Publishing 101: Understanding Your Publishing Options Jared Kuritz

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1 Publishing 101: Understanding Your Publishing Options Jared Kuritz Managing Partner STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Director La Jolla Writers Conference

2 Goals: Introduce the various publishing options. Introduce the requirements, components, benefits and drawbacks of each. Introduce how to determine what method of publishing is the best fit for you.

3 Publishing Methods Traditional Publishing The Totem Poll Sturdy; high visibility at the top end; set hierarchy; significant limitations in mobility. Cooperative Publishing The Blind Date Shared risk; shared reward. Small Press Publishing The Haystack Can be a great alternative to traditional big house publishing if you can find the needle. Self Publishing The Cinderella Dressed & presented properly, it has the potential for maximum success and profit. Vanity Publishing The Taco Bell Burrito All horsepower with no drive shaft. Costly w/ no long-term upside. Very limited purpose. Print on Demand (POD) The One-Night Stand Significant short/long-term limitations; used sparingly. E-Publishing The No-Brainer With rare exception, e- publishing should always be a part of you business model.

4 Book Production Components Editor: Content & Copy Distributor Finished Book Cover Designer Printer Interior Designer

5 Publishing Role Players Author Agent Publisher Distributor Wholesaler Retailer

6 Publishing Methods Overview Method Process Reality Traditional Publishing Cooperative Publishing Small Press Publishing Self Publishing Vanity Publishing Print on Demand (POD) Electronic Publishing Author writes manuscript. Author finds an agent. Agent sells to publisher. Publisher brings book to market on their terms. Author writes manuscript. Author finds an agent. Agent sells to publisher. Publisher & author work cooperatively to produce the book. Generally, the author retains more creative control & has a voice in production while the publisher handles the business side of publishing. Costs are generally split fairly evenly. Author writes manuscript. Author finds an agent. Agent sells to publisher. Publisher brings book to market on their terms. You wear the hats of both author and publisher. You are starting a business. You are responsible for putting a team together to produce, publish and distribute your book. You send your manuscript off to a company that supposedly edits, packages, prints and distributes your book. Print-on-demand refers to sending your manuscript off to a company that prints your book per order. Most POD companies package, edit and print. Author writes book. Book is converted and designed in the primary electronic formats (epub and mobi). E-book is distributed to the retailers. No out-of-pocket costs. No control. No flexibility. Smallest level of compensations. No publishing or distribution responsibilities. Author needs to do PR/marketing. The author should get a larger return on book sales and enjoys significant flexibility with non-retail sales. Many vanity publishers try to sell themselves as cooperative publishers. Must be vetted carefully. Costs must be shared. Author needs to do PR/marketing. Author can generally negotiate a bit more creative control. Little to no advance but much higher percentage on sales. Author needs to do PR/marketing. Author needs to do PR/marketing. You are starting a business. You are responsible for putting a team together to produce and publish your book. You retain complete control. If done properly, there is NO STIGMA with self-publishing & you retain all of the same perks as traditional publishing. You receive the author/publisher/agent share for all retail sales. 100% flexibility & 100% revenue from all non-retail sales. Author needs to do PR/marketing. Your books are not viable for bookstores they will not take them. Distribution refers only to.com s and is something you can attain yourself. VP ed books are rarely packaged properly and cost the author 4-8 times the expense to simply selfpublish. Only a good option if money is not an a consideration and you only plan to give the book away to family and friends. Author needs to do PR/marketing. POD is enormously expensive. The books are not accepted in retail stores. They are usually not packaged great. It can cost you anywhere from 3-8 times normal cost to produce. POD is a is generally not an ideal long-term choice. Author needs to do PR/marketing. Most companies that tout themselves as e-publishers may convert the manuscript into electronic formats, but generally to not manage the distribution.

7 Book Production Components Component Role/Responsibility Cost Author Writes the manuscript. $0.00 Editor(s): Marketability Read Content Edit Proofread Cover Designer Interior Designer Printer Fulfillment or Distribution Marketability read identifies PR & marketing strategies, platform and branding and ensures the content maximizes each. Content editor attends to the flow, consistency, tone, etc. A good content editor will improve your book while maintaining your voice. Proofread addresses grammar and punctuation. It is the last step prior to going to the designer and should be done one more time after layout prior to print. The cover designer will design the front/back cover as well as interior flap, where applicable. A cover designer either needs to know the book industry and not simple be a graphic artist or needs to coordinate with the interior designer to ensure the cover meets specifications. The interior designer and cover designer can be the same person. The ID lays out the book and helps you decide of book size, font, paper type, etc. They should also handle collecting all print bids. Prints and ships all books to publisher, distributor & author. Warehouses all books. Performs fulfillment on sales. Hand sells to the stores (distribution). MR: $250 - $750 Copy/Content: $500 - $5,000 Proofread: $250 - $2,500 $500 - $2,500 $500 - $5,000 $1,500 - $15,000 $0 - $750

8 Universal Factors for Determining Publishing Method(s) What is your business model? What role does your book play in your business model? From where do you anticipate making the majority of your sales? How many books do you plan to write? How vital are the characteristics of your book(s) to your overall business model? What is your overall working budget for this book project? When do you need/want this book to be available? How much time do you have to devote to the overall book project? Do you have the skills to multi-task, delegate and manage? Do you have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the publishing process and publishing timeline? Do you currently have or plan to create substantial built-in market for your book(s)? By what means do you plan to promote and market your book(s)?

9 Modes of Publishing Pro s & Con s Responsibilities Universal Factors Sales TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING Author Agent Publisher Wholesaler/Distributor Bookstore Consumer PRO s Publisher absorbs all production costs. Publisher performs all initial & ongoing publishing duties. CON s Zero control over any publishing decisions. 8 12% of cover price. Must buy books from publisher for 30-60% cover price discount. Limited in quantity Write book proposal & query letter. Find an agent. Give up all creative & production rights to your book. Be held to a writing deadline. PR & Marketing. What role does your book play in your business model? From where do you anticipate making the majority of your sales? How many books do you plan to write? How vital are the characteristics of your book(s) to your overall business models? Cover Price: $14.95 Bookstore & Distributor: 65% or $9.71 Publisher: 25% or $3.74 Author: 10% or $1.49 Agent: - (15%) or $0.22 Net Retail Royalty: $1.27 Net Alt. Royalty: $1.27 5,000 sales = $6,350 COOPERATIVE PUBLISHING Author Cooperative Publisher Distributor (sometimes) Wholesaler Bookstore Consumer PRO s Publisher shares in production costs. Author shares in publishing & production decisions. Publisher performs all publishing duties. Publisher participates in performance of PR activities % of net sales profits. Free books for PR & 40-60% discount for alt. sales. CON s Author shares production costs. Find a QUALITY cooperative publisher. Be held to a more flexible writing deadline. Participate in the creative a business publishing decisions. Share in the production costs. PR & Marketing. What is your overall working budget for this book project? When do you need/want this book to be available? How much time do you have to devote to the overall book project including writing? Do you have the skills to multitask, delegate and manage? Cover Price: $14.95 Bookstore & Distributor: 65% or $ /30 split Publisher: $3.67(70%) Author: $1.57(30%) Net Retail Royalty: $1.57 Net Alt. Royalty: $7.45 5,000 Sales = $7,850 / $37,250 SMALL PRESS PUBLISHING Author Agent Publisher Wholesaler/Distributor Bookstore Consumer PRO s Higher percentage of royalties. Potentially some creative input. Publisher pays production costs. Publisher vested in each title. Sometimes no need for an agent. CON s Little or no advance. Solvency. Integrity. Quality. Knowledge. Write a book proposal and query letter. Find an agent. Shop for publisher. Contract with publisher. Give up most control. Be held to deadlines. PR & Marketing. Do you have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the publishing process and publishing timeline? Do you currently have or plan to create substantial built-in market for you book(s)? By what means do you plan to promote and market your book(s)? Cover Price: $14.95 Bookstore & Distributor: 65% or $ /30 split Publisher: $3.67(70%) Author: $1.57(30%) Net Retail Royalty: $1.57 Net Alt. Royalty: $7.45 5,000 Sales = $7,850 / $37,250

10 Modes of Publishing Pro s & Con s Responsibilities Universal Factors Sales SELF PUBLISHING Author/Publisher Distributor Wholesaler Bookstore Consumer PRO s Complete control over all design & production decisions. 100% of all net sales profits. Unlimited free books for PR & BOR sales. CON s Investment of all production & publishing costs. Responsible for all initial & publishing duties. Contract with suitable vendors & oversee the book production process. Acquire a distributor. Perform ongoing publisher duties (primarily communicating with distributor). PR & Marketing. What role does your book play in your business model? From where do you anticipate making the majority of your sales? How many books do you plan to write? How vital are the characteristics of your book(s) to your overall business models? Cover Price: $14.95 Bookstore & Distributor: 65% or $9.71 Author/ Publisher/ Agent: 35% or $5.24 Net Retail Royalty: $5.24 Net Alt. Royalty: $ ,000 sales = $26,200 / $74,750 Print-On-Demand Author POD Company Retailer Consumer PRO s Almost no production costs. Author maintains all creative control within limitations. POD company performs most publishing duties. CON s Author maintains some publishing responsibilities. Book is only available to limited online retailers. Book will need to overprice the market. No in-store distribution. Per book costs for alternative sales is very high. Buy your own books way above cost. Contract with POD Publisher. No deadlines. Perform some basic publishing duties. PR & Marketing. What is your overall working budget for this book project? When do you need/want this book to be available? How much time do you have to devote to the overall book project including writing? Do you have the skills to multitask, delegate and manage? Cover Price: $18.95 Bookstore & Distributor, Publisher, Printer, Shipper & Packager: 85% or $16.10 Author: $2.84 (15%) Net Retail Royalty: $2.84 Net Alt. Royalty: $ ,000 Sales = $14,212 / $64,750 ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING Author Publisher/Distributor Retailer Consumer PRO s Complete control over all design & production decisions. No printing costs. good royalty structure if done right. CON s Limits to PR, marketing & business model. Limits to distribution. Contract with publisher or package book properly yourself and do your own distribution. PR & Marketing. Do you have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the publishing process and publishing timeline? Do you currently have or plan to create substantial built-in market for you book(s)? By what means do you plan to promote and market your book(s)? To be discussed.

11 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz E-Publishing Checklist MOBI Conversion (for Kindle) EPUB Conversion (for ipad, Nook, etc.) ISBNs Royalties Amazon.com Distribution ibookstore Distribution B&N.com Distribution Online Author Sales Reporting Independent Book Orders Page Library Distribution 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

12 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz E-Book Library Distribution Library Distribution Your book should be submitted to an online library database with EBSCOhost. Each time a library rents your book to a user, you get paid for the rental in the same way that you get paid for the sale of your book on a standard ebook retailer website The Kuritz Group, Inc.

13 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Global Retail Distribution An e-publisher should submit your book to Amazon, ibookstore, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, the Sony Reader Store, and ebooks.com. But is should also be submitted to e-book wholesalers a wholesaler to make your ebook available to many more specialty and international online retailers. This allows specialty retailers to pick up your ebook based on genre, content, and language. Amazon Kobo Books on Board LibraryBIN Eason Waterstones Digitalbok.no Livraria Cultura ibookstore Sony Bookstrand DocStoc Read Without Paper WHSmith Exclus1ves Papataka Barnes & Noble All Romance ebooks OmniLit Booku Ciando ebooks Infibeam Probook Copia ebooks.com Books-A-Million Carina Press Digitalbok.no Kalahari.net Taaze Ebsco Virtualo 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

14 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Publishing Method Requirements Traditional Publishing Finished Manuscript Query Letter Marketing Plan Agent Knowledge of the book industry Business model Publishing contract 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

15 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Publishing Method Requirements Cooperative Publishing Finished Manuscript Marketing Plan $ Knowledge of the book industry Business model 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

16 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Publishing Method Requirements Small Press Publishing Finished Manuscript Marketing Plan Knowledge of the book industry Business model 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

17 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Publishing Method Requirements Self Publishing Finished Manuscript Marketing Plan Knowledge of the book industry Editor Interior/cover designer Printer Distributor or fulfillment house Business model Time Potentially some guidance 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

18 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Publishing Method Requirements Vanity Publishing $$$$ Finished manuscript? No business model 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

19 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Publishing Method Requirements POD Publishing Finished Manuscript Editor Cover? Designer? Distribution or fulfillment plan Marketing plan Business model 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

20 STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Presented by: Jared Kuritz Marketing Plan Components 30-word book synopsis 1-paragraph book summary Marketing-relevant author bio Marketing goals Target buying audience Target reading audience List of marketing activities & specific method of performance Marketing timeline 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc.

21 PR & Marketing Activities/Tools Website Blog Social Networking Presence Guest blogging Online book reviews Prequel or serial

22 Book-Specific PR & Marketing Activities 2012 The Kuritz Group, Inc. ACTIVITY/VENUE ARC Submissions Post-Pub Submission Radio Segments Radio Expert Commentator Local/Regional TV National TV By-Line Magazine/Blog Articles Feature Mag/Blog Articles Newspapers Website Bookstore Awareness Campaign PURPOSE/DIRECTION Advanced review submission are sometimes done by your publisher, but should always be augmented. Submitted 3-4 moths prior to publication date. True ARC s not needed. Submission should always include SAS review postcard. Post publication submissions should be sent to traditional and non-traditional reviewers that are topic or target market-specific to your book. These include newspaper beat editors, TV & radio producers, magazines, etc. Submissions should always include SAS review postcard. Design 12 and 24-minute pitch segments ahead of time. Create variety of segments from serious to humorous. Pitch full-length segments based upon segments from your book. Always ask to participate in call-ins. Always offer to do giveaways. Never pitch the book. Designed for nationally syndicated shows that cover daily national news topics. Perform producer awareness campaign by sending onesheet to program directors and producers for nationally syndicated shows letting them know who you are and what topics you can address. Regularly update topics and remind them you are available as hot topics come up. Design 3-4 minute segments as producer sheets, ideally in numerical fashion. Have book jpeg available and mention segment is from your book in pitch. Provide cover of book when ing producer sheet and one-sheet. It is always easier to land local TV when you can make a local connection with bookstore event or library event open to the general public. Offer regular weekly segment. National TV awareness campaign. List topics to which you can speak to as an expert and suggested segment topics on media one-sheet. Send information out to appropriate producers at the national shows. Remind them every 2-3 weeks of your expertise and offer a new segment. Stay attune to hot topics, editorial calendars and breaking news. Remind them accordingly. By-line articles generally take to be accepted and go to print. Write articles based on season trends, editorial calendars and anticipated hot topics. Articles are free advertising and the last paragraph should always suggest, So and so is the author of Blank. For more tips on, visit Focus on local and regional newspapers and magazines. Pitch national solely on trends and anticipated hot topics. Articles should be segments from your book or easily relatable and not exceed 1,200 words. Send as press releases to your local magazines featuring you and your book. National magazines want you and your topic to be nationally topical or aligned with their editorial calendar. Plan accordingly or invest your efforts elsewhere. Nationally, book should be sent to reviewers and applicable beat editors. Locally, pitch daily newspapers with features and articles. Pitch community newspapers with weekly column. Newspapers will only feature hot topics or someone of local interest. Your site should be user interactive. Quizzes, activities, blogs, chat room Q&A,, calendar of events, daily tips, newsletter--it has to give the visitor a reason to provide their address and to keep coming back. The more FREE things you offer from your site, the more you can mention it during media interviews and the more the interviewer will mention it. The real inherent value in doing a bookstore event is not in the actual event, but in what it leverages. Having a local event makes booking local media much easier. Having a bookstore event means books will actually be ordered into the store and give prime placement in anticipation of your event. But doing a national bookstore tour (or even a regional tour) is neither time-efficient or cost-effective. With a BAC, bookstores are contacted by phone throughout the country. A bookseller interested in your genre is communicated with and sent a complimentary copy of your book and a SAS review postcard. They are followed up with and solicited to place your book as a staff recommendation. Your book receives prime placement; copies are ordered into the store; it has cost you two phone calls, a book, & postage.

23 Publishing 101: Understanding Your Publishing Options Jared Kuritz Managing Partner STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations Director La Jolla Writers Conference

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