To ask about publishing firms

[Flower1333]

Probably not the right place to post this but I need advice re publishing a book , possibly a Children’s book online Does anyone know of reputable companies which won’t scam you ?
Thanks

My dad has just self-published a book (hard copy and kindle version) using these people: www.bookguild.co.uk

It wasn’t cheap (cost him several thousand) but he’s happy with the result and it’s fulfilled an ambition for him. I’ll admit I was sceptical about it but they’ve been very good about contacting local media etc to publicise the book.

Thanks for the reply cavemum, that’s good information

You can publish online through Amazon at no cost - they take a cut of any earnings. There are other companies which offer print-on-demand services - you don't have to pay for copies upfront.

Really you should read up on the subject first. Buy one of the writing magazines, the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, or a guide to self publishing. Or read some of the many websites and online articles about self publishing.

Thanks for your reply.I will read up on it also , but just a quick question- is the publishing through Amazon really quite easy and straightforward?
Thanks..

Publishing through Amazon for Kindle is quite straightforward, yes, as long as the book is mostly text. Illustrations/graphics/anything more complicated may not be so straightforward.

You are taken through the process step by step. You need to preview quite carefully to make sure the formatting is OK, and that can be time consuming.

Amazon also offer publication in book form, on print on demand basis, but I've never tried that, so don't know how easy it is.

What do you want to do with the book exactly?

Amazon Createspace is great if you want to sell only on Amazon. Kindle isn't great for illustrated work, you can do Print On Demand so your buyers get print copies.

If you want print copies just for yourself to sell or to give to people, Lulu.com is great and very easy to use. They provide templates and printing support, and you pay per printed copy. You can choose to sell through the Lulu store (so you can direct people to buy from them) or just to have it as a private project.

The one thing to be very wary of is companies who promise marketing or bookstore distribution, in return for any arrangement that involves you paying them upfront. It's fine to pay for cover design, editing and printing, but an honest supplier will tell you that this is what you're buying. The dodgy companies will charge you an inflated price, do no effective marketing and won't get your work distributed.

Good luck!

Do you want to self-publish or traditionally publish?

For the first use Amazon. You can find an editor and/or formatter who will prepare your work for upload if that worries you. Just make sure it’s someone that really knows what they’re doing and not a generic proofreader.

If traditional, you can either send to agents or publishers. There’s a great book from Mslexia that lists all the small presses in the UK which is a great place to start. Just remember to check their guidelines before you submit but generally you’ll need a covering letter, a synopsis and for a picture book generally you send the whole text.

CaveMum is talking about a vanity publisher. These are scammers and should be avoided at all costs.

Self-publishing can be free, but children's books do very poorly when self-published. To give you an idea, the vast majority of self-published adult books sell fewer than 12 copies (those to the author's family and friends) and children's books do even worse than that.

Trade publishing is the way to go if you actually want your book read, but only the very best manuscripts are published - about 1 in 4,000 queried manuscripts will be published.

You need to do a hell of a lot of reading, and asking on MN doesn't count. AbsoluteWrite is a good website and forum all about publishing.

Thanks Flokidoki, that’s fantastic So far I’ve pretty much got the text sorted but do you know how I would find a Children’s illustrator? Is Amazon best for that ? And is it easy to sort out?Thanks!

Here, in no particular order, are some leads:

This is a US based one called BookBaby (it's a self publishing one)

That seems to be good for online publishing

I got their details at the London Book Fair. (I've got a massive list of contacts from them, which I can share later)

One thing you may want to do is contact Nielsens to register your own ISBNs (You have to buy them in batches of ten) if you are intending to create more than one.

Damnit. I can't remember the other stuff off the top of my head but I have tons of info on this

One thing I would say. Don't use a vanity publisher. They will build up your promises, bill up your bank account and break your heart.

If anyone makes a sales projection that sounds too good to be true, it certainly is.

Everyone loses their marbles when it comes to their book babies. (Unsurprisingly, since these are our emotions being poured out onto the page)

There are many people who will exploit you.

Hold on, once I find the other contacts I'll post them up.

Just don't sign anything rash!

OP I am interested in illustrating your book for free.

Ohthis.....thanks so much, that would be great to get the other contacts!
Lakeg.... Thankyou !! ....I will have a think

@Flower1333

I remember one year at the London Book Fair (it;s normally on at Earl's Court) there was a company there called Autharium which is for people looking to self publish.

From memory there is something I should warn you about though. I think it's something to do with them owning a slice of your intellectual property.

Actually writing the book and getting it published is one thing.

Marketing and publicity are a much bigger hurdle.

That's why celebrities get book deals - often for books that turn out to be dreadful - because they have a massive marketing appeal.

Will.i.Am has just launched a science fiction book which, by all accounts, isn't that great. But he's a celebrity you see.

I will give you some more contacts when I remember, and tinge them with my cynical observations (take no notice of me because I'm just bitter)

Oh this .... thanks so much for the info - and that would be great if you could keep me updated with that info - and your opinions / observations
Was going to start having a look at Bookbaby that you mentioned. As you indicated , I just don’t want to get caught in any scams and also have the hurdle of finding an illustrator -and don’t know how to go about this - unless I take up the kind offer of someone who posted above :)

@flower1333

I just remembered another one

PrintOnDemand

Thankyou ! If you can let me know which one you think is good , and reasonable, that would be great! And any more contacts as they come to you Thanks so much

OP, not to sound harsh, because I think its great to have a creative endevour and a hobby you are passionate about, but why do you want to publish it? What is your end goal.

If your answer is so people can read it, I would follow what some of the other poster's said- research at book fairs, set up meetings with literary agents, listen to their feedback, rework and redevelop your manuscript etc etc.

Self publishing companies are scams. They prey on people who want to be published, but in reality they will publish anything. If you just want to have a nice copy of your work (totally understandable), you can do this very easily and inexpensively through a local print shop. Don't go through those self-publishing companies. They really are predatory (they take your IP, and charge you thousands for it) and as everyone has said, no one, except your friends and family, will actually read it.

No author, including the most successful ones, was able to write a book on their own without several rounds of external editors, structure shifts etc etc. The actual, professional publishing process is hard, but it will make your book better in the long run.

@Flower1333

I don't trust myself enough to advise other people! I'm too much of a dufus.

I must admit I liked the advisor from PrintonDemand as she was quite patient in explaining the options. That is for printing your own titles though.

Don't expect to make a profit. You can maintain ownership of the title, if you feel you can handle all the processes, or you can allow them to do bits for you.
(There are many fiddly stages, such as registering ISBN numbers, doing layout, getting an illustrator, page proofing - not to mention writing the actual book!)

I've never written a book myself, so I'm a massive hypocrite, but I'm happy to pass on my knowledge of the 'journey' (I hate that metaphor!)

Good luck. Let me know how you get on.

I have some horror stories I can share about people who've lost their marbles over their dreams of writing a book. (I offer these as a precautionary tale)

The good thing about a children's book is that it's the great start you can give any kid. Well, the actual reading of books to children, when they are between nought and five, is massively influential in their cognitive development.

Anyway, i'll shut up now as I'm yammering on.

@flower1333

Actually, @ZoeWashburne above makes a fair point.

Very few people make a profit from writing.

But you could produce something that looks beautiful, reasonably cheaply, if you want an aesthetically pleasing sample of you work to read to your loved ones.

Prince Charles wrote his own books for his children, which they apparently loved. And they got published. but I'm 99 per cent sure they only got published because he's the heir to the throne.
Same with Sarah Ferguson's books. They've got the marketing sorted just by being Brand Royalty.

Just a heads up, given as an indie publisher in the north: marketing a children's book is extremely difficult, as a poster has already said. Kids aren't online (as buyers), and parents don't feel that necessary 'pester power' when there's a PC/phone acting as middleman.

Don't forget offline, i.e. schools; that said, for every 20 schools I write to in my area, offering an author's time for free to talk to/work with the kids, I'm lucky if one replies. Finding the optimum time when they're not nose-to-the-curriculum, on holiday or settling back in/winding down is an art.

Fairs and fetes are good if your books aren't too expensive, but profit is usually offset by the price of your stall.

It's fulfilling, but hard to be noticed. There's more free content available than any one of us could read in our lifetimes, so you've got to work at making your story/book something will pay good money for.

Wishing you luck, go for it!

I have some horror stories I can share about people who've lost their marbles over their dreams of writing a book. (I offer these as a precautionary tale)

Please do share!

OP, Lulu.com is a print-on-demand service that also offers extra design/editing services etc if required. I have only ever used the straight printing services but have found them to be very reliable and the products of good quality.

Thanks so much Chrys ! I do need to do more research I’m just wondering about the Amazon option as surely wouldn’t get scammed there?
Plus, would possibly reach a wider audience?

Very few people make a profit from writing.

I believe the last time a survey was carried out by a UK writers' professional organisation, they found that average annual earnings from writing was £11,000. That includes the big names. If you take out the J K Rowlings and other big sellers, the average will be much lower.

Some people do well out of self publishing ebooks. Best way to be in with a chance of success is to publish in a popular genre - romance, erotica, crime/mystery - publish good quality books, set the price realistically, and keep bringing out new stuff.

I work in publishing. If you want to self publish you need to use Amazon. Do not pay a company to publish your work. If you want to publish via a publishing company you do need to find an agent. I would suggest you read this website which is for writers and aspiring writers on how to be published www.writersandartists.co.uk/writers/