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The Business of Book Publishing
Anyone can be a publisher. The publisher is the one who puts up the money. If you invest in your own printing, you are a self-publisher. If you begin to take in manuscripts from others, you are a (small) publisher. If you grow, you become a large publisher. Your computer makes it easy and inexpensive to write, produce, publish and sell books. You can work from home and you do not need any governmental licenses.
Book publishing is easy but it is not the same as other businesses; there is a lot to learn. Fortunately, there is also a lot of help available. Unlike most industries, people in publishing are helpful, friendly and supportive. Since each book is unique, there is very little competition and publishers rarely feel threatened by another book. Consequently, we do not mind sharing what we have learned about this wonderful book publishing industry. In fact, we like to say "The greatest challenge in book publishing is managing the day-to-day excitement."
Many famous books got their start being published by the author; some still are. Self-publishing is an early-American tradition. In the early days of the New World, the person with the printing press was often the author, publisher, printer and bookshop. Some people think that most of those who self-publish do so because several publishers have turned them down. That is occasionally true. However, most people today weigh the advantages and disadvantages of selling out to a publisher and make an educated decision to publish themselves. Those who self-publish find they make more money, get to press sooner and keep control of their work.
Self-publishing should not be confused with "Vanity" publishing where an author pays (an exorbitant price to) a publisher to turn his or her manuscript into a book. See Books that were Originally Self-Published, Document 155 for a list (free).
Size matters. In book publishing, being smaller and newer is an advantage. Large (New York) publishers (there are only six Trade publishers left) are like a department store–they have something for everyone. The variety may not be great and the depth may not be much but they usually have at least one book on every subject. No one on the staff knows much about the subjects of the books and the books are treated as anonymous "products." Being so far from their audience, there is little personal interest in promoting the books.
Smaller and medium-sized publishers tend to specialize in one or two niche areas such as business books, boating books or baby books. The owners and staff are usually participants in their books' subject matter. For example, those who publish parachute books, do it with a sense of mission-because they like to jump out of airplanes. And, they want to share skydiving with the world.
Participants know where to find their market because they frequent the same stores, join the same associations, read the same magazines and attend the same conventions. The secret to effective book distribution is to make the title available in places with a high concentration of (your) potential buyers. When specialized publishers take on a book, they can plug it right in to their distribution system. For example, while some parachute books are sold in bookstores, over 90% are sold through parachute stores, skydiving catalogs, jump schools and through the US Parachute Association for resale to its members. Usually three or four calls to major dealers can sell enough books to pay the printing bill–before the book is even printed!
So big publishers are good at getting a book into bookstores but that is of little use if the potential customer does not frequent bookstores.
For a complete explanation on how to set up and run a publishing company, see our Document 624 How to Set up and Run a Successful Publishing Business.
Planning. One of the biggest pitfalls in small publishing is the lack of sufficient planning, especially the first time around. You don't want to tie up funds by purchasing materials too soon and you don't want to miss some important publicity because you missed a filing date. See The Self-Publishing Manual. For a more detailed calendar, see Your Publishing Calendar, Document 620. It has a checklist to keep you on track. The Special Report Book Fulfillment shows you how to set up your office and shipping facility.
Raising money. You will require $3,000-$5,000 to publish most books, more if the book is full of color or is unusually large. Printing will only eat up half that amount but you will need more to launch your promotion. The book trade is slow pay and it will be several months before cash begins to flow in. You must promote your book while it is new (it has a date on it); in book publishing, you can't start off small and slowly.
On your first venture, the printer will probably want his money in installments: 1/3 to start, 1/3 when ready to print and 1/3 on the completion of the printing. After a book or two, he will no doubt give you normal 30 day terms, and want his money a month after he delivers the books to you. Do not expect the large national book printers to be interested in postponing the printing bill. They are printers, not publishers or banks. See Raising Money to Publish Books, Document 626.
Getting listed, getting found. While it is not required to register your books or your publishing company, most publishers do want to be listed so that their books can be found (and purchased.)
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a worldwide identification system which has been in use since the late sixties. There is a different ISBN for each edition and each binding of every book so the number's use avoids errors in identifying the books ordered, shipped, received, etc. Publishers are finding that with the increased use of computers in the book industry, this system has become an essential element in the distribution of their books. Use the ISBN on invoices, catalogs, order forms, packing lists and the book itself.
Contact the International Standard Book Numbering Agency, R.R. Bowker/Martindale-Hubbell. The charge is $225 for a block of 10 numbers and $800 for a block of 100 numbers and so on. See http://www.ISBN.org.
You may request numbers and a log sheet for 10, 100, 1000, etc. titles. The ISBN will send you a logbook sheet with enough room for listing ten or more different book editions. Once started in the system, you will assign each of your new titles an ISBN suffix yourself and record it on the log sheet.
Standard Address Number. The SAN identifies each separate address of every firm in the book publishing industry from publishers, to wholesalers, to libraries, to bookstores. SAN's sort out the billing and shipping addresses and help to determine which "Book Nook" an order is going to. A SAN may be requested when you apply for an ISBN. The seven-digit number should be printed on all stationery, purchase orders, invoices, etc. See http://www.ISBN.org
Bar codes. The bar code on a book identifies the ISBN, which in turn identifies the publisher, title, author and edition (hard cover, etc.). The wholesalers, chains and other bookstores will not accept your book or audio without a bar code. Since most books have bar codes, it will look odd without one and it will not be taken seriously.
The barcode you want is the "Bookland EAN/13 with add on" and it should be printed on the lower half of "cover 4" (the back cover) on hardcover and soft cover books. On mass-market paperbacks (usually sold in drug and grocery stores), the UPC barcode goes on the back cover. You want the Bookland EAN bar code and probably do not need the UPC bar code.
Order a copy of Machine-Readable Coding Guidelines for the U.S. Book Industry ($7.50) from: The Book Industry Study Group, 160 Fifth Avenue, #604, New York, NY 10010, (212) 929-1393; (212) 989-7542. For bar code producers, see our suppliers list.
The ISBN is printed above the bar code. You can get both the barcode and ISBN typeset at one place. Bar code/ISBN prints and negatives cost $10-$30. For more information and a list of bar code suppliers, see Poynter's Secret List of Book Promotion Contacts, Document 112 (free).
Advanced Book Information is another Bowker service. By filling out their ABI form, your book will be listed in Books in Print and several other specialized directories. Books in Print is published in October of each year and is the most important book directory. See http://www.bowkerlink.com/ . There is no charge.
For more information on the ABI, see The Self-Publishing Manual and Poynter's Secret List of Book Promotion Contacts, Document 112 (free).
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number. Preassigned Card Numbers (PCN) appear on the copyright page of each book and are also included in the lists and reviews appearing in the leading journals of the book trade. The LC number differs from the ISBN in that one ISBN is assigned to each different edition of a work (hardcover, softcover, etc.); the LC number is assigned to the work itself, no matter how the books are printed or bound. Use of the number enables subscribers to the Library of Congress' catalog card service to order cards by number and thus eliminate the searching fee. LC numbers are essential if you want to sell to libraries.
The Library of Congress card number must be requested prior to the publication of the book so that the number may be printed on the copyright page.
New publishers should contact to the Copyright Office, http://www.LOC.gov, and secure "Proceedures for Securing Preassigned Libray of Congress Catalog Card Numbers" and their "Request for Preassignment of PCNC Number" application (form 607-7). http://www.loc.gov/loc/infopub/ You must complete the application to participate and obtain an accont number and password. Then you can apply for a PCN. Then the Library of Congress will send you your number. See http://pcn.loc.gov/pcn/pcn007.html
There is no charge for the preassignment of a card number. An advance complimentary copy of each publication must be sent to the CIP Office, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540. This copy is used for final cataloging so that cards may be printed before the book is released. The CIP Office provides postage-free mailing labels for use in sending these advance publications. For more information on the PCN, see The Self-Publishing Manual and Poynter's Secret List of Book Promotion Contacts, Document 112 (free).
Copyrights protect your Work like a patent but they are cheaper and much easier to secure. The copyright protects your text, photographs, drawings, maps, everything in the book except the title. Once you write a manuscript, called "creating a Work," you are automatically protected by Common Law copyright. If you send it to the Copyright Office, you are registering your copyright and you get some additional benefits. It is not necessary to register your copyright to be protected but it is recommended and most people do.
To register your copyright, follow these three steps:
- 1. Print the copyright notice on the copyright page (title page verso). The notice takes the following form: " © 2009 by Robert Howard."
- Publish the book.
- Register your claim with the Copyright Office. See www.copyright.gov/forms
The new copyright term is for the author's life plus seventy years. Your ownership of the book is now a valuable part of your estate, so be certain your copyrighted material is mentioned in your will. The new copyright Form CO replaces Forms TX (for books), VA, PA, SE, and SR. Form eCO is online, provides tracking and comes with a reduced filing fee.
Computers. To be productive, people need good tools. The computer has transformed many businesses but its impact on the writing and publishing of books has been phenomenal. We can use computers to speed and improve our writing, editing, designing, typesetting, layout, sending, reproducing, marketing, promoting and distributing of our books. For the smaller and newer publisher, these are exciting times.
Pricing. If your book's price is too high, you will be priced out of the market. If it is too low, your book will appear cheap and will not bring in the money you would like. To calculate the best price for your book, you must look at price from the bottom-up and from the top-down. See How to Price Your Book, Document 604.
Newsletters. Newsletters can bring you fame, fortune, help a lot of people and fulfill your mission but they have to be part of your overall plan. Many book publishers produce a newsletter to keep in touch with their customers. See Newsletter Publishing, Document 611.
Contracts. The person who drafts the contract has control over the agreement. We can supply you with Contracts on disk (so you do not have to keyboard them), books to explain book contracts and a list of book-publishing attorneys. Be smart and supply the contract. See the contracts section below .
Liability. Book publishers want to be protected against lawsuits for copyright infringement, defamation (libel and slander), invasion of privacy and negligence. The first three are usually lumped together into "publishers' policies." Copyright infringement, defamation and invasion of privacy are easy to avoid and there have been few suits for negligence in books. For a full discussion of the liability issues as well as the alternatives, see Insurance for Publishers, Document 636.
Inventory reduction. The preferred way to reduce inventory is to sell all the books at their full price. There are times, however, when what we would prefer and real life are not the same. Traditionally, the only solution to an overstock of books has been to remainder them, to sell them in bulk for a small fraction of their manufactured price. The money realized in traditional remaindering is so small it is nearly inconsequential. The only real advantage to this traditional method of reducing inventory is the gain in valuable floor space.
Fortunately there are several (often better) alternatives to traditional remaindering. Some of these alternatives are new places to sell books and charitable donations/deductions. See Beyond Remainders, Document 633. See Free InfoKit.
 How to Set up & Run a Successful Book Publishing Business. Dan Poynter reveals his eleven-point plan for successfully operating your publishing company. Learn the advantages to being a smaller publisher, why you must publish more than one book in the same field, the importance of consistent packaging, should you pursue wholesale over retail sales, the secrets of low-cost book promotion and more. 7 pages.ISBN: Document 624 Cover Price: $9.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $5.95 |
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"Poynter is at his best when discussing such specifics as starting one's own publishing house; dealing with printers; establishing discount, credit and return policies; promoting, advertising and selling a book; and order fulfillment." -Publishers Weekly |
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You will discover: 38 Tips on how to write, 11 Tips on why you should write, 4 Tips on why your writing project should be a book, 21 Tips on what to write, 7 Tips on doing research, 9 Tips for building your book, 3 Tips on Copyright, 10 Tips for finding the right agent or publisher, 6 Tips on book promotion, And much, much more. Successful Nonfiction is a beautiful book. The soft cover book has gold stamping, embossing, French flaps, end sheets and a matte finish. It is a book as an "art form". ISBN: 978-1-56860-061-1 Cover Price: $14.95 |
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 Is There a Book Inside You?, Writing Alone or With a Collaborator by Dan Poynter and Mindy Bingham. You will discover: How to pick your topic, how to break it down into easy-to-attack projects, how and where to do research, a process that makes writing (almost) easy, how to improve your material, how to manage writing partnerships, how to evaluate your publishing options, as well as how to develop an individualized and workable plan. They will show you how to write your book, get the help you need and publish or get it published. With self-paced quizzes and resources. A Writer's Digest Book Club main selection.ISBN: 978-1-56860-046-8 Cover Price: $14.95 |
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Dan Poynter’s Book Publishing Encyclopedia. Finding book resources fast. Time is money. Writers, publishers and publicists need access to resources--quickly. Whether you deal in entertainment (fiction) or information (nonfiction), you need information on the book industry. Dan Poynter’s Book Publishing Encyclopedia is the "Book Publishing Answer Book." It has thousands of tips and references in an easy-to use alphabetical encyclopedia. Each fact, figure, resource or reference, in its 222 pages, links to a specific page on a web site for more information. Poynter’s Encyclopedia is available in softcover, large print and four types of eBook. All are laid out alphabetically--A through Z and have a voluminous index. The eBook editions may also be searched electronically. Dan Poynter has been gathering these facts and figures for years. He has written more than 120 books and hundreds of other information products. The media come to Dan because he is the leading authority on how to write, publish and promote books. Keep this reference within easy reach; you will refer to it often. When you have questions, this book will supply the answers and they will be easy to find. Available in standard print, large print and three types of eBook.
ISBN: 978-1-56860-127-4 Cover Price: $19.95 |
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  Book Fulfillment: Order Entry, Picking, Packing and Shipping explains in detail how to set up and run your office and shipping department. The Report covers order taking (letter openers, credit cards, card terminals, 800 numbers, fax, order services, order forms, and discount structures); order processing (computer hardware and software, shipping labels, short slips, bad cheques, overpayments, invoices, back orders, the Federal Trade Commission rules, complaints, book return policy, statements and collections); inventory and storage (shipping instructions to printer, book receiving, book returns, inventory control, stacking, and shipping room layout) and book packaging (how to wrap, where to get and how to use shipping bags and cartons, machinery such as tape dispensers, scales, postage meters and bag sealers with sources, using UPS, Direct Sacks and various Postal rates, foreign shipping and customs duty). Then the Report covers the alternatives to in-house fulfillment: using wholesalers, distributors, joint representation and fulfillment warehouses with a list of those to contact. Complete with forms and shipping rate charts, an action plan and an Appendix full of resources. 43 pages.ISBN: 978-1-56860-037-6 Cover Price: $19.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $19.95 |
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Your Book Writing & Publishing Calendar, When to do What. Book publishing is easy but the book trade is unique. This checklist assures you are doing everything right, doing them in the right order and are doing them on time. References and resources. 5 Pages. ISBN: Document 620 Cover Price: $9.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $4.95 |
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 Business Letters for Publishers, Creative Correspondence Outlines is a collection of 75 letters drafted especially for publishers. They save time for the older firm and enable the newer publisher to establish company policy that conforms to current, sometimes peculiar, publishing industry standards. Order on CD or Access the Electronic version from this site.ISBN: 978-0-915516-47-6 Cover Price: $29.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $29.95 |
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Merchant Status. How publishers can get authorized to accept credit cards from their customers. 11 pages. ISBN: Document 641 Cover Price: $13.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $9.95 |
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 Poynter's Secret List of Book Promotion Contacts. Names and numbers for ABI, LC, CIP, ISBN and more; list of pre-publication reviewers; list of directories you should be listed in and over 50 places to send your book for review. This is an extremely valuable resource. 12 pages.ISBN: Document 112 Cover Price: $4.00 Self-Service Electronic Price: $0.00 |
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Book Return Authorization. Example of the form we use. 1 page. ISBN: Document 134 Cover Price: $4.00 Self-Service Electronic Price: $0.00 |
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Dealer Bulletin. Discounts offered to dealers for quantity purchases of books, reports, and disks on book publishing. 1 page. ISBN: Document 138 Self-Service Electronic Price: $0.00 |
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 Note to renters of mailing lists. 1 page.ISBN: Document 139 Self-Service Electronic Price: $0.00 |
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How to Price Your Book. Selecting the right price for your book is almost as important as selecting the right title for it. Dan Poynter provides you with a two step, easy plan to select the price that will maximize sales-and profits. He goes on to explain other price-related considerations such as placement of the price on the back cover, the price extension in the bar code, why you need an order blank on the last page of your book and more. 4 pages. ISBN: Document 604 Cover Price: $9.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $5.95 |
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Raising Money to Publish Books will show you where the money is and how to get it. There are grants, government programs, creative ways to borrow and lots of good financing advice. If you need money to publish your next book, this report will help you get it. 6 pages. ISBN: Document 626 Cover Price: $13.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $5.95 |
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Insurance for Publishers; Protecting Your Book Company. The very latest on incorporation, insurance, indemnity clauses, disclaimers and other ways to limit your exposure to law suits. Cites cases and legal precedent. Resources section lists insurance companies, attorneys, etc. 6 pages. ISBN: Document 636 Cover Price: $13.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $9.95 |
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Beyond Remainders describes creative inventory reduction. When sales of a book drop off, it is time to move out the balance, before they get too old, to make room for new books. There are many easy ways to reduce inventory besides remaindering and they bring in more money. An action plan, sample letters, addresses, and resources are included. 11 pages. ISBN: Document 633 Cover Price: $13.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $9.95 |
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Questions and Answers on Book Publishing covers the basics and a lot of new material in an interview format. There are lots of small pieces of vital and encouranging publishing information, which do not fit in our other Reports. This Repost is fascinating and fun to read. Additionally, all authors should draft a series of questions and answers on their topic specialty to supply to editors for interview articles. This is a very cost-efficient way to get free publicity. 20 pages. ISBN: Document 623 Cover Price: $11.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $9.95 |
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Publishing Contracts, Sample Agreements for Book Publishers on CD is a collection of the 22 most needed legal documents covering every facet of the book publishing business including: An author-publisher contract for a trade book, a publisher-illustrator agreement, a foreign rights agreement and 19 more. Just slip the CD into your computer, call the appropriate contract to the screen, fill in the names and check the suggested percentages. Then print out these lengthy contracts. You do not have to draft the agreements, you do not even have to type them. Available on computer CD to save you all the keyboarding. Available in MS-Word and Adobe Acrobat PDF. ISBN: 978-0-915516-46-9 Cover Price: $29.95 |
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Publishing Contract: Author-Publisher. This is a primary Trade Publishing Agreement for use between a publisher and an author for trade hardcover and softcover editions. A new paragraph covers electronic rights. If you want the most-used contract and need it now, access the Electronic version from this site. 14 pages. ISBN: Document 607 Cover Price: $13.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $9.95 |
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List of book attorneys who specialize in book publishing. Names and numbers. 1 page. ISBN: Document 113 Cover Price: $4.00 Self-Service Electronic Price: $0.00 |
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ISBN: 978-1-56860-134-2 Cover Price: $19.95 |
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The Self-Publishing Manual, Volume 2
Learn how to use new techniques to write your book faster, new technology to publish it for less, new ways to distribute your book more economically, ways to have fun promoting it and how to profit from your investment by cutting out all of publishing’s’ gatekeepers in the middle. You will discover how easy it is to: & Build your book rather than just write it—and copyright it in your name. & Print a small quantity and keep a small inventory. & Multipurpose your “book” into downloadable, CD, and eBook versions and others. & Wring maximum value out of your “book” by spinning off audios, videos, magazine excerpts, foreign-language editions, and more. & Bypass the publishers and go directly to a short-run book printer. & Set up your own publishing company and take the tax breaks. & Promote your books with email, book reviews, autographings, feature articles, and radio/TV interviews. & Promote your book for virtually no costs via social media. ISBN: 978-1-56860-146-5 Paper Price: $14.95 eBook Price: $7.97 |
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Canadian Book Publishing is a north-of-the-border supplement to The Self-Publishing Manual. It contains all the names, numbers and resources for ISBN, copyright, Legal Deposit, CIP, bar coding, distributors, associations, magazines and much more to publish successfully in Canada. 9 pages. ISBN: Document 628 Cover Price: $13.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $9.95 |
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"Dan Poynter has generously guided thousands to authorship. Their books make this a better world." -Dr. Robert Mueller, Past Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and author of 2000 Ideas & Dreams for a Better World. |
 Financial Feasibility in Book Publishing by Robert Follett presents a step-by-step method for evaluating the financial future of new book projects. Worksheets, guidelines, projection methods, rules of thumb and estimating methods with explanations help you decide whether your book will make money. All new, second revised edition. Highly recommended. 44 pages.ISBN: 978-1-56860-026-0 Cover Price: $14.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $14.95 |
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Books That Were Originally Self-Published. Many bestsellers were published by their authors. A list. 2 pages. ISBN: Document 155 Cover Price: $4.00 Self-Service Electronic Price: $0.00 |
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Newsletter Publishing; A Resource Guide provides tips and lists the help you will need to write, produce, publish and pro-mote a newsletter. 4 pages. ISBN: Document 611 Cover Price: $9.95 Self-Service Electronic Price: $5.95 |
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PowerPacks
Get all of our books, disks, reports and documents in print and electronic form. You will receive everything you need to write, print and promote your book-faster, easier and cheaper. This is a complete, step-b-step, turn-key program. Most files are in both MS-Word and Adobe Acrobat PDF; take your choice. The Acrobat Reader software is also included on the disc. There are three valuable kits to invest in:|
4 "pBooks" -- Books on paper: · "The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print & Sell Your Own Book" · "Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts Into Books" · "Is There a Book Inside You?: Writing Alone Or With A Collaborator" · "Dan Poynter's Book Publishing Encyclopedia" 3 "pBooks" -- Books on disc -- for easy searching: · "The Self-Publishing Manual: How To Write, Print & Sell Your Own Book" · "Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts Into Books" · "Successful Nonfiction: Tips & Inspiration For Getting Published" Plus: · 9 Special Reports on production and marketing. · 36 Instant Reports on production and marketing. · Subscription to the Publishing Poynters newsletter. · Supplier List. Service vendors to the publishing industry. Document 250. · 3 Book writing, producing and publishing information kits. (Autobots) · Poynter's Secret List of Book Promotion Contacts, Document 112. · Your books' back cover layout form, Document 116. · Telephone Order Form, Document 147 · The New Book Model diagram.
ISBN: 978-1-56860-082-6 Cover Price: $297.00 |
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More resources to make your project go faster and easier. Everything in Kit #1 PLUS: · Publishing Contracts on Disk. · Business Letters for Publishers on Disk. · Mr. Self-Publishing's Notebook. All the tips and resources from the Publishing Poynters newsletter archive. · 30 minutes of telephone consulting on your project with Dan Poynter. · $200 worth of book-promotion mailing lists on labels when you are ready to send out review copies of your book (so the lists are fresh). See Document 142. · Fax & email address for the major Television news programs. ISBN: 978-1-56860-083-3 Cover Price: $497.00 |
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Everything in Kits #1 & #2 PLUS: · 137 Book Promotion Mailing Lists. See Document 142. (MS-Access required). You get the lists on disk for multiple uses. A $3,684 value. With the lists on disk, you will get more information such as some telephone and fax numbers and email addresses. · Quotations by Dan Poynter on books, writing and publishing. · 60 minutes of telephone consulting on your project with Dan Poynter ISBN: 978-1-56860-084-0 Cover Price: $897.00 |
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