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Blogs by Ed J.
I have been gone a while
1/29/2009 6:02:58 PM
As some of you know I have personal matters that have taken up a good deal of my time. My son has been missing since last September in Texas and will find him no matter how much time it takes. I have also put a lot of time into researching the publishing industry.
I have become very frustrated with the publishing industry and some of the tricks and deceptions many use. My book should have been published last August, but instead, I got nothing but very lame excuses. This led me to do a great deal of research into the industry with very disappointing results. Granted the first delay was caused by my co-author withdrawing, which is a shame since it was a very unique marketing item together.
Publishers take so much money out of books that authors are forced to price their books completely out of practical sales ranges to make any profit at all. Many publishers claim that you retain all rights to your work but at the same time take percentages of your profits and pay you royalties. The use of the term “royalties” is in itself is a claim to rights, just as taking percentages of your profits conflicts with owning no rights. They have essentially written themselves in as partners, often with controlling interest. How are they paying you a percentage of profits for something you already own? Did you know some publishers also attach rights and percentages to derivatives such as movie rights? The industry as a whole is a shameful disgrace and does no justice to authors.
They all promote they provide the highest quality. However, "Print on Demand" (POD), is not high quality at all. POD is the most expensive method and has the most variable quality due to numerous factors, primary being that are laser printed and do not produce the vibrant colors, contrast or resistance to fading, that ink printing does. Some book retailers and distributors are hesitant to carry POD books because of its lower quality.
The avenue left to give an author due justice was to open my own publishing firm. My first title will be out next month and if my business model works as designed, the author of a book would receive at least $3.00 profit on a book priced at $1200 sold to a distributor with the current discount rates and as much as $9.00 on the same book sold through other channels. A books price should be within “Industry Standards” based on the number of pages not so that the author doesn’t lose money after a publisher takes their cuts. Did you know most publishers require distributors/retailers to pay shipping on books at rates as high as $3.50 a book? Is it any surprise distributors and retailers require high percentage discounts?
Currently I have setup contacts in four States and India, England and France for overseas printing and distribution, so I'll just have to see how things work out with my first book. I'll let you know what happens.
Ed
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January 2009 Blogs
• I have been gone a while - Thursday, January 29, 2009
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