Sir Speedy Dallas » Book Publishing http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:50:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Advantages to Self-Publishing http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/advantages-to-self-publishing/ http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/advantages-to-self-publishing/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:17:13 +0000 Tyler Crum http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/?p=798

Sir Speedy Printing Walnut HillDallas, TX – There are many advantages to self-publishing including keeping the majority of the profits from the sales of your book. A traditional publisher may only offer you 10% of your book’s wholesale price. Many first-time authors are a bit surprised by what seems like such a small percentage. However, with their knowledge of the industry and marketing prowess, a traditional publisher may outsell your self-published title 100 to 1. But only if they agree to publish your book.

Self-publishing has grown dramatically over the past few years and the main reason is the advent of the POD (print on demand) printing services. This allows the self-published author to have books printed on a “pay-as-you-go” basis. Books are printed only when ordered. Per-book printing costs can be as much as $6 to $7 dollars per copy for larger books but there is no need for the self-publishing author to order huge quantities or maintain an inventory. A traditional publisher may have 5,000 copies printed at a time with costs as low as $1.50 per copy. For comparison, a self-published book costing $20 and printed for $6 shows a profit of $14 where a traditional publisher can show a profit of $18.50 for the same book.

Another advantage that many overlook is when you self publish, you have control over the editing, printing, and marketing of you book. It’s not unusual for traditional publishers to keep your book in the “queue” for six months or more. They are continuously preparing other titles of course and may delay the release of your book to take advantage of a number of factors including the current economic climate, what’s on the best seller list, or a particular time of the year. If you self-publish, you can create your own time frame and schedule your book’s release.

Although a self-publisher has complete control of the production of their book, it often means additional expenses for services such as editing, design and packaging (expenses a traditional publisher incurs on behalf of the author). Unless your book is destined for a small audience of family and friends, professional editing is a must. And for the cover, it’s wise to hire a professional designer to ensure a high-quality, industry-standard result.

It’s safe to say that most authors want to sign a book contract with a major publisher. There is a great deal of effort required to land a publishing deal including writing a top-quality book proposal. And some publishers only deal with an author’s agent when it comes to offering a publishing contract. All these efforts can take up to three years or more. So it’s important to measure your odds before going this route. The vast majority of authors that follow a path to a traditional publishing contract fail in their efforts. And they have spent those three years pursuing a contract when they could have been out there promoting and selling their book!

You have to wear many hats when self-publishing but there are number of advantages, particularly for a first-time author. Most importantly, you have control of the entire process. It takes knowledge, determination, discipline and persistence to succeed but the rewards are many.

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]]> http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/advantages-to-self-publishing/feed/ 0 Writing Children’s Books and Getting Published http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/writing-childrens-books-and-getting-published/ http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/writing-childrens-books-and-getting-published/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:49:06 +0000 Tyler Crum http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/?p=794

Sir Speedy Printing Walnut HillDallas, TX – Being a self-published writer of children’s books has a number of advantages. Many children’s writers have very specific ideas on what the illustrations should look like as well as how the story unfolds. Self-publishing allows the author to control of all aspects of their book and thus realize their vision. A traditional publisher may not share the author’s vision and decide to make significant changes. But when self-publishing, it’s up to the author to decide the style of the illustrations, the size, look and feel of the book, how and where it is printed and when it is released.

Most children’s books contain color illustrations as an integral part of the story. Printing in color, particularly a book’s contents, can get quite expensive. The advent of digital color has kept these costs manageable however. With digital color, a self-publishing author can expect to pay between 10 and 25 cents per page of color illustrations, per book. For example, a book with 20 color illustrations at 15 cents each would add an additional three dollars to the printing cost of each< book (as the 15 cents per page is a per-book printing fee and not a one-time setup fee).

Preparing a children’s book for publication can be a challenge, especially if there are illustrations throughout. Care must be taken when changes in the text are made so the associated illustrations stay in line with the story. When preparing a book for printing and publishing it’s a good idea to have others read the manuscript from beginning to end. (This is a realistic task as most children’s book are not lengthy.) This will ensure that the proper illustrations accompany the text in every instance. It’s also a great idea to have a child from the appropriate age group read the manuscript as well. The are, after all, the book’s audience and may provide insights the author is not aware of.

When self-publishing, it’s important to hire a professional who specializes in children’s books to design the cover. More so than any other genre, a children’s book’s cover is it’s best sales tool. Children respond to cover illustrations much more readily than adults and may choose to read or buy a book based solely on its cover.

Children’s books are very age-specific and this is an important factor when it comes to marketing as it’s important to target a specific age group. If the self-publishing author can afford to provide sample copies of their book, elementary schools and children’s libraries are a great place to generate interest in certain titles. Also, there are number of children’s books conferences and trade shows throughout the year in different locations around the world. In the U.S., local communities often sponsor book fairs and reading programs for ages six through twelve. Another great marketing tool is for the book’s author to provide a reading of their book for groups of children at local libraries or summer camps.

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]]> http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/writing-childrens-books-and-getting-published/feed/ 0 Marketing Your Self-Published Book http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/marketing-your-self-published-book/ http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/marketing-your-self-published-book/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:40:13 +0000 Tyler Crum http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/?p=790

Sir Speedy Printing Walnut HillDallas, TX – When you self-publish, you have to wear many hats including that of a salesperson and marketing specialist. Once it’s ready for sale, it’s time to begin marketing your masterpiece. However, most successful authors that self-publish insist that your marketing plan has to begin before your book is ready for sale (some writers begin developing a marketing plan before they begin to write). Why? Because it takes time to put all the pieces in place to sell your book.

The first step is to develop an author platform. This includes putting together a website, starting a blog, making a list of possible speaking engagements to promote your book, and developing a mailing list. Without the advantage of a traditional publisher’s resources, distributors and insider experience advertise and sell your book, you must extend your reach as far as possible. Find as many ways as you can to communicate with potential buyers. Other ways to develop your platform is to join book clubs, participate in blogs and forums and talk to anyone and everyone about your book.

Most self-published authors feel that a successful marketing campaign is a full-time job and it’s akin to an up-and-coming new band hitting the road to promote their new album. They contact radio and television stations about possible interviews, make personal appearances, and attend trade shows and join in other promotional efforts. But what if you are attend to other tasks of self-publishing and don’t have the time to promote your book? Ask for help!

Writers need other writers. Find a professional who is experienced in writing effective web copy and promotional materials. While you’re holding down your 9 to 5 job, they can be working on your behalf. If you have a website to promote your book (you have to have a website if your are self-publishing) a good web copywriter can help you appear on the first or second search engine results pages such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. They do this by employing key words and phrases and sometimes by hiring an Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert to increase your presence on the web.

When self-publishing, sending out a press release when your book is ready for sale is another great way to build interest and momentum. Most local newspapers will accept your press release (with no guarantee however that the information will appear in print) and there are number of web-based press release services such as PRWeb. You can expect to pay between $50 to $200 to share the news about your new book with the web community. The results can be hit and miss and sometimes it takes a little persistence to see results from a press release. It’s not difficult to make your book available for purchase on Amazon or other online booksellers and you can use the fact that your book is for sale at these outlets when promoting your book.

Finally, you may want to consider making your book available as an ebook. This has become quite popular for books about business and marketing and ebooks are starting to appear for other titles as well. An ebook is an electronic version of your book that can be purchased and downloaded to the customer via your website. It can be as simple as a PDF file of your book with your cover as the first page.

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]]> http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/marketing-your-self-published-book/feed/ 0 How To Prepare Your Manuscript for Publication http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/how-to-prepare-your-manuscript-for-publication/ http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/how-to-prepare-your-manuscript-for-publication/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:27:33 +0000 Tyler Crum http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/?p=786

Sir Speedy Printing Walnut HillDallas, TX – When self-publishing, be sure to work with someone with experience in preparing manuscripts for print. There are a number of critical steps in preparing your book for publication.

Page Size

If your book is to have illustrations, tables or charts, it’s important that you decide page size early on. For example, if you want the final dimensions of your book to be 5.5” by 8.5” (which is one of the standard sizes), you’ll have to make sure any charts or illustrations you include will be clear and easy to read. Keep in mind too that some photos become a bit washed out or fuzzy when reduced to this size. And don’t forget that a book of these dimensions has an even smaller area for text. When footers, headers, margins and gutters are accounted for, your text area can be as small as 4” by 6.5.”

Fonts and PDF Settings

It’s important to have a good understanding of fonts and special characters so there will be no surprises when your book goes to print. Even though most printers now accept PDF files, all fonts have to be embedded. It’s best to limit your text to two or three fonts. If you include scientific characters or equations in your book, check with your printer to make sure they will reproduce properly. Match your PDF settings to your printer’s requirements for the best result. When self-publishing, it’s a good idea to become familiar with PDF files and how there are used.

Margins and Gutters

If you don’t set your margins and gutters properly, the finished product will look unprofessional and be difficult to read. One of the biggest mistakes first time authors make is not using generous gutter settings. The gutter is the space between the text and the edge of the page as it becomes part of the binding. If the gutter setting are too small, the reader has to press down (flatten) the middle of facing pages in order to read all the text. Not only is this frustrating for the reader but it can damage your book. Improperly set gutters can end up costing you’re an entire reprint. It’s very important for you to get a proof copy of your book before printing and check the gutters carefully.

Don’t Rely On Your Printer To Correct Things

Self-publishing means that you have to keep a close eye on every step of the printing process. More and more printers are using systems that are automated to some degree. In the first stages of printing, your manuscript may be checked for compatibility by a machine (computer) rather than a human being so it’s important to prepare your files per the printer’s instructions. It’s also important to know that printers assume your book is prepared exactly they way you want it to appear. Typically, they won’t make any changes not matter how blatant the mistake may be. Once again, requesting a proof copy is critical and can save time and money.

Don’t forget the cover (and spine)

The inner content (text) of most books is printed in black and white. Most covers, however, are printed in color and are more of a challenge for the designer and printer. Printers vary widely when it comes to the proper specifications for printing color covers.

The first consideration is the size of the cover and the necessary “bleeds.” Bleeds is a turn that means the amount of color that extends outside (bleeds over) the trim of the cover. In other words, if your cover was in red, you would need an additional ¼” of that color outside the trim dimensions. This ensures that the color will still continue all the way to the edge of the cover should the book not be cut to the exact size.

The second consideration is the type of colors used on the cover. Most printers require that a designer use only CMYK colors. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black which make up a four-color process. Each color that appears is a percentage of these four colors. Some printers do not allow “spot” colors which fall outside the four-color process.

Creating the book’s spine is another area where self-published authors and their designers make costly mistakes. The general rule is your book has to have at least 120 pages to create a spine wide enough to include the book’s title and other information (even at 120 pages, you’ll have to use a very small font to fit the width of the spine). As examples, a 100-page book has a spine of .25,” a 250-page book has a spine of .583” and 300 pages equals .688.” Make sure your spine can easily read when your book is sitting on a shelf.

When self-publishing, you’ll have to attend to many details when it comes to preparing your manuscript. Learn as much as you can about the process.

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]]> http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/how-to-prepare-your-manuscript-for-publication/feed/ 0 The Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Self-Publishing http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/top-5-things/ http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/digital-printing/small-format-printing/top-5-things/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:15:50 +0000 Tyler Crum http://sirspeedywalnuthill.com/?p=782

Sir Speedy Printing Walnut HillDallas, TX – Many self-publishing, first-time authors fail to recognize the importance of this step. If your book is intended for family and friends or as an autobiography to share with others, quality editing is not as critical. But if you want to compete with the best titles out there, finding a good editor is a must.

As a writer, you’ve spent hours and hours putting together your manuscript and you know it intimately. But you only have one perspective on the style and effectiveness of the copy. A good editor can make your book more concise, clear, and readable. And they can help you organize it in a logical and sensible way. Just as important are the basic mechanics of editing including maintaining the proper tone and tense, fixing errors in grammar and spelling, and eliminating repetitive material.

Cover Design

When self-publishing, you get to make most of the decisions about your book including its appearance. A book’s cover is critical to its success and should be left to an experienced professional. Your cover must be appropriate for the subject matter, be somewhat striking in appearance and specially prepared for printing. Along with your book’s title (and subtitle), your cover is your number one marketing tool. Most printers will help you by providing a cover template and a template for the content as well. (Some require you use their template and will not accept your book otherwise.) Keep it relatively simple but make it as effective as possible.

Don’t Forget the Back Panel

The back panel (back cover) of your book is a great place to create immediate interest and curiosity about your book. Typically, the back cover includes a picture and/or bio of the author, testimonials, and compelling reasons to buy your book. It’s a powerful marketing tool.

Printing

As a self-published author, you have a number of options when it come to getting your book printed. First is to work with a local printer. There are many advantages to this including the ability to keep a close watch on the printing process. Many authors, however, find local printers too expensive and turn to online printing services to keep per-book prices down.

Some online printers also act as “publishers” in the sense that they help with the marketing of your book (getting it placed on Amazon, etc.). Their help in this regard is very limited however and not a substitute for an effective marketing campaign.

Most online printers offer POD (print on demand) services where books are printed only when purchased (ordered). This saves the self-publishing author from maintaining inventory or buying books in large quantities. The trade off is high per-copy prices. Time and money can be saved up front by preparing your book to the printer’s specifications and requesting a proof copy before giving the go ahead to print your books.

Marketing

This is the area where a lot of self-published authors come up short. Unless you have to resources to hire someone to market your book, the job of promoting and selling your book is up to you. It’s difficult for many authors to generate the energy and discipline required to effectively market their book. You may have spent untold hours writing and refining their masterpiece, and have little energy left to “get out there” and promote your book. But no one will buy your book if they don’t know about it.

Successful authors put a successful marketing program in places during (or even before) writing their book. Developing a marketing platform of a book-specific website, blog, mailing lists and press release is critical to the success of your book.

Goodwill

In order to be a successful, self-published author, it’s important that you live up to your commitments and be as kind and cordial as you can to anyone involved with your success. If you have a speaking engagement or book signing, keep it. Take advantage of any opportunities to promote your book and talk about it to everyone you meet. Get involved with your website and blog and write a personal note when possible. Help other authors reach their goals and provide advice and support when needed.

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