FAQs
What Is Self-Publishing?
"Self-publishing" is a form of publication in which the author pays for the cost of manufacturing and selling his or her own books then keeps the money from the book sales. If successful, self-publishing can lead to distribution or publication by a commercial (traditional) publisher.
What is an Independent Publisher?
Independent Publishers are defined as publishers that are not part of large conglomerates or multinational corporations. Defined this way, these presses make up approximately half of the market share of the book publishing industry. Robertson Publishing is an Independent Publisher.
Why Publish with an Independent Publisher?
Many choose using and Independent Publisher because this provides the writer more control of the finished product. A commercial (traditional) publisher may require revisions, editing changes, cuts to a manuscript, etc., that the writer prefers not to make. A writer also has little control over a book's design or cover, or in the promotion process (e.g., making sure that the book is reviewed or advertised in publications that target its most likely readers).
If a book is particularly "timely", a writer may choose self-publishing via an Independent Publisher because this provides a means of getting the book on the market immediately. Commercial print publishers may take as long as two years (or longer) to bring a book to market after it has been accepted, while an Independent publisher could get that same book to the marketplace in a few weeks.
Although many books are published each year by the traditional houses, a thousand times that many are not published, often just because:
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their book list is full. |
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your book doesn't suit our needs at this time (i.e., you wrote a cookbook, and they just published two cookbooks, which may not have been as good as yours, but the publisher already committed.) |
What Are the Advantages of Using an Independent Publisher?
The advantages of self-publishing are numerous: |
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You retain full control over the content, design, and marketing of your book. |
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You retain all rights to your manuscript (with the exception that self-publishing is itself a use of "publication" rights; you cannot then sell a book to a publisher as a "new," unpublished work.) |
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You retain all revenues earned from the sale of your books. |
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You may be able to exploit markets that a larger commercial publisher would overlook or ignore, because of your special expertise in a particular area or simply because of your commitment to your book. |
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Your book may have a greater chance of success simply because you're more committed to the process of promoting it than a publisher who has hundreds of other titles. |
What Is Involved when using an Independent Publisher?
The author is involved in a list of tasks: |
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Prepublication: |
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Edit or obtain editing for your manuscript |
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Proofread or obtain proofreading for your manuscript |
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Obtain any artwork or illustrations you wish to include |
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Publication Process: |
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Format manuscript (design interior layout, including appropriate margins, headers/footers, typeface, interior art/graphics, etc.) |
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Provide "front matter" (e.g., table of contents, copyright page, etc.) and back matter, if any. |
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Provide or obtain cover art; design front and back covers (including "cover blurbs" or reviews) and spine. |
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For print books: Obtain printing quotes (including trim size, number of pages, binding, paper quality, etc.) Determine how manuscript must be delivered to printer (often in a specific electronic format such as "Press-Ready" PDF). Arrange/pay for printing and delivery of finished books. |
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Post-Publication: |
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Continue with ongoing market campaign. |
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Send books to reviewers. |
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Handle order fulfillment: Receive orders, process payments, invoice customers for amounts due, package and ship books. |
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Electronic books: |
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Handle order fulfillment: Receive orders, process payments, invoice customers for amounts due, ship or transmit books. |
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Marketing (Ongoing): |
Your marketing campaign begins before you even contact a printer, and continues for as long as you remain a publisher (or are actively attempting to sell your books). |
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Bookkeeping (Ongoing): |
Like your marketing efforts, your bookkeeping efforts must begin before you ever print that first book. |
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Develop a system of tracking expenses and income related to your press. Keep these records separate from personal finances and any other "business" finances (such as freelance writing). (For more information on setting up a bookkeeping system, see Handling Writing Income and Expenses.) |
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Open a separate business bank account. |
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Know what will be required for income-tax reporting. |
Do I Have to Do This All By Myself?
The good news is that you DON'T have to do everything yourself — and you probably shouldn't. One key to being successful is knowing what you can do effectively yourself -- and what you should delegate to others. Many writers, for example, are not skilled at graphic design or artwork. Many prefer to hire an editor or proofreader for the final stages of manuscript development. And since self-publishing involves some complex bookkeeping tasks, using an accountant to prepare your taxes is always a good idea.
What Types of Books Are Best-Suited for Self-Publishing?
Tightly targeted nonfiction books are still the best bet for self-publishing. The most successful writers are those who (a) are experts in their field and (b) are familiar with the target audience for their books. It can be more difficult to persuade a commercial publisher to accept a book that has a relatively small target audience — which makes this type of publishing the ideal venue for this type of book.
Books for which the author has a "built-in" market or audience (which often fall into the previous category) are also likely to do well. If, for example, you regularly speak or teach on a particular topic, you may be able to take advantage of that audience by self-publishing a book that you can market at your talks or seminars. You might even be able to publish a book that you can use as a "required text" in your classes. If you belong to a particular professional organization, this can also provide you with a built-in "market".
To be successful, you must have the willingness to make an investment in promoting that product.
Can I Publish My Book and Then Sell it to a Commercial (Traditional) Publisher?
Many writers believe that by self-publishing a book, they make it more attractive to a commercial publisher than a mere manuscript. They believe that a traditional publisher will be impressed by the sight of an actual, published book.
If you can demonstrate that there is (a) a significant market for your book, and (b) that you have been successful in reaching that market, you may find that you can interest a publisher in taking over the title. The key lies in PROVING that the book can sell. If, as a self-publisher, you're able to sell two or three thousand copies, you will have demonstrated that the book has a market. In other words, before you can sell your self-published book to a commercial publisher, you have to become a successful self-publisher!
What type of publishing services does Robertson Publishing provide?
Quality Trade Paperbacks and Hardbacks
A professional, quality trade paperbacks with a custom four-color cover and hardbacks with or without a dust cover. For each book, we assign an ISBN and Bar Code, list it in Ingram Books and in the databases of major book wholesalers.
Broad Distribution
Robertson Publishing titles are available through our distribution channel here in the US and in the UK. Books can be ordered from Ingram Books, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Bertrams, and Gardners. While there is never a guarantee of placement in brick-and-mortar stores, your book is available for consumers to order from multiple outlets upon publication.
Shorter Production Time
Shorter than that of traditional publishers, our current production process usually takes a few weeks. After production is complete, give our partners and online booksellers 3-4 weeks to list your book in their databases and you're a published author.
Will Robertson Publishing publish any book regardless of its content?
We will not publish books that violate or infringe upon any personal or proprietary right, including copyrights, trademark rights, trade secret rights, contract rights, privacy rights, or publicity rights of any persons. In addition, we will not publish works that are defamatory, pornographic, obscene to a degree that they would not be carried by a traditional trade bookstore. Books cannot, in any way include recipes, formulae, instructions, or recommendations that may be injurious to any reader, user, or third person. We do not publish works that are in the public domain.
We also reserve the right to decline or discontinue publication if a work is deemed to have a risk of litigation or other adverse commercial consequences.
Once you publish my book can I have it published elsewhere?
Yes. Your agreement with Robertson Publishing is non-exclusive. You are free to print your book elsewhere, at any time. However, the other publisher may ask you to grant them exclusive rights.
Which Is Better, Print or e-Book Publishing?
The answer to this question is "it depends." Each format has advantages and disadvantages.
The primary advantage of print publication is the simple fact that print books have a much wider audience than electronic books, regardless of the topic or genre. Statistics indicate that only 14% of ALL books sold in the U.S. are sold through electronic channels, and e-books constitute only a tiny fraction of that amount. This means that the vast majority of the book-buying public (and your potential market) still prefers physical books and buys them through non-electronic channels.
It is also much easier to have print books reviewed (either by major publications or by special-interest magazines), accepted by libraries, and (occasionally) carried in bookstores. While it's difficult for self-publishers to persuade bookstores to carry their print titles, it's almost impossible to persuade them to carry e-books. Finally, you're more likely to find opportunities for "quantity sales" of a print book — e.g., sales to professional organizations, groups, classes, etc.
The primary advantage of electronic books is the low cost (or, indeed, near absence of cost) to produce them. Even if you choose to pay for professional cover design (a good idea), your cost per book will be extremely low. An e-book may exist as nothing more than a computer file that can be e-mailed to the customer, or downloaded from a website. Even if you choose to distribute the book on disk or CD-ROM, your production costs are far less than for a print book (as are your shipping costs). You will also tend to sell more books at retail, as there are few avenues for "quantity sales" of e-books (which could also be considered a disadvantage!).
So, again, the answer is "it depends" — on what you are willing to invest and what you hope to gain from that investment. It also depends on the market -- some markets may be well-suited to electronic books, while others may contain a larger percentage of "traditional" readers who are less likely to buy an e-book. To answer this question, therefore, you'll need to conduct your own market research to determine where your readers are -- and which format will be most likely to appeal to that readership.
What is the difference between "regular" and "POD" (Print-on-Demand/Digital Press) printing?
Regular book printing (offset printing) is done either by a sheet-fed press or a web press.
Sheet-fed presses use a stack of large sheets of paper that will later be folded and trimmed to make a "signature." Signatures are groups of pages that books are made of. Each signature has a certain number of pages, always divisible by 8. The number of pages in a signature depends on the size of the book. Smaller books may be printed in signatures of 32 pages, larger books as few as 8 pages. Sheet-fed presses use printing plates and ink, and are best suited to medium-sized press runs, 500 to 7,500 copies.
Web presses also use plates and ink but the paper comes off huge rolls and is cut to sheet size after being printed. Then the sheets are folded and trimmed as sheet-fed output is. Web presses are very fast and are best suited to long press runs, more than 7,500 copies.
POD as it is incorrectly termed, is really better called "digital press." Digital press is best suited for short-run work. The initial set up work with digital press is less expensive than offset because there are no printing plates and no ink. The material is supplied to the printer as a digital (computer) file, which is downloaded into the digital press. The books are printed by a machine that is somewhat like a copy machine, using small sheets of paper and toner rather than ink.
Now, since books are produced individually by digital press, many titles can be in the que at any given time, each with a different number of copies to be printed. This ability gives rise to the Print on Demand (POD) feature that allows a bookstore to order a single copy of a listed book for a customer request. Publishers whose books are stored electronically in digital press data banks are able to order the number of books they want (PQN - print quantity needed) for any upcoming event or sales promotion. They can also stock their titles with wholesalers or distributors just as they would have had they had a larger, offset press run.
How much will it cost to produce my book?
Our smallest full color publication (8 page, 8.5" x 8.5") is $2.50 per book. Our smallest black and white publication with full color cover (48 page, 5"x8" to 7.5"x9.25") is $3.83 per book. The maximum page count we can process is 828. The cost to produce your book will depend on whether your interior pages are black and white or color, the total number of pages, and the difficulty of the project. Call us with the specifications of your book: type (saddle stitch, perfect bound or hard bound), number of manuscript pages, word count, final page size desired, and the number of copies you anticipate needing. Give us your thoughts about the cover and whether there will be any art or photographs.
Who decides on the Royalty Amount and Retail Price?
With Robertson Publishing the author decides the amount of royalty and the amount of the distributors margin that will be offered off the retail price.
How long will it take?
We can, if your Print-Ready PDFs are perfect, have a printed (PrePress) copy of your book in as little as ten business days. You'd authorize the title release and we'd submit the title to our distribution channel here in the US and in the UK. You could then order as many books you needed, and you would have those books on your doorstep in about ten business days, depending on press workload, holidays, etc.
What do I need to do before submitting my book for publication?
1. Make sure your interior pages are formatted for the finished publication.
| Page size: |
go to the Page Setup and change the page size to reflect the finished size of your published book instead of 8.5"x11". |
| Margins: |
set top, bottom, and inside margin at .7, outside margin at .5, gutter at .2 and mirror the margins. |
| Line spacing: |
select the Exactly option and enter a number at least 33% larger than font size, for instance, if your text font is 11 pts would have line spacing at Exactly 15 pts. |
2. Make sure all photos are scanned at no less than 600 DPI.
3. Carefully proofread all your pages, check your layout, and have someone else edit your work (including headers, footers, and front pages). Making revision changes after a PrePress has been printed will mean extra time and expense. So, don't rush through the process editing process.
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Create two PressReady (XI-a) PDFs; one for the cover and one for the interior pages.
5. If you need assistance we can format your document and create the PressReady PDFs. Our fee is $90/hr.
Who will own the rights to my book?
You, as the author, will always own the rights to your book. If you enter into an agreement with Robertson Publishing you grant some of those rights to the publisher — usually the right "to print, publish and sell the work in book form".
How will bookstores and libraries find my book?
A copy of your book will be sent to Ingram Books. The cover of your book is scanned, your file is stored, and the title information, annotations, and other pertinent information is registered in their online database, iPage. This process takes 30 to 40 business days. Add an additional 10 days for hardback titles. Most bookstores, libraries, and online booksellers subscribe to iPage.
In addition, you could have your title listed in a printed catalog that goes out monthly to all bookstores and libraries. The fee for each listing is $75 and the catalog is put together 4 months in advance. So if you want to be listed in the October catalog in time for Christmas ordering, we must apply for the listing by June.
Will my book sell?
There are no guarantees. A book is like any other product—it should be created with a market in mind, and it takes a lot of faith and persistent effort to succeed. The salability of any book is enhanced by a professional cover, the right title, the proper credentials, and an author/publisher who will work tirelessly for sales.
It is worth noting that a number of self-published books have been sold to book clubs or national publishers after establishing a strong sales record, or after having attracted reviewer or talk-show interest. Ultimately, though, author effort is the key to the success of any self-publishing project.
What is a BISAC code?
The BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) code helps booksellers determine the primary subject or focus of a book. Notice the different sections of your local bookstore to see some of the existing classifications, for example, Science Fiction, Literature, Romance, Self-Help, Cookbooks, and History. See the entire list in the Author's Toolkit.
What is a back cover category?
The back cover category is a label placed on the back cover of your book that provides more detailed classification information that is easily accessible to a potential buyer. For example, a back cover category will give a reader browsing the Science Fiction shelves an easy way to differentiate between a book on time travel and a space-opera novel.
What forms of payment do you accept when ordering books?
We accept payment using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and personal or company checks, or (if you are in the area) cash.
What are the returns and claims policies?
Books ordered by the author are non-returnable and non-refundable, except in the event of an error in quantity. Please report quantity issues immediately upon receipt of the order. All claims must be filed within 20 days of shipment receipt.
The author determines the Return Option for books ordered through the distribution channel. You can select None, Yes/Deliver, or Yes/Destroy.
