selfpublishing.shtml | Updated: 02-Jul-2009 - 12:08
I've been asked many times about writing and getting a book or books published. My reccommendation is to be your own publisher and self-publish. The profit margins are much, much higher and you can retain control of ALL aspects of getting YOUR book or books out. Unless your goals are to run a large corporation with sales in the millions, and all the headaches that come with that. If not, be your own publisher. You can still grow but on your own terms and time schedule.
In traditional publishing the author gets a small precentage of sales (after freebies and returns). They even get to buy their OWN books at an author discount.
Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard's Almanack ) where first self-publishers. As a self-publisher (publisher) you take on the production costs, you are responsibile for design, marketing and sales, as well as the associated risks. But - with these risks come the rewards and profits when your are successful. All the profits are yours instead of author royalities. You are also leaving your heirs a tangible asset.
(From the US copyright office web site ) A work that was created (fixed in tangible form for the first time) on or after January 1, 1978, is automatically protected from the moment of its creation and is ordinarily given a term enduring for the author’s life plus an additional 70 years after the author’s death.
Curt Sheller Publications is a Apple, Mac based company and only uses Mac software. So the reccommendations are going to be mainly Mac based. I have used and do use a Windows to check my web sites but it ain't fun!
The box said Windows 95 or better. So I go a Mac.
Curt Sheller Publications can also assist you in all phases of getting your book going. From getting started all the way to marketing, sales, design, production and promotion.
No need to get a lot of books. Just start and end with this one: How To Publish And Sell Your Own How-To-Book by John T. Reed
Self-Publishing aka PUBLISHNG is a lot easier in the Internet age. It tends to level the playing field a bit.
Self-Publishing allows you to control all phases of YOUR book. Writing, design, printing, advertising and promotion and distribution. And, with the added level of control you get 100% of the profits – NOT 10% or so.
Remember it is YOUR book and who is going to care, feed and take care of it better then you.
Self-Publishing IS Publishing
For now run my business as a Sole Proprietorship in PA as it is only me. Here is some information on Sole Proprietorship.
A sole proprietorship, by definition, means “one owner”. Most small businesses operate as sole proprietorships. This is the simplest form of organization and allows the single owner to have sole control and responsibility. The business may use a fictitious name, but the business does not have a separate legal existence apart from its owner under state law. Fictitious names must be registered with the Department of State if the sole proprietor is a for-profit business. (See the “Registration of a Fictitious Name” section).
Some advantages of the sole proprietorship are less paperwork, a minimum of legal restrictions, owner retention of all the profits, and ease in discontinuing the business. The other good news is that in most cases, a sole proprietorship is not required to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service unless it has employees.
There is no need to file a separate income tax return for the proprietorship because the activity is reported on the owner’s federal and Pennsylvania individual income tax returns. Since a self-employed person is not an employee, there is no provision to withhold payroll taxes to cover federal, state, local and Social Security tax obligations. If you are a self-employed sole proprietor, you must make quarterly estimated payments to provide for these tax liabilities.
Disadvantages include unlimited personal liability for all debts and liabilities of the business, limited ability to raise capital, and termination of the business upon the owner's death.
You should note that a small business owner might very well select the sole proprietorship to begin. Later, he or she may decide to form a partnership or corporation.
A Pennsylvania Enterprise Registration Form (PA-100) must be completed to register for certain taxes and services administered by the PA Department of Revenue and the PA Department of Labor & Industry. The most common reasons an enterprise would be required to complete a PA-100 are when it is conducting retail sales or has employees.
If you are not certain whether you must file an Enterprise Registration form (PA-100) and would like some help, please review our Frequently Asked Question about the PA-100.
Here are the many possible licenses for getting you music out. This list is from the Music Services web site
If you are selling more than 200 books a year than getting a two year supply is cost effective.
ADR Book Print
2012 E. Northern Avenu
Wichita, KS 67216-2341
Toll Free: 1 800 767 6066
Fax: 316 522 5445
RPI Printing Services
507 Westlake Avenue N.
Seattle, WA
Phone: 206-443-1515
Toll Free: 1.800.443.1875
Signature Book Printing
8041 Cessna Avenue #132
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Phone: 301-258-8353
Fax: 301-670-4147
Establish a good relationship with a few printers nationally and locally for your business.
IMAGERS
1575 Northside Drive
Building 400, Suite 490
Atlanta, GA 30318-5411
404) 351-5800
(800) 398-5821
Fax (404) 351-9020
Kalil's Printing, Inc.
21 South Limerick Road
Royersford, PA 19468
Phone: 610-948-9330
Fax: 610-948-9310
Steve Saul: Estimator / Planner ssaul@kalilsprinting.com
Computers, Software, Postage, a Printer and Binding machine is about all you need to get started.
Adobe Systems Incorporated
345 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95110-2704
Tel: 408-536-6000
Fax: 408-537-6000
Endicia Internet Postage
Envelope Manager Software
247 High Street
Palo Alto CA 94301-1041
Phone: (650) 321-2640
Tech Support: (800) 576-3279 x130
Fax: (650) 321-0356
I will ONLY reccommend products and services that I use in my publishing effort
A web page and a book is all you need to get started.
For web resources and links on creating and programming a web page visit the sites mentioned here. They have a load of information that is valuable for creating your site.
Here are some resources and recommended books on HTML and css for creating your publishing web site.
Here are a few of the books that I have had. The Elizabeth Castro book I've have 3 or 4 editions of.
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With Amazon.com Advantage, payment to you is quick and easy. At the end of each month, Amazon.com automatically pays you 45% of list price via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)* for products you've sold during the previous month. You don't even need to send us an invoice. At any time, you can check your sales and inventory with our online reports. Twenty-four hours a day you can track how much you have sold, how much we have in stock, and how much we owe you.
See the BOLD 45% - That is why. Unless you are going to be writing a best seller - and, even then you will do better going with a big time publisher and getting a few million dollar advance for you work. Then they can put it on Amazon or anywhere else they want for that kind of money.
Those three are enough for me. So if you see my books available on Amazon.com. THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE THERE. All Amazon does to get the listings is to grab you catalog entry from Books In Print or say it is available.
Now don't get me wrong - I like Amazon.com for buying stuff cheap. Including books, but not my books.
You just gotta love Google and the Internet. There is a wealth of valuable information out there.
Society of published authors, is an advocate for fair compensation, free speech, and copyright protection, offers health insurance, contract reviews and web ...
BBBOnLine's mission is to promote trust and confidence on the Internet through the BBBOnLine Reliability and Privacy Seal Programs. BBBOnLine's web site seal programs allow companies with web sites to display the seals once they have been evaluated and confirmed to meet the program requirements.
Information on Inventory Management and Warehouse Operations
On January 1, 2005 the book industry began adopting the use of a 13-digit ISBN. This change aligns the ISBN identifier with other worldwide product numbering systems, helping promote an efficient global supply chain structure.
As the U.S. ISBN agency, Bowker offers a wealth of information and resources to assist industry participants through the beginning “Sunrise” of this transition to the full implementation of the ISBN-13 in 2007.
Offers training of managers, salespeople, service providers, and presenters.
Blueprint is a CSS framework, which aims to cut down on your CSS development time. It gives you a solid CSS foundation to build your project on top of, with an easy-to-use grid, sensible typography, and even a stylesheet for printing.
Your resource for free webmaster tools and resources.
Expanding your business to the web. Great source of Goal Setting Software - Tutorials - HTML - Domain Names - Email - Web Hosting - eCommerce - Business Plans - Affiliates - Home Business Affordable Health Insurance - Web Business Software
f you are seriously considering self-publishing but lack the necessary skills and/or contacts, take a look at the services that Eagle Creek Publishers offers prospective self-publishers.
Now you can have delivery of documents and packages made in an average of 2 to 3 days. Low flat-rate shipping is also available with Priority Mail for any destination and any weight up to a 70 lb. maximum when you use either Flat Rate Envelopes or Flat Rate Boxes.