Publishing Basics Newsletter

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Ask Ron By: Ron Pramschufer

ASK RON: Do you think I should use a Christian publisher to publish my Christian title?

I run into this question quite a bit and it doesn’t have a simple yes/no answer. Over the years I do not think I have hidden the fact that I am a Christian and run my business and personal life, guided by Christian principles but I don’t believe that I have ever asked someone to work with me solely for that reason. I don’t believe you should either. One of the largest business losses I’ve ever incurred was at the hands of a so-called “Christian” corporation who I chose to deal with because they were “Christians”. Full Story

Coach's Corner By: Phil Whitmarsh

As Long As It Takes

How long will it take you to realize your dream, complete your manuscript, have it professionally edited, designed, printed and published? “As long as it takes.” This is November, “National Novel Writing Month,” when authors and writers sometimes challenge themselves to join the NaNoWriMo bandwagon and write a novel during the month. Are you ready or able to sprint through a manuscript by month’s end? Full Story

Design By: Phil Whitmarsh

Ask Design: “Hey guys, what exactly is a ‘Pre-Flight,’ anyway?”

One of the services that Self Publishing, Inc. provides to its book printing customers is a Pre-Flight check of printer-ready PDF files that have been provided to print book covers and interiors. What exactly is a Pre-Flight check? Any pilots out there? Full Story

E-Book By: Ed Matte

Challenges with Children’s eBooks

A number of authors have asked us if we can produce children’s books for the eBook market. The answer to that is yes we can but there are a few things would be authors need to know. First of all, what is considered to be a children’s book? Full Story

Editing By: Carolyn Madison

What You Need to Know When Choosing an Editing Service

Recently an author asked me: What should I know when choosing editing for my book manuscript? What a great question! Following are six key factors that affect the quality of a book edit. Full Story

Marketing By: Marsha Friedman

I’ve Got Publicity, Now Where are My Sales? Your Plan May be Missing Key Elements

Naturally, if you get publicity for yourself and your book, you expect sales to start ringing up. Sometimes they do, but just as often, they don't. Why? Because getting media exposure is just one element involved in marketing a book. When authors ask me, "I've been on the radio and in the newspaper, and it got me just three book sales, why am I not selling books?" I respond with a few questions for them. Full Story

General By: Gini Graham Scott Ph.D.

Creating Your Platform and Promoting Yourself

Since platform and promotion has become so important today for selling books or getting a book deal with a publisher, the big question that many writers have is how do you do this? How do you gain that visibility in a time when there is so much clutter from millions of self-published books and celebrity has become the coin of the realm? Here are some suggestions on what to do. Full Story

Publishing Basics

Purchase Single ISBN

Editorial Analysis

Manuscript Editing

Text Layout

Book Cover Design

Printing Pricing

Storage and Fulfillment

Distribution

Publishing Basics EBook

Instant Book Printing Quote

Recent Comments

"Hi Carol - Great point, though I don't see paying taxes on successful selling as a con. Wear your taxes as a badge of honor signifying that you've sold your books! Thanks for sharing the resources too. I hope our readers will give a look! ~ Phil"
— Phil Whitmarsh On August, 28th - 2012 - View Story

"Great list of the pros and cons, Phil, but you failed to mention one big con: taxes. The IRS will probably see Kickstarter income as exactly as you described: pre-selling books. That means the income from Kickstarter is taxable. The accounting software company, Outright.com, has an informative page about taxes from crowd-sourcing income. http://outright.com/blog/accounting-for-crowd-funding-what-you-need-to-know-before-starting-a-kickstarter-campaign/ Also, an author may have to pay sales tax on the sale of those books, even if they are digital books. Here's a list of 22 states (and Wash DC) that charge sales tax on digital products: http://taxesforwriters.com/do-you-buy-or-sell-ebooks-list-of-states-that-tax-digital-products/ Carol Topp,CPA"
— Carol Topp, CPA On August, 28th - 2012 - View Story

"As you've pointed out, Ron, it doesn't take a lot of work to ferret out truth since we have so much information available via the internet. The other day a friend posted something to a Facebook page which made a very unlikely claim about a candidate's statements. Out of curiosity I looked up the supposed references and learned no such statement or event had occurred. When I pointed that out to my friend she said she had just reposted something she saw. Due diligence, integrity, gossip, deceit, cut and paste, insert a link. Whee! Thanks, Ron, for being a good light that shines from New York!"
— Don Stover On August, 28th - 2012 - View Story

"Authorhouse, Author Solutions or whatever they like to call themselves, almost ruined my writing career before it even started. And now, even though it has been well over a year since ending my contract with them, they are still selling my book on many websites without sending me any of the royalties. I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole no matter what name they now hide behind, and I'd strongly advice others against them too. Penguin have always had a good name so I hope they're not letting themselves down!"
— Dee H Dodgson On August, 28th - 2012 - View Story

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