~Kathryn's POD Print Policy INFO~
Kathryn Struck, kdstruck@mchsi.com
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We receive many questions at Awe-Struck about how to get a book into print. Getting a book into print is a massive effort. The FAQs below should help you understand our print policy and all its ramifications. |
Q: What does it mean to have a book published as an e-book?
A: Your book will exist in many different ebook formats--formats that will play on many electronic devices, including your computer and your Palm Pilot. Check out Dick’s ebook format table to get a total picture of what we offer. Dick's ebook format info
Our company provides the most formats in the industry.
Q: Will my book go into print with your company?
A: We are first and foremost an e-publisher. Our initial contract covers only electronic rights. We do put some of the novels we publish in print, but not all of them. And it takes us quite awhile to get books into print because, although we work very hard, we are a small company. A separate contract exists for print purposes. If you feel that you really want your book in print, and do not feel that e-publishing is "real" publishing, you may not want to submit your manuscript to an e-publisher in the first place. Or if you are using e-book publishing as a vehicle to get your book into print, you may become disappointed with our company. We do not publish in print every book we publish as an ebook. We base this on time, resources, and sales of the ebook. If sales for your ebook are strong, we will consider putting it into print, although there is no guarantee of this.
Q: What can I as the author do to get my book into print?
A: If you feel you would like to put your book into print, email Kathryn—she will add your book title to a list. This is the first step to possible print publication. Keep in mind, though, that we publish your book as an ebook before it is released as a print book.
You are free to pursue print and audio rights with other publishers if you wish. There are some e-publishers who select a very small number of books to publish each year and each one is also published in print. We do NOT follow this policy. Please do not be confused. Most of our books remain ebooks. It's useful to know that proportionally, you make far more profit on an ebook than on a book in print.
However, all that aside, if you want to go to print, please read the Print on Demand contract that is found on the Awe-Struck site. It’s under ‘Submissions” on the main menu (left hand side). Please do not send in a POD contract unless Kathryn has approved that step. Usually she collects Print contracts in the spring for summer, fall and winter formatting and uploading. Again, your book must be available as an e-book before it will be offered for print.
You can add your title to the print list after e-book contracts are signed and the release date of the e-book is established. She prepares about a dozen print books per year. There is a fee connected to this part of our company. We format the book text, make the cover, and assign an isbn as a service, but Booksurge, our printer and reseller charges us to upload files (75.00); and Baker/Taylor, our distributor, charges us to list books (50.00). Prices are subject to change. We charge you only what we are charged. We call this ‘co-oping’. It’s not ‘vanity’ press because you are backed by a bone fide publisher and have an isbn affiliated with that publisher. You will be asked to purchase 30 books. But most authors want to order many copies for friends, family and of course for sale.
Q: How can I as an author make sure my book is really 'print-ready'?
A: To prepare the print version, Kathryn uses the FINAL EDITED, APPROVED-BY-AUTHOR WORD version of the ELECTRONIC book. That makes it imperative that your proofreading for your initial e-book be very accurate.
Sometimes when the books
get into print, the author discovers all sorts of small errors that he/she missed
when proofing the e-book. If the author has missed errors or wants changes,
the cost to re-upload (this is Booksurge’s price) is 50.00 for the text,
and 50.00 for the cover. The author will be responsible for fees of this nature.
If problems are found that
are our fault or the fault of Booksurge, they will be corrected at no cost to
you.
The perusal copy you order when the book is finished is for checking for a cover
error or a formatting error, not for re-writing the book. The writing has been
long finished—since before the e-book was released. If you want to make
major changes in the books, editing fees will be charged, and of course, the
re-uploading fee.
Always a mystery: why would an author want his/her e-book, containing small errors, to be sold online? And then worry about those same errors in the print book? If you proofread your e-book closely, then your print book will be in great shape. So please take advantage of the proofreading offer(s) that Dick gives to all authors in the e-book stage. That stage is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL FOR ANY BOOK WE PUBLISH.
IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE:
When we get the file to convert to print, we do not proofread it again. Dick
has proofed/edited it, and so have you. At least, that is the assumption—so
the book should very clean. We proof the cover carefully for spelling errors
or missing words, and we check that the interior of the book is formatted correctly;
when it looks good to go, it’s uploaded. We cannot go on the Booksurge
site and change a word of your text here or there. The files are sent in pdf
and any revision involves uploading the entire file again.
Q: How do I now when my book is ready to order?
A:
We contact the author the minute I know the book is ready for order. You will
have your own page at Booksurge.com where you can order books at an author’s
discount. The cost of the book depends on its length. We can’t get an idea
about that until it is formatted into print. Usually the author’s cost
is about 9.00 (ballpark figure!). The trade quality book retails at around 14.95-15.95.
If you sell it at retail, you can make some profit. If you sell it at cost,
you have done some great promotion and not lost any money. You can even give
it away! We place your book on the Earthling Press ‘side’ of Awe-Struck
for sale. It is also placed at Amazon by Booksurge. Booksurge sells the book
on that site as well. Royalties are paid quarterly. Check the POD contract to
see what your percentage will be.
Uploading and printing a
book (especially if we have to do it twice) adds time, and many authors plan
signings (which is great!), conventions and conferences at which to sell books.
Please make sure you are not expecting your print book to be instantly available.
It’s usually a good two months before you will see copies. It can be longer.
Print publishing is different from electronic publishing. It’s slower.
Not all authors want to have their book in print, and you are never under any
obligation to go into print.
And REMEMBER: E-Books are
real books. We can provide great-looking CD’s of your e-book if you wish
to take it to a conference or signing to sell. The price is lower than a print
book and sometimes they sell just as well as print, depending on the type of
conference you are attending. So if your print book is not ready and you have
a signing, order a few CD's instead. And educate people about the advantages
of e-books. Just contact Kathryn about CD's—they can be made ready and
sent in about a week to ten days.
MAKE THE E-BOOK THE BEST IT CAN BE—to solve PRINT PROBLEMS PROACTIVELY
Q: If my book DOES become a print book, do I pay for that?
A: Yes, we do require a fee to publish a print book. The POD printer with whom we contract has costs that are mounting yearly. Paper products are increasingly expensive. The anti-pollution technology is also expensive. You will be asked to pay an upfront fee and also to order a minimum number of books. The fee (as of June 2006) is $75.00 and you will be asked to purchase 30 books within 45 days of the release of the print book. You will pay a reduced price for your books so you can sell them and make a profit. If you wish your book to be listed with Baker/Taylor book distributors, there will be an extra 50.00 fee.
Some call this subsidy publishing. We call it co-op publishing. Your book is 'sponsored' by a real publisher. We are a full-service E-BOOK publisher, but we work the print end in a co-op manner for those authors whose books sell well and who truly can also sell a book in print. The cost of the book will be a typical trade paperback price: at least at $14.95—maybe even higher. The print books are also sold on our website, Amazon.com, at booksurge.com.
If people ask you what is the difference between POD books and ‘regular’ print books: there is NONE. POD means 'print on demand', and it provides a great paperback without wasting paper on tens of thousands that may not be ready for mass distribution. POD means that only the number of books that are ordered are printed. No more. Booksurge does do ‘short runs’ (several hundred at a time) and long runs (several thousand at a time) if authors desire that, but to print one book when only one is ordered is environmentally proactive. And the price of producing them is going down. Authors will 'warehouse' their books. We do not fulfill orders—we do not warehouse books. The best thing to do is keep a supply for your own use, and then send people to Awe-Struck, Amazon, or Booksurge.
Q: Are print books distributed nationally?
A: Yes, but mainly by internet at this time. We are affiliated at this time with Baker and Taylor through Booksurge. Direct internet sales through Booksurge.com, Amazon (they own Booksurge) and our own site, plus discount orders from booksellers and distributors are how we sell print books. This seems to be a growing alternative to traditional book distribution. Also, if you have a locally owned bookstor or two, the manager is usually delighted to have books on hand by local authors. Often they keep a special section for just such books. Sometimes the chains will not allow this. (This is slowly changing now that we are connected to Baker and Tayor.) But the smaller stores will often sponsor signings and order books. The bookseller does get a discount by ordering through Booksurge. We can supply the telephone ordering number.
Q: How many books do you publish each year?
A: We publish approximately 36 ebooks per year. We now have over 185 ebook titles available in many different genres. About a dozen or so of these 36 books become print books in a year. Someitmes we will put an older ebook into print as well. We now have a total of 115 books in print.
Q: Can I get rich selling e-books?
A: Someday we surely do hope so! But as in every young industry, it takes awhile for the technology to catch up, and the price of the technology to go down. Reading is a very popular pastime in the world. Our books continue to sell better and better every year. The added income that your book can produce can be a nice bonus each quarter. You will need to promote your books and ebooks, though! They do not sell themselves. An ebook author must help educate the many people who have still not heard of them...those authors who do lots of self-promotion (which does NOT have to cost lots of money), end up with the best sales figures. We continually add new ebook distributors and booksellers, so we keep your book 'out there' as much as possible.
If you have further questions not answered here, please email me at- kdstruck@mchsi.com
Kathryn