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Are you eager looking forward to get a publishing contract or happy you received one? Finding a publisher who will consider your book idea and then getting your manuscript published is time-consuming and can often be a frustrating experience. Going with a big publisher is not easier than author-publishing. You will be surprised to learn about the following facts, often the hard way:
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Your Book Has Only 3 Months to Fly Off the Shelves
If your book does not sell within the first three months of its bookstore life, it will be returned to the publishers ware house and disappears from bookstores and could end up at “A Buck a Book”. Shocking: 90 to 95% of books don’t pay back their advance. Royalty will only be paid if the authors advance is paid back. What you get upfront as an advance is usually all you will ever get.
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Screw Up on Your First Book? You Are Out!
If you do well with it, publishers will be eager to see your next title. But if you don’t sell a lot of books, your agent or publisher will not want to read your manuscript when you will offer your second book.
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Traditional Publishing is Very Slow
Unless you wrote a political tell-all, your book is going to ”be in the making” for up to two years until it goes into the bookstores. You need to be sure your topic is timeless and that you will be interested in publicizing it years from now.
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No Foreign Rights
Unless you have a savvy agent (preferably speaking several languages) who is trying to sell your book abroad, there is little chance that your publisher actively tries to find buyers in foreign markets.
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Most Likely You Will Only Receive Your Advance
You can get as little as $5,000 or as much as $500,000, but either way, you will have to pay 15% of this amount to your agent, and the remainder will be paid in thirds or quarters over the next couple of years. So you first need to “earn out” the advance, before any royalties will be paid to you.
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Slowest Get-Rich-Quick Scheme
Breaking into big money publishing is like becoming a movie star – being talented definitely helps, but luck plays a big role and the odds might not be in your favor.
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No Publicity for Your Book
Until a decade or two ago, publishers did some marketing for books. Now, in the best case, they might send out some galleys and wait to see if anyone is interested. Then they focus all their publicity on the books they expect to be a bestseller. If you want your book to be a success, YOU will have to do ALL the publicity yourself!
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Books don’t sell themselves, as most writers sooner or later find out – often too late. If you are interested in making money or selling your book for a long time, better consider e-books and self-publishing. But in any way, marketing skills or at least the willingness to learn about marketing and PR to promote your book, are essential for an author.
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Self-publishing Seems to be Easy
– if you know what your are doing. Sure, anyone can become a small publisher. YOU call the shots. YOU retain the rights to your book. And YOU take home a much higher royalty than you would normally get from a traditional publisher – IF you sell any books… And that’s often the problem.
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Books are Not Sold Automatically
We get emails, often several per day, from writers who have just recently published a book, with the question “what we can do for them.” Well, in almost all cases we have to start with Adam and Eve. And explain to them how exactly (author-) publishing works.
Think and learn first how to publish professionally, so that readers see you as a “real” author. And learn how to establish your platform and how to market your book – before writing it. You would never start building a house with the roof, before even building the foundation, the frame and walls. Why would you then do it in your new publishing profession?
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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/
to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.
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Maria Matthews
February 24, 2014 at 5:08 am
An interesting post that highlights, in my mind, the difficulty that Doris and myself will have in getting our joint venture (children’s illustrated book) into the spot lights. We are currently working on building a following and it is hard work, but then no pain no gain. I hope I am correct in this.
ebooksinternational
February 25, 2014 at 2:10 am
Maria, building a following should be fun.
Do it with WRITING! Write blogs, articles, stories for children. Sell them to newspapers and magazines or create a small free book that you use to announce your “real” book and link to your website or blog in this free booklet or to an opt-in email list.
Cheers, Doris
C.B. McCullough
February 24, 2014 at 10:54 am
Excellent post! If a writer is motivated and has an entrepreneurial spirit, self-publishing seems the obvious way to go.
Nathan
February 24, 2014 at 11:42 am
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information out there about hiring a publicist. It seems like this would be a market that would really develop now that it is basically left in the author’s court to sell their books. Are there any people out there who can show they have a tract record of success in marketing another person’s books?
ebooksinternational
February 25, 2014 at 2:23 am
Hello Nathan,
For a reason: A publicist cannot build an authors brand or be his or her voice.
The relationship with the readers has to come from the artist himself.
Readers want to meet (virtual or otherwise) with the reader and not a publicist.
Not to mention that real good publicist cost somewhere between $5,000 -10,000 or more
and only deliver some reviews / interviews for you.
Sure, if you want to buy your way into NYTimes Bestsellerdom, just hand out $60,000 or more
to an agency and they will order your books by the truck load and you will be automatically
on the NYT Bestseller list.
And why would an author not like to talk with their readers?
Cheers, take care, have fun to promote your books.
Doris
darkwriter67
February 24, 2014 at 11:51 am
Reblogged this on Illuminite Caliginosus.
ebooksinternational
February 25, 2014 at 2:23 am
Thanks J. : )
Lizzie Ross
February 24, 2014 at 8:09 pm
Reblogged this on Published Indie Authors and commented:
Some important info for us to consider as we make important decisions about where and how to publish.
ebooksinternational
February 25, 2014 at 2:24 am
THANKS Lizzie : )
jenniferloiske
February 25, 2014 at 5:08 pm
Reblogged this on AUTHOR JENNIFER LOISKE and commented:
Again a great post and something quite important to think about…
ebooksinternational
February 26, 2014 at 12:29 am
THANKS Jennifer for your friendly words,
have a great day,
Doris
howdowefeedtheworldsstarving
February 27, 2014 at 1:25 pm
Reblogged this on MARSocial Author Business Enhancement group's Blog.
ebooksinternational
February 28, 2014 at 11:29 pm
THANKS : ) and have a lovely weekend,
Doris
lakesidelivin
February 28, 2014 at 9:43 am
Reblogged this on Dog Bones From Our Frynds.
ebooksinternational
February 28, 2014 at 11:29 pm
Thanks : ) and have a lovely weekend,
Doris