Why I Chose to Publish My Own Books

As promised, here's the story behind me opening my own publishing company, first to self-publish, then to publish other authors' books as well.

Around 1990, my writing partner, Bev, and I were on a creative tear. One of our projects dealt with dealing with the recession on the home front, and we needed an agent to present the manuscript to the Big Houses (the large publishing houses in New York). First we searched for one who specialized in nonfiction. Then we bent our brains around writing the most intriguing query letter we could create. (You have to convince an experienced agent to even read your manuscript. And the legitimate ones will not charge a reading fee!)

Mike S. in Massachusetts asked us to send "the book" to him. (Holy mackerel!) But there was a standard, fairly rigid book proposal format in which it must be submitted. Off I went to Barnes & Noble to buy the then-bible of formal proposal writing, and we embarked upon the long and I think grueling process of of producing said proposal which included:

• A brief summary of the book.
  
• Table of Contents with Chapters and subchapters.
  
• A brief author bio, emphasizing the credentials qualifying him/her to write this book.
  
• Two or three sample chapters.
  
• An exquisitely tasteful but irrestible sales pitch.
  
• A comparison, title by title, of similar books on the bookstore shelves and the popularity thereof.

Those were the primary points, and of course had to be the most near-perfect writing we'd ever done! It ran about 60 pages.

Then we had to take the whole thing to Kinko's and have 5 copies run and comb-bound.

After a couple of tantilizing nibbles, he finally got a letter from an editor at Fireside (Wow!) saying that it was "well done and marketable," but they felt they already had titles that would complete for the same customer dollars.

Did you get that? Fireside Press thought the book was well done and would sell ... but they still wouldn't take it! Well, friends, that just felt so wrong. If it had been poorly done or was otherwise a poor excuse for a book, it would have been one thing. But well done still wasn't good enough.

A few years later, I began writing the divorce books -- books that were meant to help people who were going through the painful and confusing process of ending their marriage. But it couldn't help anyone until it was on the bookstore shelves (or on the Internet). So I studied and went to seminars and meetings and read about a dozen books and learned how to set up a publishing company. Was it hard work? You bet. But it was the way I could get my helpful words into the readers' hands in a reasonable amount of time.

And that is the story of the birth of Pen Central Press, the publishing division of Pen Central Communications. I thought you'd like to know ...

Happy writing ~

Linda

Book Publishing & the Time Factor

This time we're going to look at a few aspects of the time involved in self-publishing your book. My thoughts are based on you wanting to produce a commercially viable book (classy enough for the local Borders) through basic self-publishing. That means opening your own publishing company and performing all the functions of a book publisher including paying for the printing and binding. Here are some of the primary preparations:

• Read authoritative books on self-publishing a top quality book. As mentioned earlier, the most thorough manuals are Dan Poynter's Self Publishing Manual now in its 16th edition and the Ross's book, Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 4th edition. There are others, and I encourage you to read 2 or more in addition to those. Yes, there will be some repetition, but you'll pick up new lessons from each one.
  
• Write out your business plan, even a rough one, to include sending requests for quotation to at least 10 reputable book printers, figure out your company name, file that as a DBA (doing business as) with your state, and begin devoting a portion of your brainstorming time to producing and selling the book, on top of writing it.
  
• Hunt for and interview graphic artists who have experience in designing book covers. (More on that quest later.)
  
• Rewrite your manuscript a minimum of 3-4 times before you even think of sending it to an outside editor. Polished text is the name of the game.

In other words, study the business of self-publishing and put that knowledge into play!

X Major caveat: Having experience in the business world
will be more valuable to you than all the sparkling reviews
in the world! If you don't have it, invite a business-savvy
friend to guide you.

When I received my very first sizeable fax order from Ingram (book wholesaler), I danced and cavorted like a writer possessed - OK, that's exactly what I was. Then I realized I hadn't designed my company invoices yet or packing list. But I was doublely fortunate. I'd work in a purchasing department long, long ago, and remembered the documents and procedures I'd learn then.


Therefore, if you feel a strong pull to publish your own book as I did, plan to invest some time in learning the business. It's actually fascinating to some of us! But it does cost a lot of hours and days of personal study.

As you read the books and consider the time involved in setting up the business, taking and invoicing orders, shipping books, marketing and other duties, think about whether these activities intrigue and attract you, or if you run ascreaming into the great hereafter. Thsi isn't a pass/fail situation. Listen to your gut.


Next time I'll share my story of why I chose to open my own publisihig company, Pen Central Press.

Happy reading - and writing ~

Linda

Money & Book Publishing

Today we'll look at the money angle. It's all well and good to say you're "simply investing in yourself" during healthy economic times. But we're far less glib when we're pinching pennies.

Here are some basic figures according to my 2008 experience and book industry estimates:

My newest book, The Many Faces of Journaling: Topics & Techniques for Personal Journal Writing, 2nd edition:

2,000 copies - paperback - 6" x 9" - 192 pages - recycyled paper.
All black & white interior with 4-color glossy laminated cover

• MY PER COPY COST = $1.94.

(That's just for printing and binding at a large book printer, and doesn't include cover art, formatting, typesetting, editing or proofreading, which I contracted for separately.)

It's extremely tricky to estimate your cost per book with a POD (print-on-demand) Online Book Publisher because the services included in their basic book "packages" vary so much. The Packages themselves start around $500 and go up to $1,200 or more. One publisher may include manuscript evaluation or copy editing, another may make it available for an additional fee. But here's a ballpark figure:

For each copy of an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" paperback book - 160 pages.
Black & white interior - 4-color cover

• YOUR PER COPY COST = $5.25 - $6.75.

The 2,000 book print run for my book obviously cost me far less per copy. However, I pay monthly storage and insurance fees on each book until it's shipped to a customer.

Time is another crucial factor in choosing a publishing method. We'll examine tht next.

Happy writing~

Linda