EbookMarketWatch

Remember our lost iPad story? Greg from Australia was vacationing in Italy. He found an iPad in his hotel room. He tried to send it back from Italy,

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by Rachel Ford James

Little Known Pitfalls of Traditional Publishing Industry

The traditional model normally involves two basic choices: 1) use a commercial publisher, or 2) self-publish.

THE COMMERCIAL PUBLISHER ROUTE

This option involves the author submitting book proposals or full manuscripts to commercial publishing houses in hope of acceptance.

Once a manuscript is accepted by a publishing house (the vast majority are not accepted) a contract is signed between the author and the publishing house. This kicks-off a time- consuming and often complex process involving printers, shippers, wholesalers, distributors, marketers, and finally, booksellers, all managed on the author’s behalf by the publishing house.

Typically, it takes anywhere from 18 to 24 months from the time the author finishes a book manuscript, until the actual book gets onto the bookshelves.

THE SELF-PUBLISHING ROUTE

The self-publishing option is one in which the author eliminates some of the middlemen and manages the overall publishing, distribution and marketing processes him/herself.

This option gives the author much more personal control of the whole process and allows him/her to earn more money per copy than through a commercial publisher. It also involves a lot of work by the self-publisher who is responsible for performing all of the functions and services that a commercial publisher would normally look after.

This model is normally less time-consuming in terms of elapsed time, since there is no manuscript submission and approval process involved. On average, the self-publishing process can save 6 to 12 months over the commercial publisher model.

THE SHOCKING DOWNSIDES OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

Based on my first-hand experience with the North American book publishing and distribution industry, I have to say that it is one of the most archaic and poorly run business models that I have ever encountered. The entire industry seems to be decades behind current-day business practices of other industries.

Very few people know from the outset what they’re getting into when they choose to publish their book via the traditional publishing route. They have no idea at the beginning just how backward, outdated and dysfunctional the entire conventional book publishing industry business model really is.

Here’s what the conventional book publishing industry WILL NOT spell out to you before you sign-up…

Give Away Half Your Book’s Value Up-Front

If your book’s cover price is, say , you will be forced to discount at least 40% to 60% right off the top when selling your book to wholesalers and retailers. So, you’ll really be working from an actual price of somewhere between and — not the you first thought.

Don’t Count On Making Big Bucks

If you choose the commercial publisher option, the best you can hope to receive for your book is a royalty somewhere between 6% and 10% of the “net”. The “net” is the amount the publisher receives AFTER discounting to retailers.

Example; cover price = ; discount to large retail chain = (i.e. 50%). Your cut would be somewhere between .90 and .50 per sale. So, for selling 3,000 copies (a very good sales figure) you would receive a grand total of somewhere between ,700 and ,500!

You’ll Have To Write Lots Of Books

If you choose the self-publishing option your main distributor will pay you somewhere around 45% of the cover price of your book. Using our cover price example; that works out to .50 per sale that goes to you under this scenario. Then you have to deduct your costs which include: printing the book, overheads, and marketing, publicity and advertising expenses.

Example: cover price = ; distributor payment to you at 45% of cover = .50, before expenses. Deduct: printing costs – .50; overheads – .00; marketing, advertising, publicity – .00 = (.50-.50) = .00 per book sale. So, for selling 3,000 copies you would make only ,000.

And don’t forget, this option involves your ongoing direct personal time and effort involvement.

Wait Forever To Get Paid

Typically, you will have to wait between 90 days and 120 days after an actual book sale before you will receive your payment for that sale. I still shake my head at this one. How does the publishing industry get away with such an archaic practice in the 21st Century?

In normal business the standard wait for payment is usually 30 days, sometimes as much as 60 days; but 90 to 120 days to pay a poor struggling author? It’s a crying shame that they still manage to get away with it. This kind of payment delay is the norm, whether you go through a commercial publisher or if you’re a self-publisher.

Issue 100% Refunds On Unsold Books

A trademark feature of the conventional book publishing industry is the way in which it deals with “returns”. In almost all cases — publishers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers – they maintain the right to return unsold books to you, the author, for a 100% refund, even many months later!

Example: Say you sell 200 copies of your book to a particular retail chain through your publisher (commercial publisher model) or through your distributor (self-publisher model). Then, let’s say that after five months, various stores in that retail chain find that 45 unsold copies of your book are still on their shelves. The retailer would simply send those books back to your publisher or distributor for a 100% refund. That company would would then routinely pay that retail chain a 100% refund for each book returned and in-turn would deduct that total amount from your account!

I’m not kidding folks, this is how it really works!

There is absolutely NO incentive for bookstores or publishers/distributors to make any extra effort whatsoever to move your book off their shelves since they know you will provide a 100% rebate for all “returns” in any case. Go figure?

Pay Them Extra Money… Just In Case

And just to add insult to injury, many publishers and distributors will also withhold funds from your regular royalty payments (20% or more) as insurance to cover the costs of possible future returns.

So, not only do you get paid 90 to 120 days late, you will NOT receive the full amount to which you are entitled, as your publisher/distributor hedges against the possibility of eventual returns of unsold and/or damaged books months down the line.

Get Stuck In Someone Else’s Time Cycle

Most commercial publishers operate on a time-frame of 18 to 24 months from approved/accepted manuscript until the book is released for sale. If you are a self-publisher you can whittle this down to maybe 3 to 6 months depending on when your book is ready vis a vis your distributor’s catalog publication schedule.

If you time it perfectly, or just get lucky, there might only be 6 to 8 weeks between your book being ready to ship and it getting it onto store shelves.

BOTTOM LINE

In addition to the foregoing, there are other problems with the traditional book publishing model which I won’t go into here. So, as you can see, from an author’s point of view it is a highly dysfunctional, badly flawed business model that wouldn’t survive in most industries.

In fact, the system is so stacked against the average author I’m amazed that some people actually try to eke out an ongoing living in that thankless industry. I guess they feel they have no other choice, or they are hoping against the odds that they will one day get lucky and pen a mega best-seller.

So, if you are an aspiring author, and you’re hoping to make a modest living writing and publishing your own books or ebooks — the traditional book publishing and distribution model is definitely NOT the way to go.

The good news is that over the past couple of years a new publishing model has evolved that eliminates all of the negative aspects of the traditional publishing model and adds a number of additional benefits.

It’s called the “Online Publishing Model”.

It’s a combination of online digital download delivery and print-on-demand (POD) publishing that sidesteps most of the pitfalls of the traditional book publishing model.

It offers small-time authors/publishers an excellent alternative that will give them more control, and will increase their sales and profits by using little known online channels when publishing their books/ebooks.

For all the details on the Online Publishing Model, check out my eBook on the subject at the link below my name:

Copyrignt © Shaun Fawcett. All rights reserved.

Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the little known Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://instantbookwritingkit.com

In the last year, just about every iPad case or stand has made it to my office for a review. While I don’t always write them up, I often show the products on TUAW TV Live. It doesn’t matter what I’m showing; there’s always someone for …

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Daemon’s Books

Digital Publishing Gets a Little Steamier PC Magazine PCMag recently covered 26-year-old Kindle e-book author Amanda Hocking, who has sold over 900000 copies of her books since last April, many through Amazon's Kindle Store. Whereas Amazon's Kindle Store allows authors to keep 70 percent of their profits, … To Self-Publish Or Not To Self-Publishmediabistro.com all 6 news articles »

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iLounge article about iPad Gems: ABC Music, Three Little Pigs by Nosy Crow + VIZ Manga. Find more iPod, iPhone, and iPad Gems: Apps, Games + More articles from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

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by Changhua Coast Conservation Action

How to Create Ebooks in As Little As 30 Days Or Less

Writing an ebook is something which many web content producers may consider doing. When thinking about taking this step in web content production, one may hesitate in doing so simply because they think that an ebook will take too long to produce. The good news is that one can create ebooks in a short period of time, even in as little as 30 days or less. The following will highlight some details on how to produce this wonderful type of virtual book in 30 days or less.

Have a Plan

The first step to take when you are trying to create ebooks in a speedy fashion is to have a plan in mind. Things which you should have written down in detail include the subject matter which the ebook will cover, an outline of the included information, resources where you will gather the necessary information and how you plan to publish the ebook once it is completed. By having a set plan in mind before you even start typing the first word of your ebook you will find that the creation process will be that much easier to complete.

Set Up a Specific Timeline for Creation and Publication of the Ebook

Once you have a set plan in mind and before you start to create ebooks, you must have a detailed timeline in effect as well. If you are set on completing your ebook before the 30 days are up, you need to dictate certain completion dates on your timeline such as dates for each chapter to be completed by, deadline for the editing process and time in which the ebook must be published by. By having certain timelines written down it will help to ensure not only that your ebook is written but also that it is done so in a timely manner.

Reserve Specific Time Periods for Working on Your Ebook

Since many who create ebooks also have a full time job or family to consider, it is a wise idea to map out specific time periods in which you are able to work on writing your ebook. Try to find times when you are not working on other items or when you have some alone time to be able to think and produce a high quality ebook. By setting up specific work times on your calendar, this will help you to meet your timeline with regard to completing the ebook in 30 days or less.

Consider the Time It Takes to Publish the Ebook Online

For those who are writing ebooks and using online publishers to offer the ebook to the Internet public, it is important to find out how long the online publisher will take to review and post your ebook. If you are interested in not only completing the ebook within the 30 days but having it up for sale by that time also, you should inquire as to how long the company will take to get your ebook online.

If you are using your own personal methods for offering the ebook for sale, you should then consider how long your system of sale will take to put the ebook out there and take every measure possible in order to create ebooks and have them published online within the 30-day timeframe.

New Author Publishes “My Little Inspirational Book” with Poems and a Short Story Just in time for the Winter Season

Front Cover

Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) December 15, 2010

The theme of the book is a look back in time when life was simpler and more manageable. There are writings in the book that may bring out a little laughter and there are some that will be thought provoking. The book size was created to make it easy to carry. It can be placed in a purse, pocket or a folder so it would be accessible to read whenever convenient. This book is the winter volume and there are plans to bring out books for each season.

Jeanne Baier lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and earned degrees in Printing and Publishing and Business Administration. She also lived in Germany studying International Business and Marketing. In the past, she developed her own advertising/marketing company. In the year 2005 she created a magazine called Aspirations Living and Learning. Currently, Jeanne is the founder of Dream Ink Publications LLC.

Jeanne is the founder of Dream Ink Publications, LLC and in 2005 created a magazine called Aspirations Living and Learning.

My Little Inspirational Book is available in paperback and in 6 languages in the kindle version.

The book and kindle are available at http://www.mylittleinspirational.com

The book is currently available on Createspace.com/3493255

The kindle version is also available on Amazon.com.

Published by Createspace of Charleston, SC. The ISBN is 978-1453894712

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Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

More Kindle Press Releases

by oskay

Question by Lenny: Song on Amazon’s “Kindle” commercial? Not Annie Little?
There’s a new Kindle commercial and I really like the song in it, but I can’t find what the song is. Its not the commercial with Annie Little’s “Fly Me Away”. The new one has a guy in it and the lyrics go “you stole me heart and i’ll steal yours too”. Any help?

Best answer:

Answer by rangermav
Stole My Heart by Little and Ashley. Available for FREE right now in the Amazon MP3 store

Give your answer to this question below!

Little Victories – Conquering Unemployment

Trenton, NJ (PRWEB) October 8, 2010

Long-term unemployment is a wrenching personal crisis and one of the most difficult problems facing our nation today. According to Charles W. Calormiris, Kaufman Professor of Financial Institutions at Columbia University, “16 percent of Americans would like to have jobs but don’t. … About half of those people have been unemployed for almost two years. That we have never experienced in the United States.” (Quoted in “How to Fix the Economy,” Bloomberg Businessweek, September 20, 2010)

Tom Brophy wrote the book that addresses long-term unemployment, and is giving away the electronic version of Little Victories – Conquering Unemployment during the month of October on for the Apple iPad, Sony Reader and Adobe PDF Reader (and for only 99¢ for the Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook, which do not allow free pricing.)

After 15 years as manager of the Trenton, NJ Office of Unemployment, Brophy realized that unemployed people experience a depression that they keep secret from their families and friends. “The system of resume-and-rejection creates a cycle of failure,” says Brophy, “in which the unemployed person sends out hundreds of resumes that are never even read. The job seeker doesn’t understand what’s really happening, loses confidence, and finds it even harder to get a job. I want to expose this broken system, and help the long-term unemployed find a better way back to the work world.”

Little Victories has already benefited readers who have commented on Amazon:

    “A great read. Brophy reveals thoughts that I had when I was unemployed that I never shared with anyone else.”
    “After hearing your radio interview and reading your book, I can still win. These methods really hit home to me.”
    “Why didn’t someone else think to write this over the years? It is hardly a new problem but Tom has picked the bones out of it and outlined this refreshing approach.”

Brophy’s unique perspective on unemployment is his emphasis on emotional issues. He identifies the three major sources of rejection, and shares techniques to get back into the workplace. Brophy’s proven principles create “little victories” that lead directly to renewed confidence and improving one’s chances for employment. These principles, distilled from over 40,000 one-on-one interviews with unemployed people, have resulted in 92% back-to-work in 5.2 months.

Tom Brophy offers advice and employment tips on Facebook at www.tbrophy.com “I know this message can help millions of people, “says Brophy. “We can’t afford to give away the printed copy, but I hope that our free electronic distribution in October improves the lives of many people who are suffering through long-term unemployment.”

Little Victories – Conquering Unemployment is available for free download at www.smashwords.com and for only 99¢ for the Amazon Kindle at www.amazon.com and the Barnes and Noble Nook at www.bn.com Smashwords enables online reading and downloading of eight different formats including the ePub format for Apple iPad, LRF format for the Sony Reader, formats for Palm and mobile phones, and Adobe’s popular PDF format.

About Memsender Press

Headquartered in Ewing, New Jersey, Memsender is a privately held electronic publishing company founded in 2009.

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Santiago Benejam Torres converted Axxon’s fan-translation of Little Brother to ePub, and is making it available gratis on his site. Thanks, Santiago! Comments.

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