I’m preparing, this morning, for a consultation with an author duo. They’re driving a considerable distance to get my opinion and ideas on some of their burning publishing questions. I thought I’d share with you some of my responses to some of the questions they sent me.
Q: How do I get my book edited and how much does it cost?
A: Consider hiring an editor. Choose one who has been recommended or one that you are familiar with and trust. The cost is generally anywhere from $500 to $2,500 for 150-200-page book, depending on how much editing work is needed.
Note: This week, I was asked to evaluate a 220-page book manuscript. I read it and even did a little bit of editing, in a little over 10 hours. That’s around 22 pages/hour. In a previous blog entry, we discussed reading and editing rates of speed. It really varies, for an editor, depending on the shape of the manuscript. It is rare, however, that I receive one that I can just read for pleasure at 20 pages an hour or so. Generally, I can get through 4 or 5 pages an hour.
Q: I want to self-publish. How do I get my book printed and how much does it cost?
A: Send Request for Price Quotes to at least half dozen printing companies. Ask for samples of their work, find out what type of files they will need from you and choose your printing company according to quality of work, price and ease in working with them. (See my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book to learn how to devise a Request for Price Quote.) Your book might end up costing you $1.50 per book to print or $10.00 per book—it depends on the scope of your book and how many you decide to have printed.
I recommend:
360 Digital Books
Linda Castner
lcastner@360inc.com
http://www.360digitalbooks.com
866-379-8767
Action Printing
Adam Kempf
akempf@actionprinting.com
920-907-7809
RJ Communications
Bob Powers
http://www.booksjustbooks.com
(They are a broker for printing companies)
For lists of printers:
http://www.gain.net
http://www.literarymarketplace.com
Q: What is a reasonable price for a book?
A: Look at books on your topic that are the same size as yours in bookstores. What do they sell for? Generally, for a 150-page paperback, $11.95 to $14.95. A 200+ page paperback, $17.95 to $21.95. And this depends also on what you pay for editing, page layout person, printing, etc.
Q: How many books can we sell?
A: First determine who is your target audience? How many people does this encompass? Where are you going to find them? How many do you think you can reach with your message, say in a year? If you plan to spend many hours promoting your book throughout the year locally and at many venues throughout the U.S., you might be able to sell thousands. Or you might want to test the waters with a short run of around 500 to 1,000 and see how it goes—find out how much time you have to promote, whether your audience is interested in your book, etc.
These authors also asked me how to market a book. While I typed out a list of 15 ways, plus 30 specific venues for them, I don’t want to take up that much space here in my blog or that much of your time reading it, this morning. I can suggest, however, that you read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. There are 3 chapters with oodles and gobs of promotional ideas. We are also starting a brand new Book Promotion Course tomorrow (Monday, November 10th, 2008). Learn more about the course at
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm .
If you have a book to promote or you’re working on one, this course will put you way ahead of your competition in recognition and sales.
Order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book at
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html