Get On Board the Self Publishing Train.

A station master stands, whistle in hand, ‘This train for e-books and print. Stopping at Amazon, Penguin Random House, Bowker and Ingram. Please check announcements for all other destinations as platforms may change from those advertised.’

First, it was a world where many books on a publishers back list fell out of print because too few could be sold to warrant a costly reprint. Mid-listers used to be carried by the 10% or so of Publishing House successes. Literary Agents almost never had conflicts of interest, because they never involved themselves in the actual publishing. Then things changed.

Lines were drawn in the sand. Short-Run Digital Printing, e‑books, dedicated readers and multi-tasking tablets on the one side. Offset, and later, Print on Demand (POD) on the other. That was back when e‑book sales were still an unknown quantity, when Mid-listers, their Agents and Publishers all remained loyal, when traditional and digital did not talk to each other.

It is no longer believed that the print and digital worlds run on different gauge railway tracks for printing, distribution and marketing and that ne’er the two shall meet. The market has evolved to a more mature one where it is possible to share, now that, best sellers apart, there is more predictability. So who do you opt for?

Certainly, some hybrids are on board the publishing train, they bring with them existing databases and/or distribution channels that seem to offer a better chance to Self-Published writers to grab market share.

Amazon, for one, has a comprehensive business strategy that must be acknowledged. It is the clear digital leader, 67% of e-book buyers go there first according to Book Industry Study Group, (BISG), and it uses its database of purchasers to great effect. Its knowledge is added to by BookScan sending its print data. This is, of course, a non-reciprocal arrangement, but something Amazon authors can access through Author Central. In addition, Amazon even reaches out to agents with its White Glove Program, (WGP). And, as we all know, the Self-Publishing market is definitely expanding – a 59% increase in US sales says Bowker. Newbies can employ Solutions Providers or go it alone as can Mid‑listers, if not lured by their agents to the WGP. More of this, later.

In the ISBN world, Bowker seems ahead of Nielsen in its dash for market share. It has its own self-publishing platform, incorporating, interalia, Vook to publish, an android app offering 50% royalties, and a widget with ‘look inside’ capabilities to rival Amazon.

Penguin Random House also has a self-publishing vehicle: BookCountry. The self-starter pack is free, except the author hands over 15% of online sales; the same percentage applies for $59, $159, and $249 packages, respectively. Interestingly, the service costing $399 does not claw back any percentage from online sales.

Lightning Source, POD, exploits the Ingram Distribution Channel with over 30,000 wholesalers, retailers and booksellers in over 100 countries. It also offers other distribution channels and, like competing platforms, provides clients with a comprehensive portfolio of booksellers.

But Amazon’s WGP seems the only one where authors must be agent assisted. As both co-founder of a writers’ club in Sotogrande and a new novelist looking for an agent, I wanted to know more about WGP. I spoke with Nathan Rosenbaum of WGP in Seattle, ‘This program was designed exclusively for agents… to streamline the publishing process as well as provide access to various merchandising opportunities for specific titles. It allows authors to leverage the rights they control, either on backlist titles where rights have reverted to the author or frontlist titles where rights have not transferred to publishers. The agent chooses the authors and titles to be included.’

Clever. Agents, stuck with dusty Manuscripts can negotiate their own royalties with their clients who are happy and get marketed. Amazon avoids the slush pile and gets guaranteed quality both in editing of form and substance. The WGP can be used for KDP – and/or their POD, CreateSpace.

Rosenbaum continued, ‘The promotions may include targeted e-mails, various campaigns (storefront, category and detail pages) and nomination for daily deals.’

These are shared with other promotions and when asked what the ratio was, Rosenbaum, slickly, replied, ‘I do not have those figures, but clients are typically satisfied.’

Rosenbaum explained that the extent of their marketing investment would be dependent on historical sales, suggesting unpublished authors would have less marketing, but agents could enrol them. Royalties were 35% or 70%, both with one year exclusivity, and for 70% the e‑book would be priced by Amazon for between $2.99 – $9.99 and 20% below print price. It also injects quality control. If you  are with an agent and have not yet had a Publisher take up your book, consider this option.

Not so long ago, Amazon, WH Smith, Barnes & Noble and Nook were red-faced over the sale of digital and print books that contravened their terms and conditions by glorifying rape and extreme violence. Apparently, they slipped through the post publication net. Digital printing allows instantaneous edits after the product is put on sale and after the on-line printers can be reasonably expected to police the quality and content. Another problem is vanity publishing sharks have reinvented themselves as Solutions Providers or POD Independents, making it hard to tell the goodies from the baddies. Readers and authors need protecting, but how?

Literary Agents and Publishing Houses could never provide editing services for Self-Publishers without seeming to promote the books, which is a shame as such edits would provide readers with the confidence to purchase. Readers are drawn to well edited, self-published books, but it takes time to find them. Typos, grammar mistakes and conflicting points of view sometimes make finishing a book impossible. If you Self-Publish, pay for a professional edit and tell your reader who edited it; force the paid editors to shoulder some of the responsibility.

Professional editing can make the difference in the Self‑Publishing world and once the sales show there is money to be made from what you have written, a well edited book can also attract a big Publishing House with deep pockets for marketing that could cover far more than a Self-Publishing/Indie Publishing blog page.

Copyright Tracy Thomson

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