(due in 2013)

Publish Your Book Without Losing Your House: business basics for self-publishing authors [e-book]



Michael N. Marcus

(from the publisher) This book is aimed at writers who don't need help with writing or designing, but do need help with the business side of the publishing business.
     It's intended for writers who use self-publishing companies, as well as writers who decide to stay independent, and form their own small publishing companies.

     In publishing, if you’re not careful, you can lose your shirt, and maybe your pants, your house and your retirement fund. It’s critical that you remember that self-publishing companies make most of their money by selling services to authors — not by selling books to readers — and you must be very careful in selecting a company and its services.

     Although some of these companies advertise “FREE” publishing, or have fees starting as low as $39 or $195, it’s possible to spend many thousands of dollars, and purchase useless and overpriced products and services, and have no hope of selling enough books to make money. One company the author contacted while researching this book wanted him to spend nearly $5,000 for its services, and 100 books. In order to make back the investment and earn a decent profit, the author would have to sell those 100 books for about EIGHTY BUCKS EACH. How many would you like to buy?

     Another company pays a small royalty on each book sold, and charges such high prices for promotional materials, that the earnings from a $19.95 book would not pay the cost of sending out even one promotional postcard to sell the book! Other companies charge as much as $99 for doing a few keystrokes and mouse clicks to register a book with the Library of Congress. A writer can do it for FREE.

     That $99 is also the price of a backup disk of a book file, which costs a publisher about 25 cents and takes 10 seconds.

     Bestselling author and publishing expert Michael N. Marcus will help you decide whether to set up your own publishing company or use the services of a self-publishing company. If you decide to use one of those companies, he’ll help you choose the right one, and choose which services to buy from the company, which to get elsewhere, and what to do yourself. He’ll help you decide what to write about, what to call your book, and even how much to write.

     There are tips and advice based on 40-plus years writing and editing, and personal experience publishing more than a dozen books.

     It’s important that you make your book good enough to compete with the hundreds of thousands of other new books published each year, and price and promote it properly. The comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand 300-page book provides important help.covers a wide range of topics of interest to all authors, regardless of their path to publication. Extensive sections include such topics as: e-books, book publicity, the Library of Congress, Lightning Source, CreateSpace, ISBNs, reviews and blurbs, websites, sales channels, book pricing, starting and running your publishing business, getting help, and income tax. There are even “bonus sections” with writing tips and publishing terminology. Marcus's first book about self-publishing is the basis for this new book and has been on two Amazon.com bestseller lists and a reviewer called it "the best in its field."