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
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Want an easy tip on how to draw media attention?

I was once told the easiest way to attract media attention is to do something outrageously wrong, and get caught at it. Since most of us would rather not suffer that particular indignity, what are other options?

One is to possess information, or have a story that is newsworthy. The news industry feeds on the first three letters of news, something that is new. But, they also need to think it is interesting. Unfortunately for those of us self-described Indie Publishers the release of our latest book does not make that list, unless I change my name to something like Stephen King.

If you are anything like me, writing the book seemed like the sweaty, hard part. That was the part driven by a story, by characters. That was the part of hopeful starts, pitfalls, the insecurity of story lines that seemed to dwindle to nothing, and then feeling the surge to the finish line.

If that was the sweaty, hard part, it was nothing compared to the scary monster at the end. If you are anything like me, you know the terror of waiting for the opinion of a reader. You also have a drawer full of rejection slips from agents and publishers, some nicely worded rejections, but rejection just the same. What to do?

For many of us, self-publishing makes an attractive alternative. There are some good companies with a range of services from editing, through to the finished product and beyond. There are also many predatory companies just waiting to promise you the world if you will only spend your money with them. (As an aside, I have learned to filter any companies I am interested it through scam research.)

If you chose to self-publish, to become an Indie Publisher, you will face the reality of marketing. I use a simple phrase to guide my marketing efforts.

Who will want to buy my book, why, and where will they hear about it?

Today’s tip explores going after earned media. How to we generate publicity by promoting our books with promotional efforts. If we have the money it’s easy to pay for advertising, to create buzz. Earning media attention means “boots on the ground” efforts, how to get the ear of the media. How about letters to the editor? Many newspapers also provide space for guest editorials. How do we generate buzz through grassroots actions?

But the next, best step is to recruit others to do the work for you. I had a reader of my first book ask me if it would be alright if he lobbied a local book store to carry my book. What do you think my answer was? I could make the rounds of local book stores, pleading my case, but it would be much more powerful coming from a reader. By the way, that reader wasn’t part of my friends and family circle, even better.

Thanks to cable television, local community television channels are often good places to get face time talking about writing, and to slip in a mention of your latest book. There may be more potential to reach a reader by appearing on your local cable channel that there is being squeezed into a newscast. On local cable you will have time to talk about yourself and your writing. On the six o:clock news you can be quickly replaced by a breaking news story.

Radio stations often do community news interviews. Try making a phone call to local stations, asking for the community affairs person. Often it will be someone with many other duties and they just might be eager to have a fresh voice. Granted you interview might be at 5 am on a Sunday, but you will be surprised how many people are listening. One advantage is you often do interviews like that by telephone, the listeners unaware that you might be sipping coffee and still be in your pajamas.

Earned media (sometimes called free media) is not the same as social media. We can’t ignore the internet reach through websites, blogs, twitter and the like. That is the topic for another tip. Earned media may be the publicity we attract with editorial influence, with the media comprising such outlets as newspaper, television, radio and Internet news outlets, and may include a variety of formats, such as news articles or shows, writing letters to the editor and guest editorials.

Is it hard? You bet. But if the sweaty, hard part of writing the book was worth the effort, so is the marketing. It isn’t easy, and it isn’t without a lot of hard work.

Daniel Goodall in his blog says, “Some people think that Earning Media is about getting free space when budgets are tight. In my experience, Earning Media is a not necessarily a cheap option, and is certainly more time-consuming than buying media with big networks. More importantly, Earning Media is about engaging with consumers on their terms and gaining trust based on genuine understanding. Consumers trust peer recommendations more than advertising. As long as brands don’t abuse this situation, then this leads to better quality, more authentic and more relevant marketing.”

You need to think of marketing your book as a collection of strategies. I use the image of a quiver, holding different arrows, each for a particular target. Earned media attention is just one of many.

By Chuck Waldron.

Chuck’s extensive experience working in the non-profit sector, where money for paid advertising was mostly non-existent, taught a valuable lesson. Experience gained learning the value of earned media during those times now helps him in marketing as an indie publisher. “Retirement seems to have the same non-profit budget limitations,” he admits with a laugh.

I am a proud indie publisher with two self-published novels. After completing my first novel, “Tears in the Dust,” I immediately began writing “Remington & the Mysterious Fedora.” Now “Served Cold” is in the capable hands of my editor and will be available early 2011. The years of writing short stories, attending writing workshops, and participating in local writing groups have all gone into the challenge of writing novels. Writing those stories and novels eventually gained momentum.

http://www.writebyme.ca

Author: Chuck Waldron
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Made to order

EBook publishing is accelerating by leaps and bounds and is poised to eclipse printed books.

Digital Books are specialized computer files. A lot of people are well-versed with DOC files for the ubiquitous Microsoft Word software. Just like Word uses specialized file types, EReaders and eReader apps use specialized file formats. The most common file types are EPUB and PDF.

To understand this emerging publishing industry, it’s important to be knowledgeable of how eBooks work. This article will cover the major eReader file platforms and the major platforms that display these files, including gadgets and software applications.

EPUB files are open source files that can be used by any reader excluding Amazon’s eReaders. The Amazon digital readers (the Kindle) require a special file type called AWZ that is only readable on Kindles. Alternative file types are: TXT, MOBI, PERC, DOC, HTML, and BBeB.

EReaders are custom-made devices that reads eBook files. All eReaders possess the ability to download ebooks wirelessly. They appear to have the same size and shape and have extremely long battery life relative to other electronic hardware. The following are a number of the main options widely available.

Amazon’s Kindle – Amazon manufactures several different eReaders called Kindles. These handhelds include the color Kindle Fire and electronic ink versions: Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, and the Kindle. Amazon is dedicated to proprietary eBooks.

Kobo – Kobo is supported by Indigo Books & Music, REDgroup Retail, Cheung Kong Holdings, and others. This company supports open source eBooks.

Nook – Barnes and Noble offers a number of different eReaders called Nooks. There are two well-liked versions: Nook Color and Nook.

Sony Digital Book – Sony offers two eReaders. Both utilize digital ink, come with public library access and are the most handy 6 inch eReaders in the market.

Pandigital – This digital photo frame company has moved into the eBook market. They created a color eReader that also functions as an Android multi-media tablet.

Lastly, most eReaders offer software applications that are available on the discussed platforms. There are a couple of standouts that do not need a physical eBook reader and exist only as an app.

iBook – An eReader app compatible with Apple products like the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. When it comes to eBooks, Apple doesn’t have a specialized reader but it is a compelling presence in the eBook industry with an internet bookstore from which readers can download digital books.

Overdrive – The Overdrive Media Console allows eBook enthusiasts to enjoy books on all popular desktop and mobile devices, including Windows, Mac, iPod, iPad, Sony Reader, Nook, and Android. This groups is the leading multichannel marketer of eBooks and audiobooks.

AuthorHouse, an imprint of Author Solutions, is the leading provider of self-publishing and marketing services for authors around the globe. We have helped more than 40,000 writers publish over 60,000 titles and are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in book publishing.

Author: Jared D Silverstone
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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