WHY SELF PUBLISH

• LIMITATIONS OF MAJOR PUBLISHERS/LONG RUN PRINTERS


Major publishers have certain cryteria by which they must judge a manuscript. What will be the projected interest level is going to be the most important one. An author's work may be ever so good, but if there is not a sufficiently large projected interest level, it will not fit into their publishing plans. Such a decision is not supprising. A typical publishing contract to print 2,500 books of 150 pages in length can total almost $9,000. Let's assume you print 2,500 copies of your 150 page book at a base cost of $3.56 per book. Your cost is $8,900 total, excluding shipping and warehousing.


1. If you only sell 100 copies, your per book cost is really $89.00, and your total out of pocket cost is $8,900!
2. At 250 copies sold, your actual per book cost is $35.60, and your total out of pocket cost is $8,900.
3. Selling 500 copies gives you a per book cost of $17.80, and your total out of pocket cost is $8,900.
   
   Compare those costs with Books of the Way's short-run book publishing prices for a 150 page, softbound book with a laminated cover. If you order and sell 100 coppies of your book, your per book cost is $10.00, and your total out of pocket cost is $1,000.
   


• DIRECT CONTROL OVER CONTENT


Major publishers have to print a large volume of books to be able to establish a low price per book. However, this can bring in a difficulty. With large runs, if you need or want to make changes to your manuscript you will have to deal with all of those books you have just had printed. This may leave you with a lot of wasted books...not to mention the money you just expended for nothing. Or, you have the unplesant task of selling what you are not happy with, in order to try to recoop enough to pay for a second printing.

This is one of the great benefits of doing Short-Run Publishing. Compare the above with Books of the Way's short-run books. If you made a mistake on a short run, just rewrite and reprint it. The out of pocket loss and frustration will be much less.


• WHAT IF YOUR BOOK IS A GOOD SELLER AND YOU DESIRE TO HAVE A LARGE RUN PUBLISHER PUBLISH IT?


No problem! It is your book and you own the rights to it.

 
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