A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Types of Publishers and Choosing among Them (Excerpt from Publishing for Smarties)


 


Types of Publishers and Choosing among Them

Excerpt from Publishing for Smarties

Publishers differ in size and readership. Some of the ways in which size and readership cause publishers to differ include the following: 

  •  advances; 
  •  royalties; 
  • financial investment; 
  • author discounts and complimentary copies; 
  • editing of books; 
  • Books in Print (Bowker/ISBN); 
  • Library of Congress (LOC): copyright and the LOC number; 
  •  book reviews; 
  • wholesaling & distribution;
  • bookstores; 
  • advertising; 
  • marketing & sales; and 
  • keeping books in print. 

Small presses will handle many of these items differently from large presses. Vanity publishers take a very different approach; of course, with self-publishing much does not apply because you are on your own. 
The question as to how long it will take from the time you contact a publisher, get a contract, go through the preproduction and production processes, and end up with a book in hand is answered in so many different ways that it is not really a matter of comparison and choice. Large presses can be surprisingly speedy when it comes to a “hot” topic. Indeed, in one case, one of the two largest academic publishers, with whom I was publishing a first book (with that publisher), so badly wanted to have the seminal work in the field represented by my book that it sent the book out for quick turnaround typesetting, resulting in a book in hand less than six months after I delivered the manuscript, and that was less than a year after the contract was signed. Needless to say, that book did, indeed, become the seminal work in that field.

Read more posts about publishing HERE.

 Sign up for the MSI Press monthly newsletter with information about new releases, tips for writing, and more HERE

 (Publishing for Smarties: How to Find a Publisher available from MSI Press LLC; discount of 25% with coupon code FF25; currently on sale for $5, but that offer will not last forever).



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Memoriam: Carl Don Leaver

Image
  1948-2021 It is with great sadness that MSI Press notes the death of Carl Leaver, CEO of the Press and typesetter and graphic designer par excellence . Many authors have expressed not only condolences but also a sense of legacy from covers he designed that they love.  Here is his obituary: On August 16, 2021, Carl Don Leaver of San Juan Bautista passed into eternal rest. A forester with the US Forest Service in Idaho and Montana, he turned to nature photography while working in the Bitterroot National Forest. His photographs graced national magazine covers and on a weekly basis the local paper of Hamilton, MT, the Ravalli Republican. He later worked on photography projects for the US Army (AFEES) and taught photography at the New York Institute of Technology in Amman, Jordan. His final career change led him to computer graphics and publishing as co-owner of MSI Press LLC; his many typeset books and book covers have helped MSI Press authors win a large number of awards over the years,
Read more

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Book Marketing vs Book Promotion

Image
It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  Today's post looks at the difference between book marketing and book promotion, two terms that are frequently confused. Leading to the confusion is that some of the same activities are needed for both. In fact, good marketing is dependent upon good promotion. Perhaps the essential difference is that marketing focuses on sales, and promotion focuses on awareness --  noting that without awareness, sales generally do not happen. Book Marketing Book marketing includes promotion, sales, and increasing awareness of the availability of the book. It generally starts with a marketing plan that identifies the target audiences and selects marketing t
Read more

Author in the news: Gregg Bagdade participates in podcast, "Chicago FireWives: Married to the Job

Image
  Gregg Bagdade, author of Mental Health Mayday , recently participated in a podcast called "Chicago FireWives: Married to the Job." Listen to it HERE . For more posts about Gregg and his book, click HERE . Award Literary Titan Gold Award Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. 
Read more