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Amazon Bullying POD Writers and Publishers Unfairly

This news is circulating the net as I write, and no one seems to know how true it really is. The report came to me via Twitter, where someone mentioned Angela Hoy's article, "Amazon.com Telling POD Publishers - Let BookSurge Print Your Books, or Else..."

I hopped over to see what the hullabaloo was about and, frankly, I'm shocked! WHY would Amazon do such a thing? Is it possible they feel they're being left out of the POD profits the big guys like Lulu and Blurb make? I cannot believe that. Is it that...they're the 800lb Gorilla in the room so...they figure they can do what they want? (IMHO, we all know what eventually happens to bullies...)

From Angela's report, "Some Print on Demand (POD) publishers are privately screaming "Monopoly!" while others are seething with rage over startling phone conversations they're having with Amazon/Booksurge representatives. Why isn't anybody talking about it openly? Because they're afraid - very, very afraid." Um...afraid of what, Angela? Getting shut out of Amazon? They aren't the only game in town...

Over at TechCrunch, the comments section is flowing with a dozen different opinions on this issue. Self-published authors who have printers they trust, POD printers, are furious. Other commenters are curious - about the truth of it all. And still others are calling for an Amazon boycott.

Workboxers at B5Media quotes Angela, but also has links to others who quote the Wall Street Journal article.

I like PaidContent's title, "Amazon Tightens Noose on Print-On-Demand Publishers; Insists They Use Company's Own Service." To quote from that article, "Here's how an Amazon spokesperson sees it: 'What we're looking to do is have a print-on-demand business that better serves our customers and authors. When we work with some other publishers, it's not truly a print-on-demand business."

What!?! Creating hardship for authors is good customer service? What if I don't want to use YOUR POD service, Amazon? What if my brother or uncle or sister runs a great POD shop and I want to use him or her? What gives YOU the right to call them "not truly a print-on-demand business?" (please don't pull the 'self-published books aren't professional' whine out of your hat - that's as patently untrue as assuming books published by the big boys are all literary masterpieces!)

What IF... POD publishers and authors just move all their content to Barnes and Noble?

That's what's being whispered (sometimes quite loudly) across the net. I have to agree.. If you're a self-published writer and you are happy with the POD printer you're working with, why not move your business to Barnes and Noble? Amazon can have the BookSurge authors. All the rest of us will use our God-given American right to CHOOSE the print-on-demand publisher we want, and we'll get our books distributed at B&N, and independent book stores and a good number of online venues.

In the end, if we don't stand up for ourselves, who else will?

Google's Unbound Conference Tells Publishers "Embrace the Change"

On January 18th, Google brought together "thought leaders and publishing industry veterans who are taking advantage of our increasingly digital world—from blogs and social networks to print-on-demand and online access." It was an "all-day love-fest for book publishers", as Kevin Newcomb over at Search Engine Watch notes, with Google "trying to persuade publishers that [it] could be their friend, and not a book-stealing upstart that just won't follow their antiquated publishing standards." There is a lot of fear in the mainstream publishing industry of Google's BookSearch. 

The conference included many luminaries of the new media, including Chris Anderson (author of "The Long Tail"); author and marketing guru Seth Godin, Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing (and according to Godin, the Michael Jordan of data overload skill, and Tim O'Reilly.  The innovators from the Institute for the Future of the Book, who blog at If:Book, thought that through the conference Google was taking a sort of a carrot and stick approach, telling them that giving away content will, in the end, lead to more sales, while making it clear to mainstream publishers that that if they don't embrace this change it will happen without them.  As Seth Godin closed during the conference (based on one account): "In five years you're either going to be the center of the universe, or you're going to be ... Pluto."

I've found a few more links out there discussing the Unbound conference.  I'm sure there will be more, but thought I'd collect those I found for you here (with some money quotes):

• Publishing Unbound, Google-Style over at Galley Cat.
  
  • "...what especially hit home was how publishing is not best served by a conglomerate approach - because how can one model be applicable for education, science/technology/medicine, non-fiction and fiction? Answer: it can't.")
• Google opens dialogue with book publishers over at CNET News.com.
  • "At "Unbound," the tech-savvy authors, publishers and analysts more or less agreed that to grow and profit in an increasingly digital world, the publishing industry will have to expand its boundaries."
• Free is the New Paid over at On the Turning Away.
  • "As befitting the zeitgeist, the power of the user will dictate the future of the publishing industry. Three segments are emerging in today’s publishing world – printed works, print-on-demand and inventive entertainment – in which authors create personas through multimedia channels, all of which are marketed by search, social communities both on and offline and workflow. The challenge for publishers will be to leverage these channels to create books that users will engage."
• Change is Now, and Free Sells over at The Long Blonde Tail.
  • "The time for (big) change is now. For an incredibly conservative, slow-to-adapt, traditional industry, this is no small feat."
• Four posts over at WebMetricsGuru, who blogged about each session here , here, here (Seth Godin) and here (Cory Doctorow).

Why Publishing Costs So Much: Part II

Today, following up yesterday's start of Why Publishing Costs So Much, we'll look at those fixed costs. Dave has outlined the details nicely.

Costs of Publishing: Fixed Costs...by Dave Young

Administrative Costs include reading manu­scripts and returning those not suited to the publisher's needs. When a good manuscript is identified by the first reader, it is passed to an editor who must read it and convince upper management, which controls the flow of cash, to allot the up-front money needed to publish the book. The editors need offices and salaries.

Assuming a go ahead, the editor must interact with the author while preparing the book for publication. All of this takes time and must be done in a facility that requires light, heat, rent, phones, etc. All of which costs money.

The editor must obtain ISBN and Copyright forms, complete them, and file them with the proper agencies. Eventually, the publisher will send copies of the finished work to the Library of Congress.

To be sure all the above happens on a rea­sonable schedule, while other books are also in process, the publisher must establish a job file to track progress and location of the elements (e.g., manuscript, data file, printing plates, approvals, etc.) during and subsequent to manufacture. Also, it will be necessary to establish procedures and paperwork to see that everyone gets paid for their contributions and that money owed the publish­er as a result of book sales is collected. All this costs money.

While the editor is at work, several things must be done, and each has associated costs. The book's cover must be designed. This involves preparing artwork, selecting appropriate typefac­es, and layout of the cover elements all of which affect eye-appeal and sales. Words must be written and illustrations prepared for the book jacket and inside-jacket flaps.

Why Publishing Costs So Much: Part III

This is the last part of our series on Why Publishing Costs So Much, written by my colleague, Dave Young. Today we'll look at Variable Costs.

Variable Costs...by Dave Young

Book manufacturing has its costs, too. Book printing is generally done on large printing presses, some sheet fed, others fed by rolls of paper (web presses). They're large, costly to buy, and must be operated by skilled craftsmen. The press occu­pies space that must be rented, heated, and otherwise maintained even if the press is not operating. Consequently, owners of these large presses try to keep them busy 24 hours a day by selling their services to several customers, just as a restaurant tries to keep its tables filled with paying customers.

A publisher must get in line to use a press. Then, if something delays the early stages of publishing, such as an author refusing to make requested changes, everything downstream of that event is affected. If the publisher cannot get the work to the printer on schedule, the press may sit idle at the publisher's expense. Then the publisher's book is moved to the end of the line, disrupting promotion and delivery sched­ules. Delays cost money.

In addition to assuming the risks of schedul­ing, the publisher must pay for several print­ing costs. Plates must be made. Press time must be paid for. Paper must be ordered in time for it to be manufactured, then it must be stored prior to printing. All of the elements used in publish­ing a book must be kept track of so that if a second press run is required (don't you wish!) these items can be found quickly and reused. All that costs money.

Printed paper is not much good until it is bound into books. The bindery folds the press sheets into signatures, typically 16 pages of text each. The signatures must be trimmed, then gathered in sequence and sewn (or glued) to the book's spine. (The process is only slightly dif­ferent for per­fect binding used when mak­ing paper­backs.) Cov­ers, wrapped around cover boards, are printed sepa­rately, assembled, possi­bly em­bossed, then wrapped around the signa­tures.

Large publishers do the book printing and manufacturing in-house. Smaller publishers act as contractors, managing the entire process and farming tasks such as printing and binding to specialty companies in the same way that build­ing contractors hire carpenters, plumbers, elec­tricians, and masons. Like a good juggler, they must have several balls in the air at one time if they're to make a living.

But, we're not done. The finished books must be packed in cartons ($5.00 to $10.00 each) and those books don't just jump into the boxes. Somebody's got to put them in there, seal the boxes, then move them into storage, perhaps in another town, until the books are shipped to the stores, creating more labor and storage fees.

Meanwhile, with the other hand, the publish­er is advertising the book to book dealers and taking orders. Advertising in catalogs, which must be printed and distributed, and advertising in space ads, which are printed and distributed by others, all cost up-front money.

Copies of the book are sent to reviewers, who may or may not review it. Still, the publish­er must write, edit, and print cover letters to include with the individually packaged and mailed reviewer copies. That mailing must be attractive, and the packaging is unique to the book.

Orders must be solicited from major dealers. That usually means more printing, mailing, and possibly even paid sales staff to call on the dealers.

Major distributors, who fulfill orders to libraries (a large market), must be catered to as well. They will require sample copies for their own review before placing orders. And take a hefty share of the profits for the privilege of distributing each title.

Distribution (fulfillment) will require paper­work to assure sending the right quantities to fill orders, packing slips, and invoicing. Dealer support services may include designing, printing, and distributing sales aids, like signs and flyers.

Returns must be planned for. Dealers accept copies on the condition that after a certain num­ber of weeks they may return the remaindered copies for refund. That's more handling, book­keeping, and warehousing. On average, 20% of books shipped to dealers are returned.

At this point, the publisher must find ways to unload the returns and unordered copies of the book. Storing them for a rainy day is out of the question; storage isn't free. They may be sold at a price below the cost of manufacture just to free up the warehouse space, which has ongo­ing costs.

Traditional publishers know the ropes yet they often fail to earn enough from a book's sales to cover the up-front costs. It's a gamble. But, profes­sionals win a few more than they lose so, in the long run, they remain profitable.

Why Publishing Costs So Much

This week I'm presenting a series of posts on Why Publishing Costs So Much.

A respected colleague of mine, who has been in the book business a bit longer than I, and who has seen times change dramatically over the years, wrote this and gave us permission to use it on this blog.

Dave Young is an editor living here in Rochester, NY. If you would like to connect with him, after reading this excellent article (to be presented in three parts), please visit the RPCN website and click to his name. His contact information is there. If he gives me permission to, I will include his email address in the second part of this series.

Now, let's see Why Publishing Costs So Much...by Dave Young:

There are four ways to get a book published: sell the manuscript to a traditional publisher, use a vanity press, work with a print-on-demand publisher, or print and sell it yourself.

When an author approaches a traditional publisher, and finds that the publisher wants to buy the manuscript outright, then award the author only a tiny percentage of the sales re­ceipts, there's often the urge to go elsewhere. What could possibly make a publisher want to take such a large percentage of the sales reve­nue?

Come to think of it, what could be so hard about self publish­ing? The manuscript file is in your computer, all you have to do is format it, get copies printed, and sell it.

Over the years several companies, called vanity presses, have offered to help authors. They'll professionally print, bind, and deliver to your garage hundreds of books (for thousands of dollars). "Surely," you're probably thinking, "I can sell the books via the internet or at meetings where I'll read and promote my book." Then again, what if you don't?

Other companies point out the high up-front costs of printing books in quantity and offer printing on demand (POD) as an alternative. They prepare the book for printing and, when you need ten books, they print ten books. Twen­ty years ago, you couldn't do that, but today's digital printing and binding equipment makes on-demand publishing possible. When you contact a POD publisher, you will discover it will often cost from eight to ten thousand dollars before the first book gets printed. Why? We'll talk about that tomorrow.

Of course, there's the option of doing it all yourself. You've got a computer and a printer, why not?

Before you choose, let's look at some of the details that get swept under the carpet when you make broad, general statements like those I've made in the paragraphs above.

Johann Gutenberg invented moveable type in 1455; that made book publishing practical. His invention started what has become traditional pub­lish­ing. Authors sold their manuscripts to publishers who had the skills and capital needed to manufacture and sell books. It's worked for 550 years.

The introduction of computers in the 1970s changed a lot of things, but traditional publishing is still alive and well. It's what the big publish­ers use to produce and distribute books.

The costs of publishing

When a traditional publisher produces a book, there are several costs involved. Some costs occur only once per book. These are fixed costs such as editing and cover design. Other costs vary as the quantity of books varies. Print­ing, binding, packaging, and distribution are examples.

Tomorrow we'll cover a quick overview of the fixed and variable costs associated with publishing any book, regardless of who publishes it. Stay tuned.

Seth Godin's Advice for Authors

What Seth calls a "short list" of advice for authors reads a lot like the chapter outline for another great book! Nearly every one of his 19 items could stand more elaboration. Maybe we'll get the chance to revisit the list items individually, but for now we especially recommend these excerpts:

2. ... build a blog ...

3. Pay for an editor ...

7. Think really hard before you spend a year trying to ... get your book published by a 'real' publisher ...

8. Your cover matters [i.e. pay for a professional cover designer] ...

12. Blog mentions ... matter a lot.

And the one that should crystalize the most important and valuable ROI a nonfiction author should be focused on (hint: it's not cash in the form of advances or royalties):

19. Writing a book is a tremendous experience. It pays off intellectually. It clarifies your thinking. It builds credibility. It is a living engine of marketing and idea spreading, working every day to deliver your message with authority. You should write one.

Read # 19 again, slowly, line-by-line, and let those benefits sink in:

Writing a book is a tremendous experience.

[Wtiting a book] pays off intellectually.

[Wtiting a book] clarifies your thinking.

[Publising a book] builds credibility.

[Your book] is a living engine of marketing and idea spreading, working every day to deliver your message with authority.

You should write one.

Now GO! Read the rest of Seth's tips . . . and follow some of the trackback links, too (some good ones here, here, and here, but the list keeps growing every time I go back, so explore).

Can Self-Published Authors Get Noticed?

We're asked this question a lot. Most authors want their work to be noticed. It's the first step toward selling, of course, but in some cases getting the author noticed may be a major goal in itself.

Usually, we respond with examples down through history, from William Blake to Mark Twain to John Grisham, sending people to Dan Poynter's extensive list.

But today we can't help but point to one of our own: Dr. Stephanie Siegrist. She's quoted and her book, Know Your Bones: Making Sense of Athritis Medicine, is mentioned in the holiday issue of Woman's Day magazine (Dec. 6, 2005; pg. 54).

It's also worth noting that the connections that lead to Stephanie being interviewed for this article came through her and Yvonne's blogs.

So yes, self-published authors and their books can get noticed. The trick is in

1. Producing a book worth noticing (Know Your Bones qualifies; check the sample chapters for yourself); and then

2. Using the available tools to help promote it (do we need to say it again? Blogs work! Check the Wall Street Journal article "Book Publishers Build Buzz Early, Hollywood Style," online version, or print version, WSJ, 12/1/05, p. B1, col. 5).

How Do You Write A Book? My Story

Post by George Kittredge

How do you write a book, especially when you have never written one before? Here’s my story.

For years I have suggested to many of my colleagues and friends that they aught to write a book. I have a number of friends with extraordinary, creative minds. They would be perfect candidates for writing an entertaining fiction. And others who have particular expertise, interest and experience in areas such as business, the arts and travel seemed to me to be authors in waiting. So I encouraged all of them to pursue something that they had never done before. Write a book.

Curiously, I had never encouraged myself to do the same thing.

That was until a little over two years ago. I was doing some volunteer counseling for a business-oriented, not-for-profit organization when one of organization’s leaders asked if I would be a presenter at an upcoming seminar/workshop they were planning. The workshop was to be attended by approximately 30 business owners. They wanted me to offer some ideas and tips drawing on my sales and marketing experience about how to promote a business and attract clients.

I agreed to submit an outline of what I would talk about. The understanding was that if they liked my outline, I would do the workshop.

As the workshop date approached and with me scheduled to be one of the presenters, I began to seriously think about what I was going to say. It had to be entertaining, interactive and provide each of the audience members with some lasting value. So I had to have more than just an outline.

In the weeks that followed I began to write down ideas addressing each of the topics in my outline - at first just phrases and thoughts, and later paragraphs. One of the first things I realized was that ideas can strike you at the strangest times. (Did you ever try to write something on a clipboard while negotiating a corner on a ride-on mower in third gear?)

Over the next few months, my one-page seminar agenda was turning into a book. And as this book began to unfold, it also began to take on a life of its own. I found myself, at times, working on four or five chapters at a time. There were some months where I did not write anything at all. Then I would pick it up again and write as the ideas came to me. Most importantly, I did not try to force ideas. When I was inspired, I wrote. When I was not, I did not.

As I completed one chapter after another (with lots of re-writing), my goal became just to finish the book. I’ve met a number of people who have started books, then put them on a back burner where they still remain. Finishing this project became important to me.

Early in 2005, I made a resolution to myself that if I was going to complete the book (and it looked like I was), then I was going to get it published. I figured that if I had spent all this time writing a book, at least I should give other people a chance to read it. Besides, it is kind of neat to be able to say that you are a published author.

I discovered that with today’s technology, publishing has become much more author-friendly. It makes no difference whether your book is the next best-selling novel or winds up as gifts to your family and friends. Anyone who has the desire to write can become a member in good standing in the universal author’s club. And you don’t need to print 2000 copies to warehouse in your garage either.

Thanks to the good folks at WMEBooks, my book was published and released this past August. The book is now part of seminars and workshops that I still do. And I have to tell you, it’s a lot of fun to have other professionals read you book and offer their reviews and opinions. So far, people have been very kind.

In a later post, I will share with you a mistake I made when it came to publishing my book and how I corrected it.

It took me two years (on and off) to write my book. Will I write another? I don’t know. But I do know that I will encourage anyone who has even the faintest desire to write a book to do so. I think they find it as personally rewarding as I did.

How to Write a Book

The most frequently asked question I get from folks who find out we're a publishing company is, "So, how, exactly, does one write a book?"

The 'how to write a book' question is fraught with emotion. When I hear it, I pause a moment to gather my thoughts, all the while observing the person who asked it -- because it's in that observation that I learn the true question behind the spoken words. Often, it isn't confusion over how to write a book -- the easy answer, of course, is -- sit down at your keyboard and type [or grab a pen/pencil, a legal pad, and begin) -- the confusion is actually in organizing one's writing to become a book.

I'm putting together a simple, straightforward how-to called THE 'How to Write a Book' Book with advice and personal experiences -- from a number of folks who have written books. Many of the contributors are first-time authors. I asked them to write about their experience, about what inspired them and kept them working until the project was done.

This book will grow, over time, as I hope to add more author essays. For the time being, it will be a free download on the WME Books website. When it gets to -- oh, 100 pages or more -- I will ask a small contribution of say $5.95, where 50% will be gathered in a fund for aspiring writers to apply for, and the other 50% will be given to a woman's charity since I write a great deal about women over at my other blog and much of that (including my current book) has helped fund WME Books.

The people who so generously contributed to this book will be thanked profusely, by myself, of course, but also by the folks who download (or buy) the book. I just think it's more powerful to read the experiences and thoughts of writers who have gone before you, than it is to pick up a Writer's Digest magazine and devour article after article on character development, or citations, or voice.

Writer's Digest is a worthy publication, don't get me wrong. I recommend it highly. In fact, it was instrumental in opening my eyes to the 'active voice' issue. And, I learned to 'show' not 'tell' by reading it. So, don't think I'm trashing any of the great publications, magazines and/or books already written to help new writers learn their craft. I'm merely saying, I'm taking a different approach. I want to show you how, not tell you how.

Over the last year, WME Books has seen some hard times, as any new start-up will. We've also seen many happy times. We've met some outstanding writers, lots of really talented people, and over the months we've learned that being flexible is key to our success. We maintain our belief that all would-be authors deserve respect and consideration, just as much as established authors.

Currently, we are going through a transition, redefining our approach to print-on-demand publishing. This comes from interaction with the numerous contacts we've made this year, via the net and via referrals in our local community. We aspire to excellence -- which means -- we will work with our authors to make sure their book is everything they hoped it would be. We will not publish each and every book that comes across our desk. But, we will tell the authors openly and honestly, why we choose or do not choose to publish their work.

For those few authors, and there are only a few (so far), who do not meet our standards (we need to feel confident we can market the book successfully; it does the author no good and WME Books no good, if the book is not marketable) we offer training -- which costs money, yes. We also give advice, suggest other publishers that might suit their needs better, and we offer encouragement, because the act of writing and presenting that writing to someone for a review, deserves applause, in and of itself.

I hope YOUR publisher is doing as much for you.

Stay tuned for the announcement on our THE 'How to Write a Book'  Book -- COMING SOON!