Why Self-Publish?

by

Sam Cheever

 

www.SamCheever.com

 



To varying degrees, big and small publishing houses are worried about the Indie Publishing trend. I say to varying degrees because some of the larger or more arrogant ones think they can ignore or bully their way past the threat of losing more and more talented, ambitious authors to the siren song of Indie Publishing. As Indie grows, submissions to small press/traditional publishers have slowed. The submissions pubs receive are more and more weighted toward brand new authors, which means they bring more risk and less in the way of an established readership to fill the publisher's coffers. In addition, more and more established authors are asking for their rights back on older books so they can republish the books themselves.

It's definitely a brave new world.

I'm not going to pretend this is a simple issue. It's not. There are many factors in the swing away from traditional publishing, but there are things publishers can do to soften that swing...if they'll do them.

What are the largest complaints authors have against their publishing houses? Lack of communication? Absence of payment? Lack of control? Slow response times and even ignoring authors' concerns entirely? Yes, yes, and yes. These are all problems. I don't know too many authors who decide to publish their own work because of the money. Of course we're all working for money...we need to buy food, gas, and electricity right? But money isn't the biggest concern in this decision.

It's control.

Publishers who refuse to respond to emails sent by their authors (and then deny it!) will continue to lose talented authors to Indie. Publishers who have the "my way or the highway" attitude will continue to lose talented authors to Indie. Also part of the control issue are things like inflexible and/or overreaching contracts, long delays in adding books to third party sites, prohibitive pricing, and extended time-frames getting books to market once they've been submitted. These are all my reasons for opting, more and more, to Indie publish rather than follow a more traditional publishing route.

Control is the key. An author who publishes independently can decide the time-frame for writing/publishing the book. She can select her own cover artist and an editor who fits her style. She can set the price, control the market her book is part of and create her own marketing plan. And she can make adjustments as the book moves through its shelf life to ensure ongoing success. The only way a publisher can compete with this is to work more closely with the author as a partner, being flexible and open to doing things a different way. Easier said than done, I know. When a publisher is working with hundreds of authors, trying to meet the needs of every author can be very difficult. But that's the only way today's publisher can compete in a marketplace where organizations like Amazon make it so easy for an author to gain control over her precious products.

Indie publishing certainly isn't for everyone. If you don't have name recognition, you might want to stay with a traditional publisher until you've created a large enough platform that you can sell books on the strength of your name. If you're afraid to delve into new things, or you're technically challenged, you might want to hold off on going it alone until you have a better comfort level with the tasks involved. And if you'd rather spend all your time writing and let someone else do the back office work, you're probably better off going a more traditional route. But if you're an entrepreneurial spirit with a dedicated reader base, you go girl(boy)! Indie publishing is a bowl of sweet, juicy cherries. If you're like me, you're never happier than when your mouth is full!

Happy publishing everybody!

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These Honeybuns are sugar free, but hot enough to burn!

Surprised into hiding in a men's room stall at work, Angie Peterson, owner of the Dunk and Run Coffee Shoppe, overhears two men talking about killing someone named Alastair Honeybun. Picturing a frail, helpless old Englishman, Angie rushes to warn him. There’s only one, small problem, Alastair Honeybun is six foot two inches of yummy man, who's perfectly capable of taking care of himself. But when the thugs show up while Angie's still there, they soon figure out they'll need to take care of each other.

Buy in paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1493641891 

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZRUSOW

Amazon.ca: http://www.amazon.ca/Honeybun-Coffee-Heat-ebook/dp/B00EZRUSOW

Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeybun-Coffee-Heat-ebook/dp/B00EZRUSOW

Amazon.au: http://www.amazon.com.au/Honeybun-Coffee-Romantic-Suspense-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00EZRUSOW

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-honeybun-and-coffee-sam-cheever/1029841397?ean=2940045250016

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-honeybun-and-coffee-romantic-mystery-suspense

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ahoneybunandcoffee-1278310-153.html

Apple iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1047599058  

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sam_Cheever_A_Honeybun_and_Coffee?id=761zBgAAQBAJ

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USA Today Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes romantic paranormal/fantasy and mystery/suspense, creating stories that celebrate the joy of love in all its forms. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 50+ books and has been writing for over a decade under several noms de plume.

If you haven't already connected, Sam would love it if you Liked/Followed her wherever you enjoy hanging out online. Here are her online haunts:

Newsletter: http://www.samcheever.com/newsletter.html Subscribe to my newsletter and win a free copy of the fun and sexy Honeybun Fever Box Set
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Self-Publishing: Library of Congress Control Numbers

by

Kathryn Page Camp

 

www.kathrynpagecamp.com

 

Do you want to sell your self-published book to libraries?* Get a Library of Congress Control Number.

 

The Library of Congress has a Preassigned Control Number Program (PCN) that is available to U.S. book publishers and includes self-publishers.** The publisher must maintain an editorial office (which can be your residence address) in the U.S. where someone (you) is available and capable of answering “substantive bibliographic questions” about the book. In general, “substantive bibliographic questions” means questions about the author, edition, and subject matter of the book and whether it contains references and indices. These are all questions an author should be able to answer about his or her own book.

 

Before applying for a PCN, the self-publisher must register online with the Library of Congress and provide the location information mentioned above. Registering also means that you agree to put the U.S. city of publication on the title page or copyright page of each book entered into the PCN program.

 

Once you are registered, you can apply for a PCN for your book. This is also an online process. There is no fee, but once the book is published, you must send a copy to the Library of Congress.

 

Under the PCN program, you may not publish the book until you receive the Library of Congress Control Number. The published book must list both the U.S. city of publication and the control number.

 

Certain books are not eligible for the PCN program. They include:

 

·         Books that are already published,

·         E-books (although you can request a PCN for a hard cover or trade paperback version of the same book),

·         Mass market paperbacks (but, again, you can request a PCN for a hard cover or trade paperback version of the same book), and

·         Most manuscripts under 50 pages (excluding children’s books).

 

For more information on which books are not eligible, see www.loc.gov/publish/pcn/about/scope.html.

 

You may be asking what the difference is between a mass market paperback and a trade paperback. Although there is often a difference in printing quality (mass market paperbacks are generally printed on cheaper paper), the main difference is size. A mass market paperback is one that is approximately four inches by seven inches. Trade paperbacks are larger: usually at least five inches by eight inches. In my experience, most self-published books are trade paperbacks.

 

Once the Library of Congress receives your book, it may select it for inclusion in its online catalogue. Because of its limited resources, however, most PCN books do not make it. Even so, having a Library of Congress Control Number increases the chances that a library will consider adding the book to its collection.

 

You can learn more about the program and apply for a PCN at www.loc.gov/publish/pcn/.

 __________

 

* For purposes of this post, “self-published” refers to any book paid for or subsidized by the author.

 

** The Library of Congress also has a Cataloging in Publication program that provides more extensive cataloging data on the book. However, this program is not available to self-publishers or for any book that is paid for or subsidized by the author.

__________

 

Kathryn Page Camp is a licensed attorney and full-time writer. Her new book, Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words Legal (KP/PK Publishing 2013) is available from Amazon.com and other retailers. Kathryn is also the author of In God We Trust: How the Supreme Court’s First Amendment Decisions Affect Organized Religion (FaithWalk Publishing 2006) and numerous articles. You can learn more about Kathryn at www.kathrynpagecamp.com.



Self-Publishing: Understanding ISBNs

by

Kathryn Page Camp

 

www.kathrynpagecamp.com

 

Even a self-published book needs an ISBN. But do you know what that is?

 

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s a thirteen-digit number (ten digits before 2007) that functions as a social security number for books. Every book should have a unique ISBN to help bookstores, libraries, and other purchasers locate it and to distinguish it from other books with the same name.

 

The ISBN identifies the title, the publisher, the edition, and the format (binding) for a work. This means that you may need multiple numbers for a single book. For example, a paperback and an electronic version should have separate ISBNs. (The specific rules for e-books are beyond the scope of this post, but you can find information at www.isbn-international.org/faqs.) Significant changes to the content of the work are considered a new edition and require a different ISBN. Fixing typos and making other minor changes make it a reprint rather than a new edition, but adding a foreword or appendix or reorganizing the book are significant changes that require a new ISBN.

 

As noted, the ISBN identifies the publisher. If you use CreateSpace and allow it to assign the ISBN, that makes CreateSpace the publisher as well as the printer and distributor. If you purchase your own ISBN, you are the publisher and CreateSpace is just the printer and distributor. So if you want to be the publisher, make sure the contract with the printer allows it, then buy your own ISBNs.

 

Why does it matter? If you want to use a different service to print your book and the printer has assigned the ISBN, the reprint will need a new one. If you are the publisher, a change in printers is irrelevant. Having more than one ISBN for the same version of a book can also be confusing to buyers.

 

Then there is the question of transparency. Do you care how easy it is to discover that the book is “self-published”? Those in the know can look up the ISBN and discover that it belongs to CreateSpace or that you purchased a single number, either of which can be a hallmark of a self-published book.

 

There is nothing wrong with letting the printer provide the ISBN and become the technical publisher. In fact, it may be your only option if you are on a tight budget. But you can’t make the decision that is best for you unless you understand how ISBNs work.

 

For those buying their own ISBNs, even one is expensive—$125 at the time of this post. But for twice that much, you can buy a block of ten. And if you plan on publishing your book in other formats or are considering a sequel, you will need additional numbers, anyway. Since ISBNs have an indefinite shelf life, you might as well buy a block of ten and keep the others in reserve.

 

U.S. publishers purchase their ISBNs from R.R. Bowker LLC at www.myidentifiers.com. Once you have bought the ISBN and assigned it to a book, you register it to that book (or format or edition) at the same website.

 

The ISBN goes on the copyright page and the outside back cover of a print book. For an e-book, display it on the title or copyright page.

 

You can find more information on ISBNs at www.isbn-international.org/faqs.

 

* * * * *

 

Kathryn Page Camp is a licensed attorney and full-time writer. Her new book, Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words Legal (KP/PK Publishing 2013) is available from Amazon.com and other retailers. Kathryn is also the author of In God We Trust: How the Supreme Court’s First Amendment Decisions Affect Organized Religion (FaithWalk Publishing 2006) and numerous articles. You can learn more about Kathryn at www.kathrynpagecamp.com.



Self-Publishing: Should You Hire an Editor?

by

Kathryn Page Camp

 

www.kathrynpagecamp.com

 

 

What do you think of when you hear the word, “self-published”? I think of substandard work. While there are many great self-published books, they aren’t the ones I remember. As a self-published author myself, I’m ashamed of anything that gives the category a bad name.

 

I like to support my fellow authors, and I’ve bought my share of self-published books. I also download those “free” Kindle books when the description sounds interesting. And some have been a pleasant surprise.

 

But most are riddled with typos, inconsistencies, and just plain bad writing.

 

That’s why every self-published author should hire a freelance editor.

 

Yes, I know it’s expensive, ranging anywhere from $500 to $10,000 for a 60,000 word manuscript. The actual price is based on a number of factors, including the type of edit and the experience of the editor. And the poorer the manuscript, the more it will cost to edit. But if your goal is to produce a professional-quality book you won’t be ashamed of five years from now, it’s well worth the money.

 

What types of services do editors provide? For our purposes, we will concentrate on three.

 

Proofreading is the cheapest and most basic service that editors provide. A proofreader looks for typos, misspellings, and grammar errors. If your book has been typeset or reformatted, a proofreader can also check the final copy against your original manuscript to make sure they match. The cost to proofread a 60,000 word manuscript may average from $500 to $950.

 

Copyediting is probably the most common. I always pay for a copyedit before finalizing a book manuscript, even when I am submitting to a traditional publisher. After all, why wouldn’t I want to submit my best work?

 

Like proofreading, copyediting looks for typos, misspellings, and grammar errors. But it also looks for inconsistencies and for words and sentences and paragraphs that are confusing or awkward. I own a self-published non-fiction book that is easy to read and gives me interesting information, but it mentions that a woman was 12 in 1817 and 76 in 1871. That means I can’t trust the facts without double-checking them with another source.

 

That error is evident on the face of the manuscript, and a good copyeditor would have caught it. If you request it, a copyeditor will also check other sources to verify facts and references. Obviously, however, the more you ask a copyeditor to do, the more it will cost. For that 60,000 word manuscript, a copyedit may average anywhere from $750 to $2,500. 

 

Substantive editing—sometimes called line editing—is the most expensive, but it is also the most comprehensive. Although it includes some of the elements of a good copyedit, a substantive edit also looks at the contents and tells you what works and what doesn't on both a macro and a micro level. The editor may go so far as to recommend that you reorder your chapters to make the plot more suspenseful or eliminate your favorite passage because it’s irrelevant. For a 60,000 word manuscript, a substantive edit will average between $2,000 and $10,000.

 

What type of edit you need depends on your human resources. Do you belong to a writers’ critique group that includes knowledgeable members and provides honest feedback on both craft and clarity? Do you have someone (preferably not a family member or good friend) from your target audience who will give you candid comments from a reader’s perspective? And do you take full advantage of these resources? If so, you may not need a substantive edit.

 

I’m a grammar geek and, given time to do a careful read, am also good at catching typos and confusing words and phrases. Even so, it’s hard for me to edit my own work. I know what I wanted to say, and my mind reads it that way. And I’m not alone. Very few people can edit their own work and end up with an acceptable product.

 

Of course, not everyone has the financial resources to hire an editor. Still, there may be a way. What about giving up that cappuccino you always buy on the way to work? Or do you have skills you can barter?

 

Start by asking yourself why you are writing and publishing. Because if you want to produce your best work, you will find a way to polish it before releasing it to the public.

 

 

__________

 

Kathryn Page Camp is a licensed attorney and full-time writer. Her new book, Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words Legal (KP/PK Publishing 2013) is available from Amazon.com and other retailers. Kathryn is also the author of In God We Trust: How the Supreme Court’s First Amendment Decisions Affect Organized Religion (FaithWalk Publishing 2006) and numerous articles. You can learn more about Kathryn at www.kathrynpagecamp.com.



Changes: The Ever-Evolving Book Publishing Industry--What Does It Mean for Us?

by

Janine Harrison

 

We have witnessed major changes in the book publishing industry over the past decade. Creative nonfiction has flourished, taking over larger publishing houses and relegating much fiction to smaller publishers. The demand for serious, intellectual books is at an all-time low; as a result, university presses are publishing work that they would not have previously considered. Electronic publishing has come into existence with a roar, sometimes referred to as the "Amazon Effect," causing big-box bookstores to struggle--Barnes & Noble plans to close 20 stores per year over the next ten years--and even, as was the case with Borders, to close. Self-publishing is becoming less stigmatized and gaining momentum as a viable publishing option, especially for mid-to-late career writers. And perhaps most recently, big six publishing houses, like Random House and Penguin, have started consolidating to adapt to a digital marketplace. These changes have made for a more competitive print marketplace that often offers smaller advances to authors.

 

E-publishing affords instant gratification for readers and e-books tend to be cheaper than hard copies. In 2009, only three percent of readers were using electronic devices such as Kindle and Nook; that number is now up to 15 percent. In one year alone, the number of people who e-read grew from 15 to 40 million. Kindle is expanding interactions daily and Zola, newer to the scene, is also on the move. It is projected that in 2020, 50 percent of reading will involve e-books.

 

The new digital marketplace entails print on demand as well. In Australia, for instance, where shipping costs are exorbitant, book vending machines exist. Customers order a book from the machine, which pours them a complimentary cup of coffee, and by the time they are finished drinking, their book is printed. E-publishers are beginning to work with hardback publishers to complete print-on-demand requests, but authors assume some of the costs. The good news, however, is that e-publishers may accept a book that traditional publishers will not publish; while this may call the overall quality of the book market into question, it may also allow readers more selection diversity. In addition, e-book royalties for writers tend to be considerably better, at 70-to-80 percent, than the ten percent offered in traditional markets. And, if a print book contract does not specify e-book rights, then the writer still has property to sell.

 

Due to the fast evolution of the digital market, agents are also asking for royalty renegotiations every three years. As an anti-movement, "ReKiosk" is concentrating on the return of the human element in book sales, and independent bookstore openings are slightly on the rise.

 

What are some conclusions that we can safely draw from these market trends? Traditional publishing is becoming more competitive, and commercial writing is more economically viable than literary writing. E-publishing is the wave of the future and writers should, therefore, be aware of e-book rights when signing contracts for print work. E-publishing is an option for consideration when work is rejected in the traditional publishing industry, and both e-publishing and self-publishing are viable choices for mid-career writers whose name is already known, bringing higher profit margins. Finally, perhaps no matter the digital market prospects, the human element will remain.