Launching!
It's been a very interesting experience, the first self-publish. Mostly because I've been trying to find the best possible practice when it comes to an environmental publish. So it goes like this...
I've printed it using POD (Print on Demand) in Australia using recycled paper, 91% recycled waste and it's carbon neutral. This is a first, small print run in order to gain a few (hopefully positive) reviews, and to present it to book distributors without whom you can't sell your book through bookstores, and they don't appear to make decisions on whether they will or not until you've printed it. It presents a few delimmas that a small print run deals with. So there are 100 first editions available!
Because I'd like to make it available worldwide the environmental and postage costs make it unsustainable to send it overseas. So I've signed up with Lulu, a print on demand US company for northern hemisphere sales. The book can be viewed here Who Killed Dave?@Lulu Unfortunately, while it's still carbon neutral - it's not from recycled paper stocks or printed using vegetable ink. But! It can also be downloaded electronically from the site for $5 US - making it an environmental read of the first order (as long as you don't print it.)It also mean it'll be available through Amazon - eventually.
Some of you may have heard me rabbit on about it some time back - for those of you who haven't heard or seen it - excerpts and pitch are here
I had a ball writing it, I hope people have as much fun reading it.
9 comments:
You will not regret using Lulu. I have several books online with them both as downloads and print copies and they just send my royalties with no fuss. Initially I did 'buy' print copies for myself and they are excellent quality. I recently got the news that I've been selected and they are promoting my books through Amazon Marketplace. I have been down the self publishing route a number of years and to sell in the USA you have to have a US address, the book has to be in a different cover and there are all kinds of marketing restrictions. ( Some Mid-Atlantic restriction). I'm about to upload a few more small books and have nothing but praise. Like you, my 'opus' was printed - 2,000 copies but is now in its second print. I did have distributors but a couple of years ago, most distributors pared their stocks down to what were fast an big sellers. I got unceremoniously dumped - not worried though as, by the time they got their cut and I got stocks shipped, I made a princely $2 per book. Self publishing has its pitfalls and you have to do a bit of work selling, but in the long run it is the way to go. My first book was published by Penguin Arcana and that made 70c a book! Good luck. Linda
Hey Cosmic, you told us all that and didn't mention the name of your book/s.
I was a bit affronted whem someone accused me a while back of only writing to make money. I was able to scoff back at him how little it was, pitiful. If you want to cry poor, be an author. (or most authors) - last I read the average author makes $10,000 a year in Australia. Which is why they tell you not to quit your day job.
For those of you who haven't already been on the difficult end of one of my rants...
When we were on TV last April the book sold out overnight - it took the publisher 8 months to reprint because they couldn't decide on the cover. Never again. I can do it better anyway (environmentally speaking).
Oops - that was arrogant of me! How ridiculous of people to assume that making money from writing is in some way 'wrong'. Writing is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. It take months of hard slog to put it together and you sweat like a hog over it's birth. There are easier ways to make a living! My books are at http://www.lulu.com/canopus - they are all Astrology and related subjects. My 'big' book is on my Zodiac Garden blog and can be purchased direct from me. I have 6 more ready to upload, all written for when I was teaching online. Then I'll be doing a cookbook!
Can't see any cause for arrogance ... off to have a look at your books!
Linda, if you'd be so kind, I wonder if you could tell me who the POD company is that you went through in Australia? I've been considering Lulu for overseas sales of my book but I too wanted something here in Australia. And the environmental credentials sound just like what I'm looking for. Thank you :)
Hi Linda,
Congratulations!!! So how can we get our hands on one of these very limited, carbon-neutral, Australian first editions?
Thanks,
Kat
Hi Alice,
Digital Print Australia, they have been fantastic to deal with, recommend them highly - however they are not carbon neutral, I've purchased credits elsewhere.
Hi Kat,
www.lintrezza.com/buy.html
That's the direct page for sales,
but hang around and have a read of the excerpts etc at www.lintrezza.com/wkd.html
OK, I'm officially a idiot - the link to buying the book didn't work - thanks everyone for pointing that out ... it's fixed!
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