Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
That is a great idea, thanks for the info. I have a comic, animated series and a trading card game that tie into the world i created, and i do plan on a complete trilogy for the book idea, i am at chapter 6 of book 2., something like this could really help. I love the premise also, i would totally help those if i had the money. Once again thanks for the tip.
As of now i wait, i sent in my Cover concept art and illustrations. Now i wait for 2 cover art premises, with up to 5 revisions to get the cover as best i can since i could not afford to hire my own. I also wait for the interior layout to be sent to me for my approval.
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
I got my sample chapter, so now i must approve font, illustrations, name placement, etc. I get to see how the book is going to be laid out, next will be the cover art.
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
I now have the full interior layout, the only thing i want to change is the illustration size and how close they sit to the chapter heading. Everything else from the font and style i chose to the placement of page number,name of author and title of book, look great, i am so excited.
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
Full interior layout is finished, and i get to choose between 2 covers for the book. It looks like as of now the book will be 332 pages, this edition is hardcover 6x9. I will also have a softcover at 5x8 soon after.
Maybe i can upload the two images for my cover..lets see..
Oh, they are low res..and watermarked. When finished they will be hi res..and all cleaned up..lol
I will upload the first here and then another in a separate post.
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
Publishing prep edit has been approved, as has the interior layout. The book should be 332 pages, hardcover 6x9.
I picked the second choice for the cover. The black border and the full dragon did it for me. And it won on my facebook pages.
Back cover design is next. after that it is a quick series of tasks which should not take that long.
This thread is great for me since I am in the process of writing a curriculum for home groups that will become a book later. Thank for doing it!
1- What ways will you use to get your book "out there"?
2- How do you find an editor that knows about what you are doing?
3- How does the profit change whether you are self-published or use a publisher?
4- If you use a publisher, do you lose all rights to your creation?
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
1- The Company i used to self publish will treat the book as a online entity as well as traditional marketing( i got the Expanded Distribution Package). The package i paid for, will get them to treat it as a website they will try to make successful. And i will get the inclusion on search engines etc. The book will also be presented, and reviewed by, the small press buyers at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and other large wholesalers.
There are other options to pay for, such as publicity events. Money means allot.
2- I did not. I paid for the best editing from the company i used to self publish. What they do is hire an editor. This is how i can explain it better.
Pay for the cheap editing-You get a college student
Pay for the mid-range editing- You get a guy right out of college
Pay for the Most expensive editing- You get a professional who has been in the field for years.
I think it is in their best interest to get someone who has edited books like the one you or i would present. And it was explained to me that they would when i asked them the same question basically.
3-I guess the same way an owner makes more profit than his employee. In going to a publisher, you might get a contract for the book, and let us say possible books into the future. That might mean a certain amount of money up front and or a paycheck every week or month. Now granted a young author with no experience, or payed work history in the field, will not get the best deal. However i am not an expert as i have never been published. Successful creative people seem to always be trying to get a better deal, actors writers etc.
Self publishing is the same...there are self publishing companies that will get your book made for little to no money. However you start to loose your cut of the profits. I went with a company who offers a true (as true as you can get i guess ) 1000% profit.
4- If i worked for a magazine and wrote stories..would i own the stories?.. i guess that would be up to you when you were hired. Maybe you would be able to say,"hey i want the rights to do what i want with the stories i will write for your magazine". I do not know. What i do know is from the self publishing industry.
Self publish for little or no money, and someone else could have the rights to decide if your idea/story will be sold to Paramount to make a movie. In my research, i found a woman who self published her book for about 300 dollars. Now in the day and age of digital printing, when a book is ordered, it is created and sent out..so to speak. She understood that she would not make a lot of profit, it was for pride and, possibly a chance for something more to happen. What she found out, is that, if Del Rey books were to come to her and try to make a deal with her to publish her book under their banner. She has no rights what so ever for 6 years to accept the deal ( the self publishing company could though). And if she read her contract right finally, she would have no say in a movie deal etc.
However the creation is yours. after six years you can do what you want with it ( In her case) and be the sole owner. It is when you work for a company, like say Marvel Comics. You create a character, and they can do what they like with it. You will get creative credit for it. But will you have the right to sell your creation to a movie company without Marvel letting you, or taking their cut?
One of my favorite authors is R.A Slavatore. He wrote books for TSR and still does i believe. People are calling on him to make his characters and series of books into cartoons and movies ( Drizzt stories, Icewindale trilogy, etc). Anyway, it breaks my heart when he has to plead with his fans and explain, he has no rights to the characters. TSR decides what to do. He then goes on to explain how his more recent books are in his control. Yet they are not the characters his majority of fans want to see in a movie or cartoon. Make no doubt he is probably rich and well off, is he regretting that he might have no rights to his greatest creations ( His most selling books and characters within)
I think i have a unique and fun idea and the world i created is crazy,weird, and a for an adult audience. But i want to be able to be in charge of my destiny so to speak. It is risky, but i think it is worth it.
Welcome to my world, i am just finding my way through this crazy world of self publishing and i am not sure of every step i take. Which is why i made this thread lol.
I think all of your questions helped me also just by responding, so thanks for posting.
How did you find your company and what is it called?
Are you saying that even if i self-publish, I cannot do what I want for 6 years? Why would the self-publishing company have a say?
So when you self-publish, the less you spend, the more rights you give up?
I am concerned about Copyright Laws. I do not want to write my book then get sued from a guy I did not know had written something similar (My book is not a novel but a self-help books of sorts)
Out of my book will also come conferences and retreats. If I use a publisher, do they 'own' my idea and I would them have to run all that by them for approval first and give them some of the profits?
Would they also have the right to create things based on my book?
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
I started with some books. One of the best ones was The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, by Mark Levine. In the third edition he added the fact that in the time of his first publishing of his book and his third edition of it, he had formed hi sown company. So being a fan and loving his view on self-publishing, i looked at Mil City Press, as one of the companies i would research before deciding. My investors agreed that Mil City was worth the risk of using a new company, rather than some of the companies that have been out for a while. In the end that is who i chose to self-publish with.
I am not saying you wont be able to do anything for six years, however it can happen. Do some research into whatever company and make sure you can terminate your contract at any time. One of the steps that they are doing for me is Copyright registration..you will be by law the owner. It is the contracts the self publishing companies have that binds you to use their services. In any case you will have them or you yourself will have to Copyright the book, so it will always be yours legally.
Loosing rights?.. i was only comparing self publishing to traditional publishing. In a way that says, i self-published, i own it and i have the opportunity to make 100% profit. In going with a traditional publisher, in some cases you might not have total say in what happens.
The less you spend, the more profit you loose in self publishing, however that is only what my research tells me as i looked into this process. And in one case, some one who went the cheaper route, had to stay with the company for 6 years before she could do what she wanted with her book. However she is the sole owner of the copyright.
Let us say i am self publishing using the company i described. After a year i make 30k from the book. A traditional publisher takes notice of my sales and offers me a position with them. I can immediately terminate my contract and agree to let the traditional publisher publish my book. Also let us say that they offer me more than 30k a year, and are using their own money for marketing etc, it might be a smart move. I am sure i will have to sign a contract that states i have to stay with them and fulfill my duties, whatever they may be. They may want me to write other how to books, or in my case the second two books in my trilogy.
In some cases, you are locked into a contract that states you must use their services (Self publisher) for a certain time. So when the traditional publisher comes along, you find you can not negotiate.
My advice would be to read his book and learn more, i feel i might not be explaining it properly lol. I am not a lawyer, just someone who decided to self publish. And since i have never been published by a traditional publisher, i do not have all the answers. Go online and research more into the material you are going to publish, such as how to books. I hope i helped, as i have little experience with traditional publishers, and this is my first self-publishing experience.
When you refer to self-publishing company and talk about contact, and let them find an editor and market your book, that sounds a lot like what a publishing company would do right? (profits and "rights" not withstanding)
Thanks for all the tips! This is a great start for me. I will look into that book as well.
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
Yes,some of the self publishing companies act almost exactly like a traditional publisher. The expanded Distribution package i got, will enable me to be under one of their imprints. Basically, i do not want my book to have a "I self-published my book feel". So they have divisions which act as traditional publishers. If i am correct, i will be under Two Harbors Press. They in turn will distribute the book. This provides me with a way into Brick and Mortar stores. Anybody will be able top go into a Barnes and Nobles and order my book. Being under an imprint also gives the book a more legit feel, where some might be turned off to the idea of a self- published book.
I love the discussion, feel free to drop in anytime.
Gender: Female Location: When in Doubt, Go to the Library.
I'm starting on sending tentacles out whilst writing a new project; this is very inspiring and has resteeled my resolve. Congratulations, starlock, and thank you!
__________________
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
Your welcome and thanks for the support.
Here is the "Back cover sales pitch"....Which will be on the back of the book to entice potential readers...
*********
As an unspeakable evil surfaces, the only hope lies in the least likely of places!
The world has become lawless, and warring clans populate the streets of every town. But there is no doubt that the Addiction Clans are the most dangerous.
When Master Chong invented the five Addiction Styles and assigned them to five monks, he intended them to be used benevolently. But three of his studentsbastardized his teachings and have dedicated them to evil. Now they command powerful clans…and have their own agenda.
With the two remaining styles, Wun Lung, the Smoking Monk, works tirelessly for the benefit of the people, all while smoking his mystical herb. And his estranged half-brother, Yul Lager, the Drunken Monk, has descended into alcoholism and physical decay.
As the Mushroom King and his Clan Shitake launch a devious offense, only the estranged half-brothers have the power to battle his fearsome Addiction Style. But can Wun Lung pull Yul from the brink of self-destruction? And can the two harness their powers and thwart the Mushroom King in the most difficult battle of their lives?
The path to their destiny is fraught with danger at every turn, and their adventure is made complete by a host of memorable characters, including a shape-shifting dragon! Prepare for a journey of legend!
*********
As you might guess from that, my book will be more geared for adults. With drugs and all the violence, it is another reason self publishing is a benefit. I do not believe i would have a easy time pitching this idea..lol.
reading the book you recommended - very interesting so far...
1- I had heard that by putting it on CreateSpace (an Amazon self-publishing service) that you'd be exposed to great numbers. The book disagrees with that but does not say why.
2- "If you cannot afford a professional editor, don't bother publishing you book" that is a strong statement!
3-I have NO clue if the following request is reasonable since i do not know what a contact would show, but would you consider emailing it to me?
Gender: Female Location: When in Doubt, Go to the Library.
Well I expect the harshness of the professional editor is because editors know what works in books and what doesn't - they have to take lessons on grammar, spelling, and plus they know how to turn your idea for a book into an idea for a realistically marketable book.
__________________
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
Gender: Male Location: +40° 36' 5.70", -73° 57' 49.46
I have the option to pay for a professional E-book, which is compatible with most readers. My concern is money right now.
If all works out, i will have the hardcover version and the E-book version out at the same time. However if i need to save some money, it will only be a hardcover at first, then E-book and shortly after a paperback version.
What is definite, is a pre-order special for autographed copies before anything else is out. This way i can autograph and send them to friends and family etc. In any case i will post here with all the information when its available.
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Nov 7th, 2011 04:24 PM
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