“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 3: Two Ways to Self-Publish

This is Part 3 of my blog series on publishing a children's book. 
If you missed the first articles, read “Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1! and Part 2: Know your Publishers!

Now, if you are not going the traditional publisher submissions route, you must be planning on independent or self-publishing. This allows you 100% of the control of your book project and can be a really great experience if you are financially prepared and know what to expect. There are two ways you can self-publish: use a self-publishing company or go solo.

Option 1: By going solo, I mean creating your whole project from scratch, not just conceiving and creating the book itself, but also acting as a contractor for every part of the book production and marketing. Here are some pros and cons for that type of project:

Pros:
• Lower cost. It may be less money than using a self-publishing company since you may have more opportunities to negotiate various costs in your favor.
• You have options for printing. You can decide between Print on Demand (POD) and traditional off-set printing. POD usually costs more but you don’t need to buy any books up front, which means your initial investment is much smaller. Traditional off-set printing is cheaper, but you need to buy the books and store them until you sell them. If you buy small quantities, it’s can be just as much or more per copy as POD. To get the better price you’ll usually need to buy at least 1000 copies up front.
• You have total control over your project from start to finish and own all copyrights.
• You can spend as much or as little time as you want marketing your book.
• You receive all of the profit from sales (unless you have an illustrator tied into the royalties).
• If you are not a technology-savvy person, you can still usually do most of your publishing tasks without the use of a computer.

Cons:
• It takes a lot of time to do it well.
• You have to be a business person not just a creative mind. Some people establish themselves as an independent publishing company which is one way to deal with taxes and other business aspects of selling your books.
• You may have to hire an editor to proof your writing. I would not recommend being your own proofreader.
• You must organize and pay for all advertising, marketing, and publicity.
• You pay for everything. For a children’s book you need to be prepared for an initial investment of at least about $3 to $10000. These types of books are the most costly to produce because of color printing,etc. (If you are an illustrator you can subtract the cost you would pay an illustrator from those figures.) There will be costs such as shipping, copyright, marketing and advertising... all of that adds up. But hopefully you will start to recoup with your book sales!
• You will have to manage all of the retail sales tasks: contacts, deliveries, retail discounts, restocking, shipping...
• National in-store distribution is a very large financial investment and risk.

Option 2: Self-publishing companies are not new idea (the “vanity press” has been around for decades) but technology has allowed for a much different experience for those who choose to go this route today. The main difference between Option 1 and 2 is that a large portion of the book production is taken care of for you.

Pros:
• The cost is affordable even if not as inexpensive as going completely independent. As of Jan 2011, you can get a children’s book set up for around $1000. (Web sites may say you can get started for $0, but you are going to spend more on a children’s book no matter which company you use. Their rock bottom price usually does not cover what that really entails.)
• Most use POD, which means you are not required to buy a minimum stock of books, ever.
• You have total control over your project from start to finish and own all copyrights.
• You can spend as much or as little time as you want marketing your book. The companies offer some marketing services as well, including web hosting.
• You receive all of the profit from sales (unless you have an illustrator tied into the royalties).
• You do not have to manage all of the retail sales tasks: contacts, deliveries, retail discounts, restocking, shipping...*
• Your book is available around the world, on line at major retailers. The company sets this up. Shipping is handled by the vendor and paid for by the customer. You just collect the "royalty" check each quarter.
• Since you own all of the book rights, you can still seek a traditional publisher and pull your book out of the self-publishing venue if you get a bite.
• If you have less time to spend on the business details of self-publishing, the self-publishing company handles some of that end.

Cons:
• It costs a bit more than completely independent publishing, and you pay for everything.
• It still takes a lot of time and effort to publish and sell.
• You may have to hire an editor to proof your writing. I would not recommend being your own proofreader.
• You have to be a business person not just a creative mind. You need to understand how the retail business works so you can make decisions, such as how much of a discount you will offer a vendor to carry your book, etc.
• You must organize and pay for all advertising and publicity.
• You do not have to manage the e-tail sales tasks: contacts, deliveries, retail discounts, restocking, shipping...but you still do have to handle sales with local vendors. You must contact and keep locals stocked. The large bookstore chains will probably not stock your book on shelves, but people can order the book on site and pick it up at the store.
• National in-store distribution is a very large financial investment and risk. Often you can get the book stocked with the big guys through your publisher if you agree to buy any books back that do not sell or pay fees (BAD idea).
• You must be computer literate, comfortable with e-retail or email, and have easy access to technology.

If you’re still not sure if you want to wait out the publisher/agent game or dive into self publishing, here are a few more things you should know:
• Neither of these approaches are a money-making bonanza.
• Traditional publishers are less interested in risking their investments on new authors right now due to the economy. You could have a great book and still struggle to find a taker for it. It can take weeks, months even years. But hey, if that manuscript is going to just be sitting on your desktop anyway...
• If you self-publish, almost no one will review your book. Book reviews are helpful in getting schools, libraries and retailers to purchase/carry your book.
• A self-published book is sometimes not eligible or not likely to be seriously considered for industry awards.
• If a retailer stocks your self-published book, there is a good chance you will not see it prominently displayed unless you arrange some incentive for them to do so. The big publishers get the best territory.
• If you have a “niche” book, such as something about a very specific or unusual topic or a local interest angle, you have a good chance of being more successful with self-publishing.

SOAPBOX ALERT! About self-publishing vs. traditional publishing... It is all “real” publishing, but there is a stigma with self-publishing that still part of the industry. Self-publishing can be a choice, but traditional/commercial publishing is not. You can’t make a traditional publishing house choose your book or an agent choose to represent you. Yet, there are thousands of talented writers and artists out there who just can’t get in the door because the number of acceptances is so small. If you can self-publish and want to, I say go for it!

If you want a second opinion about self-publishing, read the article Self-publishing a book: 25 things you need to know  by David Carnoy. The USA Today article Authors catch fire with self-published e-books by Carol Memmott is an optimistic report about self-publishing e-books.

So now, if you think you might want to try self-publishing, check my next blog post for what happens next...

“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 2: Know your Publishers!

This is Part 2 of my blog series on publishing a children's book. 
If you missed the first article, read “Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1!

If you’re a brave and patient soul willing to submit your book to the judges and juries of the publishing world, you probably already know from your internet research that there are thousands of small and large presses out there. But did you know that not every publisher works the same way? Before you start contacting those companies, it’s important to know exactly what type of publisher you are dealing with and what they do and do not do for their authors.

• Traditional Publisher- A traditional or “commercial” publisher screens and chooses the books the company publishes and compensates authors with the royalties from the book sales. The contract usually includes an advance on the royalties. They will never ask the author for any money to produce the book. (Remember if you used an agent, she will expect to receive a percentage of the contract’s compensation when you sign with your publisher.)  The majority of the book production once a manuscript is accepted is handled by the publishing house’s editors and book designers. Traditional publishers assume all responsibilities for marketing and distribution of the book as well. Small presses may publish only a few children’s books each year. Larger publishers often have imprints (publisher’s trade names) which are like companies-within-the-company that specialize in specific types of books.

• Subsidy Publisher- A type of publisher that requires a total or partial investment from the author. Usually authors receive some royalties from sales, but the publisher owns some or all of the copyrights and usually retains ownership of the ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Subsidy publishers are usually but not always selective: they screen and choose books using submission processes similar to those used by traditional publishers. And like a traditional publisher, once the manuscript is accepted, the author has little to no input on the book’s final editing, design and marketing. Be very wary of subsidy publishers that are not straight-forward about their practices.

• Self-Publisher- A publisher paid by an author to prepare, print and sometimes distribute the author’s book. The author assumes 100% of cost of publishing, retains all copyright ownership and remains in total control of the project both artistically and financially. These companies usually do not screen projects but might vet them for potential copyright conflicts. Authors have complete creative control over the entire book production, and can often choose what services the publisher will provide based on what their needs are for their projects. Print-on-demand (POD) services (which are used by almost all of the self-publishing companies you’ll find online) allow for books to printed on an as-needed basis, saving huge up-front printing investments, storage space and trees. The publisher makes money on set-up fees, book printing and additional packages such as marketing services and promo materials.

• Book Packager- A middle-man for publishers and free-lancers, often used for producing book series and text books. A good explanation can be found here on The Purple Crayon:  Book Packaging: Under-explored Terrain For Freelancers by Jenna Glatzer.

• Vanity Publisher- This derogatory term refers to a less reputable type of self-publishing company. More shady operations are known for poor design, low quality work, and misleading contracts.  The costs are often more expensive for authors than other self-publishing options, and often the vanity publisher limits the author’s publishing rights and owns the ISBN and merchandise. Sometimes writers don’t realize they are being courted by a vanity press. The publisher says they’ve “chosen” your work when they don’t actually have a screening and acceptance policy, then later mention you’ll actually have to pay them to publish it.  Their web sites have vague information about their submissions policies and exactly how their company works. Some less reputable publishers also create their own books and anthologies and “accept” manuscripts for inclusion with no compensation to the author (other than the “honor” of being chosen) and require a costly purchase of the volume printed. This is a scam. Beware and do your research!  The SFWA (Sci-Fi Writers Association) has some great resources on their site about the publishing world, including this “Writer Beware” article titled “Vanity and Subsidy Publishers”.

The absolute must-see web site about all publishers is Predators and Editors which includes a listing of all types of publishers and links to their web pages. The site clarifies the publishing house’s category when possible and gives candid feedback about these businesses.

Now, if you are not going the route of traditional publisher/agent shopping, you must be planning on self-publishing. That is a whole other type of venture...more on that in my next blog post...


All illustrations created for this series © Kristine Daniels 2011 and may not be used without permission.

“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!..."

Question: “Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book! How can I get my book published?”
Answer: I get this question from people a lot.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be offering a series of info and advice on this topic. Let’s get started!

First, to writers: If you think you may eventually submit your book to a publishing house or agent, do not hire an illustrator just yet. This is often the first thing people really want to do because it’s “your baby” and you want to see your story and vision come to life. It’s really exciting...but, STOP! This is a waste of time and money if you really want to pursue offers from traditional publishers. Most publishers choose and hire the illustrator based on their own design and marketing plans.

Obviously, if you’re an author/illustrator, that’s different. You will need to submit the manuscript as well as sketches, samples of final illustrations and/or a dummy book, depending on what the publisher requires. Whether done electronically, in person or via good quality copies of your work will depend on the publisher’s submission policy.

For both writers and author/illustrators:
• Check submissions policies for the publishers you plan to contact. Most have this info posted on their web pages.
• Peruse the type of books they typically publish and see if the book you are proposing fits their niche. Some publisher web sites list the specific types of books they publish or are currently looking for. If you are a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), their quarterly newsletter is a good source for this type of insider info as well.
• Begin with a query letter. This article from SmartWriters.com has some helpful query letter and submission hints.

• You may want to hire a literary agent as some publishers do not accept submissions directly from the authors or author/illustrators. For more information, read the articles on Harold Underdown’s web page, Writing, Illustrating, and Publishing Children's Books: The Purple Crayon or read The Wee Web for a good concise bit of advice from the UK.

I have these two books in my library and recommend them for anyone interested in the children’s book publishing experience:
• The Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books by Harold Underdown
• Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books by Uri Shulevitz

So, if you’re still looking at tossing your book into the publishing ring, my next blog entry will explain what type of publishers are out there... stay tuned!