Self - Publishing - Things To Look For, Part Two

This article contains information for those who decide to self publish their own book. There are certain things that should be included in the package offered. It is the second of three articles.

We discussed four things in the previous article to look for in a self-publishing package. This article continues that train of thought.

Fifth: Does the publisher offer an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or European Article Number (EAN)? Most publishers now offer the EAN, which includes the ISBN embedded within it. This is comprised of a series of numbers and a bar code, normally on the back or inside front cover of the book. These numbers enable the seller of the book to identify the book, the publisher, and even the price within its database. You should have the ISBN number at the least. Some publishers will include this assignment with the book-publishing package; others may require that you go through the effort to secure it. It is easier to choose a package that includes it already for you. You do not want to publish your book without it. It also helps to track your book's sales, as well as inventory and availability.

Sixth: How much are the author discounts? Do they make it easy for you to buy your own books to sell yourself? A 50 percent discount should be the minimum offered. Most packages provide a number of "free" books as well. However, assuming you do your homework—and footwork—hopefully you will need to order more books. The discount allows you to make a nice profit on those books you sell yourself. In most cases, you should be able to double your profit per book—at least—when you sell them yourself to friends or new lovers of your work.

Seventh: Can bookstores return your books if they do not sell? Almost every self-publishing company will say that your book will be available for sale at any bookstore. While this is theoretically true, it does mean the store will choose to carry your book. You may feel that everyone will be clamoring to pick up your book at the nearest store. The fact of the matter, however, is that you will need to work hard to get stores to offer it. If you do your job promoting it as you should, however, you might be able to work out a deal with your local independent store or chain. They will be much more likely to carry the book if it is returnable. If they cannot, they will rarely take the risk. Beware at this point: some publishers offer this valuable feature with your package; others may charge you hundreds of dollars a year for this. Unless you sale a thousand copies in bookstores, you do not want to pay extra. On the other hand, this feature cannot be overlooked either.

Eighth: What is the retail price of your book going to be with the publisher you choose? While you may have a worthwhile book, if the price is set too high, when compared to similar books (page count and content), you are setting yourself up for failure. Some publishers artificially inflate the price in order to brag about their large royalties. However, if your book does not sale because it is too expensive, it really does not matter how large the potential royalty.

In the next article, we will conclude our discussion of things to look for in a self-publishing package.