Publishing

More and more people are becoming authors today.  They include singers, doctors, lawyers and even undergraduate students.  Besides the fame, the lure of becoming an author would be earning a passive stream of income in the form of royalty payments, which lets you earn money while you sleep.  So, what does it take to have your book published? 

It's advisable for new authors to visit more than one publisher to find the most suitable one for your needs.  Although terms may not vary that much from publisher to publisher, authors should walk into a publisher's office with their eye's open.   

First of all, find out if it is a good deal or not.  Talk to people in the industry.  If you know what the standard terms are and the publisher is giving you lousy ones, you can always say no.  Like all things in life, you have the right to say no.  Don't be so desperate as to take up a lousy deal just to get published. 

However, if you can't find a publisher, then you have no choice but publishing the book yourself.  It will cost you a lot of money and it will be quite a heavy burden, but it is an option. 

You would need a designer, photographer, editor and proofreader and how much you pay them varies.  A photographer would cost $300 to $3000.  Some people will just use a digital camera and shoot a picture for the cover.   

To save cost, you could do everything yourself, including designing the layout, editing and even taking a photo for the book cover.  Then you would just have to pay the cost of printing.  If you want to print 1000 copies of a 100-page paperback on a fairly decent paper, it would cost you about $4 or $5 per book.   

The more copies you print, the lower your cost will be.  Most printers will only agree to print if you ask for a minimum of 500 to 1000 copies.  After the books are printed, you would need to distribute them.  If you decide on getting a distributor, you would have to negotiate the terms. 

If you go with a distributor, you have to fork out money.  However, it would be easier to work with distributors because they have a network of bookshops across the country, but your margin will also be smaller.  The distributor will try to push for its books to be placed more prominently in the shops.  Publishers would need to work closely with distributors because this is the best way to find out whether stocks are depleting and when it's time to reprint. 

It is advisable that first time authors to find a publisher.  If you're publishing the book yourself, you have to do everything yourself; find an editor, copy editor, designer and printer.  You have to manage all that yourself.  However, if you get a publisher, all you have to do is write.  If it is your first book, you don't want to worry about other things; you want to worry about getting it right. 

When would you break even and start reaping the profits?  It's very hard to say how many copies you should sell before you start making a profit because sometimes you might be able to sell half of your first print at a low cost of printing and you might break even.