Michael Bushilla, owner of MGB Printing Services, respects the past while investing in the future. His 158-year-old barn now houses his printing business, including the latest Konica Minolta Biz Hub Pro, which can print and perfect bind a book in minutes. On July 17 at 7 pm, he will demonstrate the speed and quality of digital printing.
RSVPs are required.
Lutheran University Press (an imprint of Kirkhouse Publishers) won two bronze IPPY awards for And Grace Will Lead Me Home: Images of the Prodigal Son from the Jerry Evenrud Collection by Robert M. Brusic. One award is in the Fine Art category, the other is in Outstanding Books of the Year / Most Original Concept.
Saint Mary’s Press began operations of an internal POD (Print-on-Demand) center this past fall after months of study. According to John Vitek, president of Saint Mary’s Press, “We are putting in place a whole new way of thinking about and approaching inventory management.” He adds, “The technology has gotten to a point, both in terms of capabilities and economics, that it is a smart decision for a publisher of our size and with our product mix.”
The 2008 Bloomington Writers Festival was co-sponsored by MIPA and included a workshop called “Getting Published: What are My Options?” led by MIPA board members Corrine and Seal Dwyer (North Star Press), Sheyna Galyan (Yaldah Publishing), and Sybil Smith (Fins Publications/Smith House Press). The workshop was sold out and earned high marks in the evaluations. It was one of several that were taped to be shown throughout the year on Bloomington Cable.
FTL Publications, a multiple award-wining science fiction, fantasy, and mystery publishing house founded in 1993, obtained the only license ever issued in the U.S., and the only current license in the world, to create original novels based on the “Thunderbirds” TV series (1965-66). Joan Marie Verba, FTL's publisher, announced that the first book, which she will write herself, will cover the origins of International Rescue, and will feature “plenty of action and adventure, as well as rescues, rescues, and more rescues.” Publication is slated for June 2008, with a cover by one of the classic Thunderbirds artists.
By Connie Anderson, Words and Deeds, Inc.
At the February 2008 MIPA meeting, Phil Freshman, freelance editor since 1999, talked about timing when a manuscript should be to an editor: 9-12 months in advance of deadline. He works primarily with art-related institutions on their books and art catalogs. He likes to see almost everything is done before he receives the content so he can check accuracy of all elements.
Dorie McClelland, Spring Book Design, has designed over 150 books. She spoke on book design and the importance of the overall concept to the design as well as the typography and formatting. She said no book should be designed in Word but in InDesign or Quark. She suggested that many designers have book publishers they work with and can recommend as the relationship between designer and printer is an important one.
Linda Strommer, StrommerGroup, spoke on providing the “buzz” for books. She said ideally the planning of marketing and publicity for a book should start a year in advance of publication. Start thinking about your market and where you can sell it. “Buzz” about a book is word of mouth—hand-selling.
Her handout listed the top ten things to do for your book:
Dan Breyak of Catalyst Graphics talked about what printers want, need and expect. His handout of ten points covered both the technical and quality of what you send. Printers today want to see a PDF—and only the final version. The author needs to hire “experts” before so it is correct and approved before getting to the printer. If all is “perfect,” from PDF arrival to printed book could be 2-3 weeks delivery time.
A Q&A session followed that included:
By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
The March MIPA meeting focused on green publishing and ways we can turn an otherwise tree-hostile industry into one that can help save the planet.
“Green is the topic of the day. Green is gold. It is the new black,” said Kristin, one of the stars of Blueprint for Green, a weekly television show following her and her husband as they build an upscale, contemporary, green home.
Right now books about green technology are all the rage, from new building to remodeling using sustainable materials and methods. More than a topic for books that sell, going green is something publishers can do with just a little effort.
Want to go green? Try these ideas:
By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
When does a publisher start marketing a book? “The moment I say yes to a book,” answers Brett Waldman of TRISTAN Publishing at the April MIPA meeting. “It has to fit our mission and our vision,” he says, “I have to adore the book, I have to believe I can sell it, and I have to believe it will touch others.”
He asks of each book, what makes it special and stand out? What can we do that is unusual?
One method is called stacking, where a book is seen multiple times by potential buyers. Getting a book out there through postcards, catalogs, email, Advance Access programs through Midwest Booksellers Association and American Booksellers Association, bookstore events, and contact before and during major events such as Book Expo America (BEA).
“What we all have to realize is that booksellers are being inundated with this stuff,” adds Ian Leask of Scarletta Press. “You have to find something fresh, something new.”
Before acquisition, Leask looks at a book and asks who is the audience? “It needs to fire you up in the beginning. Your consciousness, your instincts really need to be lined up.”
Smaller publishers understandably have smaller marketing budgets while larger publishers have larger budgets. Catalogs are better to leave out at book fairs than actual books and bookstores are not reading galleys unless they request them.
“I have a budget for galleys,” says Waldman. “Nothing sells the book like the book. It’s about being hungry, creative and tenacious. The goal of the hunger is to get publicity. It’s not free. But it’s much less than the cost of advertising, and is usually in the form of an endorsement.”
Booksellers live fast-paced, busy lives. Too busy to remember your book, so don’t expect them to do so. It’s important to contact and remind them about your book, especially if it sold well.
Waldman adds, “Being in Barnes & Noble is not ‘making it.’ You only want to be in the big box bookstores if you have a lot of momentum, because otherwise you’ll get [the books] back in returns in 90 days.”
Internet promotion is certainly a factor. Says Leask, “We have one full-time employee who, all he does is get bloggers to review our books.”
Dorothy Molstad of Molstad Marketing suggested Midwest Connections, a program through the Midwest Booksellers Association. Books must have some Midwest connection, be it setting, author, or publisher. Distribution is required and publishers must have at least 50 advance reading copies (ARCs) or published books to send to member stores. In return, the book can get high visibility in member bookstores.
Remember the independent seller, Molstad encourages. What can the author do for them? Don’t just come in with a book; come in with a program. Everyone comes in with a book. What can you do to make their job easier?
In response to a question about marketing fiction differently from non-fiction, Leask smiles. “I start thinking about marketing before acquisition. Who is going to buy it? Fiction is very difficult in this economy. You can’t be romantic about the novel; you have to be hardnosed.
“That said, the novel is the highest form of art. There is nothing like a novel; it’s the best thing in the world. Publish a novel and you’re doing something wonderful for the world.”
Provided you can sell it.
Are you organized, professional, creative, patient, disciplined, open-minded, experimental (vs. efficient), focused on customer service, invested in building a foundation, and do you look for win-win solutions? Great! You’re a natural for electronic marketing.
Your electronic marketing starts before your book is published. Write down what you want to do and how you can best do it, similar to a larger, more inclusive marketing plan. Use timelines and tickle files, share with your authors, and always be willing to tweak it as needed.
Start with email. While less personal than a telephone call, it has its advantages, especially for those of us who get tongue-tied when under pressure. Take advantage of auto-responders and signatures to promote your newest book, and be aware that plain text is ultimately the best format for email marketing.
You have a website, yes? Of course you do. That’s another pillar of e-marketing. Always remember that search engines and surfers alike want fresh, new content, easy navigation, and something of value. Remember who your audience is: readers? Resellers? Media? Have a place for each and make sure it’s clearly marked.
Key elements of a website include:
By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
With the digital printing revolution, it was only a matter of time before someone declared war. This time the first move goes to Amazon.com and their subsidiary POD printer/publisher, BookSurge.
Amazon set new policy requiring that all publishers who have their books printed digitally must now use BookSurge to print their books or risk losing their “Buy” button on Amazon.com. Anyone not wishing to print through BookSurge could still use Amazon Marketplace or a third-party vendor, but would no longer be stocked by Amazon.
“Over the last year, BookSurge has been trying to cut into the market share of POD leader Lightning Source and is using the selling clout of Amazon to generate more business,” claimed Publishers Weekly on March 28, 2008.
Three days later, PW reported a response from Ingram, parent of BookSurge rival Lightning Source. “We all live in a world where decisions are made about insourcing and outsourcing, and free choice is important,” stated John Ingram, opposing Amazon’s policy that reduces POD choices to one.
IBPA—the Independent Book Publishers Association released a statement that read, in part:
“‘This policy imposes a significant financial burden on tens of thousands of small and independent publishers who can least afford it,’ points out Executive Director Terry Nathan. ‘Without the opportunity to benefit from competitive pricing, small publishers risk, at best, an expensive and needless overhaul of their manufacturing process, and at worst, the loss of their livelihood.SPAN, the Small Publishers Association of North America, also spoke out in a three-page letter. You can read the full text at: www.spannet.org/Amazon-POD.htm.
“On behalf of all the small and independent publishers whose businesses are in jeopardy, we urge Amazon to reconsider its position,” continues Nathan. “Over the years, Jeff Bezos and his company have given small and independent publishers a level playing field to compete with the largest of companies. Suddenly, this magnificent playing field has been converted into a ‘members only’ club, to the detriment of those very publishers who have contributed to Amazon’s success.’”
The Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) 18th Annual Midwest Book Awards attracted an unprecedented 167 nominations from 78 publishers from the twelve Midwestern states in our region.
The winners in each of the 25 categories were announced May 14 at the Midwest Book Awards Ceremony at the Minnesota Humanities Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, with the help of our special guests, Matthew Hurley, from Publishers Weekly and Florrie Binford Kichler, president of IBPA The Independent Book Publishers Association (formerly PMA).
A full list of the winners is available on the MIPA website at www.mipa.org.
The most important thing I learned from last summer’s PMA University wasn’t listed in the program, taught in a seminar, or available in the handouts. At the same time, it was priceless.
What I learned is that I know more than I thought I knew. I learned that, despite my fears and reservations, I’m going about this whole publishing thing the right way. Or at least the way that’s right for me and my goals. I learned that I’m not alone in my doubts or mistakes. I learned that I really am a publisher.
Like many publishers starting out (I learned), I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was doing it all wrong, that every other publisher would take one look at my work and see me as a neophyte, or worse, a fraud. I thought that when I showed up at PMA-U, everyone else would know so much more than I did.
Imagine my shock when I learned that not only was I doing what many other small publishers are doing, I had a few things I could teach as well.
Since I’ve been back from PMA-U, I’ve met a number of other publishers who feel the same way I did when I arrived in New York, and as a result of my change in perspective, I hope you will find the following Top Thirteen Ways to Know You Really Are A Publisher helpful.
13. You’ve done your homework on setting up your company, from ISBNs to distribution.
12. You have short-term and long-term goals for your company and you work toward meeting them.
11. You care passionately about your books, your authors, your reputation, your image, and your relationships with readers, booksellers, and other industry professionals.
10. You understand the difference between amateurs and professionals, such as the difference between a professional editor and a friend who can proofread.
9. You understand that all the marketing expertise in the world boils down to one thing: convince a potential reader to buy your book.
8. You know deep down in the core of your being that #9 is the hardest part of publishing, and as a result, you learn to become a marketing expert for your titles.
7. Even a promotional tabletop sign at a restaurant inspires marketing ideas.
6. When in a bookstore, you look at the publisher information and copyright page of a book before you read what it’s about.
5. When a friend recommends a book, you wonder what went into that book’s marketing plan and distribution.
4. While the rest of the world complains about rising book retail prices, you’re thinking about unit costs, discount schedules, and cost-effective print runs.
3. Friends are either excited or nervous about telling you that they’re writing a book.
2. You know the best way to pack and secure a 23 lb. box of books.
1. At the end of the day, beyond sales figures and expense projections, publishing makes you happy.
Disclaimer: being a happy publisher and being a successful publisher are not necessarily the same thing. But you knew that too.
February 1: DEADLINE for submitting books in the 18th Annual Midwest Book Awards. Entry forms are available on MIPA's website, www.mipa.org.
February 2: RED HOT INTERNET MARKETING On Saturday, February 2, marketing pro Penny Sansevieri will lead two workshops at the Bloomington Art Center (98th St. and Logan Avenue). The morning workshop will be "Using the Internet to Your Advantage," while the afternoon workshop, "Working with the Media" will explain why traditional marketing no longer works. Each session is $90, or you can register for both for $150, which includes lunch. All sessions include a copy of Penny's latest book, Red Hot Internet Marketing.
Penny will also be available for 15-minute personal consultations to help with ideas on marketing your specific book or to evaluate your website. More details and registration will be available next week at www.BloomingtonArtCenter.com.
Penny, who is based in California and New York, owns Author Marketing Experts (www.amarketingexpert.com). Check out her website, sign up for her newsletter, then come hear this dynamic speaker on February 2.
April 5: Bloomington Writers' Festival The Bloomington Art Center will again be the venue for the 5th Annual Bloomington Writers' Festival and Book Fair, sponsored by the Bloomington Literary Council and MIPA. The keynote speaker is novelist Faith Sullivan.
You can register now for the many workshops. For more details and to register, go to www.BloomingtonArtCenter.com.
Join us for any or all of these events. If you have any questions email me at parmorris [at] comcast [dot] net.
Pat Morris, President
Midwest Independent Publishers Association
Happy New Year!
Someone on BookTV once said that the only people getting rich in publishing are FedEx and UPS. It is true that packaging and shipping costs can take a major bite out of your bottom line.
Sybil Smith, a publisher for 27 years, will lead a panel discussion about the best and most cost-effective ways to get your books out the door, including:
If you're new to publishing, consider this Shipping and Handling 101 ‹ it may not sound too interesting but you'll find it's very important; if you're an experienced publisher, see if you're using the most cost-effective methods and share your ideas.
What: "Moving your books out the door"
When: Wednesday, January 9, 7:00 PM
Where: St. Anthony Park Library (lower level)
2245 Como Avenue, Saint Paul
Minneapolis bumped Seattle out of its #1 position in 2007 in the study recently released about America's most literate cities. And in a surprising but not unexpected move, St. Paul has taken the #3 spot, putting both of the Twin Cities in the top three "Most Literate Cities in America" according to a Connecticut university study.
To read more about how this happened and what it means for the book industry, please read the entire article "Minneapolis out-reads Seattle; St. Paul hot on their heels."
More information can be found at the "America's Most Literate Cities" site.
Marketing for Introverts (aka The Future of Book Marketing).
Some people are born marketers, but what about those of us who aren't born to sell, who hate cold-calling, and are even uncomfortable making phone calls?
Luckily for us, the Internet holds the future of book marketing and is one of the greatest tools small publishers and authors can use to compete with big publishers and their much bigger marketing budgets.
Sheyna Galyan of Yaldah Publishing (and MIPA's newsletter/blog editor) attended PMA (Publishers Marketing Association) University last summer and spent the better part of a week intensely learning about online marketing. Come to our November meeting and she will show you how the Internet has changed publishing forever and is the author's and publisher's best friend.
There will also be a demonstration of what to look for when your book gets to the printing stage. Seal and Corinne Dwyer (North Star Press) will "show and tell" what to look for at the printer.
What: MIPA meeting
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007; 6:30 pm social time; 7:00 pm meeting.
Where: We meet in the lower level of the St. Anthony Park Library in St. Paul.
All of the MIPA blog posts to date now have comments enabled on them, and future posts will also allow you to leave your questions, comments, thoughts, experiences, etc.
We encourage you to take this opportunity to dialog with us on the book publishing industry and ask only that comments are professional and respectful.
If you'd prefer to contact us privately without leaving a comment, you can also email us at mipa.blog@gmail.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!
by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
Publishers will tell you that the most expensive part of publishing a book is printing it. Reducing costs, maximizing profits and royalties, even determining retail price and how much (or how little) a wholesale discount to offer all depends on the cost of printing.
There are, however, a mind-numbing plethora of printing options available, and at the October MIPA meeting, we attempted to clear up the confusion just a bit.
At its most basic level, there are two types of printing: offset and digital (sometimes referred to as on-demand printing). Offset printing involves creating plates and using the plates to press ink to paper. Digital printing involves something like a high-end laser printer. For black and white book interiors and to the average reader, there is no discernible difference between the two.
For publishers there is a big difference. Offset printing requires that you print a large(ish) number of copies for your first print run, which can run several thousand dollars up front. Digital printing can print much smaller quantities, requiring less cost up front but a higher unit cost, which can undermine your profits if the book sells well.
According to Davis Scott of McNaughton & Gunn, a Michigan-based book printer, the break even point between digital and offset is around 500 copies or so. In other words, if you're not sure you'll sell more than 500 copies, digital will eliminate a lot of the risk. If you know you'll sell more, especially if you know you'll sell much more (based on more than just a gut feeling or new-author optimism), it's worth looking into offset printing.
Within the offset world, you can print domestically or offshore. Domestic printing is almost always more cost-effective for black and white interiors, but full-color interiors can cost 30-40% less overseas.
Leonard Flachman of Kirkhouse Publishing has been satisfied with Regal Printing in Hong Kong, stating that the process was relatively easy and painless. He added that before you submit your book, they will ship a sample to your specs so you can see how it will look and feel. Economically, however, he recommends printing no fewer than 1500 copies.
All good book printers, offset or digital, are happy to send you a sample of their work upon request. It's a good idea to request a sample of the size and binding for your book so you can compare like products. Similarly, you can request quotes for several different quantities so that you can see what sort of investment and savings are involved at different levels.
Many very small publishers (also sometimes referred to as micropresses), new publishers and self-publishers aren't prepared to invest several thousand dollars into a print run for a single title, knowing that it could be months to years - if ever - before the investment turns into profit. For these folks, as well as for market testing, unproven authors and similar low-risk needs, digital printing may be the answer. Even here, the choices are staggering.
Several samples of digitally printed books were distributed and examined during the meeting, including books from Lightning Source Inc. (LSI), G&H Soho Inc., BookMasters, Lulu, and the printed-while-we-watched books produced by the Konica Minolta printer (shown below).
There were some key points to note when comparing book construction and quality, and author/publisher Sheyna Galyan had Lulu print one copy of her book to compare to a copy of the same book from LSI. Of note were the following:
Other things we talked about regarding book construction included whether or not you could open a book completely without breaking the spine, if the cover sits flat when the book is laying face-up, too much/not enough glue, paper quality, pixelation of text (though this can be due to a problem with the uploaded file - more on that in a future article), and how much emphasis the printer places on customer service should you not be satisfied with your book.
Several local book printers were in attendance at the meeting, including Sentinel Printing and Sunray Printing, both of St. Cloud, MN.
If you have a favorite book printer for offset (domestic or overseas) or digital printing, please send the company name and website URL, along with a sentence or two about your experience with them, to us at mipa.blog@gmail.com. We are working on a recommended printer list for our members.
Not a member yet? Visit http://www.mipa.org/ to find out more!
by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
MIPA's October meeting involved a field trip to the Konica Minolta office in Edina, where the packed room was able to watch as several books were printed and bound on the BizHub Pro 1050. Below is a video of the binding process for one book printed that evening. (Covers were printed and trimmed separately and prior to interior printing and book binding.)
by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
On September 25, 2007, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Minnesota Historical Society Press co-sponsored a panel discussion called How to Write a Book... and Get It Published.
Naturally, MIPA was present, though we weren't presenting. (We may be holding a Publishing 101 panel on different ways to get published early next year. Stay tuned for details.)
The four panelists represented four different ways of getting published. Peg Meier self-published her books, including Bring Warm Clothes, published 25 years ago and still selling well. "Publishing is a risky business," Meier says. "I do it for the satisfaction."
Larry Millett writes both fiction and non-fiction. His fiction is a series of mysteries about what it would have been like if Sherlock Holmes had been in Minnesota. He was published "traditionally" by Viking/Penguin.
William Swanson, senior editor at Mpls St. Paul Magazine, had a true crime book published by Borealis Books, an imprint of the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Greg Britton is director of the Minnesota Historical Society Press and created the Borealis Books imprint to publish books that were outside the scope of the Historical Society Press.
The most important information that came out of the panel was that different methods of getting published fit different types of books and authors. No author pursued publication for the money; as Swanson stated, "Satisfaction comes in other areas, if at all." Britton added that on a $20 hardcover, authors might see a $1 per book royalty at most. And the vast majority of books sell fewer than 50,000 copies over their lives in print.
The entire panel agreed that self-published books can be successful if you do it right, which includes having your book professionally edited, designed, and making sure you get it into distribution channels. Good subsidy presses were also considered acceptable, though going with the large vanity presses was discouraged due to the lack of professional editing and design.
One question from the audience asked about reviewers not being willing to review self-published or subsidy-published books. The panel agreed that while reviewers may eschew books by large vanity presses such as iUniverse, Author House, and the like, they will review self-published books that look professional.
The bad news, however, is that "reviews don't sell books anymore," according to Britton. Due to cutbacks, reviews sections are a fraction of what they used to be.
What does sell books? Feature articles in local presses on how the author wrote the book. And word of mouth. Always word of mouth.
MIPA's October meeting will be a field trip to learn up close how new technology can produce a book, maybe your book, in minutes. We will meet in Konica Minolta's Edina showroom to see the Bizhub PRO 1050e produce several books while we learn about the machine's capabilities and discuss the technological future of publishing.
The Bizhub PRO 1050e prints up to 105 pages per minute, can handle custom paper and registration adjustments, then will perfect bind up to 600 pages.
What about quality? What about cost? When is offset printing the better choice? What about offshore printing? What else is on the publishing horizon?
We will discuss the wide range of printing options surrounding publishers today and will have representatives of large and small printing companies available to answer questions, including Davis Scott from McNaughton and Gunn, a Michigan book manufacturer that produces over 6,000 titles a year and smaller local companies where "everybody knows your name."
Visitors are always welcome at MIPA monthly meetings.
by Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
Has the following ever happened to you?
Perfect Stranger: So what do you do?
You: I'm an author and publisher.
PS: You've written a book? Cool! What's it about?
You: Uh...
Maybe I'm the only one who's had a brain fade in this sort of situation, but with some tips on how to deal with this situation using the so-called "elevator pitch" this can be a thing of the past.
Nick Pease, a speech writer and writing teacher at the U of MN, gave MIPA the following tips at the September MIPA meeting.
The origin of the "elevator pitch" came from Hollywood. It used to be that the only chance script writers often had to catch the attention of Hollywood producers was to jump on the elevator with a producer and pitch their script in the time it took for the elevator to go from the ground floor to the penthouse, or about 30-40 seconds. That became the "elevator pitch" (EP) and is one of the most useful tools you have as an author or publisher.
The EP is a 30-second summary (about 50 words or less) of your book designed to capture the listener's interest and invite them to ask for more, or even better, how to buy it. It can be an introduction to a longer piece, such as part of your bio on TV, radio, or other speaking engagements. It can be used for reporters, reviewers, bookstores, book fairs, cold calls to publishers, networking, even email signature lines.
Creating an Elevator Pitch
Now that you know why it's important, the real question is how do you create one? According to Pease, there are four steps:
1. Write it down
2. Recite and rehearse it
3. Memorize it
4. Be ready with follow-up material
Okay. But write what down? What are the parts of an EP? Is it just a summary of the book? No, says Pease. There's more to it than just a summary. There are five required parts to an EP:
1. Who you are
2. Your credentials (why you're qualified to write this book)
3. What's the product? (book, script, article, etc.)
4. How is it unique? / Why did you write it?
5. What is the readership / market?
Pease gave an example: "My name is [...]. I am a [your job or credentials]. My book is [title]. It presents [topic] and unlike others it [unique point]. This book is for [specific audience].
Other tips Pease gave included:
Pitching Fiction
Non-fiction lends itself well to an EP because it's information on a particular topic. But what about fiction?
A 50-word maximum summary of a novel is often required for catalogs, news releases, and other marketing materials. Describe the essential features and maybe one major detail. Use active verbs. Make it intriguing. Look at short summaries that entice you and try to emulate them. Don't be afraid to rewrite it.
What Credentials?
Many authors have resisted the credentials part of the EP because they believe they don't have any. Nonsense, says Pease. Look at your background, he says. You've written a book. You did research (even for fiction). Perhaps you're already a published author. Nothing says credibility, according to Pease, more than having a published book. What's in your employment history? Your life history? You couldn't have written your book without having or developing some credentials, so take advantage of that, build your confidence, and the next time someone asks what you do or what your book is about, you'll be ready.
Can you explain what your book is about in 30 seconds?
That’s often all the time you have to interest an agent, a publisher, a bookseller, your cousin or a potential customer in what has taken you months, if not years, to create. The “elevator” speech, as it’s called, is probably the single most important marketing tool you have, and certainly the one you will use the most.
Learn how to create an effective elevator speech and other speaking techniques to promote your book. Nick Pease of Pease Prose Services, a writing/editing firm that produces textbooks, business documents and, of course, speeches, also teaches writing and humanities at the University of Minnesota and other area colleges.
Nick has written over 500 speeches for elected officials and university administrators, CEOs and many others, including speeches for Mario Cuomo, David Dinkins, Sharon Sayles Belton, Mark Yudof… and Nick Pease.
Whether you’re a publisher who wants to promote your company or your latest book, a published author who wants to create a buzz for your book, or a writer still in the middle of research, learn how to answer the questions, “What do you do?” or “What is your book about?”
Come to our September MIPA meeting on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at St. Anthony Park Library, social networking at 6:30pm, speaker at 7:00pm. We'd love to see you there!
By Sheyna Galyan, Yaldah Publishing
If you sell books directly to your customers, which generally is considered a Good Idea, you probably have a merchant account. And if you don’t yet have one, getting one can make the difference between making a sale and accumulating inventory. Let’s face it, we live in a world of credit, and credit cards are the payment of choice for most buyers.
How you get one and from whom, though, is a whole different story. PMA: The Independent Book Publishers Association offers an attractive merchant account through a partner bank, provided you make enough sales each month. If you use Quick Books or Quicken for your accounting, Intuit also offers a competitive merchant account, and when I compared the two, based on my projected sales, Intuit actually came out ahead. But ahead still wasn’t great, because I had monthly sales minimums to meet and when your business is as small as mine is, the fees can hurt.
Pro Pay
Enter ProPay, an online merchant account made just for the very small business. No monthly fees, no minimums and you can accept Visa, M/C, Amex and Discover. There’s an annual fee of $59 for a Premium Account, which averages out to $5/month, a big improvement over the standard $20+ for other merchant accounts. The catch is that you have processing limits, $500 for a single transaction, $3000 for a single calendar month. For a higher annual fee, you can choose an account with higher ceilings.
The transaction fees are slightly higher, compatible with PayPal, though with ProPay you can process via the Internet by keying in cards or process by telephone. I invested in a Bartizan 4850 credit card imprinter ($20 with s/h on eBay) and a custom imprinter name plate ($4 on eBay) and take that to shows, fairs, or other places where I can sell direct. Cards are imprinted on sales slips that came with my imprinter and I key them into ProPay when I get home. That’s not a feature PayPal allows.
For more information on ProPay, visit http://www.propay.com/.
American Express
But then I had a problem with American Express. Although I could accept Amex through ProPay, Amex added its own charge, a flat fee of nearly $6 per month for the honor of allowing customers to pay with their card. Transaction fees were included, but that doesn’t help when one had no Amex charges each month. This applied to every business making less than $5000 in Amex card sales in the previous twelve months.
For some businesses that may be pocket change, but when you’re a very small indie, every expense better prove its worth. This one did not, considering that in eleven months, I’d only had one customer choose to use an Amex card. When I called to have them cancel my account, they told me about a new program just for very small businesses.
It’s called American Express Micro and it works like this. As long as you make less than $2000 in Amex card sales within the previous twelve months, American Express Micro charges no fees at all other than a 1% processing fee per transaction. That’s it. If you go eleven months with no Amex sales and then a customer uses an Amex card for a $300 purchase, Amex takes $3 and you get the rest. Period.
Should you go over $2000 in Amex card sales in a year, they’ll change your account to the Flat Fee, and should you maintain more than $5000 in Amex card sales in a year, you can bypass the flat fee and pay only the regular discount percentage.
Since American Express developed Micro to attract and keep very small businesses as merchants, despite the fact that they may actually lose money on this deal, they don’t advertise it. You have to call them and ask for American Express Micro. For me, it’s well worth saving $6 each month and still offering Amex to my customers. And for businesses who don’t yet accept Amex because of the high costs involved, this might be the answer.
By Leonard Flachman, Kirkhouse Publishers
Alibris is promoting a new marketing program to publishers. On the surface it sounds pretty good. The initial registration fee of $19.95 allows you to list 1000 books. Alibris takes $1.00 and 15% for each book sold. On a $10.00 book that is 25%, which is better than the bookstore or Amazon discounts. The order is forwarded to the publisher (seller) who fills it. They say they will forward money to the publisher monthly.
So far, so good. But, it is not quite what it appears.
The term "seller" is the key word. I searched for one of my titles on Alibris. It is listed 15 times from 15 different sellers. If I list that title with Alibris Basics program, I will be the 16th seller to list that title. Only if someone chooses to order from my listing will the order be forwarded to me. If they click on the book listed by another of the 15 sellers, the order will be forwarded to that seller.
If you want to explore, enter Sturgis Stories under title on Alibris’ website, http://www.alibris.com/. That is one of my titles. Scroll down. Look at the seller identification for each entry or listing. Each is different. Each of those sellers has listed my title there; I did not. Look at the great price variation for a book with a retail price of $24.95.
If you have three or four titles that are not listed on Alibris by another seller, it is a relatively inexpensive way to get broader catalog exposure. That will be especially true if Alibris is going to do some promotion after adding new titles through this program. But if your title is already listed by a dozen other sellers, I don't know what the response will be to your specific seller entry.
When this notice from Alibris came, I had some questions and sent them an email. I received specific answers to my questions almost immediately, and they followed up with a telephone call. In the world of book marketers, this is unusual.
Explore the Alibris program; it might be right for you.
By Pat Bell, Cats-paw Press
Jan Nathan has left us. It’s hard for me to believe that she’s gone. I was dimly aware of her name back in 1988 when I first became a PMA member. I had a little contact with her over the next couple of years as I reported to PMA on our MIPA membership.
But it was 1994 when I actually met her. She and then-PMA president Jerry Marino came here to present a MIPA program. We had dinner and I transported them to the meeting. I was impressed with her warmth and energy at that time.
That was when I also learned of the online community that PMA had with its mailing list. It was a big list, lively and informative, and Jan was a frequent contributor, friendly and informative. I began to get a sense of what PMA was trying to do for its members.
I discovered that PMA’s Publishing University, always held just before the annual huge book convention, known then as the American Booksellers Association Trade Show and later as BookExpo America, was in reality a must-do event in the life of a neophyte publisher. I attended Publishing University (Jan was most insistent that it NOT be known as P-U) for several years, continuing my education as a small publisher.
Those events are commonly attended by several hundred people and I was frequently astonished by how many of the attendees, the presenters and the vendors Jan knew. And those she hadn’t met she treated with the same warmth of old friends. I was always fascinated with the range of experts and adepts who came to share their experience and expertise with attendees. She was warm and accessible if you needed help.
One of the things that struck me in the old days of the PMA-L mailing list was that it was really a community, albeit most had never met one another. Yet the culture of the list was that of people with common interests, with the suspicion and wariness that seems to come in industries where competition is sometimes fiercely intense. But I didn’t see that competitiveness there, nor in the lists that arose out of it.
MIPA and Minnesota have had a connection with her, too, for nearly 20 years, from about 1992 when a MIPA member, Vince Spadaccini, became a PMA board member. In 1996, Don Tubesing went onto the board, served his four years (and later returned for a two-year term as President). When Don’s term ended in 2000, I went on for four years, and in 2005, Carlene Sippola took my spot.
But Jan’s value to the small press/independent press world became vividly apparent to me during my term on the board. There I truly came to appreciate her incredible connections throughout the publishing world – and not only the U.S. I’m sure she had a major hand in selecting candidates for each new board term, and the people tapped all had particular skills, connections and expertise that contributed toward the growth of PMA. (Consider that in 1980, its parent was a small organization in California much like MIPA. Now its membership numbers over 4,000 and can be found in Canada and the United Kingdom as well. That simply doesn’t happen without somebody’s guiding insights and energy.)
Jan was a person of diverse interests. She was an excellent bridge player and I recall one time she spoke of playing bridge online with Warren Buffett.
She was the mother of six sons, including a set of twins, which probably explains her skill in keeping track of things and thinking ahead.
Her vision extended to her company, which was the formal manager for PMA. For several years, her son Terry has been her second-in-command and he stepped up to the job when Jan became ill last fall. Because he is Jan’s son and because she trained him well, I feel good that he is now Executive Director.
Was Jan Nathan somebody special? You bet she was! I’ll always remember her kindnesses to me, her warmth, her intelligence, her amazing memory, and her energy. Our publishing world owes much to her.
Jan, we miss you. As Douglas Adams said, “Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish.”
Rudy Shur of Square One Press thinks so, as do Robert Rosenwald of Poisoned Pen Press, travel writer and marketing expert Pam Swarz, and a growing number of other publishers.
The old publishing style is the one with which we’re all familiar: sign a great manuscript, pour everything you can into national pre- and postpublication marketing, announce a huge release, watch the book hopefully fly off bookstore shelves and out of Internet store warehouses for a few months, give it a few more months to a year to die a quiet death, and relegate it to remainders or out of print (OOP) status within 24 months.
But unless you happen to be sitting on top of the eighth Harry Potter book, this approach just isn’t costeffective—or very smart, according to Shur—for most independent publishers.
So what is the smarter way to publish?
There are two types of publishers, Shur explains. The old publishing style is the frontlist publisher, focusing only on the new releases. Backlist books, if not taken out of print, are stuck in small print in the back of the catalog. The smart publishing style is the backlist publisher.
The backlist publisher is focused not only on new releases, but also on backlist titles continuing to sell well over years. Certain types of books, such as children’s titles, fiction, history, biography, and memoir among others, rarely become obsolete. They will always be new to someone, to children growing into the target reading age or to adults discovering interests in your subject matter. The backlist publisher doesn’t relegate backlist titles; the backlist publisher re-energizes them and continues to sell them successfully for years.
But how? There are four basic areas to consider:
Catalog
First, don’t put older books in the back. Provide a photo of the cover and author, the author’s bio, all of the information you’d provide for a newer release except the pub date. The point is to not draw attention to how old the book is, but to present it in a new way, to attract the interest of people who haven’t seen it before. It’s a new book to those people.
Second, consider a series of similar type books or related topics. Or create a mini catalog tailored to a specific holiday, time of year, topic, or other niche and send it out to your regular mailing list, promoting all books in the mini catalog equally, no matter how old or new.
Marketing
It’s most important to get creative. Use non-selling books as promos. Create a book of the month club for your readers and use older books interspersed with newer ones. Consider from the onset of publication how you might market that book years from now, including a revision and update schedule. Develop strategic partners.
Use technology. This can mean having the author submit articles on a related topic in both online and print journals and magazines. Help your author(s) build a platform, including increasing their credibility and speaking opportunities. Build an optimized website. Write a blog and offer spots for guest writers or interview other authors. Write book reviews.
Take advantage of secondary markets such as book fairs, conventions, excerpts in related magazines, and well-placed advertising.
Readers
The first rule is to know your audience. Build a base of readers, not only of your books but also of your website and/or blog. Attend conventions that your readers attend. Offer promotions such as bundling older books with newer ones, especially in a series or from the same author. What can you give your readers that will have them coming back? Nurture those relationships;
they may wind up helping you in the future.
Editions
Sometimes the book is just old. Outdated, obsolete. In that case, depending on what is appropriate, consider a new cover. If it was published in hardcover, release it as softcover or vice versa. When you first go to print, anticipate these possibilities by writing the copyright page to include hardcover, softcover, perhaps even ebook or audio ISBNs. This way you don’t have to reprint the copyright page or the entire book.
Use newer technology such as digital printing to maintain stock between print runs, or to keep a slower-selling book in print. And if the content itself is old, release a new edition.
The bottom line is to continually find new and creative ways to offer older books to your always-changing readers. Just because the titles are old to you does not mean they’re necessarily old to everyone. And think long-term. Start small and work on growing your business, growing your readership, and aiming for a backlist that will support your company even as you prepare for newer frontlist releases.
by Sheyna Galyan
I had no idea when the April 2007 MIPA meeting began that it would change my life as an author.
The meeting focused on cataloging, on determining a book’s category so that booksellers and librarians and others know where to place a book on the shelf.
The evening began with a panel of four: Dorothy Molstad, publicist for Voyageur Press; David Unowsky of Magers & Quinn Booksellers and Scarletta Press; Susan Henry, cataloging
librarian for the Saint Paul Public Library system; and Connie Anderson, reviewer for Armchair Interviews.
All four agreed that choosing the right category and printing it on the back of a book is an important part of a book’s marketing and success. While many publishers print the category in the upper left corner, the best place is actually the lower left corner, with no more than three categories listed.
For a reviewer, one of the first questions is “What sort of book is this?” For awards submissions, the book must be entered in a category. For librarians, the category determines how the book is cataloged and shelved. And for retailers, the category determines where on the store shelf customers can find it.
And that was where my ears perked up. I had agonized over the correct category for my first publication, a novel titled Destined to Choose. I was pleased that my method for choosing the category—going to the Book Industry Study Group website (http://www.bisg.org/) and clicking on the BISAC Subject Headings—was what all four recommended. I settled on Fiction / Judaica. At the time (2003) there was no category for Fiction / Jewish (there is as of 2006).
However, I did not print it on the back of the book. Big mistake. Amazon.com, in their infinite wisdom, looked at the subtitle (A Rabbi David Cohen Novel) and promptly categorized it as Christian Fiction. Barnes & Noble placed it in their Religious Fiction section, a small number of shelves teeming with 99.99% Christian fiction. Though I had chosen the category to help Jewish
readers, hoping it would not get buried in the popular fiction section, my efforts backfired and would-be readers complained about not being able to find it.
Libraries had no problem with it, though. As Susan Henry explained, libraries
