Category Archives: Publishing Books

Most of us have received phone books, advertisements, and many other paper-printed products that we have simply thrown away. The cost associated with the process of lithography, and the relative availability of wood resources for making paper made this a viable economic solution to target customers for many years. However, the tide has turned decidedly against this practice, as lithographic processes have become more expensive as regulation has increased regarding ecological issues, and pulp resources have become further constricted. However, these restrictions have no lead to the demise of advertising, but rather the refining of techniques to target specific customer groups using personal information. Now, advertising and products in general, can be targeted to an audience using sophisticated methods of value-added information to target customers and potential buyers, while eliminating the overhead and waste associated with traditional print processes.

As the quality of digital publishing has been increased, so the technologies associated with them have also been enhanced to support this need. New advancements in programming and coding, such as the use of flash banners and XML-driven text has created a trend of sophistication in the digital publishing market that could never have reached had printed products retained the economic advantage. This quality increase has also lead to a demand for it on the side of the consumer, which has produced mass competition to produce good digital publishing. The advancement of CSS and XML languages can be directly tied to this new form of digital publishing, primarily through advertising-driven campaigns.

One of the most important aspects of digital publishing is its relatively low impact on the environment, especially in regard to its predecessor, printed documents. The need to cut trees, extract pulp through abrasive chemical processes, the use of corrosive and poisonous inks and their drying units, and the general waste associated with printed materials that have been discarded have been almost completely eliminated. Today, the disposal of materials is a matter of deletion, thanks to digital publishing. As with the higher quality standard that we just discussed in the previous paragraph, this need for green solutions is demanded not only by commercial interests, but also by the consumer, as well.

Digital publishing has also enabled the opening of the internet to new and creative niches, which were not possible just a few years ago. The massive success of blogging and social networking sites can be directly linked to the digital publishing industry. In regard to printed materials, most consumers still like to hold a book in their hands, and of course, this has not been eliminated. The difference with digital publishing, is that the book can be either displayed using new magnetic ink displays, or can be printed in an on-demand fashion, where one customer receives one book, eliminating further the waste from long print runs.

Martin Alan enjoys writing on subjects such as literature, online publishing, digital magazine, digital magazine software, sharing sites and self publishing. He also enjoys keeping up-to-date with the latest developments and innovations in technology and online marketing.

For more information on online publishing click here; http://www.yudu.com.

Author: Martin Alan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Group deal, group purchase, group discount

Starting off in self-publishing can seem like a perilous journey. Like any new venture, it is both exciting and scary. Exciting because it is something new, yet scary because you may not know what to do first, or how to sound like you know what you’re doing. But you pick it up soon enough.

As you move forward, you have to keep your bearings. That means you must remember your original destination-your goal-and keep aiming for it until you get there.

Making Lists

Here are 5 things that shouldn’t surprise you about self-publishing. They are realizations that surface after you’ve decided to publish a book.

1. Self-publishing is not a get-rich-quick scheme I think that’s been proven quite a few times by now, yet many new self-publishers have that gleam in the eye. They’ve read the stories, they’ve been to Lulu.com, so why not them? But I’m willing to bet you didn’t start writing to make a killing on the internet. Your intentions were different; remembering them will guide you well.

2. You will meet many wonderful people in indie publishing Truly one of the great things about social media is that it’s so social. I’ve always been impressed by the collegiality of publishing. Maybe it’s because few books compete directly with each other, but people in publishing-particularly indie publishing-are extraordinarily helpful to newcomers. Don’t be discouraged by those who aren’t. And a bonus? They’re pretty literate, too!

3. You cannot imagine the variety of niches into which people are publishing

Just wander around Amazon for a while and take in the richness of interests displayed there. For example, here are five titles plucked almost randomly from the millions of pages on Amazon:
· The Art of Making Fermented Sausages

· Unsigned Beauties Of Costume Jewelry

· Antique Sewing Tools and Tales

· Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming

· The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History

Whatever your interests, they’re probably shared by others as well. You just have to find them.

4. Nonfiction publishing almost always pays-over time If you really do your homework and publish a book with genuine value with just an adequate job of pushing it into the world, I think you will eventually be profitable if you keep at it long enough. Of course, you have to publish efficiently to start with, but as long as you do something to let people know your book is there and that it can address a real need, often it’s just a matter of time before someone finds it. Too many people quit trying when they haven’t sold out in a few months. See #1 above.

5. The single most important thing is to ‘Be the Market’ This is the clearest path to success for nonfiction self-publishers. If you are part of the market that’s interested in the subject you’ve written about, you’re at an advantage. You know what these people need, you know what questions they’re asking, and you know what was confusing when you first got into this field. That all adds up to a book with value, if you can translate your experience into teaching that helps people new to your field or to your level of expertise.

Well, there you have it. While none of these things may surprise you, they bear repeating. And remembering, too.

Joel Friedlander is the proprietor of Marin Bookworks, a publishing services company in San Rafael, California that has launched many self-publishers. Joel is an award-winning book designer, a self-published author, and blogs about publishing and book design. To learn more about self-publishing a book, book and cover design, and the intricacies of the publishing process, please visit Joel’s blog at http://www.theBookDesigner.com today.

Author: Joel Friedlander
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Low Cost Prototype PCB

Trying that new burger joint downtown can be a hit or miss experience, and unfortunately often results in a stomach ache for the new patron. The same can be said for trying a digital publishing company, except the pain from a bad experience moves from your stomach to your pockets, specifically your wallet. A bad digital publisher can cost you thousands of dollars, and leave your fragile, new author confidence in the dumps. Therefore it is of vital importance to get in bed with the right digital publisher, in order to save you from the would be catastrophe. A few tips follow in the paragraphs below. Grab a pen, and arm yourself with the knowledge you deserve to go into battle with when looking for a digital publisher.

They work for you, you don’t work from them. This is something you may have to remind them of when negotiating with a digital publisher. Similar to lawyers, digital publishers often like to turn the tables, and have you thinking you are fortunate to be working with them, and that you aren’t the client, but the service provider. This of course, is not true, and should not be tolerated. With digital publishers it’s often the case that you must pay them for them to print, and distribute your work. In the traditional print publishing industry the cycle is reversed. The publisher typically pays the author an advance on the book, and pays for the cost to print the book, keeping a portion of the sale price of the book as a royalty.

Digital publishers often will boast of high author royalties, and total author control. This is not always a great thing to have, would one rather have a whopping 50% royalty rate on their book if it sells 10 copies, or a 9% royalty rate on a book that sells 500,000 copies. It doesn’t take a math genius to figure this one out. You want to have the lower royalty on the book that sells more units, there is power in numbers. Thus, when dealing with a publisher don’t worry as much about the royalty rate, instead worry about their ability to get your book out to the public, and market it.

Digital publishers vary from a webmaster with a few links to e-book websites to full fledged print on demand companies. Define your goal for your e-book, and your budget, and pick a publisher accordingly. It probably makes sense to go with a well connected e-book publisher if that is your goal, to publish an e-book on the net. If you have print aspirations for your effort, try going with a POD publisher that will offer both e-book, and print versions of your book.

The books will fly off the shelves only if you make every effort to get them to the shelves in the most cost effective way, utilizing as much marketing possibilities as possible along the way.

Nicolas Gremion is the President of Paradise Publishers Inc (http://www.ParadisePublishers.com), an online publishing business dedicated to publishing books that contribute to our world in productive, positive and principled ways. The company’s ebook site, http://www.Free-eBooks.net is one of the internet’s most respected sources for free ebooks.

Author: Nicolas Gremion
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
PCB Manufacturer

Many authors are choosing to publish their masterpieces on their own terms using vanity or subsidy publishers, otherwise known as “paid-for publishing”, “self-publishers” and “self-publishing companies”. While these establishments do have their uses, for example for specialty, limited-release books, or private books including poetry and memoirs, there are quite a few drawbacks to their use. Here’s the bare-boned truth:

Truth #1: Sacrificial Quality

Most of these “self-publishing companies” do not require editing or professional design for your book. Often they will tell you to use a template because it’s cheap, but beware: your book will look like it belongs in a series written by someone else. These companies have a reputation of “ripping off” authors (though most of the time the author just hasn’t done their proper research) and several are undergoing lawsuits for a myriad of reasons. If you have a company name on your book that doesn’t belong to you, you are at the mercy of that company’s reputation. So research very carefully before giving your money to any vanity/subsidy publisher.

Truth #2: Royalties and Up Front Payments

Like it or not, subsidy or vanity publishers are not in business to publish your best seller. They are here to make a profit, pure and simple. Luckily for them, their simple business model has worked quite well. Unlike the average author, which makes a profit by selling books, these “self-publishing” houses make a profit by convincing authors to use their services, pay fees and often give up a hefty percentage of the profits for the services provided. However, they are kind enough to give the author “royalties”, thus graying the terminology between a vanity/subsidy publisher and a traditional house.

These publishers will convince authors to use their services by claiming to be easier to use, offering more autonomy than traditional publishers and a ease-of-use that seems to be second to none under first inspection. However, if someone were to look a little bit closer, the great deal offered often looks a little less great the more it is studied. For example, in most cases:

* The author is responsible for format: typesetting, graphics and book cover design, either by themselves or by hiring someone to do it. If the vanity/subsidy publisher is asked to help with the task, there is an upfront fee, sometimes in the thousands of dollars for a fully custom format.
* The author is responsible for all edits, or for having someone edit their manuscript. Again, if the vanity/subsidy publishing house is brought on board, there is an upfront fee, in addition to the cost already cited for publication and distribution.
* Even if the author chooses to complete the formatting, editing and marketing all on their own, they are still required to give somewhere between 60% to 90% of their profits to the vanity/subsidy publisher, and resort to making a meager “royalty”.

Like it or not, these vanity/subsidy publishing houses will make money off of your hard work To be fair though, there are some subsidy publishers who have much better and fairer terms of contract. Unfortunately they can be very hard to find.

Truth #3: Who Really Owns the Rights?

Believe it or not, one of the biggest and most damaging mistakes that authors make when dealing with vanity/subsidy publishers is not knowing what they’re getting into, and not carefully reading the terms of contract. Most authors believe at the end of the process, they will own the copyright, distribution rights and everything related to the printing of their book. Sadly, though, most subsidy publishing agreements will provide the copyright to the author, but give exclusive distribution rights to the publisher. That means that without careful consideration and negotiation on the part of the author, they are limited in how, when and where the book is distributed. Depending on the various agreements of the vanity/subsidy publisher with their distributors, the exposure of your book could be very limited. This also closes the door to a vanity/subsidy book being picked up by a major traditional publisher. According to a few editors I met at the Blue Ridge Writer’s Conference in June, traditional publishers hate fighting vanity/subsidy companies for distribution rights to a book, so more often than not they will simply not accept that book for mainstream publication, even if they want it.

Truth #4: Bookstore Sales Won’t Happen

Unless a vanity/subsidy publisher sets a book up properly, you can say goodbye to brick and mortar sales. Many of these publishers won’t even promise these sales to you anymore, because they know their name is “red flagged” by major bookstore chains. In order for a book to be accepted by a brick and mortar store for stocking and to have the author in for a book signing, three criteria must be met:

* Wholesale discount-A discount of a minimum of 45% must be given to the distributor. Most vanity/subsidy publishers offer 25% – 35%.
* Price point-The book must fit within consumer guidelines for pricing. Vanity/subsidy publishers make money off the back end, especially “free” publishers. They mark the price of the book up (first they tell you that you set the price, then they say “within our guidelines”) to make a profit on the print cost, then in order to meet the wholesale discount it must be marked up again so they don’t lose money on the back-end. Example: I priced out my 120-page book, Financial Survival with a popular “free” vanity publisher and my minimum recommended price point was $16.95, a price no one except maybe my mother would pay.
* Returnability-Here’s where most vanity/subsidy publishers really fall short. In order to meet bookstore guidelines, the book must be labeled as returnable. One popular vanity publisher actually charges $800/year for this privilege and then destroys the books as they are returned instead of sending them on to you, the author, to resell.

There are a couple vanity/subsidy publishers that meet the above criteria without additional fees. But once again, they are hard to find.

Where’s the Hope?

So what is an author to do? There are a few options open to those who wish to publish their books, and one of them is to go straight through traditional publishing channels. There is a reason why this has been the standard for so many years. With patience, a killer proposal and a large author platform, it is entirely possible to be traditionally published. However, if you feel that self-publishing is your best route to becoming an author, or you don’t want to wait 3-5 years to see that book in print, it is possible to truly self-publish. Many printing houses will provide the use of their printing services for a fee, and most are extremely reasonable. You can even open a publishing company of your own. Then, it is a matter of getting an ISBN for the book for $125.00 (or $250 for 10 of them), contracting a quality editor and designer and using the services of a print house to print and bind the books.

By publishing on your own (independently), you broaden your potential for distribution and keep many marketing doors open that would otherwise slam shut. Many indie-published authors will use a combination of online sales, marketing to brick and mortar booksellers, “back of the room” sales and distribution through friends and family to move the majority of their books. Plus, if a publishing house takes an interest in your book, the current book or next edition just might be published through their company, giving you the power to negotiate a bigger advance and better contract.

Please don’t misunderstand-true self-publishing (“indie”) is not for everyone. However, if you know that your book is worth publishing, it is definitely worth a look into publishing it completely under your own terms!

Kristen helps you get the book out of your head and into print. Visit http://www.kristeneckstein.com for free author resources, training, and more!

Author: Kristen Eckstein
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

There is only one way to climb a mountain – step by step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead
of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you’ve gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook

First, figure out your ebook’s working title. Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you’ll find
that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in
anticipating and answering your reader’s queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books ? as long as it’s not too cute. For example, Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem.
All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you’ve got your thesis statement fine-tuned,
you’ve built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don’t, they don’t belong in your book. For example, your thesis statement could read: We’ve all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night’s sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

* Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?

* Will you book positively affect the lives of your readers?

* Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader’s attention?

* Does you book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you
will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction,
and even length. Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most
interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly
consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four
subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook “user friendly”

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible information, and they break up the density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader’s respond to the feeling that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the length and structure of your sentences so you don?t hypnotize your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you write (and read), the better your writing will become. The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must give your reader’s eye a break. You can do this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to as “negative space.”
Reader’s eyes need to rest in the cool white oasises you create on your page. If your page is too dense,
your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that’s easy on the eyes, and stick to that font
family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your readers out before they’ve gotten past your
introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on
the screen, but small enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to experiment with this to find the right combination.

Of course, don’t forget to run a spell and grammar check. You are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so don?t mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that’s called a “comma splice.”)

Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. That’s it! You’ve written a book! Now all you have to
do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download request from your website visitors.

Markku Saastamoinen is an Online Business Entrepreneur and has recently created an amazing system for increasing your free time AND profits in few weeks at: http://www.megapreneursystem.com

Author: Markku Saastamoinen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital camera for low light picture