Yesterday my local bookseller wrote a note that he was unwilling to work with me through his distributor, Ingram, because he couldn't return unsold books, according to Ingram (one of the biggest distributers). I was appalled because I definitely paid for that service in my original contract with IUniverse.
After a phonecall and email, today I have a note from IU that they had a technical error that created that message, and they are manually trying to change it on all the distributor's lists.
If a bookstore was willing to purchase books through me personally, the discount to them is 40%. Certainly this leaves me with a better profit than the $3 through a distributor. Our local store is willing to do that, and if he can't sell them, he can return them to me. At least there's options!
I have a description of the book that I wrote on Beth's Book Review Blog:
http://bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/guest-post-morning-star-author-of.html
It will be fun to see if anything comes of it!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
SECOND "DUMMY" COMING THIS WEEK
I want to be sure to share with you how quick IUniverse's response was to the "glitch" of having two Chapter 15's. At this point in time the second "author's copy," that I call "dummy book," is in the mail, and should arrive today or tomorrow. THEN I call IU and they RUN THE PRESSES! Shortly thereafter I get 205 books in the mail (i.e. clean the garage asap), and can start selling them. They've been fast, I've been waylaid by a little surgery and a family crisis. Both are coming along nicely.
My daughter and I started working on the website with very little success through godaddy.com. Warning: between the challenge of working with their web builder and their sexist advertising, we're discouraged. But she's the boss on that so we'll wait and see what she comes up with. Should be done by next week: www.Medicine-Rock.com
AND, the book is "LIVE" on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. If you were to order it, you would get a message that it will be a few weeks before it's able to be sent. Through those sources my profit is about $3/book. Buying from me on Paypal it is about $11/book.
I'm starting on the next book, by the way. Just in case more adventures are interesting for you, dear readers. It's all about Montana, the blue sapphire of the west!
And book tours, first around western Montana, then to the coast, are in the making. Stay tuned!
My daughter and I started working on the website with very little success through godaddy.com. Warning: between the challenge of working with their web builder and their sexist advertising, we're discouraged. But she's the boss on that so we'll wait and see what she comes up with. Should be done by next week: www.Medicine-Rock.com
AND, the book is "LIVE" on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. If you were to order it, you would get a message that it will be a few weeks before it's able to be sent. Through those sources my profit is about $3/book. Buying from me on Paypal it is about $11/book.
I'm starting on the next book, by the way. Just in case more adventures are interesting for you, dear readers. It's all about Montana, the blue sapphire of the west!
And book tours, first around western Montana, then to the coast, are in the making. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
HUMBLE PIE
Checking the mail on a daily basis, hoping the "dummy" book had arrived, I gave up on Martin Luther King day because there was no mail deliveries. I came home from shopping late in the afternoon to find a small UPS package, the size of a book, on the couch. There it was, in all its glory! I ran out to the studio to show my husband, who was building a threshold for a door. He was nearly as excited as I, and we stood holding each other to see this baby born of our devotion to pursue our highest dreams. A new threshold.
We gazed at the sliver of moon in the south west sky, offering good beginnings for the new phase. We celebrated with friends in the neighborhood, and then went out to dinner. The book came with,a silent member of our celebration. I hugged it to my chest like a newborn while I drove through town.
Later, stretched out in bed, I began checking through it for errors, reading here and there, especially noting that the ends of a chapter and the beginning of the next chapter were correct. I came upon an astonishing error that only I could have made: two chapter fifteens, one that by all rights should have been chapter sixteen, the last one in the book. My balloon deflated, another cost, another wait.
I'm not even going to the "how could this ever have happened?" place. Somehow the innumerable edits by me, and the one excellent edit by a dear friend failed to reveal this flagrant error. I can only say the Universe wants this book available later in the spring than I ever imagined, for reasons unknown.
This morning the telephone call to IUniverse (after the email) was difficult. The folks who dealt with me were lovely, sympathetic, informative. But the charges would come to $300 more. I gasped, because I thought they'd only be $100. But it must be done.
The process is straightforward: I have up to 25 corrections I can make on the forms they will email today. I return them, they print a new "dummy" copy and mail it out (this part took 30 days last time). I review it, okay it, and the order is placed for 185 copies (+ 20 freebies) which will arrive in March, with no shipping charges (saving about $155).
Dear reader, if this tries your patience, imagine the level of deep breathing going on in my body today! Many adjustments to be made in scheduling, manifesting and, well, we'll have a lot more time to work on the website (which presented endless difficulties yesterday)!
Dear self-published author: Beware. Edit. Remain open to surprising changes!
We gazed at the sliver of moon in the south west sky, offering good beginnings for the new phase. We celebrated with friends in the neighborhood, and then went out to dinner. The book came with,a silent member of our celebration. I hugged it to my chest like a newborn while I drove through town.
Later, stretched out in bed, I began checking through it for errors, reading here and there, especially noting that the ends of a chapter and the beginning of the next chapter were correct. I came upon an astonishing error that only I could have made: two chapter fifteens, one that by all rights should have been chapter sixteen, the last one in the book. My balloon deflated, another cost, another wait.
I'm not even going to the "how could this ever have happened?" place. Somehow the innumerable edits by me, and the one excellent edit by a dear friend failed to reveal this flagrant error. I can only say the Universe wants this book available later in the spring than I ever imagined, for reasons unknown.
This morning the telephone call to IUniverse (after the email) was difficult. The folks who dealt with me were lovely, sympathetic, informative. But the charges would come to $300 more. I gasped, because I thought they'd only be $100. But it must be done.
The process is straightforward: I have up to 25 corrections I can make on the forms they will email today. I return them, they print a new "dummy" copy and mail it out (this part took 30 days last time). I review it, okay it, and the order is placed for 185 copies (+ 20 freebies) which will arrive in March, with no shipping charges (saving about $155).
Dear reader, if this tries your patience, imagine the level of deep breathing going on in my body today! Many adjustments to be made in scheduling, manifesting and, well, we'll have a lot more time to work on the website (which presented endless difficulties yesterday)!
Dear self-published author: Beware. Edit. Remain open to surprising changes!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
THE PROFIT MARGIN
I was excited to receive a call from another "consultant" from IUniverse. By now I know they may or may not be professionals in the publishing field, but they are sales people for sure. Friendly, helpful sales folks.
He had answers to my next set of questions so I could make decisions about how many books to order when the time came. And it's coming right up. I should get the one dummy copy this next week, and he requested I call him with the "OK to print" AND my order for discounted copies. As he rattled off the percentages for discounts, I wrote them down, and then quickly ciphered how much money I'd need to order copies. It looked good, even at this squeezy financial time of the holidays. I let a day lapse and returned to my notes with my calculator.
My notes read: 500 copies: 55% discount; 250 copies: 50% discount; but 300 copies(51% discount, my guess), includes 300 free postcards, bookmarks and business cards, and free shipping. (This information from an email that arrived right after the salesman's contact information. I think they call that the "hook!")
In my original scribbles my new investment would be under $500, but alas, the calculator is the reality check. Were I to purchase 300 books, an outlay of $3511, I would need to sell 152 at full price, to pay back my investment loan. I think I can do that. But I regret borrowing money from friends.
These kinds of deliberations keep one awake at night! Especially one who leans toward right brain activities instead of left brain. But for those of you interested in the IUniverse program, it gives you a clue, and gives me a clue, that to pay back the loan within three months, I need to sell at least 50 a month, in person, to avoid shipping fees!
And lest you imagine there's a big profit margin for books sold over Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore, it amounts to about $3-4 per book. Oh, and IUniverse's first quarterly payment won't arrive till May, 2 months after the closing of the quarter. They need to make their interest, after all.
I need to make a phone call after quelling my fears of asking for a loan. I might work outside a little bit to approach the task. It's the warmest part of today, 32 degrees. The cold harsh realities of publishing on a cold and gloomy day.
He had answers to my next set of questions so I could make decisions about how many books to order when the time came. And it's coming right up. I should get the one dummy copy this next week, and he requested I call him with the "OK to print" AND my order for discounted copies. As he rattled off the percentages for discounts, I wrote them down, and then quickly ciphered how much money I'd need to order copies. It looked good, even at this squeezy financial time of the holidays. I let a day lapse and returned to my notes with my calculator.
My notes read: 500 copies: 55% discount; 250 copies: 50% discount; but 300 copies(51% discount, my guess), includes 300 free postcards, bookmarks and business cards, and free shipping. (This information from an email that arrived right after the salesman's contact information. I think they call that the "hook!")
In my original scribbles my new investment would be under $500, but alas, the calculator is the reality check. Were I to purchase 300 books, an outlay of $3511, I would need to sell 152 at full price, to pay back my investment loan. I think I can do that. But I regret borrowing money from friends.
These kinds of deliberations keep one awake at night! Especially one who leans toward right brain activities instead of left brain. But for those of you interested in the IUniverse program, it gives you a clue, and gives me a clue, that to pay back the loan within three months, I need to sell at least 50 a month, in person, to avoid shipping fees!
And lest you imagine there's a big profit margin for books sold over Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore, it amounts to about $3-4 per book. Oh, and IUniverse's first quarterly payment won't arrive till May, 2 months after the closing of the quarter. They need to make their interest, after all.
I need to make a phone call after quelling my fears of asking for a loan. I might work outside a little bit to approach the task. It's the warmest part of today, 32 degrees. The cold harsh realities of publishing on a cold and gloomy day.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
BOOK REVIEWERS
The shiny new piece of information today was that there are folks who read new books and review them on their blogs! What an incredible gift to us readers, and to new authors. One allowed that he was indeed a speed reader, and wouldn't you have to be given the number of authors vying for reviews?
So I recommend two such blogs: josephsreviews@gmail.com and bethsbookreviewblog@gmail.com in case you'd like just a taste of a few new novels, like appetizers before a big meal.
The trick of course is to get reviews before the book gets too old! Keep up the momentum. So I'm marching briskly down the cobblestone street before I've even received the paperback galleys (the REALLY FINAL edit), which are due at the end of January. And I'm pounding on my drum, bells jingle on my ankles and I'm wearing a bright red uniform with a tall hat. And I asked them both to review MR.
Suppose the reviewer isn't impressed? This small voice arises from somewhere below my ribcage. I need to toughen up. Not everyone will like MEDICINE ROCK. But it has value and an important message anyway. Stay tuned.
So I recommend two such blogs: josephsreviews@gmail.com and bethsbookreviewblog@gmail.com in case you'd like just a taste of a few new novels, like appetizers before a big meal.
The trick of course is to get reviews before the book gets too old! Keep up the momentum. So I'm marching briskly down the cobblestone street before I've even received the paperback galleys (the REALLY FINAL edit), which are due at the end of January. And I'm pounding on my drum, bells jingle on my ankles and I'm wearing a bright red uniform with a tall hat. And I asked them both to review MR.
Suppose the reviewer isn't impressed? This small voice arises from somewhere below my ribcage. I need to toughen up. Not everyone will like MEDICINE ROCK. But it has value and an important message anyway. Stay tuned.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Onward Through the Fog
It isn't foggy today, it's brilliant sun with blue sky contrasting the new snow on the mountains. The fog is the cloud of ignorance I experience working with the new social networking tools, and trying to get my ideas and the template's ideas to merge! New email: medicinerock71@yahoo.com. New website: www.medicine-rock.com. Now to get them all connected.
Last night a friend of mine hauled out a 4-inch 3-ring notebook. "I've got to remember to give this back to you! Thank you for letting me read it!" I had to smile. So many corrections, additions, subtractions and adjustments had been made to that text in the last few months! I fantasize saving the notebook, and having a ritual burning of the double-spaced error-ridden manuscript she offered back to me, all 360 pages of it. Today might be a good day!
Clear the decks! Clean off my desk, really clean: sand it and polyurethane it! Dust my bookcase, change the stuff on the wall! It's a new life without an old manuscript!
Actually, tomorrow I'm going to the country for a couple of days. My smallest dog and I will hang out north of Missoula for long walks along the Flathead, and inspiration from the Rockies.
But today? Let's see, where did I put those matches?
Last night a friend of mine hauled out a 4-inch 3-ring notebook. "I've got to remember to give this back to you! Thank you for letting me read it!" I had to smile. So many corrections, additions, subtractions and adjustments had been made to that text in the last few months! I fantasize saving the notebook, and having a ritual burning of the double-spaced error-ridden manuscript she offered back to me, all 360 pages of it. Today might be a good day!
Clear the decks! Clean off my desk, really clean: sand it and polyurethane it! Dust my bookcase, change the stuff on the wall! It's a new life without an old manuscript!
Actually, tomorrow I'm going to the country for a couple of days. My smallest dog and I will hang out north of Missoula for long walks along the Flathead, and inspiration from the Rockies.
But today? Let's see, where did I put those matches?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
WINTER SOLSTICE
What better beginning than Earth Renewal, and a new growing moon. The book is delivered, the contract signed and sealed. Editing is, quite thankfully, over. I am so pleased to offer my story to readers interested in those profound days of growth and change.
The book is in its Solstice phase: unseen, gestating, paper laboring under printing presses that roar and tremble sidewalks blocks away. Many hands serve the mission: pressmen, book consultants, marketing advisors. Before long we'll add bookstore owners, post office delivery people, the list only expands. IUniverse reports retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Books-a-Million will upload the book to their websites within a couple of weeks, and the process will be complete at other major chains withing 3 to 4 weeks.
All of this to share a poignant story, to touch other hearts grieving their beloveds, to remind a generation of us, now greying at the temples, of our wild and wonderful roots. And we still watch and wait. We still grieve. We still offer our warm hearts to the Earth and all her creatures.
Many of you have expressed excitement at this project, so this blog will be a way to share my learning curve, joy and sense of adventure. Thanks for visiting!
The book is in its Solstice phase: unseen, gestating, paper laboring under printing presses that roar and tremble sidewalks blocks away. Many hands serve the mission: pressmen, book consultants, marketing advisors. Before long we'll add bookstore owners, post office delivery people, the list only expands. IUniverse reports retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Books-a-Million will upload the book to their websites within a couple of weeks, and the process will be complete at other major chains withing 3 to 4 weeks.
All of this to share a poignant story, to touch other hearts grieving their beloveds, to remind a generation of us, now greying at the temples, of our wild and wonderful roots. And we still watch and wait. We still grieve. We still offer our warm hearts to the Earth and all her creatures.
Many of you have expressed excitement at this project, so this blog will be a way to share my learning curve, joy and sense of adventure. Thanks for visiting!
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