Self-publishing
a Book - Liner Notes if You're Keeping Track
Self-publishing
a book takes a bit of planning - like anything else to be done well.
First of all, it isn't just the production
of the book. Assuming you have written a book.
You print a book, you have a lot of books.
You need advertising. Promotion. Visibility.
Your Market
You need to know your market. My market is
science fiction readers in general, Trekkies in particular. I am one.
A Trekkie.
Advertising
When you know your market, then you can decide
where to advertise. Starlog comes to mind. 233,000+ subscribers. Some
like me go back to issue number 1. Romantic Times also. Why RT? Because
the ad in RT will have a centerfold of TROY. 'nuff said.
What will the ads cover? What the product
is. Who wrote the book. The cover (for sight recognition). A blurb or
teaser about the character on the cover. (The character, not the man.)
How to buy it - an 800 number and a website URL. The Library of Congress
number. For booksellers, all that too.
Any other ads? Perhaps.
Slug line? "He broke all the rules to save
her...."
Promotion Items
Promotion? Poster (copy of the centerfold).
Bookmarks (Troy from the centerfold).
The bookmarks may need their own ISBN (actually
no - if they are given away, they don't). So does the poster (yes).. So
does the book(yes). The bookmark needs 800 number and URL. And book title
and author. On the poster and the ad I want to give contact information
for my model, Troy, as well. He wants his website listed. http://www.troysutter.com
OK.
Now what?
Announce to Booksellers - and How they order
Distribution to booksellers - posters and
a flyer and bookmarks. How many? Call RT!
They have this service. They can tell me how
many and to them by when. DEADLINE.
The flyer can tell booksellers how to order
wholesale.
This needs to go to the on-line sellers as
well. Amazon. Borders. Barnes&Noble. Etc.
And RT sent two e-mails I am still running
through! About 1,000 booksellers and about 450 distributors. Who gets
posters? one for each. Who gets booksmarks? 5 each to booksellers. Or
should I do 10?
Plus I need a flyer. They will package up
and distribute for a fee. Worth every penny.
Reviews
But before the book even goes to print - I
need to finish my edits and make reviewer's copies. Xerox - 2 pages per
sheet - one-sided. And pick the reviewers. Starlog. RT. Others. This is
a good story. It needs quotes. Nice ones. So I need to be as good as possible.
And then I can go to prepress.
ISBN numbers
And before I can finish the ad - I need the
ISBN numbers I ordered and am waiting for at the moment. (They came -
dig this - they sent a list of 10 numbers printed on that green and white
computer line printer paper! That's my log!!!! And about a zillion rules
and regulations. This will bne the 6th item with my name on it, actually
6th and 7th items).
Fulfillment
And before I can finish the ad I need to secure
fulfillment services - because I am not shipping stuff from my living
room! The printer needs to get back to me. What exactally are they doing?
One printer was doing it all. Is this one? Or do I get a merchant account,
and 800 number, and switch my website to a commercial level (about $200/month
basic). What do I get for that and how much per unit?
PrePress
And pre-press services - I have someone. I
finish the text in Word - she takes it to QuarkExpress and hands off to
the printer. Everything but the cover.
Service Bureau
And the ad service. Once the art is done,
it needs to have film (CMYK) made to the mechanical specs of the magazines
(ads) and the printer (cover, bookmark, poster). I have a lead on a service
bureau. Actually, two of them.
Barcodes
I also have to see if they can generate that
barcode mess that goes along with the USBN number. And figure out where
it belongs. (Back cover, and inside front cover on the book, somewhere
on the poster - like the back, and on the back of the bookmark. No, skip
the bookmark.
Calendars
Oh.
And a calendar. A buck-a-month for download
and the 12-month printed version. One for Jettison. And one for Troy's
other activities. We are still talking about this. I am after printing
quotes. And these get ISBN numbers too.
Final Filing of ISBN
And I eventually have to file the "finished"
copy against the number. I ordered 10 numbers. Smallest block you can
get. At this rate.....
Probably do a photo shoot in late February.
After the book is in bed. Probably will use some of the photos we took
earlier. Maybe.
Printer? Have one - talking to two others.
Reasonable quote. Now I must get quotes on the poster and bookmark and
calendar and shipping and can they do multi-media fulfillment. Big question
at the moment. This will trigger my getting an 800 number and where it
goes. Or maybe I do that anyway. (Sounds like it.)
URL?
http://www.JettisonSaga.com. Got it.
Just add the link to the "Buy Me" button.
Oh yes.And where is that going? Don't know
yet. Waiting. Thinking. And hastling with Best Internet - now owned by
Vario - because "sometime next year they will want me on a different
server - and will change my e-mail!" I've had the same one for five
years! No!
The seven (7) domain namesI now have cost
me $30 each to set up, $70 to register amd $15 a month to maintain a pointer
to. They really sock it to you! And they say it's free! Ha!
Uncle Sam
I need to get a business license. Probably
need to get a reseller's license. And ask about what else I may need.
Fonts
I will need to get CLEAN fonts. From Adobe.
Ultra blocky. Univers Black or Helvetica Black. It's the stile I need.
Only postscript fonts should be used. TrueType is a no-no.
Pick A Third Photo
Now I have a real hard task - pick a narrow
photo of Troy - to fit the 2" x 6" bookmark!
I will go now
and finish a death scene and complete my editing - the whole book should
be out of my hands by the 15th, make that the 20th of December (holding).
The ad copy and cover stuff along with it.
Fasten your seat belt.
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