How do our ‘launch team’ read the book pre-launch? Will we get an online version we can share via email?

 

Once the book is at the printer and loaded up to Amazon (if appropriate) with a release date and pre-order facility we send you four different versions of the cover, (three different sizes and a 3D one), a PDF, an epub file (readable on any e-reader), an order form for your book that allows you a 25% (up to fifty books) or 35% (fifty-one plus books) discount and an updated version of our marketing plan. We encourage you to offer all your family, friend, fans and followers the book to read and review.  

 If you send it out before the release date you will need to remind your readers  on release day to post their reviews on platforms such as Amazon (if they qualify), good reads (no qualification needed) and Story Graph (also no qualification needed). Your readers can also post to their own platforms and they can also send you, and maybe us, a copy of the review.  We do ask that after you have fifty reviews on Amazon you don’t give out any more free copies. We need some people to actually buy the book! 

We also send out requests for reviews to our team of reviewers. Would you be interested in joining our reviewing team?             

The cost of producing a book

 

There was an interesting article about costs of producing a book in The Author. It cited  figures for a print run of 3000 books from one publisher. They reckoned on a profit of between £0.46 to £0.21 per unit profit. Print per unit was costing them £2.50 - £3.00

 

The latter surprises me as I’d always thought that as we use print-on-demand our print per unit is higher.  However, my own Natascha’s  Story  is £2.78 per unit though a heftier book like Face to Face with the Führer is  £5.15. We do however have a better-looking profit margin.  If you study for example Natascha’s sales sheet, the sale of ten copies has made £8.15 for the company and £8.15 for the author.  So, 81.5p per book. Remember, on manual orders we have to pay shipping and a print run fee. Face to Face with the Führer on twenty books made £17.03, so about 85p for the company and the author per book.

 

Also remember my OH, aka our designer and I don’t take a fee. We take what is left after we have paid other costs. Natascha so far has cost us £77.4 and all bills aren’t in yet – we may be asked for five books for the Legal Deposit Libraries. For some books we commission a cover. This generally costs about £250. And sometime we pay editor and this can cost up to £1000 though averages £498. In fact the company owes us £666.96.   

Nevertheless, it all looks quite respectable.  

Book fair at Salford University

This was so successful that I have decided to pursue other opportunities to take part in book fairs as well as gift and craft fairs.  

You wouldn’t normally expect to sell a lot of books at a fair visited mainly by students but visitors to the stall did buy quite a few and it wasn’t just the staff that were willing to spend money.   

Perhaps more importantly I’ve managed to recruit more reviewers and readers.

So, I think I’ll now try to attend a few more fairs.

I’ve also decided to buy five copies of each book we publish, to take along to the fair and to offer in bundles.

I’m actually buying the books myself and awarding royalties to the authors as if the books had sold at retailer rate. So, it shows up on our books as the book selling at 65% of RRP. Of course, I can buy the books at a very reasonable rate for the printer and I’m pricing them to cove the printing cost and the amount we assign to authors. I’ll keep in a stock of fifty or so book and top them up on a rota basis. I’ll try to take along to each fair a selection of all the different types of books we produce.

So, on sales sheets you will see a Book Fair and it will look exactly like a retail outlet. On the All Titles sheet there will be a column labelled BF and this shows which book s have been bought for book fairs.

The fairs themselves can be fun and you get to talk to a lot of people so I’m going to put a few words about this on the Marketing Plan for Authors document.

Afterwards by Karen Kendrick

 

How we came to publish this one

I’ve known Karen for quite a while: ever since she was an MA student at the University of Salford where I used to be a lecturer. She has had several short stories published in our annual anthologies. She has a really distinctive writing voice. We managed to find some funding for this project so I was very pleased to be able to  publish this book.  

 

The title

‘Afterwards’ means what happens after you die. It’s not at all what you may think.   

Some notes about the process

This went through the normal three stages of editing. There wasn’t a lot to do as Karen is a very good writer.

The cover

Karen had a very clear image of the green scorpion. We managed to find one that matched what she imagined and that also made a good book cover.

Some notes about style

Karen’s strong voice tends towards the literary. Sections are short so it is very digestible.

Who we think the reader is

It is certainly a young adult text. However, many other readers will enjoy this because of the quality of the writing. The plot at times resembles a video game, so it may appeal to gamers. The protagonist exists in a dystopia though I am pleased to say there is hope at the end. Even though it doesn’t have a ‘happy ever after ending’ there is some hope at the end.   

What else

The ending is also open and I think leaves the story ready for a sequel. I hope it will come soon.

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF or e-book file.

 

Grab your copy here

Is there any wiggle room in the schedule provided in my contract?

 

 

Yes, there certainly is. It’s important, though that you discuss this carefully with your editor and the production team.   Everything has been carefully worked out so that we can dovetail the work. 

But we do allow a generous month for each part of the process so there is every chance that if something isn’t finished by the end of the month specified it can be completed the next month and yet there will still be room for that month’s task.

In the end, a book is ready when a book is ready. If both sides can be kind we’ll get there.

We do understand that life happens and that sometimes creative processes get stuck.  Key is keeping everybody informed.    

Royalty Statements 2025 aree being issued

 

That time of year again – Royalties ARE being processed

W are mpleteING all of the royalty statements and they ARE being sent out if you have gained more than £10.00 Remember:

 

You may use your earnings to buy books – either immediately or we can hold them on account until you want more books.

 

You may wish to pay part or all of your royalties to one of our charities which this year are The Born Free Foundation, Medical Detection Dogs, Search Dogs and Whizz Kids and Papyrus

 

You can also just let your royalties roll over to next year.

The 31 March is the final date for letting us know if you want to donate all or some of your royalties to ONE OFour chariIESy.

 

Royalties will automatically roll over to next year if we have not heard from you by 8 April.

 

Please let us know which you prefer.

 

You probably have a rough idea if you've been following the monthly updates.

 

There are at least four people who did cross the £10.00 threshold but are still paying off an advance and / or paying off  'author kit' books. Do remember that in the two latter cases we only hold back royalties on that particular book.

 

CafeLit (e-zine) is one of the best earners and if we have featured your book or story in a Saturday Sample or Sunday Serial you still get a royalty for that.

 

Individual book performance sheets are only uploaded to the drop box at the end of the month. (Often a few days into the new month) I may have a slightly more up to date one but it will only show extra direct sales.

 

You can request your individual royalty statement at any time but please do this via a private email.

 

Even if you haven't crossed the £10 threshold you can still use your royalties against purchases books or donate to one of our charities.

 

Several people haven't responded to the emails WE'VE ALREADYdseent out, so do check your spam.

 

We've paid out more than ever this year.

 

Now, back to other business!