As a publisher and a writer, I often here many myths about this industry. With the industry going through rapid changes such as it is, these myths are becoming more rapid.

Myth 1: It’s damn near impossible for a first-time author to land a publishing contract. 

So not true! So not true! So not true! Yes, you will hear people say this and you’ll even see it written many of times. No, it’s not easy but there are things you can do to make this dream a reality. Make sure your book has been edited well. Make sure you create a marketing plan, write out a book proposal and study the industry. You should also consider the small and medium-sized publishers who are more willing to work and develop a first-time author. Yes, it’s a dream to be published by Simon and Schuster, Random House, Penguin, etc., and see your name in lights, but don’t sleep on a small and medium-sized publisher out either. You never know, what they can do. Remember, the big guy started out the little guy and look what he has become. 

Myth 2: Publishers only accept manuscripts through agents. 

Not! There are tons of publishers who prefer to deal directly with the author.  Key word being tons. There are lots of small and medium-sized publishers out there. Part of the issue is that writers only want to deal with the really big traditional publishers-Simon & Schuster, Penguin, etc. The fact is that some of those majors will only deal with a first-time author if they have an agent. The writer needs to broaden their publishing horizon and think about working with a small and medium-sized publisher. Writer’s Market (a reference book for writers and authors) lists over 1,000 publishing companies. More than ninety percent of those publishers do not require that an author have an agent. 

Myth 3: If I have an agent, I’m guaranteed a publishing contract. 

Uh no! Not really. While, the agent may think you have a decent enough book, a publisher might not feel the same way.  They may think your book needs more work, it may not be written well, or it may not fit their needs at the present time. The other thing is that, while there are some really good agents, there are also some agents walking around in sheeps clothing. They are unscrupulous and ineffective. They don’t really know the industry and are more interested in getting a fee from you, than doing something for you. 

Myth 4:  I don’t have to edit my manuscript because the publisher is going to spend the time and money editing it for me.  

What? Who came up with this stuff? A major part of whether or not your manuscript gets accepted is how the manuscript looks. A manuscript filled with lots of grammatical errors is a pain in the behind to read. It shows unprofessionalism and will most likely end up in the shredder or in the garbage. Yes, your manuscript will go through the hands of an editor, but the editor and the publisher will be very happy if they have very little editing to do. The less editing they have to do, the better it is for you. Hire a good editor before you submit your manuscript. Again, your manuscript is your baby, would you send your baby out looking like any old thing just because you know they are going to spit up on the outfit? I hope not! Make a good impression the first time and send in the very best manuscript you can. 

Myth 5: Bookstores won’t carry self-published or fee-based POD published books.  

As a publisher whose seen some really bad self-published books in the bookstore, I almost wish this was true, but it’s not.  If the demand is big enough, they will carry it. Also, if you want the bookstore to carry your self-published book, you must! must! must! have a marketing plan for it. Those are your two options-either get it to the point where the demand is big enough for it that the bookstore is wondering why they don’t have it in their stores, or create a good marketing plan for it and present it to the bookstore convincing them that they should carry the book. You should also focus your attention on the local independent bookstores in your area. Build a relationship with them while you are writing the book so that by the time your book is ready for publication, they will be a lot more comfortable and willing to have your book in their bookstores. Authors make the mistake of seeing the book in publishing format and then approaching the bookstore owner. They are reluctant to want to do business with you because their question is, “what have you done for my business before your book got published?” If you can’t answer that, then you will have a much harder time getting your book into their store. Being selfless, instead of selfish will get you a lot further in your book publishing endeavors. 

Myth 6: No one will review my book because it’s a self-published or POD published book. 

Huh? Where’d this one come from? The worldwide web is your friend. Figure out what your book topic is and find the magazine that relates to your book topic. Find out who the editor of that magazine is and offer to send them a review copy. Another avenue is book clubs. Yes, you have the major book clubs out there who are very picky about the books they select and have a long waiting list of books to be read, but you also have the smaller book clubs out there who are hungry, willing and waiting to read and review your book. There are also book review services, where you pay them to read your book and they put their review on websites such as Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and other book purchasing websites who allow book reviews. You can also look for book blogs on the web. These blogs review books because they love books. Some include: 

• Buzz, Balls & Hype
• Becky’s Book Review
• Worducopia

Yes, we would all love to have our books read by The New York Times but the reality is that until that happens, don’t ignore “the little guys.” They are the ones who will be buying your books and really telling their friends about your book. 

Myth 7: Writing the book is the hardest part of the process. 

Not! Nope! Not even close! When you have to promote, market and even get your own distribution, writing is the easy part. Convincing people to read and buy your book is not easy. Nor is figuring out ways to get your book out there and bought. When you realize that publishing is a business and far from an easy task, you will realize that writing is the easy part. It’s like women who’ve given birth-they say labor is the easy part. Raising a productive, ethically responsible child is the hard part. If your book is your baby, then you need to look at it this way as well. Writing is like birth, it’s hard but easy, but the real work begins with raising, promoting, nurturing and marketing your baby!

Have you had a book published? If yes, that means you have a book cover. How about having that book cover laminated on a wooden plaque with engraving options that say things like:

(Option 1)-Bestselling Author – 5,000+ Books Sold + your name

(Option 2)-Bestselling Author – 2,500+ Books Sold + your name

(Option 3)-Superb Bookselling – 1,000+ Books Sold+ your name

(Option 4)-Gold Book Status – 500+ Books Sold + your name

(Option 5)-Author Extrordinnaire-100+ Books Sold + your name

(Option 6)-Award Winning Author-(Insert the name of the award) + name

Wooden plaques coming in the following colors:

Walnut

White

Blue

Black

Red

Green

Burl

Oak

Mahogany

Wooden plaques come in the following sizes:

8*10, 10*13, 12*14, 16*20, 18 *24.

Why would you order a plaque with your book cover on it?

1) To be used and shown during your book signings.

2) Picture of your plaque to be placed on your website.

3) To give as Holiday gifts to authors or family members you know.

4) To be used and shown during your speaking engagements.

5) Use as part of your overall book marketing package.

Book Cover Plaques come with Free Lamination and can be delivered within 7-10 days after order is placed and payment is cleared.

Show off the hard work that you’ve done. Treat yourself to an Customized Author Plaque, you deserve it!

All payments are made secure, and we even accept paypal.

Yesterday, we discussed the difference between digital printing and off-set printing. Today, we will go into further discussion regarding the actual difference in cost.
Option 1: Let’s say you’ve been asked to be a guest speaker with the guest list of 150 people. You’ve made the smart decision to sell your book. The retail price of your book is $14.95. The print cost using the digital print run is $7.50. Your profit is $7.50 per book because you sold your book directly to the customer.
Option 2: After much hard work and searching, you’ve found a buyer who’ll buy your book in volume. They’ve just purchased 200 copies of your book to test how well it’ll do in their stores. They’ve promised to buy 5000 books if the test is successful. The buyer requires a 70% discount, which makes the selling price $4.49. The retail cost of your book is $14.95. Your print cost is $7.50 using the digital model. Your loss per book is-$7.50-$4.49=$3.01.
Option 3: You’ve got a distributor who sells your book to bookstores. The bookstore requires a 40% discount, so their purchase price is $8.97. But wait-the distributor’s commission is 15%, making the discount 55%. The retail price of your book is $14.95. The print cost on a digital run is $7.50. Your loss is $7.50-6.73=$0.77.
So as you can see, digital printing isn’t always the best option in every senario. If you had printed 5000 copies on off set press, the print cost would likely have been $3.00 or less, and if you have colored photos or illustrations, then add another $1.00 to that, making the cost $4.00 per book. Even if you print only 2500 copies, the print cost would be substantially less than the digital print cost.
Some of you reading this, don’t mind eating the loss. If so, that’s great! For those of you who are economically cautious, now you have the tools to make the right printing decision. Let’s not forget that your marketing plan is vital here: knowing your marketing goals and having your plan layed out before decising upon the type of printer to use for your book.
Hopefully, this will have helped you in your decision making process.
Until tomorrow!
ZLS Publishing

Hello all,

If you’ve just finished a book or are in the process of writing a book-we applaud you! Writing a book is never easy, nor is the decision on what to do with the book once it’s done. While trying to figure out whether or not self-publishing or traditional publishing is the best option, one thing to consider is printing. Most people forget that printing is one of the most important aspects of the publishing process. The printing is what people see. It is what brings your book into actually life and places it into a book formation. I think part of the confusion lies in the fact that most people forget or don’t know the difference in printing. There are two types: digital printing and offset printing. Learning what these two are and how they affect your books delivery, will help you determine what publishing route to take.
Let’s begin….
Offset printing-Is done by using printing plates that go through a three step process to transfer images to paper. Offset printing requires more set-up, and therefore is of much better use and more cost effective on large orders.
Digital printing, other wise known as print-on-demand (POD) printing- Is done by transfereing a digital image to paper. Digital printing is best used for small orders and short printing runs. There is less set-up so the cost is less, therefore making it the most cost effective for small orders.
Now that you know the difference between the two printing options, this should help you along in your publishing decision. Do you want to spend very little money in set-up costs and more money in marketing? If yes, then the POD route is the best route for you. Can you afford the high set up costs AND believe that you’ll sell over 1,000 copies? If yes, the offset printing route is the route for you?
As you can see, your marketing habit will play a part in which option you choose. It all balls down to marketing. Where and how can you sell your book? If you choose to sell your book online, the buyer is going to demand a substantial discount. If you buy the bulk of books and put them in your trunk, yes, you can keep all your money, but will you get your upfront cost back? Will you sell your books on your website only?
All of these are things to think about. Digital printing is best for short or on demand runs. Larger orders, though, require lower print costs, but then you’re stuck with trying to get rid of all those books. As a writer, you have to determine what costs fit into your marketing plans. Know your marketing goals before deciding which publishing route to take and which type of printer to use for your book. Knowing your marketing goals will make this decision a whole lot easier.

If you haven’t heard by now, let me update you: Walmart and Amazon are in a book price bidding war. Some of the newest releases are about to sell for $9 which includes free shipping and handling. Now for the consumer, this is a great deal, and it may even be a good deal for the publisher, but will it be a good deal for the writers? Right now, Amazon demands 55% of the book price. This high number equates to already low royalties for the author. Will Walmart jump on the band wagon? Should they jump on the band wagon? Will the author now be forced to decide between Walmart, Amazon and Barnes and Nobles?

Do you think it will get to the point in the publishing industry in which, if you expect to sell any books-you will be forced to go to both Walmart and Amazon? or will it get like other things-High quality books-Amazon, Low quality books-Walmart? The one benefit to this bidding war that I see is that authors have more selling options and consumers have more buying options, but will it ultimately affect their bottom line and will it do so in a positive way?

What do you think?