Hey Tom
Thanks for making yourself available.
I do have a couple of questions.

The internet and traditional publishing are merging.  Particularly I'm seeing a trend toward websites that are centered on a theme but include elements of a magazine, a social circle, a blog, events calendar, personal stories and fiction stories are thrown in as well.  There's one for just about any interest you can imagine (I saw one the other day for just extreme body piercings -  gross!!!- they have thousands of members!!!)  As writers how do we fit into this brave new world?  How do these websites make any money?  How do we as writers make any money contributing?

Second question - To me the idea of self publishing centers around the ability to self promote.  Thats a career all by itself and one that probably seems as natural towriters as a goldfish running a marathon.  That is why the traditional model of publishing works for us.  Are there consultants/representatives that work outside the traditional model that handle the promotional part of the legwork?

Hello, Mr. Britt, and thank you for participating.

I share Pam's reservations. I have an additional concern, as well.

How does the newly self-published author promote and market his/her work? Without at least the tacit support of a classic publishing house, how does a novel get seriously noticed? Youtube?

The self-publishing part seems the easiest of the all the author's effort (excluding the blood, sweat and tears of writing, of course,) and, perhaps, not even the least costly. I understand that self-publishing alone, without the inclusion of marketing expenses, can run into thousands of dollars. By necessity, the cost of marketing must well exceed that figure!

Again...thanks much - R A Keen

SolN wrote:

As the Internet continues to evolve, the question that many of us have is whether books will go the same way as music? Will more and more writers forego the traditional publishers and traditional publishing process and can this be a profitable way to bring a book to market?

SolN, the answer here is "yes" and "yes." If you look at what Amazon.com has done to the book industry alone, you can make a strong argument that the Internet has provided a bypass around the otherwise gatekeepers of publishing (the big 6 publishing houses). Last year, Amazon.com sold more books than Barnes and Noble for the first time ever. What the music industry needed (and finally got) was a device that would help the download industry take off: the iPod. What the book publishing industry needed (and finally got) was a process that would lower the barrier of entry to print a book: print on demand. Now, any garage band can be downloaded to an iPod and any writer can become a published author through a self-publishing company like WordClay.com or AuthorHouse.com.

Your second question here is a little trickier. It is my belief that for many writers looking to make a living at their craft, going traditional is still the way to go. If someone is writing a novel and wants to take the time and money to take this route, it is their "plan A" to financial freedom. However, and this is a big however, most people pursuing this course become frustrated and realize that their dreams of being a best-selling author are just that.

Thanks to self-publishing, writers can become authors much more quickly, test the market, and build a name for themselves in less time that it would take for them to find the right agent and get back five rejection letters. I don't think "more writers will forego the traditional publishers process," but rather self-publishing will be a quicker alternative to more writers in their quest to being a published author.

alice in wonderlandzz wrote:

Second question - To me the idea of self publishing centers around the ability to self promote.  Thats a career all by itself and one that probably seems as natural to writers as a goldfish running a marathon.  That is why the traditional model of publishing works for us.  Are there consultants/representatives that work outside the traditional model that handle the promotional part of the legwork?

This is always the million dollar question, "who will help me market my book?" The answer to this, which is not what any author wants to hear, is that YOU are the best marketer of your book. There are several people out there offering assistance in this arena, publishers have been cutting back promotional staff for the last 10 years. Book marketing is an area where self-publishing companies like AuthorHouse and iUniverse have excelled because they provide many promotional services that you can purchase ala carte. For example, AuthorHouse offers everything from writing and distribution a press release about your book to offering a full-time publicist to call the media and send out review copies of your book.

Also, don't think for a minute that a traditional publisher is going to do all your marketing for you. Many traditionally published authors are moving to self publishing for that very reason. Remember, traditional publishers have a "season" for your book. After your season has past, they most likely will not be supporting it anymore. Before you sign with a traditional publisher, it's a good idea to talk to other authors that have published with them or ask the Publisher what they will do to promote you and your book.

pamelablack62 wrote:

Thank you SoIn for this opportunity.

Hello Mr. Britt.  Thank you for agreeing to spend time with us.  I have several questions. 

I'd also like to ask, what is the general, over-all cost of self-publishing and what are the expenses one incurs?

Can you explain the process, the steps if you will, of becoming self-published?

"How much does it cost?"

I can't speak for other self publishing companies, but I can give you some rough ideas of what it costs to use AuthorHouse. Our standard publishing package is $698 and our average initial order is around $1,100. Now that $698 covers everything you need to publish your book (cover design, layout of text, ISBN number, channel distribution, and two copies of your book) but many people purchase other things like copy editing, marketing kits, press releases, book sellers return, co-op advertising, hardback option, or custom illustrations.

The steps to becoming self-published are fairly simple and take on average around 90-120 days from the time you submit your finished manuscript to the time you have a book in your hands. (We have a Fast Forward process that guarantees your book in your hands in 30 days or less!)

<b>Step 1: Make contact with AuthorHouse. </b>We don't "pre-package" our services like a lot of companies, we've learned after 40,000+ titles that every book is different and every author's objectives are different. We match you up to one of our Author Advocates who gets to know you and your book so they can help you through the process.

<b>Step 2: Submit your manuscript/photos/illustrations. </b>Hopefully, you can do this electronically via e-mail or by mailing a CDRom to us. At this point we'll sign a publishing contract with you and get started on your book.

<b>Step 3: Book production. </b>You quarterback the design and production of your book as we send proofs to you. Many authors choose to proof their book online which cuts down the time of printing and mailing hard copies to you. It is during this process that we finalize your book's pricing and you establish your royalty schedule. That's right, YOU pick the royalty amount. We will tell you what a single copy of your book will cost wholesale (your cost), you then select what your retail cost will be.

<b>Step 4: Book goes live, marketing. </b>The final phase is your book is "live" and available for purchase through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and AuthorHouse.com. Any marketing services you have purchased are executed in this phase of the process. Most importantly, this is when YOU start marketing your book as well. Book signings, press appearances, and sales through your own weblog start once your book is live.

R A Keen wrote:

Hello, Mr. Britt, and thank you for participating.

I share Pam's reservations. I have an additional concern, as well.

How does the newly self-published author promote and market his/her work? Without at least the tacit support of a classic publishing house, how does a novel get seriously noticed? Youtube?

The self-publishing part seems the easiest of the all the author's effort (excluding the blood, sweat and tears of writing, of course,) and, perhaps, not even the least costly. I understand that self-publishing alone, without the inclusion of marketing expenses, can run into thousands of dollars. By necessity, the cost of marketing must well exceed that figure!

Again...thanks much - R A Keen

R A Keen, the best way to get noticed is via online marketing vehicles such as weblogs and author websites. With over 200,000 new titles per year flooding the book market, it's getting harder and harder to get noticed. YouTube.com is a viable way to get visibility, especially if you have the digital camera and wherewithal to create a web video. But again, it all goes back to how good of a salesperson you are in the long run. Nothing beats persistence and personality when it comes to selling your books.

I answered the cost of self-publishing ($698 standard) above, and the average cost of marketing services is somewhere around $400 per book with AuthorHouse. Yes, you can dump a lot of money into marketing. If you have a work of fiction, I wouldn't spend much more than the $400. If you have a non-fiction book, you can test different mediums such as magazine ads, online pay per click, or broadcast email marketing to see where the veins of customers for your book might be. I wouldn't commit $2,000 in marketing and expect to get $20,000 in sales. Spend $200 instead and see if you get $2,000 in sales.

Welcome Mr Britt and thank you for taking the time to share your expertise with us here at TNBW.
My questions are:

1; For many people  self publishing implies that the published book has no value other than to stroke the author’s ego.�  Changing collective perception is not an easy task but as one in the business of self publishing what would you do, if anything, to change this perception as self publishing continues to evolve.
       
2; People tend to stick to the status quo, because that’s where they perceive certainty. To move beyond this current accepted reality is to move into the realm of uncertainty. What makes self-publishing an attractive option?

3; As director of Author Development at Author House, what advise would you give to a first time writer who wants to self publish his/her first book but is concerned about the stigma of negativity and uncertainties of self publishing?

4; Knowing what you know about self publishing, both the pros and cons, 
would you encourage a young inexperienced writer to self publish or would you advise her to seek out the traditional Publishing 

5;Is vanity press and subsidy press basically the same?
If not, what are the differences?

Thank you.

Last edited by kulanga (11-26-2007 09:34:36)

kulanga wrote:

Welcome Mr Britt and thank you for taking the time to share your expertise with us here at TNBW.
My questions are:

1; For many people  self publishing implies that the published book has no value other than to stroke the author’s ego.�  Changing collective perception is not an easy task but as one in the business of self publishing what would you do, if anything, to change this perception as self publishing continues to evolve.
       
2; People tend to stick to the status quo, because that’s where they perceive certainty. To move beyond this current accepted reality is to move into the realm of uncertainty. What makes self-publishing an attractive option?

3; As director of Author Development at Author House, what advise would you give to a first time writer who wants to self publish his/her first book but is concerned about the stigma of negativity and uncertainties of self publishing?

4; Knowing what you know about self publishing, both the pros and cons, 
would you encourage a young inexperienced writer to self publish or would you advise her to seek out the traditional Publishing 

5;Is vanity press and subsidy press basically the same?
If not, what are the differences?

Thank you.

I'll try to answer all these questions collectively because they have a common thread that has been tough for the self-publishing industry to overcome.

When print on demand first came on the scene in the late 1990's, the quality of books, quality of printing, and to be honest the quality of design and layout was sub-par compared to traditionally published books. Amazon.com was still in its infancy and bookstores were still the gatekeepers of what books were sold. Traditional published dismissed POD as did bookstores, after all, they had a vested interest in keeping their lock on what was being published and sold.

As the technology advanced, the quality increased, and the demand grew as writers became more comfortable with the POD business model. Up until this point, the only other alternative for someone that was not finding a traditional publisher was to invest tens of thousands of dollars to vanity publish their book (vanity and subsidy are the same).

Today, POD has its economic advantages to an author but also gives them online sales, a distributor, and many times a marketing partner (AuthorHouse and iUniverse for example). Given this growth in self publishing, the constriction in the traditional publishing market, and the flat sales in bookstores, I'm afraid the "dream" of being a traditionally published author is getting harder and harder.

We're seeing a lot of midlist authors move to self-publishing for various reasons:

* maintain their rights on their work (in the traditional publishing model, the publisher owns all current and future rights)
* marketing support was lacking with traditional publisher ("I do all the work and they don't help me")
* financial reasons ("I never earned out my advance, and even if I did, I'd only make $.90 per book")
* more control ("My publisher changed my title, character names, and rewrote the plot")

I think the tide has definately changed on self publishing. The "old school" writers that battled the trenches of traditional publishing during the 70's, 80's, and early 90's resent the ease of being self published and they are the ones fueling the "uncertainty" as you call it. But talk to those published authors today and see what their publishers are doing for them now. I think for an aspiring author, self publishing is a great avenue to pursue.

Dear Mr Britt,
Your participation on the site to answer our questions is greatly appreciated. My question is - how many people really read books off the internet? When I am following and reviewing a novel - or short story - on the NBW site, I find reading it on the screen very uncomfortable on my eyes. If I were to try to read a self-published book on the net, I couldn't physically do it. Add to this the undeniable fact that a computer of any type is not a comfortable object to snuggle up with, and I can't see the majority of the populaton would want to read a book online. Printing the novel out chapter by chapter is too costly - so would self-publishing online be a financial option? Thank you, Diana

Cadfael wrote:

Dear Mr Britt,
Your participation on the site to answer our questions is greatly appreciated. My question is - how many people really read books off the internet? When I am following and reviewing a novel - or short story - on the NBW site, I find reading it on the screen very uncomfortable on my eyes. If I were to try to read a self-published book on the net, I couldn't physically do it. Add to this the undeniable fact that a computer of any type is not a comfortable object to snuggle up with, and I can't see the majority of the populaton would want to read a book online. Printing the novel out chapter by chapter is too costly - so would self-publishing online be a financial option? Thank you, Diana

Very few people read books "off the internet", meaning on a computer screen of some sort. Even e-books are having a tough time getting any traction for the very reasons you are stating above. The only area that seems to get any traction with e-books is technical writings, manuals, or work-related publications. As for "self-publishing online" being a financial option, someday we'll see kiosks in malls, bookstores, or hotel lobbies where you can select a best-seller and it will print the one copy and spit it out like an ATM machine spitting out money. We're a long way from that technology wise, but that is where it's going.

Doralynn, I'm actually writing such a book, hope to have it out by the end of January. Unfortunately, internet marketing for fiction is a tough road. I usually suggest blogging (via. blogger.com) as an inexpensive, yet good way to market online for fiction authors. You won't find any 'good' books on Internet marketing for books, let alone for fiction.

sonny wrote:

Another service is distribution to 25,000 vendors through Ingram.  What is Ingram and who are the vendors on this list?

Ingram is our distributor and the largest book distributor in the US. Between Ingram and Baker & Taylor, they provide the books for nearly every bookstore in the country. When we say "available to 25,000 vendors", we're saying that your book is available for purchase to 25,000 retail vendors including bookstores and online e-tailers.