Self-publishing no longer a vanity venture -- Page 2

Self-publishing isn't all about money. It is also a good way to preserve a memory or a family legacy.

In "Macaroni with Gravy and Other Great Italian Dishes," Katie Catapano has collected her 87-year-old grandmother Grace's traditional recipes, along with her words of wisdom, essays by other family members, and photographs to create an unforgettable tribute.

The book was published by BooksByBookends, a small and inexpensive print-on-demand publisher located in the basement of a New Jersey bookstore. Part-owner Tim Harper says the opportunities and uses for this kind of publishing are virtually endless. "For a few bucks, anybody can share memories, knowledge and joy."

Some people think that authors automatically make lots of money, but that's a misconception, no matter how you choose to publish. Most authors earn little or nothing directly from their books. But occasionally an author makes it big. Witness J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.

And then there's former Florida bartender Laura Duksta, who paid a printer in Hong Kong $10,000 to produce the first 3,000 copies of her children's picture book, "I Love You More." She and illustrator Karen Keesler wrangled a deal with a gift-shop owner in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to display a few copies. When the books sold like hot cakes, the women contacted other gift-shop owners around the country. To spread the word, they did readings at elementary schools and book signings at community art fairs. In about four years, they've sold 165,000 copies -- an amazing number considering that in the conventional publishing world, a book that sells 5,000 copies is considered a bestseller.

A well-compensated, conventionally published author with a typical contract earns about 10 percent of the sales price of a hardcover book and about 6 percent of the price of a paperback. Romance writer Rebecca Brandewyne calculates earnings this way, "For a mass-market paperback book with a minimum first printing of 25,000 copies, an average return rate (books that go back to the publisher unsold) of 50 percent, an average $6.50 cover price, and an average 6-percent royalty rate, an author would earn only $4,875 on the sales of that book -- and 15 percent, $731.25, of that sum would go directly to the author's agent, leaving the author with a gross profit, before taxes, of $4,143.75.

Self-published authors can strike a much more attractive deal. After her initial $10,000 copy-print order, when the reusable printing plates were created, an expensive process, the price Duksta pays per book for printing is about $1 per copy. The cover price of her book is $16.

Of course, Duksta doesn't get that much from the outlets that sell her book. She points out that most retailers demand at least a 40-percent discount off the cover price -- and such major outlets as Amazon and Sam's Club ask for even more. She's also responsible for shipping. But some of her books she sells directly herself, and the return is considerably greater. Factoring all of that in, she calculates her book-sale bottom line at greater than $2 per book -- considerably more than she would have made if she had sought a major publisher.

If you do the basic math and compare the calculation to the example above (omitting the book returns, since in Duksta's case there's no such waste) $25,000 copies x 2 = $50,000. Or consider that total sales of 165,000 copies sold at $2 each for a total of $330,000. That's not a bad return.

If you are an aspiring author, here are some things to consider as you contemplate self-publishing. Most of the advice comes from Duksta, who now offers her services at $150 per hour as a consultant on self-publishing.

• Answer the question: "Why do I want to write this book?" It's important to understand whom you hope will read the book and why, so you can choose the right way to publish it.
• Have a distribution plan. Duksta says the hardest place to sell a book is in a bookstore. If your goal is to sell lots of copies, figure out where -- besides a bookstore -- your potential customers can be found; then think of ways to get your book in their hands while they are there.
• Study up on the technical details and the techniques of self-publishing. A particularly good resource is self-publishing expert Dan Poynter's book, "The Self-Publishing Manual."
• Don't try to do everything. It is particularly difficult to be both the writer and the editor. Find someone else to read your manuscript, and correct any mistakes before you send the book to be published. Correcting errors later will cost you a mint.
• There are hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of self-publishers. Shop around until you find a deal that meets your needs at a fair price. If you think you might need a lot of extra copies of the book, insist on the right to own your printing plates.
• Hang onto your copyright. Some self-publishers want to lay claim to your copyright as part of the deal. Don't sign anything that agrees to that. If you're confused about what the tenets of the contract mean, get a lawyer to look at it.