| On-demand publishing helps legions of writers | | | | something even more valuable than a one-time |
| accomplish the second most common New Year's | | | | finite fee, like your publishing rights (or something |
| Resolution: publishing a book! It is important to | | | | even worse). One dot-com book mill's CEO |
| remember that "Getting Published" the right way | | | | describes his company's business model in the |
| depends upon more than just finishing your | | | | following trite terms: "One man's trash is another |
| manuscript and sending it off to a publishing | | | | man's treasure." The "trash" he refers to are the |
| company. | | | | books they publish. Not surprisingly, this is the |
| There are a number of important factors to | | | | same company that has a "machine" publishing |
| consider. | | | | books for them. Yes, machines often generate |
| Publication Timeframe | | | | trash. Proceed with caution. |
| Between traditional publishers and digital book mills, | | | | The proper cost is somewhere in between. |
| the timeframe for your book's publication may | | | | Recurring Back-End Costs |
| range between 24 months and 24 hours. Both | | | | Most authors are unaware of back-end costs at |
| extremes should be avoided. Traditional publishing | | | | all (and publishers take advantage of that). Be |
| houses often take up to 24 months to reject a | | | | different. Inform yourself by reading and |
| book. Author stories are common about publishers | | | | understanding this next section. |
| who initially accepted their book for mainstream | | | | Back-end costs include your author's copy price, |
| publication, only to reject it 18-24 months later | | | | your retail price/profit margin differential, and your |
| because the "Marketing Department" didn't | | | | royalties. Most authors focus solely on the |
| consider it feasible. If you have experienced a | | | | one-time-only front-end cost, even though the |
| similar situation, you are a good candidate for | | | | back-end costs are recurring month after month |
| on-demand publishing. | | | | for the life of the book. |
| On the other hand, digital dot-com book mills on | | | | To see a side-by-side comparison of 4 leading |
| the Internet claim to publish books instantly. One | | | | on-demand publisher's back-end costs for a 5.5" x |
| even features a graphic of a "machine" publishing | | | | 8.5" hardback book (224 pages) with a dust |
| your book for you. How comforting! Machines can | | | | jacket visit This is based upon an actual book |
| do anything in 24 hours, except love something. | | | | published by an on-demand publisher, titled (Pretty |
| After the time you invested in your book, you | | | | Blue, for which the author selected the trim size, |
| should seek a publishing process that is a bit | | | | the hardback edition upgrade, and set the retail |
| more... human. | | | | price ($24.95), the distributor discount (20%), and |
| The proper timeframe for book publication is | | | | the royalty (29%). |
| somewhere in between those two extremes. Six | | | | If you have already published your book with an |
| weeks is not unreasonable. Nor is 6 months. | | | | on-demand publisher, closely examine what your |
| Up-Front Costs | | | | back-end costs are costing you, and make the |
| Between traditional publishers and off-set vanity | | | | appropriate changes. Sometimes, changing |
| presses, the up-front costs for book publication | | | | publishers is more profitable in the long-run, even |
| range between $0 and tens-of-thousands of | | | | if it means absorbing another up-front publishing |
| dollars. Just like the timeframe range, both | | | | fee. Of course, only you can make that decision, |
| extremes should be avoided. Publishing in the | | | | but by knowing the differences between finite |
| tens-of-thousands range is primarily paying for an | | | | up-front costs, and on-going back-end costs, you |
| off-set print run for books that will then need to | | | | are better equipped to make those decisions |
| be stored (incurring another fee for inventory | | | | profitably. Don't just accomplish that New Year's |
| management). | | | | Resolution in 2007. Accomplish it well! |
| On the other hand, free publishing requires | | | | |