Custom Sensor Solutions, Inc.

OUR BOOK PUBLISHING ADVENTURE; OR

How We Short-Circuited the Conventional Publication Process

Where the Agatha Project came from.

In the early 1990's, my wife finally came to terms with the mysterious happenings in our house. We had spirits in the place. We avoid loaded terms like "haunted" and "ghosts", because of the negative connotations. One of the spirits had a story to tell. Whether or not you believe in spirits is not important to this narrative. What matters is how we went about committing her story to print.

Sandra finished an advanced draft of the book about 1995. She deemed it fit to submit to publishers, and so we did, but not expecting much. The odds against any unsolicited book are great. Sure enough, of fifteen submissions, there were thirteen responses, all negative. The slowest response, from Dell Books, took about 15 months. They at least sent an excuse, having just been merged and reorganized.

None of this was particularly discouraging; we knew the odds. We continued to show the MS to readers, friendly, hostile, and neutral, to solicit opinions and comments. Eventually, we decided that we would attempt to publish the book ourselves.

The first steps

There are a few readily-available references on self-publishing, but I started by seeking out books in the Chicago market that had been self-published. I found a book describing hiking trails in the Chicago area, that was expertly designed and produced. Only the publisher's address betrayed the fact that it was published from the author's residence.

I telephoned the author. As it happened, he had published a whole series of local hiking and biking guides. He gave me several pieces of advice that have served as vital guideposts throughout Project Agatha:

1. Get a copy of Tom and Marilyn Ross' "The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing". Indeed, this one book contains answers to every imaginable question about self-publishing, and advice on problems that I had not even known would exist. Their book includes a handy checklist for each stage of book production, which helps avoid time-wasting traps like forgetting to get a Library of Congress number, and expensive traps like setting your price too low.
2. Find a good, inexpensive printer, preferable one that specializes in short-run books. These people call themselves "book manufacturers". Amazingly, there was a three-fold difference between the lowest and highest quotes. The further from large cities you go, the cheaper the printing gets. The highest quotes were from downtown Chicago printers. It pays to shop carefully for a book manufacturer.
3. Get samples from your printing bidders.
4. Hire a specialist to design your cover. Again, request samples and references.
5. He also suggested hiring an interior book designer. In our case, however, we had no illustrations, where his books were full of photographs and maps, attractively arranged.
6. Most importantly, be psychically prepared for marketing the book, which is the biggest part of the job. Shoe-leather selling is not everyone's cup of tea. (It is also true that, even with conventional publishers, it is necessary to do much of your own marketing.)

I bought a copy of the Ross's book and read it during a November 1997 vacation in Arizona. After our return, I was convinced that the self-publishing route would work for us. For one thing, we already had a business in the home which would provide a legal and economic platform to operate from, and I had the time and interest to devote to the business side of the adventure.

Spying on the competition

Much of our information was gleaned by watching people in bookstores. We watched how they picked up books, what seemed to attract them, what they did after they picked it up, and why they may have put it back down again:

• The cover is everything. People first pick up a book on the basis of the cover.
• Books with covers featuring persons, especially faces, are more likely to be picked up than those that do not. Artsy covers without faces and printed in dull or noncontrasting colors are generally ignored. Even covers done in four colors can be made dull. Worse, even a well-designed cover may look so much like other books that it disappears into the welter of competing covers.
• The title on the spine must be in large contrasting letters readable from a ten-foot distance. We saw that books with white- on-black, sans-serif lettering on the spine jumped out from the mass of books with complex or low-contrast spine lettering.
• Browsers typically pick up a book, look briefly at the cover, then turn it over to read the back cover. If they pause long enough to read all of the back cover copy, they will usually open it at random and read a few pages.

Hiring the help

Following the Ross's advice, we prepared a dummy book, or "cast-off", by formatting the book onto a typical 5.5 x 8.5 inch page size and selecting a pleasant type face, in this case, Bookman 11 point. The total came to 192 pages. With an allowance for front and back matter, we figured 208 pages. Armed with this, we were able to approach cover artists, book designers, and printers for quotes.

We contacted several cover artists and book designers. Bids were high, but not outrageous. Once more, there was a large differential between big-city and small-town quotes, but no discernable difference in the quality of their sample work. In the meantime, we also contacted the printer used by the biking author. They gave us the best price, and the several samples they sent us demonstrated consistent high quality work. They also suggested a local illustrator to do the covers.

After an exchange of letters and samples, we finally concluded a contract with the artist suggested by the printer. The contract allowed for 3 rounds of design and modification, and a final proofing. This contract, representing the first substantial cost, represented the final proof (to ourselves) of our commitment to publishing Agatha's Journey.

Also on the advice of the printer, I decided to go with camera-ready copy for the book interior, which I could do myself with Word. There was no need to hire a book designer.

At about this time, Sandra (the natural person) concluded a contract with the company (the Corporation), making the first edition rights the property of Custom Sensor Solutions, Inc.

The cover design

It is of supreme importance to have a cover designer you can work with. Let me say that again: It is of supreme importance to have a cover designer you can work with. We had an excellent experience with ours. We kicked off the design process by sending a synopsis and excerpts of the story to her, along with three of our ideas for the cover. Also included was back cover copy, a sketch of the back cover layout, and a directive to make the spine of the book white block lettering on a black background.

She responded with an idea that was in the "spirit" of our own ideas, but unique enough that it grabbed us immediately. We agreed at once on her idea as the theme of the cover. It would feature the semi-transparent spirit of the protagonist, Agatha Wilson, gazing out of a window at the lonely grave of her long-dead daughter.

After that, it was work, as the artist produced sketch after sketch and sent JPEGs of them to us for comment and advice. We cut out the images and taped them onto old books, so that we could feel what the book might look like. After six weeks, and several more than the three rounds originally contracted, we finally had the design we wanted. See the result at Agatha's Home Page.

The site visit

With many unresolved questions, we finally decided on a meeting with our cover designer at the printer's plant in downstate Illinois. She and Sandra finalized the cover design, while I made a few discoveries about book printing. For one thing, this printer could have the books ready in less than a month, starting from camera-ready copy. Second, we discovered a type of paper called Miami natural, which is that very faint beige color used in many fiction and poetry books. It is easy on the eyes and has a rich, lush look to it. I learned about other details -- no guttering would be needed in the final copy, for example; the printer would take care of all that. Out of four available cover finishes, we decided on a matte laminated cover as the best match for the final cover design. This would increase the cost, but at a substantial improvement in appearance. (The cover artist had to make adjustments to the design to accommodate the matte finish.)

Finally, we decided to add a hinge score, at slight extra expense. This is an embossed line next to the spine which defines the opening of the cover, preventing creasing and breaking of the spine as the book is handled.

After returning home, the book design process was next. This went quickly, since there were no illustrations. The total number of text pages was 198, but the addition of front and back matter, plus blank pages where a chapter would end on a right-hand page, threatened to swell the page count above 208. 208 was a magic number. It was six and one-half signatures. One page over this number would necessitate expansion to more signatures, at additional cost. So some pragmatic editing was needed, to prevent an excess of blank pages. Sometimes deleting one short word would cascade through the pagination process, reducing the page count by one or two. Finally we ended up with ten pages of front matter, 198 pages of text, and no back matter. I would like to have put an order blank in the back, but there was no way to cut two more pages at this stage. We printed the final camera-ready copy ten pages at a time, examining for dust or smudges.

Camera-ready is supposed to be produced on the highest-quality printer available, at least 600 x 600 dpi. All we have is a 300 x 300 Epson 1000. Using someone else's machine was not an option, because Word will format a document differently on every computer and for every printer. Nevertheless, after the book was finished, we found that the 300 x 300 copy was indistinguishable by eye from higher-resolution copy. In fact, it was indistinguishable from books designed using Quark Express or other high-end publishing packages.

Bean counting

During the book design process, several other steps were being carried out simultaneously. First, we had to get an ISBN number. The publisher's prefix cost $175 for a block of ten numbers. This took about two weeks. With the ISBN assigned, we were able to apply to the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication program for an LCCN number. These numbers were needed on the copyright page (the back of the title page), so we needed them before we could go to the printer.

With estimates from the printer in hand, we then had to settle on a selling price. This was set at about five times the manufacturing price of the book. The price and ISBN numbers were sent to a photo-typesetter to make the Bookland EAN symbol for the back cover. This cost about $20, and resulted in a TIF file that was sent to our cover designer for inclusion in the final cover.

We also put a suggested shelving on the back cover: New Age/ Metaphysical, which is where most stores put their true ghost stories.

All the parts came together at the right time, thanks to slavish following of the Ross's book and some careful planning. The finished camera-ready was sent to the printer's, while our cover artist sent them the disk containing the cover image.

The Wait

After shipping out the copy, came The Wait, while the books were being printed. We weren't idle during this time. We composed and printed a slick one-page brochure to send to bookstores, and compiled information on local bookstores. A press release was written, and we collected addresses of potential reviewers.

If you're not prepared, the sheer volume of a book delivery can be intimidating. We had 2000 copies printed. At 11.5 ounces per copy, we're talking three-quarters of a ton of books. It was delivered in 34 cases of 60 books each. Dry storage is essential, but we have a large house, and we were able to clear two closets to hold the stock of books. The closets were chosen to be over supporting walls, so there was no danger of straining the floor.

Marketing

We are prepared for the long haul in selling the book. Some local bookstores accepted copies on consignment right away, while we negotiated with distributors or wholesalers. Actually, you do not "negotiate" with middlemen -- they dictate the terms of sale, take it or leave it. Standard terms for small publishers are:

• 55% discount
• publisher pays all shipping, to and from
• all books can be returned, any time, without notice
• 90-day payment terms
• some demand exclusive distribution rights
• the publisher is responsible for all publicity, advertising, promotion, etc. In fact, without evidence of an energetic promotion campaign, most middlemen will not carry your book.

These terms explain why it is so important to price your book correctly. After deducting the 55% (or higher) distrbutors' discount, shipping costs, and promotion costs, it is clear that the manufacturing cost cannot be more than 15-20% of the list price.

In return for these extortionate terms, distributors and wholesalers are the key to getting your books into any bookstore in the country. When I order a book from our local small bookseller, for example, they will look it up on the microfiche supplied by their distributors. If it is not available from a distributor, they will, as a courtesy, provide to me the address of the publisher so that I can order it myself. The middlemen exist because it does not pay for booksellers to do business separately with a thousand large and small presses.

Book promotion is labor-intensive, but at least you can do much of it yourself to save money. So far, we have done the following:

• sent review copies to 50 magazines and newspapers, with another 50 to go
• placed books on consignment with every bookseller within 20 miles that would accept them (yes, even Christian bookstores will take ghost stories!)
• sent press releases to all newspapers in a 30-mile radius placed marked sample copies in hairdressing salons (this trick accounted for most of our early sales)
• arranged book signings
• given sample copies to local psychics, especially those with wide connections
• signed up with Amazon.com
• prepared packages for major chains and wholesalers (each of these has separate, specific requirements)

After a month of lugging books around to local bookstores on consignment, a tedious and frustrating process, I am quite ready and enthusiastic to find a distributor or wholesaler.

Update on Our Efforts With "Agatha's Journey: 1828-1998"

August 18, 1999

It has now been one year since CSSI put Agatha Wilson's story on the market. We measure our marketing success each time we open a new case of books. Last month I delivered a full case for the first time, as sales slowly build. CSSI has recovered its initial cash investment in the project, if you don't count the many hours spent marketing.

We have learned a few things, which I can conveniently summarize here:

• I have heard marketing described as, "Like a bump-em car--if you don't keep the pedal to the floor, it stops." Perhaps when your author hits the big time, like Stephen King, you can lean back and count on assured sales, but not when you're a small publisher promoting a new author.

• The book is set in the DuPage Country, Illinois, area, so most of our efforts have been directed at the local market. Fully half our sales have been local, through bookstores, local history museums, and direct sales. On the other hand, we have had email from readers in New Zealand and Western Canada, too.

• In order of decreasing importance, our marketing routes have been:
  • Local bookstores, including four Borders stores.
  • Amazon.com, which came as something of a surprise.
  • Ingram Book Co. (wholesaler)
  • Baker and Taylor (wholesaler specializing in libraries)
  • Selected distant bookstores that have ordered direct
  • Direct sales

• You can't always judge where your market is going to be. We originally categorized the book as "New Age/Metaphysical". We thought it would appeal to the patrons of New Age stores and readers of ghost stories. Bad mistake. Our market turned out to be mainstream readers. Sales through New Age stores have been negligible. Our most disappointing book signings have been through these outlets. When we finally made it as a vendor to the Borders chain, they categorized the book as "US History".

• Promotion methods that have worked:
  • Word of mouth has been most important. We have had many letters from people who heard about the book from a friend of a friend of a friend... (I just wish they wouldn't also say, "I gave it to everyone I know to read". Buy one instead, I want to answer!)
  • Most bookstores will arrange signings, especially for local authors.
  • Sign up with Amazon.com, and then sign up with their Advantage program. Be sure to write lots of promotional material for them to post on the book's Web page.
  • Every so often, there have been newspaper articles written about our haunted house. Four newspaper articles were prompted by local bookstores prior to book signings. Press releases were not successful, but one article was written by a reporter who had heard about our house from other sources.
  • Get to know the owners or managers of the local bookstores. Not only will they promote your book in the store, but they talk to other bookstore owners, distributors' reps, and members of book circles and reading clubs.
  • The Web page has been enormously influential, but it is hard to relate it directly to sales. People will refer to it while buying the book through other channels.
  • Donate a copy of the book to the local library. (Our library then went ahead and bought two more copies. The book had holds against it from waiting readers for six months straight!)
  • Print up bookmarks with the cover, a one-sentence description, and purchasing information, and leave them everywhere, including in copies of the book when sold.
  • Leave free copies in beauty shops and doctor's offices. The bored or nervous people waiting there will only get a chance to read one or two chapters or less before they have to go in. Include printed bookmarks to take along, so they will remember the book later.

• Promotion methods that have not worked:
  • Print ads have been a wasteful lesson in how not to promote a book. We have taken display ads in local papers and in wholesalers' catalogs. None has come anywhere near recovering costs. None has even caused an observable increase in sales.
  • We have not yet succeeded in getting a single large-circulation reviewer to look at Agatha's Journey. Too bad, because the received wisdom is that this will sell more books than any other promotion method.

  Current August 18, 1999. Corrections January 13, 2001.

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