(Originally posted on LiveJournal)
The thing about self-publishing, especially the print-on-demand route, is getting the word out about your book. And getting it available.
Even if you mention it and link to the book’s page a lot on the internet, it still is found mostly by those who are already looking for you or your subject matter. You don’t usually catch the attention of the casual passer-by. So, there is a point in wanting to get at least a few copies into book stores.
Yeah, so how do you get a print-on-demand book into stores? Well, you want to make sure that your book is available through Baker & Taylor, for instance. You won’t get as big a royalty on those sales, but you do spread your territory.
HOWEVER, it turns out, that being listed through Baker & Taylor isn’t actually enough to really get your book in a store. In the course of my ongoing education in the business of promoting a self-published book (in this case, The Scribbler’s Guide to the Land of Myth), I have learned that stores want the surity of the books being returnable to B&T. And to have your book listed on THAT basis, there is an annual fee that runs something like $400 a year. I assume that this fee is covered as one of the usual publication costs when a “regular” publishing house is putting out your book.
On top of that, if you are planning a signing at a store, you want to be sure that Baker & Taylor have at least 20 copies of your book already printed and in their warehouse. Because of the time required to make POD books, it’s better that actual physical copies are at hand with B&T when stores place their orders.
Oh, joy.
So here I sit, at a time when my personal finances are very tight. I really want to get the book into certain book stores, but it has become obvious that those stores are not going to order copies unless the “returnable” option is in place.
What’s that saying? It costs money to make money? Not that I wrote this book to make mega-bucks. I wrote it because I felt there was a need for it, and I knew the stuff for it. I like to think I did a good job (well, nobody has told me otherwise, so far). But I would like to get it out in front of a bigger audience. Do my readers talk about it to other people? Shilling for me? My sales figures would indicate — not too much. Not that I’m laying a guilt trip on anyone other than myself. I’m still mastering the arts of marketing. And happily, there is no expiration date on the book: it will ALWAYS be timely for writers! Even if I say so myself.
Anyway, I will eventually cough up the Baker & Taylor fee. (I still need to do some research on the whole process.) It’s just deciding when to add this to my debt-load.
The business of publication is a new realm for me. And more complicated and detailed than I anticipated. Hey ho.
Comments
sartorias – Jun. 2nd, 2009
I suggest you go over and ask Vera norilana about this before coughing up big bux.
scribblerworks – Jun. 2nd, 2009
Will do, thanks. I’m still a way from committing myself to the big bux at this time. 😀
