Self Publishing by the Numbers
An assortment of books pictured here both by self publishers and various traditional publishers
Self publishing is such a hot topic of discussion these days, that if you follow headlines in social media, it starts to become a bit overwhelming.The number of self-published books produced annually in the U.S. has nearly tripled, growing 287 percent since 2006, and now tallies more than 235,000 print and “e” titles, according to a new analysis of data from Bowker® Books In Print and Bowker® Identifier Services
Is it all so easy? Is it always profitable? Is it a better deal to self publish than go the traditional route of seeking a contract through a book publisher? (My answers in order are not too hard, definitely not and it depends….)
Mary Beth Smith of Alphagraphics invited me to be part of a self publishing workshop last month in Dallas. They had a great turnout and the program was really well planned. One of the stand out take-aways I can recall she spoke about was the first question you should ask yourself when deciding whether or not to self publish your work:
“Are you going to sell your book?”
This is the crucial question to determining the production elements, the overall book design, the potential print run and how you will go about promoting the book. After all, if you are not going to worry about selling your book, then perhaps you don’t need to worry about spending too much on the editing and design of the book…..certainly you won’t need to get an ISBN # if you are just passing out a few copies of your memoirs to friends and family. But if you want to go beyond that, there are many things you need to carefully consider.
“Self Publishing” does not always mean going about it all by your self. There are many good “coaches” and author service type companies out there that can guide you through the maze of a book production while still allowing you to retain all rights to your book.
I had another meeting the following week after Dallas with a new publisher in Minnesota who works with authors, writers and self publishers in areas ranging from traditional book publishing to interactive media. According to some of the statistics he quoted: only 8% of self published books sell more than 100 copies within one year of publication and only 3% of self published books sell more than 50 copies more than that after over one year of publication. So in other words, only a very small percentage of self published books are commercially successful to any great degree. He also mentioned that 81% of the entire population feels as they have a book inside them and a very large percentage of them will act upon this through the attempt of self publishing. As he mentions, these days–it is pretty easy to get a book printed, but it is much harder to sell it!
As to traditional book publishing it’s no easy game either: statistics show that of all the titles published annually by the established commercial publishers, only about three out of ten are financial successes.
Having been in the business for awhile, I have had the opportunity to see the gamut: Bestseller success for a few titles, moderate sales for many and dismal failures for many others. Here’s a few of the trends I have seen among the best ones:
* Successful book projects have a well mapped out plan for editing, design and promotion- all in advance of any work being done. Whether this involves one person or an entire publishing team–the plan is key. You have likely heard the phrase: …..“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
* Editing, cover and interior book design as well as indexing are very important and should be budgeted for and proper time allotted. Don’t leave these tasks to amateurs if you don’t have the skill set your self.
* When planning the marketing and promotion of the book, ask the printer/binder to see if they can produce an advance sample so that you can weigh the book. It’s very important to know (in advance) how you will ship individual copies and if by changing the size of the book ever so slightly, will it save production and/or shipping costs?
* A successful book project usually has a very clearly defined target audience. Books that don’t have that- or try to cover too many topics within one book, usually suffer. The title of the book should clearly convey this.
While many self published books are produced as inexpensively as possible, in a soft cover format, there are certain genres where a hardcover book is an excellent choice. Children’s books, coffee table books, memoirs and historicals, scientific and medical reference books to name a few. I have worked on many a self published title in these genres for our customers and always welcome the chance to be of assistance should you have any questions in advance of your production. Working a project backwards through the bindery production aspects first can often filter out potentially hazardous choices you would make and we can correct them before occurring. Spending some time in advance discussions with designers and printers is always useful.
That’s all for this week’s post. Hope you have found this information helpful. If you are going to self publish, chances are no one will be able to talk you out of doing it! Just use some of the information in this post to approach the project with your eyes wide open. My next post is going to cover a few of the ways you can make wise production choices to keep your unit cost of book production within reason.
Some related posts you might find useful:
Tips for Self Publishers Choosing a Book Designer
Book Designer Spotlight: Abbate Design
The Importance of Indexing Your Book by Nancy Humphreys
(C) Copyright 2013 Martin Pugh All Rights Reserved
Martin Pugh | 1-800-869-0420 | mpugh@houchenbindery.com
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March is Small Press Month
I was aware in the past 12-13 years, March was typically dedicated in certain literary circles as SMALL PRESS MONTH. I went to check out www.smallpress.org only to find out it appears to have been overtaken by a Chinese website I could not decipher. Oops…Ni Hao Ma! (that’s “Hello” in Chinese). I also follow www.goodreads.com where Sarah Johnson mentions it appears to have lost funding or interest, nevertheless she will forge on with spotlights throughout the month on Small Press topics.
A Small Press by definition could possibly be a self publishing company, a “micro-publisher” or just a publishing company that does not produce titles in large volumes, but more so for a niche audience. Some of the famous small press’s have a very large backlist of titles in print.
We get to see several of these types of projects at Houchen BIndery Ltd. where our focus is on short run length, hardcover and soft cover book binding. While I appreciate receiving direct calls from independent authors wanting us to work with them, we are truly focus on providing the tail end of the book production service–binding. So I often find myself in need of referring these folks to the services of a freelance book designer, and editor, indexer, or printers. who can assist them in the areas of book development that they may need help with. Here’s a previous blog article about some of the freelance designers I network with.
It all seems appropriate as I head down to Dallas on March 6th to participate in a workshop on Self Publishing hosted by Mary Beth Smith of Alphagraphics. Alphagraphics of North Dallas/Park Cities is making a conscious marketing effort into the area of Self Publishing down in it’s local market, and I see that it is a good fit and a growth market. They are providing individual authors consultation services from design through production and marketing support. I look forward to being part of their workshop. Mary Beth has a widespread following through her LinkedIN organization “Girls Who Print”, but is also blogging now at dallaspublishingblogspot.com.
In our own backyard, another firm called Concierge Marketing in Omaha NE, is run by Lisa Pelto. Lisa and staff have for many years now been working with independent authors and micro-publishers providing a variety of services ranging from business planning, book design, production services all the way through book marketing and fulfillment. Do-it-yourself publishing can be daunting. Rather than being left high and dry on the digital desert by going it alone, the services she provides can be enormously important to the success of your project. I have worked with Lisa on a few projects and can vouch for the value of their service. Check out her blog where she is writing an article every day this month related to Independent Author/Small Press topics. I have also invited Lisa to guest blog here and am hopeful you will be seeing something from her here soon.
Another area of focus for me this year is in networking with individuals and groups that want to produce a project through a KickStarter campaign. I spoke about one such project 2 posts ago, and as of today Eric Gross of The Hands On Workshop’s: Toy Maker’s Magnum Opus Act One is now as of tonight, 62% funded with 4 weeks left to go. I look forward to working with many other projects in the coming months. I have a few other “friends in the business” who will be funneling projects our way to help work with on the finishing/binding aspects of their projects. As I wrote about previously, a KickStarter campaign can be a great way to fund a project while limiting your risk of investment. I have seen that successful campaigns are usually those for people who already have a good following and well executed plan. Don’t expect to come out of nowhere and get funded. In Eric’s case, he has been working on this significant series for many years, developed a strong following and the KickStart is more or less the icing on the cake to help complete a phenomenal project. Parts 2 and 3 of his grand undertaking will be following shortly thereafter.
As a book binder, when I am out on the factory floor, it hardly feels like we are at the tail end of a project that may have taken years to culminate. It feels like like we are right in the middle of the action! But I do know that we are but a small (but extremely important) part of a long chain that needs to communicate clearly all the way across to ensure success. So no matter what part of the book publishing process you may be involved with, feel free to pick up the phone and give me a call. I welcome the opportunity to be part of your success.
Get My FREE E-BOOK on BOOKBINDING!
Would you like to know more about the various techniques we use to bind books? I created this e-guide to help educate new and existing customers on our procedures. If you would like to receive a Free copy of my E-Book on bookbinding, please email me at: mpugh@houchenbindery.com. Martin Pugh 1-800-869-0420
Self Publishing Workshop in Dallas March 6th, 2013
I am very honored to have been invited to be part of a panel on self publishing in Dallas on March 6th. This workshop is being hosted by Mary Beth Smith, VP of Sales & Marketing at Alphagraphics North Dallas/Park Cities. We have worked together on some projects over the last several months and I have also been a staunch supporter of her popular LinkedIN Group: Girls Who Print. My role will be to provide answers and support on bookbinding related questions from the attendees. Also on the panel will be Sherry Perry, Natalie Sons and Phil Davis all from Alphagraphics along with Jim David of Leapfrawg Media a social media management firm in Dallas.
I asked Mary Beth to provide a little bit about the work shop. Her comments are here:
Mary Beth Smith
For over 20 years, our AlphaGraphics center in Dallas has been working with customers who want to self-publish books. The books our customers write and publish cover a wide range of genre and topics. We’ve published everything from small saddle stitch booklets to leather-bound textbooks. Over the last 5 years, we’ve seen such a surge in interest that we broadened our services to include design, layout, marketing, e-books, specialty binding, promotions, websites, online ordering and distribution.
We decided to focus on this as a specialty when we began hearing from customers who had suffered painful experiences attempting to self-publish with online companies. We were pretty surprised to see how much money people were charged, yet still had no books to sell. We knew we had a better approach, since our pricing structure is based on actually helping authors have books they can sell at a profit. While we know their books are important to them, we consciously choose to focus on the practical side of treating their writing aspirations as a business. We want them to be successful, and we know it won’t happen without some businesslike approaches.
We find that people appreciate our localized approach. They’re able to come in and talk with us. Being able to see hard copy proofs, evaluate the stock, and make revisions really matters when it’s YOUR book that we’re going to print. We’ve developed strong relationships with supporting resources in order to support whatever goals the author has for the book. It seems to be paying off, because we get referrals from every book we complete, and they workshop sold out in two days. I was able to upgrade our space, and opened up 20 more seats, but they’re going to go fast! I’ll be updating readers on the speakers and topics on a blog I’ve set up: DallasPublishing.blogspot.com
By the way…there are still a few seats left for our
FREE self-publishing workshop on March 6.
Click HERE to go to the online registration form.
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Your Book is Your Calling Card!
The notion for this blog article was circulating in my thoughts for a few days this week as I worked out in the bindery and saw many books in various stages of production. So as I set out to write this article, I thought perhaps I should Google the topic, and sure enough! There were atleast a couple of others who had already blogged about this topic: here and here.
I do agree with most everything those guys had to say. My perspective on this comes from seeing several thousands of books every week come through the bindery every day and being shipped off to their various destinations. Some go to schools, universities, printers, book distributors, warehouses, and a growing number of titles go to individual authors, and non profit or governmental agencies that are producing a book as somewhat of a “calling card” for their cause.
The story of a used card dealer (L) a book by a non profit on Water Safety (Center), and a book enhancing the reputation and authority of a college professor (L)
I had written previously about “bringing your brand to your book”. But today I look at it from a different perspective- about extending your personal or corporate “brand” through the physical publication of a book.
As James Altucher mentions in his article on this subject: everyone has a business card, and most just get thrown away. As a sales person, I tend to hang on to cards, but usually have no need for them after I have taken the information and entered it into my database. If someone hands me a book,I would find it very difficult to throw away. If it is on a topic I want to know more about, I will probably buy it anyway, especially if I just heard a speech by a public speaker I liked, or perhaps attended an art exhibit or music event I really enjoyed. But that’s just me….I like books.
An athlete’s autobiography (L), a state governmental children’s book set of bi lingual publications on car safety (center), a paper manufacturer’s sample book (R)
So today the format of a book becomes the calling card, “leave behind” piece that establishes credibility in a certain area or genre. Are you working with a non profit group with a message to convey? How about a city or state governmental agency? Are you a CEO, politician, celebrity, marketing guru, musician, artist, inventor, religious leader or some other type public speaker wanting to enhance your reputation?
There is no better way to do this than by publishing your own “book”. Your Book is Your Calling Card!
(C) Copyright 2012 Martin Pugh All Rights Reserved
Your Book is Your Calling Card!
*The copyright of all books shown here belong to their respective authors and organizations. These pictures are only shown here for the purpose of displaying their various production techniques.
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How Many Books Should I Print?
Don’t let your books go to the dumpster!
In years gone by many people sought out overseas printers for their color book projects starting at about 3000 copies to get a decent unit price. “Self Publishing” was usually reserved for mostly wealthier or courageous individuals who could afford to finance the print run that often ended out collecting dust in their garage until landfilled or donated away. In the past few years however, the landscape of Self Publishing has drastically changed, and it is now possible for almost anyone to become a “self publisher”.
Almost a year ago, I posted a blog article featuring statistics on book publishing entitled: The Long Tail is Alive and Wagging Proudly. The stats conclude that amongst ALL of the approximate 200,000 titles released in a year (including the Harry Potters and 50 Shades of Greys, et al), the average amount of books sold per title is only about 53 copies!
Not much has changed in a year, and still my short answer to the question above is: However many books you can definitively sell in 3 months.
Don’t let your books end out in the dumpster because they didn’t sell, or became outdated all too quickly!
At Houchen Bindery Ltd., we specialize in producing short run lengths of hard cover and softcover books. We can provide estimate ranges in a variety of quantity ranges and options so you can plan your project accordingly. When you start out we can provide an unbiased recommendation on digital printing options vs offset printers. If you start small and sell through an initial run of books, congratulations! You are beating the odds- so then the next step to a larger print run may be a switch to a different type of press (or printer). As a stand alone bindery (with some in house digital printing capabilities), we work with many different printing and publishing companies throughout the Midwest and beyond. All these topics and more can be discussed under no obligation by contacting Martin Pugh at 1-800-869-0420 or by email at mpugh@houchenbindery.com
(C) Copyright 2012 Martin Pugh All Rights Reserved
How Many Books Should I Print?
Book Designer Spotlight: Abbate Design
Fog over Eastern Iowa Farmland photo by M. Pugh
I am over in North Central and North Eastern Iowa this week, having meetings with printers who rely on us for edition binding services and professional photo labs in relation to our new service for photobook manufacturing services.
I started the day early and as you can see in my photo to the left, there was a dense fog hanging over the farmlands as I made made way across Iowa at sunrise this morning.
I mention fog as somewhat of an analogy here. When I started the idea of a series of articles related to Book Design, it was in hopes of helping expand the knowledge base for self publishers who often ask me questions outside the scope of my company’s services. But over the past few days, through an overwhelming amount of feedback from my contacts in the book design industry, I too, have learned many tips. I have always tried to avoid that term “expert”, and in this case, I am truly a “student”, just along for the lesson and ready to learn. The combination of good book design, coupled with the perfect choice of paper, binding and other manufacturing techniques create that magic that draws us all to love the “book”. Nothing can replace it! Today Judy will “lift the fog” on book design with some insights on her craft. as a book designer.
MP:So please tell us a little bit about your background!
JA: I attended Parsons School of Design in New York, and began my publishing career there directly following college. The proximity and access to major publishing houses was enormously helpful during those fledgling years. Working on staff, where I could fully immerse in the publishing process, was simply invaluable for learning the ropes. As a result, seeing the entire publishing process in action — —from editorial to production — —is something I now recommend to everyone who’s considering a publishing-related career. Working in New York also established valuable professional relationships that still are serving me well 20 years later.
The beauty of book design, however, is that once that foundation is set, location truly isn’t an issue. After over a decade in the NY area, I opened a book design studio here in Pennsylvania and continued to work seamlessly with the same publishers and art directors. With e-mail, FTPs and teleconferencing, we chat and exchange files as quickly as when I was around the corner. Relocating had the bonus of expanding our client list to include outstanding local publishers such as PennPress (University of Pennsylvania). We’ve done a number of coffee table books together and they’re producing absolutely beautiful tomes.
These days, I work with clients in a wide variety of locations. I’d say about 75% of our calls are from NY. The balance are a mix of midwest publishers, small presses, local self-publishers and even a globally recognized Geneva-based organization.
Abbate Design
MP: What can you tell a self publisher about choosing a professional book designer.
JA: Book designers are well-versed in the myriad details that relate to this specialty, from aesthetic to technical printing concerns. For covers, their expertise is producing book jackets that truly resonate with readers, create a memorable complement to the text and perhaps most important, which sell. They have real-world experience with how particular papers and cover finishes hold up under use. That means they’ll know if the varnish or die cut you’ve requested will show every fingerprint or will rip once it’s actually in your readers’ hands.
For text design, book designers will be able to guide self publishers toward the best layout, appropriate fonts and book length (which they can adjust by altering the text setting). They’ll advise on durable papers for the children’s books and cookbooks, both of which need to survive more vigorous use. Above all, they know how to hit just the right design note for your book. I often use the word “timbre,” for good reason: it’s a huge factor in what makes a successful book design. The book designer’s forte is a particular responsiveness to the literary tone of your manuscript and the skill to translate it graphically. It’s something that can truly elevate the book.
www.abbatedesign.com
MP: What tips could you share with a new publisher on some of the pitfalls to avoid when choosing a book designer? Judith Stagnitto Abbate
JA: I’d simply encourage them to hire a professional whose books they’ve personally seen and admired. Look at actual books, since they’re a much better reflection of the work than any online portfolio can show. Designers’ credits are typically placed on the jacket flap (for covers ) or the copyright page (for text designers), and one can easily Google them online.
Hire the best you can afford. (I did precisely the same when art directing and commissioning designers.) Some self publishers either forget to budget for the design or, alternately, deliberately under-budget that aspect in order to save money. Unfortunately, there’s nothing more disappointing than a finished book that has a distinctly amateurish, awkward look. We’ve all seen them at some point or another, and it’s heartbreaking: one knows that months or years of work went into the manuscript itself, yet an unprofessional package can instantly degrade the authority of the book in the eyes of potential readers.
2 page spread from "Lincoln Highway" designed by Judith Stagnitto Abbate
Judy wanted to remind me on a specific point in regards to “book design”. Book design embodies the whole project from cover to cover….not just the cover!
JA: Just one minor addition / clarification, Martin: I noticed you’d characterized my work as designing book covers (probably as simple shorthand ), but a more accurate description of my work is that I’m a book designer. Some designers only do book covers: in the industry, we call them cover designers. I’m a book designer, which is a bit different. It means I design the entire book package — cover, text, endpapers, the entire item that you purchase on Amazon. So while some clients may indeed commission me to only to their cover (which I enjoy), I’m considered a book designer. I hope this helps clarify the mysteries of publishing!
www.abbatedesign.com
MP: Do you interact with printers/binders and other aspects of the book production?
JA: Yes, part of my design services involves production and working closely with the printer. Self publishers can decide exactly how involved they’d like me to be with production for their project, and we scale the fee accordingly. For example, some clients may commission me to simply design a book cover, while others may opt to have my studio handle the entire book package: designing the cover and interior, typesetting the entire book, and liaising with their printer. For certain jobs, it can be helpful to get the printer involved early in the design process so that they can contribute to the design dialogue. That’s particularly the case when working with unusual varnishes or die cuts.
Judith Stagnitto Abbate
We once created a private, limited edition hardcover for a well-known financial firm that included custom, archival-quality book boxes. It was quite a beautiful result: The books were beautifully presented in linen book boxes whose interiors were lined with marbleized paper that we’d coordinated to the color of the book binding. We created a custom foil stamp for the front of each book and book box.
I’d say the best thing that printers and suppliers can do to aid the process is to establish a solid, familiar working relationship with designers. The best results happen when printers aren’t simply be the recipient of the final files but rather an integral part of the bookmaking process.
MP: With that, I agree whole heartedly! That wraps it up for today, but we are not done talking more about Book Design. whether it’s Cover Design, Interior Design, Paper specifiying, Font Choices, Choosing Cover Materials, Foil stamping considerations, Special finishing and laminating techniques or more, I want to continue onward with this. I hope you have found this article helpful, and encourage you to contact Judy Abbate. Any comments to me on this article are also welcomed. [mpugh@houchenbindery.com]
Her contact information is:
Judith Stagnitto Abbate
Abbate Design
126 West Oakland Avenue
Doylestown, PA 18901
ph: 215.489.5150
fx: 215.489.5149
www.abbatedesign.com
LinkedIn
Twitter/MakeABook
Book Designer Spotlight: Abbate Design
The Long Tail is Alive and Wagging Proudly
Here’s some hard hitting statistical information below from the Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Washington, DC; July 21, 2011 — Adult Paperbacks ranked as the #1 format and e-Books — with an increase of 160.1% vs the first five months of 2010 — ranked #2 in the Trade market for the calendar year to date according to the May 2011 net sales revenue report of the Association of American Publishers, the industry’s national trade association.
Trade categories year-to-date: (YA = Young Adult)
Category Percent Change from May 2010 to May 2011
Adult Paperback -17.9%
E-Books +160.1%
Adult Hardcover -23.4%
Religious Books +10.8%
Children’s/YA Hardcover -6.3%
Adult Mass Market -30.1%
Children’s/YA Paperback -15.1%
Downloaded Audiobooks +17.0%
I have always been a statistical nut. From sports like baseball, hockey, horse racing and more, statistics always reveal the greater truths. Just as some of my previous articles have mentioned changes regarding the use of paper, quite obviously the issue is now whether to use paper at all.
I am quite sure that these numbers have some publishers quite frightened. I see it as confirmation of a trend I have been thinking about for many months now. The changing business model of book publishing. Since I have re-joined the book manufacturing world (after a wonderful 7 year mountain hibernation from 2001 to 2008), I have been able to remove myself from the burdens of past thinking that lead to my ultimate previous demise towards the end of 2000. I can say that the time off has allowed me to re-charge and re-energize.
You see, I was heavily invested in a technology (film output of color separations) that was completely being eliminated by a newer technology (CTP). I held on, and held on, but little by little, each of my clients at the time came to same conclusion. It went like this: “Well thanks for all the work you’ve done, but we won’t be needing your services anymore”. Price was not even the issue. Technology had just changed and if I couldn’t change with it, well I was out. While on that 7 year hibernation, I studied what was going on and assured myself I would never let THAT mistake happen again.
Now e-books are here and the numbers are too big to ignore. So let’s not ignore them. Why not embrace them! The model I see for the future involves publishing to e-book first, or any of a number of other app-driven products or yes maybe a book in POD form to start. If a book is worth it’s salt, people can also then order the hard copy, or paper back depending on their budget. Let the market be the judge. Why invest in big print runs that may not sell?
Well won’t that make the number of books being printed go down?
Maybe so, but why is that such a bad thing? How many books really deserve to be published anyway? Am I being too harsh? You haven’t seen what I have. In 2008, before I joined Houchen Bindery Ltd., there was a Publishers Weekly article on the total number of titles published vs total numbers of books sold. Bear in mind, this takes into account all the multi-million selling Harry Potter
Why am I excited about all of this? Because at Houchen Bindery Ltd., producing small sets of books is what we are all about. The Long Tail
Do you have a book in you? Most of us do, and now more than ever, the investment to get started on the path of publishing is more affordable than ever. Call me today and let’s figure out how to get started. mpugh@houchenbindery.com. 1-800-869-0420.
Copyright 2011 Martin Pugh All Rights Reserved.
How to Design a Book
If you have an idea for a book, the first thing you need to do is develop a plan and establish some goals.
What is the purpose of the book? Do you want to simply write the book and have a book publisher sell it? If so, in most cases, you won’t have anything to do with the design of your book.
But if you decide to go the route of self publishing, you will have firm control over the design of your book. Now this is where the devil is in the details. If you have never designed a book before, you should clearly seek the help of a professional book designer. Make sure you find a graphic designer that has designed books and look at some examples from their portfolio. Prices for the service will vary greatly and depending on the subject matter, a well designed book cover can make all the difference in the success of your publication. Don’t just jump at the cheapest price. Find out if they are familiar with The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition
A few other factors to consider when choosing your book designer is how you will communicate, are they near you or out of town, do they only work graveyard shifts, what are their timelines. What may work well in communicating for your designer, may be completely foreign to you. If you need a little extra handholding, admit it and seek a designer who will patiently walk you through the process. If you are more experienced, you will more clearly know what to expect and what to ask for.
If you want to take on book design yourself, I highly recommend you read and absorb the Chicago Manual of Style.
On your journey to find a good book designer to work with, you will find some designers that only specialize in covers and some who just work on interiors, etc. Don’t fall prey to the sales pitch that a designer can also be the editor of the book. Editing and designing are two distinctly separate functions as are cover design and interior design. Research editing usually comes first, then design, then a final edit (proofread, context, grammar) is also advised.
I have seen many self publishers opt for hiring a cover designer, and having someone set up a template for the interior then doing that part themselves. This can work fairly good in most cases, especially if you have a little skill in a layout program such as InDesign or Quark, etc.
Once you are finally at the design stage, contact your bookbinder for advice on how to layout the cover. This will save you alot of time when the job is finally printed and avoid last minute re-dos.
As always, there may be more questions, which is why I am always available to discuss your project needs by email at mpugh@houchenbindery.com or toll free at 1-800-869-0420.
Copyright 2011 Martin Pugh All Rights Reserved.
How to increase your book sales through smart use of Advance Reader Copies
As a marketing tool, publishers provide free copies of new titles to booksellers, journalists and even celebrities.
Such books are variously referred to as readers editions, an advance copy, an advance reading copy or ARC. It’s the book privately released by its publisher before the book is printed for mass distribution.
Readers editions generally lack the final dust jacket, formatting or (possibly) binding of the finished product; the text of an advance edition may also differ slightly from the market book, after comments are received from the reading group, or late errors are found in the manuscript. When a celebrity reader or journalist gives an endorsement, that’s added to the dustcover and other promotional items.
Reader books are normally distributed three and six months before the book is officially released to reviewers, bookstores, magazines, and (in some cases) libraries.
Like coins or stamps with errors, book collectors seek readers editions as being the “real” book, possibly containing text, errors or typos that add value.
On rare occasions (for instance, the publication of an eagerly-awaited or controversial book), a publisher may require the recipients of advance copies to sign a confidentiality of content agreement. However, in most cases the sheer number of ARCs produced and distributed makes that impractical. A typical genre publisher may create 5,000 ARCs for a new book by a moderately popular writer.
Publishers also produce uncorrected bound proofs, also known as galley proofs, in advance of publication. Galley proofs were historically only used in the editing and proof-reading process, but publishers have recently begun to use them as ARCs. These galley proofs may have bindings and illustrations similar to that of the final copy, unlike old-style galley proofs which were usually bound in plain paper covers and without illustrations.
Galley proofs differ from ARCs in that ARCs are printed in full color and in the same format as the published book, while galley proofs are generally printed in black and white and are significantly larger in size than the market book. Publishers who produce their galley proofs in electronic form do not use them as ARCs.
Beyond an Advance Reader copy, the next step is a final copy (in smaller quantity) that is used for marketing and sales staff to go out to the buyers, chains, book clubs, etc and place the advance order so that a larger size print run can be locked in. Houchen Bindery Ltd. can definitely help you with this area of your publishing needs.
Houchen Bindery Ltd. can offer the services of Advance Reader Copy manufacturing for small quantities. Many of the publishers we work with roll out ARC’s in about 30 to 100 copies at a time. At Houchen Bindery Ltd.- we can produce the ARC with it’s final binding. We produce ARC’s in both black and white text and full color, hard bound or soft bound with a laminated cover. If you have the need for Advance Reader Copies, please feel free to call me at 1-800-869-0420 or email me at mpugh@houchenbindery.com.
