The Ink Tree Report Publishing Newsletter

Book Self Publishing Costs (May 2005)

The Ink Tree Report ­ May, 2005

Dear author/publisher,

Well, we're pretty excited because our latest big sale came through! 20,000 copies of one book -- sold. We're likely to receive more orders of that book in the near future as well (up to 100,000 copies!), so we'll keep you posted.

In this month's newsletter we're going to talk a bit about one of our most frequently asked questions -- 'how much does it cost to self publish?'. This really isn't an easy question to answer, but we'll try and give you some info to guide you.

Here goes...

Joni Pypers (Hamilton)

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Brought to you by Ink Tree Ltd., your source of help for anything related to self publishing and book marketing. 

Visit us at http://www.inktreemarketing.com

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Marketing, Marketing, Marketing

Do You Want to Know How much it Costs
to Self Publish a Book?

This is actually an extremely open-ended question and believe it or not, the answer depends on a lot of factors. The long and short of it is this: you can spend as much, or as little money as you want to get your book published.

I know that sounds vague, but there are so many options available to self publishers today that the costs really can go from peanuts to 'sky's the limit'.

You need a starting point, and that starting point needs to be a plan. What you need to do first is identify your goals. Understand why you're writing this book and go from there.

If you're writing a book just to tell your story, or just to share with your friends and family, then you don't need all the fancy features that a mass market book needs. You can literally write your book on your home computer, take it down to your local print shop and have some copies printed and bound. It's as simple as that and it will cost you a few dollars per book.

If you're writing a book for a niche market, or to sell directly to the consumer (meaning you aren't planning on placing them in bookstores), it is definitely to your advantage to self publish your book, but this would be a good situation for you to consider using print on demand. Since you are cutting out the commissions you would normally have to pay to bookstores and distributors, you can afford to pay a bit more for printing so you can your print books as you need them. This way, you avoid having to print 5,000 or more books. In this situation, you also need to ensure that your book is professionally edited and designed since you are selling to the consumer.

If you are self publishing a book with the intent of creating a bestseller that is available to the general public in every bookstore in the nation, then you're entering a whole new ball game. Now your budget must include a larger print run so that you can accommodate distribution to bookstores. You still will also have to include professional editing and design in your budget, but you will also have to factor in a larger print run, book marketing and publicity costs. These costs are all variable and a wise self publisher shops around to find the the best service possible.

For both niche market and mass market books, you must treat publishing as a business. You are moving beyond the role of author into the world of publishing. You will become a publisher with the main goal of producing a profitable book. It's a business, so you must have a business plan. In that plan, you will include a complete budget that will itemize all of your costs. This is priority number one for you and should be done well before you finish writing your book.

Don't forget to plan for publicity and marketing as well. If you don't promote your book, no one will know about it. If no one knows about it, no one will buy it. Your goal here is not to end up with a basement full of books. Your goal is to sell books.


© Copyright 2004 Ink Tree Ltd.
 

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Tips You Can Use

You still have today to sign up for the teleclass: How to Find and Work With a Literary Agent. The class is tomorrow, but there are a few spots left. Here's the link for more info:

http://tinyurl.com/d8jhf
 

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Have You Heard? 

In the past little while, we've added several new articles to our free publishing article bank. Check it out here:

http://www.inktreemarketing.com/selfpublishingarticles.htm

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Mention My Book! 

Don’t forget to submit YOUR book! You'll find instructions at the end of this section.

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Canada's Northern Diamonds ...from rocks to riches
Available at: www.northerninkltd.nt.ca

Gayla Meredith, Author

More Info here: http://www.northerninkltd.nt.ca

* Recent Winner: Canadian Science Writers' Association's, 2004 Science in Society Book Awards (Youth Book Category)

* 1st Runner Up: 2005 Writers Notes Book Awards for independent publishing excellence (Legacy Category)

The first of its kind to provide comprehensive, plain language information about Canada's new diamond industry. In full colour, the book comes complete with over 200 photos, hundreds of facts, graphs, maps and a timeline.

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Crime Awareness 101

Scott Shaper, Author

More Information: www.crimeawareness101.com

This book covers not only crime prevention but what to do about it after the fact. Crime Awareness 101 address 11 of today's most common crimes including Identity Theft. The second half also covers issues dealing with confrontational issues and how to handle them. Also included are two extra chapters one on personal protection orders, and one on scams. Written by a former police officer with over 14 years experience.
 

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***The intention of our Mention My Book section is to give free exposure to self published books. Every bit of publicity counts! If you want to submit your book for mention, please send an email with the subject line “Mention My Book!” to us at: info@inktreemarketing.com*** 

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Inspiration

"Moderate effort over a long time is important, no matter what you are trying to do. One brings failure upon oneself by working extremely hard at the beginning, attempting to do too much, and then giving it all up after a short time."

Tenzin Gyatso

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To your publishing success,

Joni Pypers (Hamilton)
VP Marketing
Ink Tree Ltd.

For more information on Ink Tree and our self publishing and book marketing services for authors and publishers, visit us at:

http://www.inktreemarketing.com

Sign up Here for The Ink Tree Report.