tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post8983906760193343308..comments2023-10-30T09:45:16.159-06:00Comments on Writing on the Wall: Is Self-Publishing for You?Precision Editing Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054725687044240043noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-54515315258921504272010-03-11T16:53:32.065-07:002010-03-11T16:53:32.065-07:00Michael--
As I am sure you are aware, not all Prin...Michael--<br />As I am sure you are aware, not all Print on Demand publishers are vanity presses and, therefore, a distinction must be made.<br /><br />Regarding profit margins and making money as a self-published author, a $15.95 selling price is not always competitive enough, especially if the genre in which an author publishes tends toward mass market paperback and, thus, much lower retail prices for comparable "traditionally published" works.<br /><br />Assuming an author could sell at the price you are proposing and receive the $7.36 per book quoted, which I acknowledge is not impossible, an author who is seriously considering self-publishing from a business perspective knows that this number is not the end of the equation.<br />Take out of that $7.36:<br />*taxes--what and how much a s-p author pays varies depending on many factors, but they do cut into profits <br />*the cost of paying a distributor should they choose to use one to place their books in stores<br />*the cost of shipping if they are mailing purchases to customers<br />*traveling costs involved in appearances, signings, etc.<br />*marketing--a s-p author foots the entire bill for marketing and publicity<br />*Some authors choose to have their cover art created by others, their book typeset or edited and this, too, cuts into their potential profit.<br /><br />The amount an author gets back (at least initially) per book may be higher than with a "traditional publisher" but the author is less likely to sell nearly as many copies of these books and, in the end, that will generally mean the author will make less money.<br /><br />Can a self-published author make money? Certainly. Are they going to make <i>a lot</i> of money? Probably not.<br /><br />Self-publishing can be an excellent route to take, provided the author has realistic expectations.Sarah M Edenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08496833468568204150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-55965001558565377922010-03-11T16:10:54.533-07:002010-03-11T16:10:54.533-07:00It's nice to see a self-pubbed author with a r...It's nice to see a self-pubbed author with a realistic view of the route. Considering your experience, self-publishing made a great deal of sense, and has obviously paid off, as a stepping-stone. Good for you.<br /><br />Michael, yes, most vanity publisers use POD, but from an authors perspective, vanity is a separate route from trad or POD DIY.<br /><br />I'm also wondering where you get your figure of $7.36. Based on what? And what about that $15.95 price point? Is that for a trade paperback? Something else?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-44857055496555718322010-03-11T14:01:48.298-07:002010-03-11T14:01:48.298-07:00>>Self-publishing comes in 3 basic flavors: ...>>Self-publishing comes in 3 basic flavors: traditional, print-on-demand and the vanity press<<<br /><br />Today most vanity publishers use print-on-demand.<br /><br />>>Self-publishing is not a good way to earn money as an author. The profit margin is exceptionally small<<<br /><br />If that's so, the self-pubber is doing something wrong. On a $15.95 300-page book, a self-pubber can make $7.36 -- much better than the typical $1.28 royalty (before agent's commisison) on a traditionally published $15.95 book.<br /><br />Michael N. Marcus<br /> <br />-- president of the Independent Self-Publishers Alliance, http://www.independentselfpublishers.org <br />-- author of "Become a Real Self-Publisher: Don’t be a Victim of a Vanity Press," http://www.amazon.com/dp/0981661742<br />-- author of "Stories I'd Tell My Children (but maybe not until they're adults)," coming 4/1/10. http://www.silversandsbooks.com/storiesbookino.html <br />-- http://BookMakingBlog.blogspot.com <br />-- http://www.SilverSandsBooks.comMichael N. Marcushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10907250867828940112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-19328653273326172002010-03-11T13:03:05.010-07:002010-03-11T13:03:05.010-07:00What a wonderful article. Thank you for sharing yo...What a wonderful article. Thank you for sharing your journey.<br /><br />I love the title : <b>Seeking Persephone</b> and wonder what your background is, just a myth lover, psychology, Jungian, etc?<br /><br />--<br /><br />On a different note,more to the editors of this blog- I recently approached an independent editor (not here) and because a friend had a letter written for her for a certain price, I expected the same price for the same kind of letter.<br />For me, the editor proposed a price twice as high for a similar letter.<br />When I asked (politely -hey maybe my letter would require more work than hers)why the difference and also for an estimate of prices for further work that I was considering, the independent editor wrote back to bow out of working with me. In other words, would not give me prices or explanations: "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."<br />I was kind of stunned (and hurt -previously, this independent editor was very enthusiastic about my work - after asking for a price structure, not so.)<br />Is this typical of independent editors or should a service (like writing a query letter or a book proposal) be an expected fee structure?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com