...  Publishing New Writers

  ...
Opt-In Publication for AuthorMe.com, AuthorMARK.com, Cookcom.net

 August, 2004

Please rate this Ezine at the Cumuli Ezine Finder. http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/ra79672.rate AOL Users Click Here

The Next Step: Self Publishing

by Sandy Tritt

http://tritt.wirefire.com

So, after a lot of soul-searching, you’ve decided to self-publish. Or maybe you intended to do so all along. A few years ago self-publishing was looked upon as “vanity” publishing—only those with money to buy immortality considered it. However, things have changed. For one thing, many of the publishing houses have merged and it has become even more difficult and more time consuming to land a traditional publisher. For another, some authors prefer to maintain control over their manuscript and want to keep all the proceeds from it. And some people have intentionally written their books for a small audience: a memoir, for instance, in which they’ve simply wanted to leave something to their descendents. Therefore, self-publishing has become widely acceptable. So much so that the major Internet book sellers (like Amazon.com and BarnesandNobel.com) now sell self-published books.
So how do you go about it? Again, there are many ways and entire books are devoted to the process. Your first consideration is probably your budget and your goal. How much can you afford to spend and what do you expect in return? If you have the financial resources, you can hire a full-service publisher who will do everything for you. All you do is provide a readable version of your manuscript and a check. The publisher will typeset it, help you design or choose a cover, get an ISBN and UPC code for you, print it, and then, if you want, even help you market it.
The opposite end is doing all the work yourself and simply hiring a printer. This is the least expensive way to go. However, you must supply the printer with a type-set version of your manuscript (this isn’t difficult, but you must either have type-setting software, such as Adobe Pagemaker, or hire someone to typeset your work for you). If you are wanting to sell your book at bookstores (physical or Internet), you’ll have to get an ISBN and a UPC code for it.
The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique, machine-readable identification number. You can get these (in sets of ten—you can’t order just one number) at:
U.S. ISBN Agency
630 Central Avenue
New Providence, NJ 07974
Tel: 877-310-7333
Fax: 908-665-2895
E-mail: isbn-san@bowker.com
Website: www.isbn.org

As of this printing, the fee for ordering ten ISBN numbers is $225 and takes about ten days to receive.

The UPC code is the Universal Product Code. In the United States, call the Uniform Code Council at1-937-435-3870, or visit their website at https://catalog.webec.uc-council.org/application. To get a UPC code, you must become a member of the Uniform Code Council, and the fee is based upon the size of your “company.”

Another consideration in self-publishing is the copyright. By law, you automatically own the copyright to any work you have created. However, you should place a copyright notice on the back of your title page. The copyright symbol ( © ) should be printed (or you can spell out the word “copyright”), followed by the year and the owner of the copyright (your name or company). It should also include the statement: “All rights reserved.” An example of how this should look: “© 2002 Sandy Tritt. All rights reserved.” To register your copyright, you must first get an application from the Copyright Office website (www.loc.gov/copyright), or by calling the Forms and Publications Hotline at 202-707-9100 (You will want Form TX). Once you’ve completely filled out the application, send it with a $30 filing fee and two copies of your book to:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

Now, if I haven’t confused you yet, let me keep trying. Besides just having a UPC code and an ISBN number, you also need to have them in barcode format. Unless you have a printer that prints barcodes (or know someone who does), you’ll probably be at the mercy of your printer to do this for you. This service should not cost more than ten to twenty dollars per barcode.

Once you’ve finally gotten all the necessary paperwork done and have gotten your book printed, it’s time to market it. As I mentioned earlier, most Internet bookstores will accept your book. However, most want to keep 50% of the selling price. But half is better than none, and you need the exposure. But they aren’t going to do anything for you as far as making you more visible. You’re going to have to do this yourself. You should contact bookstores and see if they will allow you to come and do booksignings. Contact the newspaper and see if they will write a feature article about you. How many books you sell will depend upon how much work you put into selling them.

Of course, if all you want is a memoir to pass on to your grandchildren, send your work to a printer, skip the UPC, ISBN and copyright notices, and just do it.

There are books devoted to self-publishing, and if you are serious about going this route, I suggest you pick up one or two and study them.

(from Section 5, Workbook)

Want more great tips and techniques? Our Inspiration for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook is now available. Expanded tips, more topics, reproducible worksheets, exercises to practice what you learn and much more--check it out! Free shipping anywhere in the United States.

(c) copyright 2002 by Sandy Tritt. All rights reserved, except for those listed here. September be reproduced for educational purposes (such as for writer's workshops), as long as this copyright notice and the url: http://tritt.wirefire.com are distributed with the pages. For use in conferences or other uses not mentioned here, please contact Sandy Tritt at tritt@wvadventures.net for permission and additional resources at no or limited charge.

   Keep writing!

Sandy Tritt

Inspiration for Writers tritt@wvadventures.net

Review of 'Pressions

by Linda Alexander

Edith Holmes came to me via the internet, and at
first I wasn't sure how to handle her blatant honesty and deep, searching words and questions. She became personal almost immediately and, in many cases, this would've turned me off. However, because I knew why
she contacted me and understood the bond she felt, a bond I was, in turn, beginning to feel with her, I was not only drawn closer to this
straightforward, honest and caring woman, I also saw and shared her vision -- because it was, in essence, identical to my own long-standing dream. Our vision, our dream, was so closely aligned -- without us ever having met in person or even had any sort of previous contact -- that it was both downright eerie, otherworldly, and breathtakingly wonderful.

I tell you this, as Edith's readers, to introduce you to her creativity as the author of 'Pressions, an mazing book, and also to forewarn you about her internal eye. It is a supernatural tool which she uses to not only weave an intricate tale of fiction, but also to invigorate it with a blatant, deep, soul-searching reality. This reality may make you wonder, as you read her story, whether it is, indeed, fiction. Seems far too real to be simply a product of a healthy imagination.

Here is where I must explain the complicated
connection between me and Edith Holmes, a writer, an extraordinary storyteller, a soothsayer, and a historical spokeswoman for people of color -- no matter the color or how many drops of it that may be in a person's make-up. We are all people of color, and Edith understands this.

Edith found me through an internet writing site to
which we both contribute. She learned that my great-grandmother was a secretive woman. I knew her when I was a child and even at such a young age I knew she was "different." How she was different was the mystery, a mystery no one in my family seemed interested in discussing with a precocious child. Besides, I believe they thought I was only dreaming up stories.

Indeed, I was, stories that were to become the truth behind questions I had about my family heritage. The questions lingered, remaining unanswered for over 30 years until one day, as I searched census records at the National Archives, I discovered the missing piece
to my personal historical puzzle: my great-
grandmother had been seen as a "mulatto" in early life in New Orleans. A mulatto! A shock, because I am about as white as a white person can be. I, and those before me, were "People of Color." Varying shades, but colors, nonetheless.

Because I'm about as honest as my new friend, Edith, and because I hate hypocrisy and racism, from that point on I made it my mission to tell my family story to anyone who'd listen. I gave speeches, wrote articles, put letters in publications. Edith read one of my articles, contacted me, and, as the ol' saying goes, the rest will eventually be history -- the past. Her past. My past. Your past. And it all contributes to our present, and our collective future.

All of us are mixed, part of a greater (and larger)
whole, and we must begin to truly communicate. I
don't mean a passing "hello" to our other-color
brother or sister; I mean deep, soul-searching,
painful give-and-take communication. We might say things in love that the other person won't at first understand, or even like to hear, but even that, with continuing discourse, will help to bridge the very real color gap still between the races so we can actually ultimately DO what we keep saying we want to do . . . but rarely accomplish.

What is that? Share life, in truth and light and
openness. This sort of communication will bring about love, real love, between all of us, no matter skin color, or even race or religion or sexual
orientation. It's crucial. It's the answer to all of
society's ills, both all too simple and far too
complicated.

And this is what Edith is doing with 'Pressions. Read on. Read and enjoy the well-written and very creative story, while also soaking in its message, because there most definitely is a message, one not to be missed. It's a novel. It's a book of truth. It's both, all in one. The best storytellers over the scope of time have written this way, giving readers a tale too engrossing to do without, while also imparting a truth too crucial to all humanity to neglect.

I thank Edith for contacting me, and for everything that's happened since. I'm blessed that she's crossed my path, and very happy to be acquainted with her talent, a talent that's only now becoming known to the world. Remember the name: Edith Holmes, Storyteller. You'll hear it again, and again.

-- Linda Alexander