This little Self-Publishing Guide has it all. Denise Hamilton of Ink Tree Marketing has put all her book marketing and publishing experience into this straightforward and comprehensive guide. The cost is quite reasonable for the amount of information that's packed in to the guide. You'll find it a very helpful addition to your resource list if you are considering self-publishing your book. The author sold 250,000 copies of her book without taking a single workshop or seminar, and with absolutely no training or experience. Learn More about this guide.
Successful Self-Publisher says no to traditional publishing
I worked long and hard with a client last year to help her
get a $30,000 advance from Wiley & Sons publishers for her nonfiction book.
The proposal itself took several weeks to complete, but the effort paid off in
what was then the largest advance ever given to a first-time author from Wiley.
Then, we had to write the book.
Most people would scream with joy at such a large advance.
In fact, most first-time authors get far less, and sometimes nothing at all. My
client was pleased, but also knew that after paying her agent and me she'd
still have to have a chunk of money to spend on marketing. Unless your
publisher believes you've got the next best seller, they won't do much more
than hand you a stack of post cards and a fistful of good wishes.
Michael Sterns figured it this way:
Let's say you get picked up by a big-name publisher, and you
sell 50,000 copies of the book. That may seem like quite a bit of money, until
you figure that (unless you're a really good negotiator), you'll get 8-10% of
the NET sales of the book. Michael did his calculations. If the book sells for
$16, the wholesalers get about a 60% cut. That leaves about $6. Then, best
case, you get 10% of that, or 60 cents per book. Multiply that by 50,000 books
(a wild dream in almost all cases), and you'll end up with $30,000. That,
Michael figured, would barely get him out of debt.
"The decision at that point wasn't hard," Michael says. "All
I had to do was see that even in the best case scenario, I couldn't pay my rent
and I'd still be living on peanut butter sandwiches."
Math and finances aside, there was also the issue of
control. Like many self-publishers, Michael wanted complete control over the
book. Many authors become frustrated with the changes publishers want to make
to their babies. Publishers are in it to make a profit, and not necessarily to
make their authors happy; unless, that is, the author sells a lot of books.
Then, maybe, both parties will walk away smiling.
Michael Sterns took the self publishing route for what are
now obvious reasons. He also decided to use high-quality offset printers
instead of print on demand. "I believe that to be successful, your book can't
look like it is self-published," he says. While print on demand quality is
about on a par with Offset Printing in black and white, Michael felt that the
quality simply wasn't there for full color.
His emphasis on quality, and of course his passion for his
work, are perhaps two major reasons that Michael Sterns has sold over 33,000
copies of his first book, Kokopelli and the Butterfly, and almost 9,000 copies
of the book's sequel.
If you have children, nephews, nieces, of friends with kids,
you'll do them, yourself (and of course, Michael) by ordering several copies of
his book. You won't be sorry. Order his books at: http://www.grasshopperdreams.com
This little Self-Publishing Guide has it all. Denise Hamilton of Ink Tree Marketing has put all her book marketing and publishing experience into this straightforward and comprehensive guide. The cost is quite reasonable for the amount of information that's packed in to the guide. You'll find it a very helpful addition to your resource list if you are considering self-publishing your book. The author sold 250,000 copies of her book without taking a single workshop or seminar, and with absolutely no training or experience. 
Michael Sterns took the self publishing route for what are
now obvious reasons. He also decided to use high-quality offset printers
instead of print on demand. "I believe that to be successful, your book can't
look like it is self-published," he says. While print on demand quality is
about on a par with 