| All your publishing options are as follows: | | | | compete with other books' prices. |
| --Conventional publishing | | | | Self-publish yourself |
| --Vanity or subsidy publishing | | | | We won't consider here the costs of starting a |
| --Print-on-demand publishing | | | | business and educating yourself on publishing |
| --Self-publish yourself | | | | through courses, books, seminars, etc.; these |
| --Get help with self-publishing | | | | differ a lot for various people in different |
| Let's compare the publishing options. | | | | situations. However, after all that is accomplished, |
| How to get in the publishing process and how long | | | | you can have 500 to 1,000 copies of your book |
| will it take to see your book printed? | | | | printed for about $3 to $5 per book which makes |
| Conventional publishing option | | | | it competitive in price with books of any big |
| It is a very long and difficult process to get a | | | | publisher. We are speaking here about an average |
| publisher even if it is at all possible for a new | | | | retail paperback book cost. |
| author. First you need to get a literary agent who | | | | Get help with self-publishing |
| is willing to introduce / represent your manuscript | | | | The book price will be more or less same as |
| to a publisher. The rejection rate is about 95% at | | | | above - you pay for services, but save on |
| each stage... It can take many months or even | | | | running a business. |
| years to find an agent and then a publisher... If | | | | How do you market / promote / sell your |
| and when your manuscript is accepted by a | | | | books? |
| conventional publisher, it usually takes up to two | | | | Conventional publishing option |
| years to see your book in print. | | | | The publisher will take care that your book is |
| Subsidy or vanity publishing option | | | | delivered to distributors / wholesalers / retailers |
| It is extremely easy and fast to get a subsidy | | | | and that's probably it. The publishers don't spend |
| publisher. They will even solicit your manuscript | | | | money on promoting books of new authors as a |
| through advertising or direct mail. They accept | | | | rule. Since consumers don't know about your |
| without question any and all manuscripts for | | | | book, they don't buy it. The retail shelf space is |
| publishing and print your book in a matter of | | | | scarce and expensive, your book will go off the |
| months. | | | | shelves in several months and that's the |
| Print-on-demand publishing option | | | | commonly end of the story... You can change this |
| This is actually the same type as a subsidy | | | | into a success story of your book if you do the |
| publisher - soliciting your business, accepting | | | | promotion yourself, however. |
| anything and being ready to print your book in no | | | | Subsidy or vanity publishing option |
| time. The only difference is that they print one | | | | As already said, the publisher had made their |
| book at a time which costs you less up-front, but | | | | money up-front. There may be a clause in your |
| not in the long run. | | | | contract saying that the publisher will mail some |
| Self-publish yourself | | | | number of your books to reviewers for publicity, |
| Starting your own publishing company is involved, | | | | but as Dan Poynter says: "The name of a vanity |
| not only in business terms but also in learning the | | | | publisher on a spine of the book is a kiss of |
| art and science of publishing. After that you can | | | | death" - your book will never be reviewed. That's |
| move pretty fast - you manage the whole | | | | because reviewers review books that will be in |
| process yourself, interviewing and hiring all the | | | | book trade distribution channels where subsidy |
| expertise needed, such as book designers, | | | | presses never get. |
| printers, promoters, etc. And it's not cheap. | | | | Print-on-demand publishing option |
| Get help with self-publishing | | | | Same thing - the publisher (really hardly more |
| If you don't have time, money and/or inclination | | | | than a printer) won't do anything to market / |
| for running a publishing business, but still want to | | | | promote / sell your book; it's all up to you to |
| self-publish your book, you can find help in an | | | | create a demand for your book. The |
| advisory / promotional service for self-publishers | | | | print-on-demand publishing seems inexpensive at |
| that will lead you through the process. You still | | | | the first sight, but don't forget that it's only at the |
| self-publish, but save time, money and effort. | | | | beginning of the process - you still need to do |
| How much will it cost you to publish your book? | | | | marketing and promotion yourself or hire help for |
| Conventional publishing option | | | | this. And one more important thing in |
| This doesn't cost you anything, the publisher will | | | | print-on-demand publishing - watch the list price of |
| pay all book production expenses. By saying this | | | | your future book and at the same time what you |
| we aren't considering the ultimate costs of losing | | | | pay per book. If your book is more expensive |
| most of your legal rights to your work, or for | | | | than other books "from the same shelf", |
| that matter your time spent on seeking | | | | consumers will never buy your book. And keep in |
| representation, mailing copies of your manuscript | | | | mind that if you want to sell retail, you must be |
| to numerous agents, or the reading / copying | | | | able to give distributors / wholesalers / retailers |
| fees that agents frequently charge new authors. | | | | their 40% to 60% share of the list price. |
| Subsidy or vanity publishing option | | | | Otherwise you can only sell to consumers directly. |
| You will pay everything up-front, that's the way | | | | Self-publish yourself |
| subsidy publishers make their money - from | | | | You are in the driver's seat and do everything |
| authors, not from selling books to the public. Most | | | | yourself. |
| often it will be $10,000 to $20,000, sometimes | | | | Get help with self-publishing |
| more depending on the size of your book. You | | | | Hire help to do marketing and promotion for you. |
| get about 200 copies of your book for that price | | | | Who keeps the rights for your work? |
| and a promise of royalties if any book selling from | | | | Conventional publisher always keeps all the rights. |
| the publisher happens in the future. Each book | | | | You don't have any influence on editing, changing |
| costs you about $50 to $100 up to this point, | | | | the title, illustrations, cover art, publishing, |
| very likely precluding any profitability at all in the | | | | marketing, etc. And you never get your rights |
| venture. | | | | back after you signed a contract. |
| Print-on-demand publishing option | | | | Subsidy or vanity publisher and Print-on-demand |
| Same thing - they make their money from you, | | | | publisher sometimes assigns right to themselves, |
| the author, selling you your own books one at a | | | | sometimes only temporary, sometimes to you; |
| time, printing-on-demand. The difference is that it | | | | the latter of course is much better. Watch the |
| costs less up-front, sometimes even nothing | | | | contract and negotiate if you are set on this |
| depending on company policies. Don't expect them | | | | course. |
| to be selling to public on your behalf either - they | | | | Self-publish yourself and Get help with |
| only sell to you. Each book will usually cost you | | | | self-publishing: keep all your rights. You are free to |
| about $10 to $20 which often makes it impossible | | | | publish, re-publish, sell your rights in the future to |
| to sell your books through retailers as you can't | | | | TV and movie producers, etc. |