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Troy
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 280
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 02:39 pm: | 
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Another consequence of the self-publishing and technology revolution is that AALBC.com can sell the books of self published authors at price that is competitive with any other source and that still leave room for the author to make money.
Read the press release:
http://aalbc.com/directbooksales.htm
Unless market conditions change appreciably, in the near term, this service will only get better over time.
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 2936
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 04:05 pm: |
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Hummm. Well, Troy, maybe I'll dust off the manuscript and self-publish this novel about the paranormal that I have laying around, and hook up with youse guys. But I refuse to print anything more than a 250-copy first run! |
Troy
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 282
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 06:03 pm: |
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We can do that and bundle some of your discussion baord posts a make a book out of that too.
You seriously don't think you can sell at least 250 copies of your own boo
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 2938
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 07:47 pm: |
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I have no idea how many books I could sell on line, Troy. All I know is that I'd rather re-order than pay storage fees. As for bundling some of my discussion board posts, that's a project I'd consider, but somebody would have to assemble and "censor" them. I wish I was still young and ambitious instead of lazy and blase. sigh. |
Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 104
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 07:13 pm: |
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Hi Troy & Cynique,
I used Lightning Source Inc. as a printer for my novel "Where is the Love?". I chose them because they are part of Ingram which automatically gives publishers a distributor when choosing them. They also list the book with Baker & Taylor, another well-known distributor. Since my book is already available on Amazon.com at 30% off and at BarnesandNoble.com at 10% of without me having to get books printed up and shipped to them, I can't see anyone competing with that online. They order directly from Ingram, and Ingram sends me a check on a scheduled basis when books are sold. Plus they ship books relatively quickly, usually using UPS. I'm also negotiating with Borders, Barnes and Noble (retail stores), Cushcity.com, and Books-a-Million to have them carry my books in their stores by ordering directly from one of the distributors. Since I have a traditional returns policy, it's no big deal for bookstores to order and stock the book.
There are advantages to me ordering the book and selling it directly to the customer though. I can give them personalized copies. I don't have to split the profits with a middleman. And I get the money right away. But there are also disadvantages, like being responsible for shipping, competing with giants like Amazon.com, keeping books stored like you said Cynique, giving a percentage to a company like Paypal if you use them for online sales and purchasing enough books to keep in stock in case of large orders.
I DO plan on purchasing books for special occasions like my book release party, review requests from major media outlets, certain conferences and conventions, and on the rare occasion when I want to do a signing but the bookstore does not use one of my distributors. I WILL purchase books for retailers if they pay me in advance too, but I don't want to sell on consignment, especially if I can't view the unsold inventory myself.
When independent publishers bring their own books to a bookstore signing, they usually split the proceeds giving 40% to bookstores. I'd prefer to have a signing at a conference with a small registration fee and keep ALL of the proceeds or just let retailers order the book from distributors and collect a check from the distributor later so that I won't have to deal with unsold books.
I think I posted this before but there's a book called "Successful Self-Publishing" by M. Lavora Perry that really breaks this process down for you. You should pick it up if you get a chance.
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 2945
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 08:48 pm: |
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Thanks Emanuel. But for a dilettante like myself, turning everything over to Troy and his ready-made audience sounds good to me. |
Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 105
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 10:40 pm: |
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I hear ya Cynique. I hope we can find a way to make it happen. I love doing business with fellow black business folks!
Emanuel |
Yukio
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Yukio
Post Number: 943
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 10:51 pm: |
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cyn....when ya self-publish the next book, I'll read it! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 2950
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2005 - 11:06 am: |
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Dat's my Yukio.  |
Troy
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 283
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2005 - 02:59 pm: |
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Cynique, I actually meant 250 copies on your own, before you even get on-line.
My model should not be the sole mecahnism for anyone to sell your books. I would reccomend you get your book into the traditional distribution chain for all of the reasons Emanuel mentioned above. Lightning Source sounds like an excellent way to eliminate your inventory issues.
But, as with everything, there are trade-offs. Print on demand companies generally have a much higher unit cost than traditional printers. This of course translates to a higher retail price for the book and consequently, in this competitive market, lower potential for sales.
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Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 106
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2005 - 04:10 pm: |
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Hi Troy,
Actually, it was entirely up to me to set my own retail price. I set it a little higher than normal to allow for discounts while still being able to make a profit. Yet the price is not outrageously high (19.99 for a 272 page trade paperback.) Amazon.com discounts at 30%. I wouldn't have a problem discounting at 50% at a conference or a tradeshow, and I would still make a profit. Using POD technology is not the same as using a subsidy print on demand publisher like Iuniverse where they are the publisher, set the retail prices themselves, and make the majority of the profits.
The great thing about Lightning Source is that there is no mininum book order. I can have 1 or 10,000 books printed at a time if I choose. You'd be surprised at how many traditional publishers now use this technology. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 2954
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2005 - 05:23 pm: |
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Those are the kind of printers I deal with, Emanuel. Those which will print as many or as few books as you want to order. I'm not profit-driven because I am not willing to exert the time and effort it takes to blitz the market. The self publishing and distribution of my product has always been a small project for me. What I had in mind with Troy would be to send him about 50 of a 250-book run, and see what happens. If a book of mine had a modicum of an audience besides my family and friends it would be in connection with AALBC. Anyway, I'm still not past the thinking stage on this endeavor. |
Troy
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 285
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2005 - 09:11 pm: |
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Emanuel, no your book is not outrageously high. It is however relatively high.
Assuming you want to make a profit, the price you charge is not entirely up to you. Lets say Author A has a book whose unit cost is $5. Naturally, the minimum price would have to be more than $5. Another author, Author B, has a unit cost of $3. Author B could charge $4 and make a dollar while Author A would be in the hole a buck.
Sure Amazon is selling your book for 32% off, but they are selling many other popular titles at that discount as well -- pushing the price of those books under $10 (we won't even get into Amazon's Marketplace).
All I'm saying is that in today's market your book has to be competitively priced and the lower you unit cost is, out the blocks, the easier this will be.
There are some publishers books I can not sell because they priced their books too low and their unit cost is too high to support a 50% discount.
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Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 107
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 05, 2005 - 09:30 pm: |
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You're right Troy. However, I think my best chance of making a sale is at a conference or tradeshow face-to-face where I can offer up to half off retail if necessary. After sending off the review copies, I have sold a few signed, advanced copies to "friendlies" at retail. We shall see next year how the book (and it's price) is accepted in the marketplace. Since the book is under $20.00, I'm hoping that people will hear that it's a really well-written and entertaining book and purchase it regardless of price. |
Troy
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 287
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 06, 2005 - 12:49 am: |
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Well I can say that your book is entertaining while I'm still near the beginning of the book but your boy is shaping up to be a pretty wild dude. |
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