How I See It - by John Wolf
I think people are confused about independent
publishing, because the topic is rambled-on from so many different
angles. The buzzwords are confusing enough - PODs, self-publishing,
non-traditional, etc. There was a lot of shady dealing going on when
this first started a few years ago. Elaborate schemes to disguise
complex fee schedules sucked naive writers into services that were
overpriced for the value provided. Hopefully, that is behind us, now
that would-be authors have learned the ropes. More on this later.
The basis of being able to publish a book that is under
your control and where you retain the rights, became available to authors,
because printing costs fell with the advent of new digital printing machines. This
means that a book kept in a computer file can be printed on demand of
one copy, or a hundred at a time with only the paper and ink material
costs as a variable. The effort is the same. A whole building full of
people pasting up pages and huge overhead expenses are no longer necessary. As orders come in, a book
or group of books can be printed and shipped via UPS, FedEx, etc., very
quickly. The print-house, with a small publishing staff up front, have
become a valuable asset to a new, unknown author. The quality of the
book is the same as produced by a major publisher. The quality of
writing is another thing - a future topic.
Traditional publishing is a process of filtering out
authors to find a killer manuscript or an author that is a very famous
person to provide a product with guaranteed sales. A major publishing
house has a huge overhead of staffers that require a lot of upfront
money to grease the wheels. They don't do the printing. That is
out-sourced. They also go about marketing differently. They tend to
blitz the market to determine sales sensitivity. But their analysis of
what's marketable is usually well established, and sales are good enough
to keep the whole giant ball rolling. Notice at this point, the author
is out of the loop, except as a face to be exhibited on TV and at book
signings. The publisher owns the rights now, and is only interested in
the bottom line. If the book doesn't do as well as the analyst
predicted, that book dies and the author will probably never be heard of
again, famous ones excluded. There would also be a garage full of expense books that come out
of the "advance", which is the basic come-on, but means nothing in the
long run, unless is was greater than the initial setup costs.
The author can only approach a publisher through an
agent. Once engaged, you need an editor to work up the book in a manner
agreeable to what the publisher thinks will sell. This is an all
commercial venue with purpose and direction of selling words and
pictures to the public.
Self-publishing is the antithesis process. It is all
about the author and his work. It is easy, doesn't require a staff of
experts to massage to book. But it does threaten the profits of the book
industrialists. So, you will hear a lot of dogging on the idea. The term
POD is no longer considered a viable term to describe independent
publishing anymore, due to the derogatory campaign smears issued to
discourage this path.
Here's what it is. Independent publishing allows a new,
unknown author a window to the world for an affordable price. The quality
of his or her work must bare the weight of scrutiny by its readers. The
marketing is the responsibility of the author – totally. The author
retains all copyright and decides how the book will be done. The
publishers that provide this service, also have many experts available
to you for a additional price. Here is where it can get dicey. If you don’t do your
homework, and research who is in this business and compare their stats,
you could be taken to the cleaners with costs. You will probably get a
book, but the costs will be extreme before you get there.
(next column)
Over the last few years, many of these troublemakers
have been eliminated, due to their poor service verses costs. Now we have
good-ol’ American competition, aiding in getting value. So what is the
result? Assuming you are happy with the company you are working with,
you have a nice book, listed on the Internet with Amazon, Barns&Noble,
and Border's books with an ISBN number, retail price listed, and a bar
code for the commercial world to track your book. You probably are listed with the publisher’s retail
site as well, and, by the way, they give you the largest profit
advantage. The Big Box book stores take huge discounts from the
publishers to sell your book. Also, you make more royalties per book,
being independent, than with a major
house, so the potential for success can be surprising, if the book takes
off. You also retain the copyright, so if the book gets big, you
can then sell it to a major house to expand the sales world wide. It is a
win-win for them, because the book has already passed muster. They can
probably predict sales down to the dollar and are willing to give you a
better deal as a result of this knowledge – only if you ask via
representation. It is still big business to them. Their forte is they
have the largest distribution systems available. But, unless your have a
viable product, your wasting their time and yours, using a fire hose to
get a drink of water.
So, how do you make it happen? Have a great story to
tell. Find a good self-publisher. Respect editors. They are the gold in
the Golden Fleece. Realize that you have to be a marketing expert. There
is no exception here, but you can be aided by professionals, who's
business is making sales happen. Media experts are usually web
designers, as well. Get a domain name and get on the Internet. Seek TV,
radio, and other engagements that expose you to the public. Join writers
associations and go to conferences to lean on the shoulders of other
authors. Minimize book signings. They are really for the famous. Start
within an easy driving distance of your home. Hawk books at book club
meetings after a quick speech - they love it. Find a
voice, and the public will find you.
The great beauty in being self-published is you are an
independent micro-economic in all the depth of being an American
entrepreneur. It is fun and exciting. It will get you going as a author
- while you're still alive. You could be sitting on your couch for decades, waiting to be
“discovered.” That is for dreamers and for the movies. It doesn’t happen
to real people. You have to make it happen. Even famous people that have
a guaranteed sales, are vigorous campaigners for their own success –
that’s how they became famous! You can be a published author in your own
lifetime and reap the smiles of doing exactly what you intended to do –
let your story live in perpetuity.
John Wolf – Author of Fantastic Tales
“www.wolftracksmusic.com/books”
Inspired by my excellent experience with Infinity Publishing...
© 2007 John Wolf, all right reserved
