ADD ONS, THE ANGST OF SELF PUBLISHING, what every person who self publishes should know.

COMING EVENT: Talk and Signing at the Adrian Public Library Saturday, November 21st, 2:00pm

Marketing is a challenging adventure, often exciting, sometimes anxiety producing and occasionally discouraging. Every day I learn something new. And this I should have known, did know and repressed it. It was written clearly in the information I received from Author House. Returnability, the ability for bookstores to return unsold books to the distributer is an imperative feature in marketing. It costs $1,299 for a three year period. Still, I am ordering returnability today. It should be in the system by the fourteenth of this month.

Why am I, a frugal person, springing for this? I’d like to sell a few books. The big guys, as the independent book store owners call Borders and Barnes and Nobel, won’t consider books unless they can be returned. Also the ability to return books would have to benefit the smaller stores. In addition, buying this feature also gives the distributor, Ingram, a 48% discount from Author House, which hopefully will be shared with book stores. I am told that if book stores order directly from Author House they are assured of a 48% discount.

MARKETING 101 SUGGESTIONS FOR SELF PUBLISHING:

Make your book as good as you can and then pay a professional editor. I hired three. The first copy edited; the second lived in Texas, was unreachable and did not return the manuscript. Finally I hired Elizabeth Kirchen, an Ann Arbor editor, who worked with me for several months and helped make the parts of my novel a whole—better than the sum of its parts. Self publishing companies provide some editing for a fee. But I would recommend a local person that can work with you.

Read your contract carefully and then ask questions. Then read your contract again.

Procure copyright registration, your proof of ownership, which gives your book an ISBN number. This can be done on the internet and is a bit complicated. However with help I obtained the copyright for $30. Author House would have charged $175.

I purchased a Library of Congress control number for $75, which I am not certain I need, but I think allows libraries to access a book more easily.

If you want to market your book, purchase returnability.

You may want to create a web site or a blog. Advantages for a blog, simple, free and ongoing. I chose to craft my own blog, contact the news media, send out press releases, and create posters.

The publishing company provides these types of services for fees, which range from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on what you buy. This is no panacea as, in my experience, no one at the company read my work. The author must decide the message and supply the publisher with information. The publisher will then produce your advertising material. If I am correct, authors buy posters, banners and bookmarks which may not be tweaked as they learn more about sells. Think of it as a factory that produces a certain product. For example, perhaps you order a doll in a brown dress. For Christmas you would like your doll to wear a red dress. You must make or buy your own.

Publishing companies often do not make the details of the business clear. New writers are naive and confused. Published authors could be a great source of information. If you have been published, it would be interesting and helpful to hear your thoughts on the matter.