Consider Selling Ads in Your Book.

Sometimes it makes cents: Scott Mares, author of The Complete Book of Cyclocross, sold ads in his first edition and sold more for his second edition (just now available). The ads make sense in his book. They add credibility, a sense of participation by cycling vendors, and value to the book for readers. Oh, and they helped fund some of his upfront costs.

You don't see this as a rule because sometimes ads aren't appropriate or just aren't available. However, if ads make sense for your project, be sure you do the following. Have your advertisers sign a simple contract, specifying the following:

• Ad specs: size; color; bleeds available or not; position. you promised any.
• Artwork specs: file format and size and deadline
  
• Cost: free, or specific $$s, or barter for goods, services, or other concessions. Specify the limits (e.g., for the life of the edition, for so many books sold, etc.), when payment is due, and any extra charges that apply (e.g., design charges if you have to create the ad for them)

You may be tempted to make these arrangements on a handshake, but getting everything in writing will clarify expectations and help keep you out of trouble. The Publishing Pro, LLC

How Do You Protect Your Copyright ...

... when you are using a pen name? A would-be author emailed this question to me. The answer is fairly simple: You register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, in which case you identify both your pen name and your real name. However, using a pseudonym makes it exponentially harder for you to market your book, so you'd better have a good reason for going that route. Click here for some discussion on reasons why you might--or might not--want to use a pen name. The Publishing Pro, LLC

When Should You Design Your Own Book?

Or at least consider it: You should consider designing your own book when some or all of the following are in play:

• When you have nothing better to do. Maybe you don’t have an important golf game to get to, but you do have a book to represent. You can find any number of people to professionally design your book for you. But you can’t—no matter what certain vendors will tell you—find someone to sell your book as well as you can. That’s where you should put your energy. On the other hand, if you’re doing that and still have tons of time on your hands …
• When you don’t care what your book looks like. I’m assuming that you’re not a professional book designer, in which case your design and page makeup won’t look as good as a professional's. This sounds self-serving—because I do book design—and it is. I can spot a DIY job from a hundred yards—even it's a good one. However, you should know that, as a general rule, I place professional book design lower on the priority list than other factors, such as identifying the right readership, having a strong message, planning your book's shape and size correctly, writing your book clearly, and getting it edited well. On the other hand, having done all those things well, do you still care if your book doesn’t “look” completely professional?
• If your design requirements are simple. Actually, this mitigates the second point. If your book requires a simple design—let’s say you’re writing a novel—you will have a much easier time coming up with a professional design and professional-looking pages than if your book is complex.
• If you will enjoy it. If you’re the type of person who will enjoy the book design process, then it’s worth considering. If you know it’s going to be a pain …
• If you have the talent for it. If book design appears to be up your alley—you need to be something of an artist with a love for words and an eye for detail—then it’s worth considering, especially if you think you might do this again.
• If you have no money to outsource the job. Now that printing can be done in small quantities or even on-demand, you can get your book printed for almost no investment. However, you still have to prepare your book for printing—and that can cost a few dollars. If you don’t have it, you might consider doing your own design and page makeup, especially if some of the above factors are in play. Check first, though. A good design, especially if your book is simple, might not cost as much as you think.
• If you can get good advice or coaching. If you take on your own book design or page makeup, you can increase the quality of your work by learning how to do it, either by investigating the rules of the road or getting yourself a coach. You can also get someone to help you come up with a design that you implement. The Publishing Pro.

What Does It Mean to Be a Self-Publisher?

Just the basics: If you're a self-publisher, it means that you're the publisher. All that means--and it's a lot--is that you own all the publishing rights to your book and you're in charge of everything.

If you're a self-publisher, it doesn't mean you are a vain, ego-driven crummy writer. It doesn't mean your book isn't good enough to be published by a "real publisher." It doesn't mean you are supposed to do your own editing, book design, page makeup, and printing. It doesn't mean you would be any good at those things if you tried. You just have to do them yourself--or find somebody to do them for you. At your direction.

Being a self-publisher is a little like building your own house. You could do everything yourself, but you'd have to be able to do your own architectural design, materials buying, excavation, masonry, framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and finish carpentry. And you'd need tons of time. On the other hand, you could farm out some of the jobs. You might even hire a general contractor to do most of the coordinating work yourself. But you're still in charge. You should be overseeing what the house looks like, what kind of materials its made of, and how good the workmanship is. Because you're paying the bills, and it's your house.

That's what it means to be a self-publisher. The Publishing Pro.

Next Workshop: March 4

How to Publish Your Own Book: Next workshop is scheduled for April 1, 7 to 9 pm, at Black Cat Books, 720 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829. The Publishing Pro.

Have You Heard of Twitter?

The latest in social networking: Twitter is designed to help people stay in touch with each other. It's limited to very short text messages--much like what you would send on cell phone (one way to use twitter)--and a little weird. Who has time to tell people you just enjoyed a cup of tea? And what good does that do? However, Joseph Liberti, one of our customers, thinks it's the bees knees for authors. I'm trying it out. Click here to follow my twitter. The Publishing Pro.

PayPal Makes It Easy ...

But be careful: If you'd like to take credit and debit card orders for your book(s) but don't want to pay the freight for a credit-card merchant account, PayPal is a viable option. PayPal has several plans available, which can be both confusing and helpful. And you should also be aware that there are many complaints on the web about PayPal, most from merchants rather than consumers and many of the complaint sites seem to be supported by a competing merchant provider. Several of our clients are using it to take credit card orders and like it. One of them, Scott Mares (author of The Complete Book of Cyclocross) found that Yahoo web hosting made PayPal a particularly convenient option for his bookselling site. The Publishing Pro.

In Tough Times, Publish.

... Or perish: The old expression from academia applies in the business world today. Even though the world seems to be constricting, this is a good time to publish. In fact, publishing may be the difference between your success and failure. Here's why:

• In tough times, people want help. In fact, they are desperate for it. If you've got something to say that will change their lives, say it now--when your audience is most interested in listening.
  
• In tough times, you have to be better. You can't be lazy. You must be focused. You have to know your audience, know what they need, and know how you can meet that need. In tough times, you are more likely to produce a great book.
  
• In tough times, your book can be the difference in your business, ministry, or work. The right book builds your credibility and your brand, gets you more business, makes you desirable as a speaker, and is a profit center in its own right. The right book may even make you attractive to an employer.
• In any times, publishing a book--if you do it right--is low risk. Nowadays, you don't have to dump your money into inventory. You can print as you go. Moreover, you can adjust on the fly.

Let us tell you how to make your project a success, especially in these times. The Publishing Pro.

Join Our Author's Meet-up!

Reach your audience: I'd like to form a Colorado Springs "authors' meet-up" This would differ from a "writers' group," which typically focuses on the introverted part of the publishing process. Instead, we would focus on the extroverted side of things--the selling, the marketing, the reaching out to your audience--what I call "authoring." Early feedback suggests that we charge a modest fee, maybe $5.00 for would-be authors and $1.00 for anyone who brings their published (traditional- or self-). The reason for the distinction is that published authors would be able to share their experience, strength, and hope. We've settled on the first Monday of the month, time and place. still to be determined. This is a great opportunity to get free coaching and support, both from me and participants. Contact me if interested. (If you are interested in this sort of thing but live outside of the area, let me know. There are virtual ways to meet.) The Publishing Pro.

Do-It-Yourself Typography: Double Space

It's a New Era: In the typewriter era, good style required you to put two spaces after a period. Typewriters used "monospaced" fonts, meaning that every letter or glyph took up the same width. With monospaced fonts, two spaces after a period looked better and we're needed to set off a sentences from each other. When we moved into the computer era, more than two decades ago now, most fonts in common use are variable-width. These fonts look better when you use only one space after a period.

Even so, a surprising number of people keep to the habit of inserting two spaces after a period. This either makes more work for your desktop publisher, who will eliminate them, or will leave your book looking a little amateurish if your desktop publisher doesn't better than to eliminate all those extra spaces.--The Publishing Pro, LLC