How do I get my book published?
Going the Traditional publisher route:
There are two or three different ways. Traditionally, writers approached publishers either directly or through agents. This is often a long and grueling process, and writers sometimes come away feeling bruised – and often hopeless, since publishers, under today’s intense financial pressure, turn down books they might have once selected.
Even if they do get picked, writers are often unhappy with how they’re treated by traditional publishers: they have no choice on cover selection, for instance, which can drive a writer pretty crazy.
Going the Self-publishing route:
Then there’s self-publishing, made easy by today’s digital presses and on-line services. Self-publishing is a good way to get a mostly text book into the market place. Writers can either go the print-on-demand way (which means you print only what you sell) or they can find their own designers, printers, editors, etc. to produce an off-set press printed book.
Print-on-demand good and bad:
The print-on-demand way lowers your costs, because you don’t have a huge inventory that you must sell before recouping your investment. But it raises the per unit cost drastically – a book that might only cost $10 to design and print on an off-set press could now move to $50 or $60 a book to produce. Which means you have to sell it at that cost to get back your money.
You’re also often left with no mechanism to sell your books except on-line – and bookstores themselves don’t much like dealing with self-published authors who can’t guarantee fulfillment in a business-like fashion, or whose books might not be of the quality of other books. If your book is a photo or art book, this is not the wisest way to go. Dealing with printers is quite difficult, and print-on-demand doesn’t yet have the quality to produce a high-quality, full-color book at a reasonable price.
Going the Custom publishing route:
The third way is through custom publishing, which is what Vineyard Stories does. We act as a traditional publisher, providing you with all the perks of editors, photographers or illustrators, designers, and printers. We oversee all these people for you, then provide storage, marketing and fulfillment services.
The difference between us and traditional publishers is, of course, funding: you pay for all these services, end up owning the books with your own copyright, and are given proceeds from all sales as the money comes in. In the past, I’ve described this as “using your money to beat you up and give you the best book possible.” But since I work for you, and you approve every phase of the process, you get the exact book you want.
At the same time, though, I often turn down books I don’t think will enhance Vineyard Stories’ own brand, which means high quality, beautiful, and an asset to the community. Those are things that are important to me but not to self-publishing companies.
How much does this cost?
Book costs are driven by size of book. How many pages? What physical size book are you choosing? Is it a landscape or vertical book? Do you want special paper? Are there extra finishes on it? Is it a hardback or a paperback?
Designers, proof and copy readers, printers – they all charge by the page. Once we get past the “gee, you mean you can give me a book” phase, we get down to business. I give you a proposal, which includes all costs (including my own services) and divide those payments into installments, so you are paying as we provide you with different looks at the book.
What if I own a company and want a book about me or what I do?
A fun moment, because we get to toss around ideas, hire great writers, artists, and photographers to do it, and think completely outside the box. The books Morning Glory Farm and the Family that Feeds an Island and Martha’s Vineyard Tile: Hidden Gems in Island Homes were both commissioned books – though they are beautiful, wide-selling books that make unexpected statements about the companies.
Will I get my money back?
This is an important point with me: I want you to get your money back. Although I can’t guarantee I can sell a single book, I work hard to make that happen. In the proposal phase, I give you a business plan that shows what it’s going to take to make a profit.
If I don’t think you can get your money back, then I recommend you not publish the book. At the same time, all my clients to date have at least cleared their costs and moved on to profit. Although you get no royalties, as traditional publishers give you, you also get 100 percent of all sales returned to you.