Our publishing school begins with the most important question you need to ask yourself before you publish your first book: Why?
Here are three good reasons to be your own publisher…
- First good reason: No paying publisher has made you an offer you can’t refuse.
A “paying publisher” is also known as a “commercial publisher.” You are the one getting paid. It is not a shared deal. You pay nothing. Your book has been chosen because the commercial publisher believes (and hopes) the book will make money for its business.
Commercial publishers offer you as the author an advance against future sales and work with you to promote your book. The best way to submit a book to commercial publishers is to spend time browsing in a bookstore for the names of companies who have published books you especially like for their style, length, content etc. Look each one up, ask for submission requirements, and follow the directions.
Just be wary of services that try to sound like they are commercial publishers, but then they tell you that since you’re so new in the field, you have to expect to pay your way for the first book. Or they say that the market is so rough these days that you need to invest something in your book or they’ll find another author who is willing to do that. Don’t get caught in that trap. It’s pure baloney.
Many authors begin with a search for a commercial publisher, only to be told that the publisher can’t consider the book unless they have a literary agent. The agent also needs to make money and has to be convinced that your book will net him or her a handsome sum. So you decide to hire your own agent, and even when you’re willing to pay a good price, you find that qualified agents just aren’t that eager to take on your book.
Not that publishing your own book is a decision of last resort. Keep reading.
- Second good reason: You wouldn’t be satisfied with a 20 percent royalty on your book, the most you can expect if your book is commercially published.
Did I say 20 percent? More common today is 15 percent. Publishers are affected by the downturn in the economy and are getting stingy about how much of their profits they are willing to share.
Authors often have the impression that if a commercial publisher picks up their book, fame and fortune are just around the corner. One of my relatives wrote a terrific book on gift giving. She sold it on her own for a while, but then a commercial publisher picked her up and began sending her money and loading her with work to do to promote the book. She was traveling all around the country sharing gift-giving tips on television shows. After two years of almost nonstop promotion, she figures she cleared about $5,000. By the hour, including writing and designing time, she calculates an hourly rate of about $5.
Even if a mainline publisher picks you up, when you learn the terms you may decide you don’t want that kind of a setup. Calculate how many books you think you could sell on your own and how many books your publisher would have to sell to give you the same revenue at a 15% or 20% royalty.
- Third good reason. You have written your book for a specific group of people (market niche) and are prepared to let them know it’s available.
Most of the books we produce at Griffith Publishing are in this category. The author has already been approached by a group or a representative of a group and asked to produce a book. Or the author works with a university, major business, business organization, or health care facility that needs the book.
When you hear the words, “Why don’t you write a book about that?” music should start playing in your brain. If the book was written, you are talking to a person who would buy a copy. Your book may not be written, but the market for your book is already there, waiting for you.
Of course you’ll want to go with a commercial publisher if you get a great offer that costs you nothing but puts a significant amount of money in your pocket with no debt involved. Of course, if you have confidence that you can sell your book on your own, you should be a self-publishing author, or as we think of you these days, an independent publisher.
People who seem to do best with self-publishing:
- Experts who give speeches and host workshops
- Doctors with private care patients
- Business owners with information and skills to share
- Professors and scholars who have an important set of facts to share with colleagues or the general public
- Historians who can make local or regional history come to life
- Writers and people with important information or a story line who feel driven to publish a book.
- Anyone with a story to tell that can help others
Not everyone asking for your dollars is a crook. Dozens of legal businesses offer a wide range of services related to book publishing and want you to think that they are publishing companies. The key to knowing whether they are publishers or not is finding out how much money you need to send them. If the answer is anything more than $0.00, you are dealing with a service provider, not a publisher. Griffith Publishing is in that category. We do not purchase manuscripts but work with the author to give him or her the best opportunity for financial success and recognition.
Why publish your own book? Only you can know the answer. When it’s right for you, you’ll find a way. You’ll be a successful self-publishing author.
And what about your book? Tell us about it.
We’d love to hear from you. Call us any time at 800 359-9503. Or send us email (hodi@mindspring.com).
Brought to you compliments of Griffith Publishing.
