following is what you need to run your business, but remember that most of this can be postponed until you are ready to go to press, move out of the house or hire employees. These tips, of course, are food for thought—not a substitute for legal counsel or accounting help.

Interview a friend or acquaintance who has recently set up a small business in your community. He or she will be able to tell you about his or her experience and who you must deal with at city, county, state and federal levels. In some areas, you must register your business with local authorities, but not in all. Do not volunteer. Most registrations come with a fee or tax.

As a sole proprietorship your business will not need a separate bank account, and until you hire employees you will avoid Employer Identification Numbers (EIN) and special accounts.

SALES TAX: Most states have a sales tax. If your state does, you’re required to collect it only on those books sold and shipped to end-users at destinations within the state. The sales tax is collected only once at the retail level from the ultimate purchaser. It’s not collected from dealers such as bookstores or wholesalers within your state who will in turn “resell” the book to an end-user. The reseller will collect the sales tax from the end-user purchaser.

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We do not charge sales tax here; we just collect it for the state.

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As a commercial firm, you must either collect the sales tax from a sale within your state, show by the shipping address on the invoice that the goods are going out of state or claim to be selling the books to another dealer in your state “for resale.” Many states require you to maintain a file of customer resale numbers. Some dealers list their resale number on purchase orders, but usually you have to request it. Type “for resale” on the invoice.

In some states, shipping supplies, such as cartons and tape, are not subject to the sales tax. Be careful what taxes you pay. Other states exempt certain nonprofit or public institutions, such as libraries and schools, from paying sales tax. Be careful what you collect.

Before you go to press, obtain your resale permit. Then if your books are printed in your state, you won’t have to pay sales tax when you pay the printing bill. Many of the larger book printers require a copy of your resale permit no matter what state you live in, because they have sales offices (a presence) in numerous states.

Find the sales tax office in the telephone directory. In California, it is called the State Board of Equalization; in Massachusetts, it is the Sales and Use Tax Bureau of the Department of Corporations and Taxation. Check the posted resale permit posted at a nearby store; the name of the controlling agency will be on it.

When you apply for your sales-tax license or resale permit, tell them you are just starting out as an author and hope to sell a few of your books. Tell them that most sales will be wholesale to bookstores or shipped out of state. This way, you may be able to avoid giving the tax agency a deposit and you may be allowed to report sales-tax collections annually instead of quarterly, thus saving both money and paperwork. As your business grows and you collect more sales taxes, the taxing authorities will require you to report more often. When you apply, the tax office will supply you with an explanatory sheet detailing your responsibilities for sales-tax collection in your state.

 

THE LAWS YOU MUST KNOW

As an author–publisher, your legal concerns are copyright, defamation (libel), right of privacy, illegal reproduction and negligence.

* Copyright works both ways: (1) it protects your work from others, and (2) it protects their work from you. Take pride, do your own original work, and make your book better than the others. For a detailed explanation of the copyright, see Chapters 2 and 5.

* Defamation is “libel” in the printed word and “slander” when spoken. Black’s Law Dictionary defines defamation as “the offense of injuring a person’s character, fame or reputation by false and malicious statements.” Libel may take the form of either words or pictures. The offense is in the “publication” of the matter, so you are not excused just because you read it somewhere else first. You are safe if the statement is true; this is the perfect defense, but check the source. The best practice is never to say anything nasty about anyone. You will need all the support you can get to sell your book. If you disagree with another authority, leave his or her name out and write, “Some people will argue…” or “Many authorities believe…” and then tear up this position with your view. If you don’t like someone, the worst thing you can do to them is to leave them out of your book altogether. Cover yourself and stay out of court; the legal game is expensive.

* Right of privacy is another area of law you may face. Unless people are part of a news event, they have a right to keep their photo out of publications. Most people love to see their photo in a book and in fact are prime customers for the finished product. However, to protect yourself, it’s smart to get a written release signed.

* Illegal reproduction covers the promoting of lotteries, financial schemes, fraudulent activities, printing of securities, reproducing postage stamps, etc. In other words, don’t print money. If you’re writing about these subjects, you probably already know about the challenges and the postal and other laws relating to them. If not, seek legal advice.

* Negligence. Readers could sue you, claiming your book misled them, to their great damage.

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NOT SO SAFE