Now that would be a good idea!
Speaking of, donating one's book to libraries and schools can also be a way to spread one's work out there. It can be an investment, but it's a good cause and could possibly be a tax write off where applicable.
I actually had the idea to get some extra copies of my book, keep them in the trunk of the car, and stick them into neighborhood lending libraries whenever I come across them. I've seen a few in the residential neighborhoods in my city. Ones like these
I'm so happy you shared this. I plan on self-publishing my novel as well and I marketed this baby from the day I put the first word down. I appreciate you being open on your journey.
Of course! There were a bunch of things I wish I knew before I started, so if I can save a few people some headaches then I'm glad to have typed it all down!
yeah it's a weird part of book publishing we never talk about--publishers have a contract with the author where if they sell past a certain date or sell more than a certain amount they have to renew the contract to sell again. So they only have a certain window to sell those books.
To avoid having to pay to store all of those unsold books that the bookstores also can't afford to keep on their shelves, publishers have 2 options, they will "remainder" the book (most books get remaindered), so when a book gets remaindered, they sell it hella cheap to a discount outlet and just recycle the rest. I imagine that a lot of books that are in schools and libraries are remaindered books, which are significantly cheaper. (remaindered books are like buying in bulk, Deadalus is a pretty popular one if you want a cheaper hardback.)
The other option is to "strip" the book, which is to destroy the book, since is sometimes cheaper for the publisher than selling at a discount, especially if your book was cheaper to begin with. So if you ever find a book that is perfectly fine but has a stripped cover, that means it's a stolen book--because a bookstore will strip the covers off before sending it to get recycled. Usually pulp books and certain comic publishers.
Great posts!
Wanted to add that for Ingram Spark, I believe if you just do a print version first, you can keep editing without paying the revision fee because you get a chance to sign off on the proofs each time, refusing to do so can give you another chance to upload a file. The eBook version goes up instantly once you've approved it. Revising after that is what dings you with the fee.
I don't know if this is still possible, originally we released the print version of a Children's book and added the ebook months rather than do both at the same time (as you mentioned, they are weird formats to wrap your heads around so we needed the extra time.)
This was before Ingram Spark changed their UI so unsure if you have to do all the files at one time.
For colour quality, the standard wasn't too bad and is half the cost of the premium (which really shoots up the unit cost).
Hope adding that is of some help to people.
We quietly released our comic after originally having it set for May 2020. All shows were cancelled at that point but we'll figure it out when the world opens again.
Brilliant! I'll definitely try that for sure next time. Most of the revisions I had to pay for went to the ebook so if I can put the actual file off until the very end, that'd be great!
When I uploaded, it had the fields to upload the print and ebook files on the same page, so I thought it was mandatory to have both at the same time. @_@
Quickly, I would just like to add something. CreateSpace vs LuLu
My wife and her writing circle have self-published their books for the last eight years or so. They sell physical copies at convention dealer tables, so bookstore viability is not much of a concern. For the actual printing, they have tried two print-on-demand services, first Lulu.com and then Amazon's CreateSpace.
Their experience with Lulu was mixed. The books arrived looking good, but they were very frustrated with the user interface at Lulu. The formating of the actual text to make it readable was their problem. I should also note that Lulu will print anything. I've known gamers to print their copies of the fan-made new edition of the Star Wars roleplaying game and been very pleased with the result.
The ladies tried CreateSpace and never looked back. The user interface was far easier for them to master. I think.that Amazon created slightly more print errors though.
Both systems have their own learning curve. Both systems have their own fans. Both companies did produce some copies with printing errors, but both companies were responsive to complaints and replaced the error copies at no charge.
@Zaboem Thanks for the addition!
Can I ask what year they used Lulu? I published my 18+ comic with them this past October (since I had heard they have few restrictions, and it would seem so. lol) and found the interface to be fairly streamlined, much better compared to Ingram.
I will also add that I had ordered some author copies, first as proofs, and then a couple for myself. I received one with a printing error on the cover, but I contacted them and they sent me a replacement free of charge some weeks later.
And for anyone curious, Lulu does have a wider selection of papers for paperback (though still only single weight covers, choice of glossy or matte) and offers hardcover too.
A pic of Heavy Horns in paperback
Update: I finally got my first payments from Ingram!
They take 90 days from when the sale is logged to issue your earnings, so it's a WAIT. They will send you a sales summary ahead of time, so you get to see that number. But the greatest anticipation was waiting for the amount to show up in my paypal, mostly because I was worried if it would go smoothly or not.
The payments are separated by the avenue in which it's earned. So like each various ebook platform and print sales will have its own transaction in your account (I think sales in a country outside of your own will also be issued separately, since they are independently logged too). It's annoying, but it's also helpful for anyone who wants to know exactly their earning from each platform.
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