New Publishers' Essentials By Fern Reiss

The Essentials New Publishers Need to Know

The Essentials New Publishers Need to Know by Fern Reiss, CEO, PublishingGame.com So you’re ready to publish your first book? Keep in mind the following tips, and you’ll find the path to success much smoother! Bookstores don’t buy POD books. Rather than taking on all the details of self-publishing, many wanna-be publishers are opting for the heavily-advertised Print-On-Demand companies, which promise publication at low fees. For the right project—a niche book with an easily-found audience, such as a church cookbook—POD can indeed be a great option. What the POD companies won’t tell you, however, is that neither bookstores nor libraries will generally buy a POD book. So if you’re planning to sell your books directly through a website or via speaking engagements, POD may be a fine option. For writers who are hoping to see their book in bookstores and libraries, however, better stick with true self-publishing. You can judge a book by its cover. And that’s what most people do. So if you’re not going to spring for a professional, polished cover, you might as well not bother self-publishing the book. You can get a decent cover for as little as $500 and a fantastic cover for around $1000 and up. Don’t use a Ma and Pa print shop. Use a printer that specializes in printing books. Not only will you have fewer problems with production, but the prices will be much less expensive. (You can find a good list of printers in my book, The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days.) You should be able to print 3000 copies of a 250-page softcover book for under $2 per copy. • Get 100 ISBNs. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and every book sold in bookstores or on Amazon must have an ISBN. In the U.S. ISBNs are available only from Bowker.com, and you can buy them in blocks of ten, 100, or 1000. The fewer you buy the less it costs—but buying just a block of ten marks you as a one-book publisher. And everyone in the publishing industry can figure out how many ISBNs you’ve purchased by looking at your ISBN number. So be a player; spring for the $800 block of 100. • Don’t wait to start marketing. Many first-time publishers focus on the nuts and bolts of the publishing process, and put off thinking about the marketing until they have books in hand (or garage.) Bad move. Your book will succeed or fail on its marketing plan. So before you start your self-publishing project, sit down and figure out who your audience is, and where you will find them. Only once you’ve mapped out the marketing should you move forward on a publishing project. Self-publishing can not only be extremely lucrative, it can be a lot of fun. But follow these five simple rules, and you’ll be enjoying the publishing game. Good luck! Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com (www.PublishingGame.com) and Expertizing.com (www.Expertizing.com) and the author of the books, The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days, and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days as well as several other award-winning books. She is also the Director of the International Association of Writers (http://www.AssociationofWriters.com) providing publicity vehicles to writers worldwide. She also runs The Expertizing® Publicity Forum where you can pitch your book or business directly to journalists; more information at www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm. Sign up for her complimentary newsletter at www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm. And definitely sign up for her Facebook Writing and Publishing group at harvard.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6138914001. Copyright © 2009 Fern Reiss

We Malaysians can learn...

The Future of Publishing

The Future of Publishing by Fern Reiss, CEO, PublishingGame.com/Expertizing.com In the same way that it’s always easier to parent other people’s children perfectly, it’s easier to criticize the publishing industry from the outside and see what needs to be done. Still, as an ‘outsider’ who’s been in various segments of the publishing industry for over 25 years, here’s my top five list of changes the publishing world needs to implement in order to survive the current economic downturn--if the industry is to emerge at the other end intact. Give up on returns It’s ironic that the policy of bookstore returns started during the last economic Depression, when Simon & Schuster decided it was a great way to allow bookstores to take chances on books because there was no downside. Today, however, the cost of allowing returns is strangling the entire publishing industry. Now’s the time to introduce economic incentives for booksellers who are willing to forego returns—or just eliminate the option unilaterally, across the industry. Like gravitating away from hardcovers to soft, eliminating returns will bring book prices way, way down—and change the economics of the entire business. Put galleys online Distributing hard copies of advance galleys four months before official publication date is a practice that should have died out with the advent of instant printing several years ago. Why should publishers do headstands to get advance galley copies of books (books that are already in final form, mind you) into the hands of opinion makers four months before the books are officially released? It’s time to put galleys online where they belong. Not only will this save mega bucks and mega time, it will eliminate the fake ‘four month window’ during which you have to sit on your books, as well as the plethora of galleys available for sale on Amazon. Done correctly, it might even generate advance buzz amongst readers. Market the books, dammit! When McDonalds introduces a new burger, they do a PR campaign. When the Hilton introduces new amenities, they do a PR campaign. It’s hard to even think of an industry where products for the general public are not marketed. But usually the publishing industry only markets books that seem to be taking off already. As an industry pundit once said, publishers would wait to see whether the infant survives before bothering to feed it… And market the books online, too The publishing industry hasn’t evolved most of its practices in decades, but the rest of the world has changed. Most particularly, where potential readers congregate and buy has changed. Newspapers are dying; magazines are going out of business; and it’s not just the independents, but all the brick and mortar bookstores too that are in trouble in this economy. For publishers to really thrive and compete, they need to be where the readers are. And that means Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs. Hire some literate college kids and let them loose, but do something with social media and and Web 2.0 and do it fast! With bookstores dwindling and without an online fan base, it’s hard to see how even the biggest publishers will survive the decade. Rethink the whole book model It’s not only the publishing industry that needs to change. Books have to, and can, change in several fundamental ways. One hundred years ago, a book had a beginning, middle and end. Today, books can be sold in smaller increments profitably (think: cell phones). Books can be tailored to specific niches, or even specific individuals (think: Michelin Guide replaced by three page guide to restaurants near my business meeting in the North End; or 200-page tome on knitting replaced by a single-page summary reminding me just how to cast-off.) Also, consumers today, perhaps sadly, watch and listen more and read less. They crave interactivity. Smart publishers will find ways to deliver that. Supplement your books with audio, video and new media. Think out of the proverbial box. There’ll always be writers and (I hope) there’ll always be readers. The smart writers and publishers will figure out some way to propel their stuff into the world. But if large publishers don’t start making some radical changes, the publishing landscape may have to continue without them. And that would be a shame. Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com (www.PublishingGame.com) and Expertizing.com (www.Expertizing.com) and the author of the books, The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days, and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days as well as several other award-winning books. She is also the Director of the International Association of Writers (http://www.AssociationofWriters.com) providing publicity vehicles to writers worldwide. She also runs The Expertizing® Publicity Forum where you can pitch your book or business directly to journalists; more information at www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm. Sign up for her complimentary newsletter at www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm. And definitely sign up for her Facebook Writing and Publishing group at harvard.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6138914001. Copyright © 2009 Fern Reiss

Malaysian Wired For Books?

I received this information earlier. Nice...

Wired for Books: Celebrating Books, Reading, and Literature

"Literature... news that stays news" - Ezra Pound

For many years, most of the best writers of the English language found their way to Don Swaim's CBS Radio studio in New York. The one-on-one interviews typically lasted 30 to 45 minutes and then had to be edited down to a two-minute radio show. Wired for Books is proud to make these important oral documents publicly available for the first time in their entirety. Listen to the voices of many of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Visit the Wired for Books Don Swaim Page.

Select Don Swaim Interviews

American Book Award winners: Russell Banks | Sandra Cisneros | Henry Louis Gates, Jr. | William Kennedy | Paule Marshall | Toni Morrison | Gary Snyder | Art Spiegelman | John Edgar Wideman Booker Prize winners: Margaret Atwood | John Banville | Ian McEwan | Kazuo Ishiguro | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala | Thomas Keneally | Bernice Rubens | Graham Swift | Barry Unsworth Edgar Award winners: Lawrence Block | Mary Higgins Clark | Dick Francis | Frederick Forsyth | Tony Hillerman | P. D. James | Stuart Kaminsky | Elmore Leonard | Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) | Robert B. Parker | T. Jefferson Parker | Ruth Rendell | Joseph Wambaugh | Donald Westlake Hugo Award winners: Isaac Asimov | Ray Bradbury Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science winner: Oliver Sacks

More here:
http://wiredforbooks.org/index2.htm

Malaysia?

Leadership in the Era of Economics

Please read...

An interesting book with a nice title.

Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty.

More here:

http://www.bizsum.com/

I am a believer of Economic Abundance. Are all world leaders working toward this?

Or each of them outdoing the other, and strike a war that is devastating to the globe and the content?

I have been observing the present leaders, closely for a year.

When each talk, they talk about what can we do, the global market is such. This is a reality.

Followers agree, and all suffer together.

Unlike these leaders, A Steer, like the navigator on a sea, smooth or rough, he steers. Knowing that he cannot control the weather, yet he is in total control of the steering.

Zubli Zainordin ~ Malaysia Needs 3000 Super Book Editors

First, an understanding, the need of an injection of RM 300 Million allocation into the Malaysian Book Industry. This is to spearhead at least 27,000 book titles annually. Including the SuperBooks, Professional Books, General Books, Children's Books, and more. An expected churning of RM 1 Billion business in the country. Thus, Malaysia needs about 3,000 Super Book Editors.

The time has come to add and raise the present Book Editors, so that each is distinguished and well-known.

The space is now opened for Book Editors to excel through professional training. In addition there must be a welcoming open arms for new Book Editors to enter this profession. All together they are fully trained to be super. Distinguished and well-known.

This is the move sparked by A Steer through the Malaysian Book Development Foundation, and enhancing the efforts by the Malaysian Book Academy.

At present, a Workshop For Editors Of Professional Book Writing is being conducted, in Kuala Lumpur, and next to other states in Malaysia.

Each Book Editor shall be fully equipped in the process from manuscript to Ready to Print Book. Overall there is a need for super skills that are refine, artful, and making it happened. As well as fulfilling the standard set by the Malaysian Book Industry.

This opportunity is now open to you, should you be interesting to fill in the space within this noble agenda.

Dennis E. Hensley ~ 10 Factors To Consider When Writing Book Proposals

Ten Factors to Consider When Writing Book Proposals

By Dennis E. Hensley

If you are trying to market a novel or nonfiction book, you would do well to consider the ten factors editors find most important about book proposals:

#1 Proper Elements.

#2 Neatness.

#3 Reader Sensitivity.

#4 Good Writing.

#5 Organization.

#6 Publisher Familiarity.

#7 Market Positioning.

#8 Professional Development.

#9 Legal Concerns.

#10 Business Negotiations.

According to Dennis E. Hensley, a book proposal is similar to a job interview. If the appearance is neat, the information is interesting and accurate, and the necessary preparation has been done, there's a good chance that the deal will be closed.

Details here: http://www.right-writing.com/factors.html
___________________________________________________________
Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is director of the professional writing major at Taylor University Fort Wayne (IN). He is the co-author of the Leslie Holden mystery-romance novel series released by Harvest House and also the author of such writing books as How to Write What You Love and Make a Living at It (Random House) and Alpha Teach Yourself Grammar and Style in 24 Hours (Macmillan).

---

Publishing Linda Lavid Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer

Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer

Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer
by Linda Lavid

Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer (also available in paperback) specifies the finer points of publishing as they relate to writing, editing, publishing, having a website and marketing. Clear, concise and helpful, Publishing Tips mirrors the dilettante role of every independent writer, that CEO of one who dreams, creates, and releases his or her work into the world.

From Preface…

Not so long ago, publishing your manuscript was restricted to finding a publisher or spending thousands of dollars to publish yourself. Thanks to technology, this is no longer the case. Three technological advances have converged allowing many voices of many places the option to write, publish and market their work easily and inexpensively. Specifically, after the original breakthrough of the personal computer, there came the word processing program, the Internet, and Print on Demand technology. Each innovation closed the gap between author and reader by arming writers with tools to create, edit, print and market books. Suddenly, many writers like myself are “all in” seeing where this is headed.

Anyway, we each have reasons for publishing our work. They can be grand or parochial. Perhaps you want to test the waters or get your work reviewed or reel in a commercial publisher or make a gazillion dollars. Whatever the impetus, publishing your work is a choice filled with opportunity and surprise. To help, I’m passing along Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer.

Happy writing and publishing!

Linda

Click on the link below to download this free ebook:-
Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer (PDF) or (HTML)

How To Make a Full-Time Living Writing eBooks Part-Time!

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=232

Funlook Unusual And Creative Books

Unusual and Creative Books

( click on the images to view bigger )

Zubli Zainordin ~ A Steer Asks How Shall Malaysia Develop 27,000 General Books Annually?

'27,000 book titles a year, and Malaysia will be developed'

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Malaysia has to publish 27,000 book titles for general reading annually to become a knowledgeable developed nation and be on par with other developed countries, Malaysian Book Contractors Association president Hasan Hamzah said.

He said this being that in countries like Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, the ratio was 1,000 book titles to one million population.

"Hence, Malaysia has to publish 27,000 book titles for its 27 million population a year, " he said, adding that such an effort would require an allocation of about RM300 million.

Hasan said Malaysia currently published only 10,000 book titles every year, which is still very far behind from that in other developed countries.

Most of the books found in Malaysia were imported ones, despite the country having many local intellectuals, including about 350,000 teachers and more than 40,000 lecturers or professors, who were capable of producing books for general reading, he added.

However, he said it was not because there were not many locally-published books that reading was not a habit among Malaysians.

"Actually, our society loves knowledge and they like to read. It is because books are expensive to buy," he added.

Hasan said that for a book to be sold cheaply, a publisher had to print at least 3,000 copies for each title a year.

There would be an increase in demand for general books with support from the government through provision of special allocations for publication of books for general reading, he added.

— Bernama

So, how do we achieve 27,000 general books? I should say, this is just a benchmark. We should do more, and proceed to improve this number.

How shall we get a commitment of RM 300 Million allocation from the relevant Ministries?

A Steer needs to move on book pricing index, so that more Malaysians can buy and read...

What is your view on this?

Zubli Zainordin Sketch By PurpleFrog

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Zubli Zainordin ~ Good Learning eBook at Dr Deepak Jain Blog

The e-Book rich with information to the point guide.





















To get the e-Book, click here:

Dr Deepak Jain Blog
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Zubli Zainordin ~ Lots Of Fun At BlokesLib

http://www.blokeslib.com/


http://twitter.com/BlokesLib

Name BlokesLib

Location Australia

Web http://www.blokes...

Bio Digital Media and Interactive Strategist with MIA. In my spare time I try to understand women ;) Oh, and yes, I did start the popular http://www.BlokesLib.com

Zubli Zainordin Asking ~ Book ~ Writer Or Author

What is the difference?

In what context each term is being used nowadays?

My view:

Writing my fourth book, the Publisher, Ali Dina, told me to use Penulis, Writer. I prefer Pengarang, Author. He asked me, why? Because the standard usage in Malaysia then, is Book Writer. My response to him, yes, in those days, individual wrote books, using quill, pencil, pen, and what are similar. Yet, I typed, using a laptop. So, I am not a Book Writer, yet, I am a Book Author.

I was then amongst the few Book Authors, while the rest are still Book Writers in Malaysia.

What is your expert view on this. Please share with me, so that I continue to learn from you.

Want To Write A Book? Here is Help From Billy Sticker

http://www.instantinfluencer.com/

Twitter
http://twitter.com/chiromarketing
Name Billy Sticker
Location L-Town, Texas
Web http://www.instan...
Bio : Author/Speaker/Business Marketing Coach/Consultant

Zubli Zainordin ~ Assembling Malaysia Best Book Speakers

The National Book Development Foundation stands erect upon four major components. One of the components is the Book Academy Malaysia.

It is an advantage that the CEO of the Foundation, and the Head of the Academy, together they have the political leaders connection, and they are responsible to obtain funding for projects.

With that, a Steer can move forward, onward, and upward.

I am thinking now of assembling Malaysia Best Book Speakers.

The most important to me at this point in time is their Core Competencies as a criteria of selection, as a member of a team.

The Core competencies include:

01. Book Expertise

02. Public Speaking Excellence

I have not the opportunity to witness any of the existing performers. I shall, soon.

The preference shall not include an individual who are expert on books, but is a lousy speaker. Similarly, excellence public speakers who does not know the totality of book pubshing.

I shall be observing 3 academicians, namely Dr Ilias Zaidi, Ali Dina, and Hasri Hasan.

Dr Ilias Zaidi is well known in Malaysia. He is a prolific writer and book author. He is a former University Lecturer.

Ali Dina is well known in the book publishing sector. He is a former University Lecturer. He is anctive contributor to the National Book Development Foundation, Book Academy Malaysia, and an online book community bukuonline.org.

Hassan Hasri is up and coming into establishing his own name within the book publishing industry. He is at present a part time University Lecturer. He is with a publishing house now.

There are nine more, I shall obtain their curriculum vitae.

The God willing there must be more to be identified...

Zubli Zainordin
COO
Chief Operations Officer
National Book Development Foundation

Zubli Zainordin ~ Written Pieces At ArticlesBase

Click here to Publish more of your Articles

Zubli Zainordin

Article Title	Views	Friends	Comments	Published	Ranking	Analytics
Persistence: the 7 Most Permanent Practices of a Powerful Personality	874	2	0	3/12/2006	77
Time Management: your Choice to Challenge a Possible Chaos in your Life	282	0	0	27/11/2006	53
Total Believe: the Next Frontier of our Entire Possibilities	193	0	0	23/11/2006	52
What to Change and Change to What	405	1	0	17/11/2006	50
What you See is What you Get and How you See is Why you Get	302	0	0	15/11/2006	50
The End of Competition is the Beginning of Cooperation	290	0	0	9/11/2006	50
A Million Dollar Idea: the Total-auto-smart-responder	287	0	0	5/11/2006	51
Stop Saying "i Have a Problem" is the Solution to the Problem	389	0	0	5/11/2006	50
Where Shall We Find Happiness?	893	0	0	2/11/2006	63
Think Outside the Box Or Be Outside the Box?	432	0	0	28/10/2006	50
7 Qualities of Exceptional Book Authors	758	0	0	26/10/2006	58
Transformation a Personal Choice to Attain Ultimate Freedom	299	0	0	25/10/2006	50

Zubli Zainordin ~ NBDF A Malaysian Book Industry Steer

Within the Malaysian Book Industry there are sectors and sectorial leaders.

The Ministers and Ministries concern are a political leader and leadership, Heritage, and Education.

However, there is no Minister and Ministry of Books Malaysia, yet.

So, we prefer to uplift the National Book Development Foundation, as the Steer.

An organization, purely and solely on books.

Spearheading the industry development and progress. Especially policy, standard, best practices, research, academy, certification, and activities.

Related to books, the Steer shall move the related and relevant sectors. Including authors, book communities, publishers, printers, wholesellers, book sellers, paper manufacturers, libraries, readers, and others too.

How To Write A Book Part 3 ~

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Zubli Zainordin ~ At Grouply

http://www.grouply.com/

Zubli Zainordin ~ Learning At LibriVox A Potential For Malaysia

Earlier I have written a paper on Talking Book, an exclusive project for the nation.

Today I learn that we can learn more from LibriVox, here:

http://librivox.org/


We are connected at Twitter!

http://twitter.com/pdbooks

• Name Public Domain Books
• Location UK
• Web http://librivox.org
• Bio Tweeting links daily to public domain, volunteer-produced audiobooks and ebooks - read online and/or listen for FREE!

http://twitter.com/zublizainordin