Creating paperback versions of my novels is still on my to-do list (soon!), so I asked Reena Jacobs in to answer some questions. She’s a fellow indie author (see her earlier guest post on “Why I Self-Published“) who went through the process a couple of months ago. You can find links to her work at the bottom of the post, or visit her blog anytime.
Now, let’s get to the questions!
Why do you think it’s important for ebook authors to have print versions of their books available? (I’d love to hear about your giveaway at Goodreads and how that went too).
eBooks are popular these days. In fact, most indie authors profit more through their digital books than print. However, there are readers who are resistant to gadgets. And though I have an eReader, I admit, I’m one of those people. If the digital and print copies are similarly priced, I’ll purchase the print.
To me, it just makes sense to offer a product in as many places as possible, especially if it’s affordable.
As for the Goodreads giveaway, I’d think you’d be tired of hearing me ramble about that one. 🙂 But since you asked, the giveaway was absolutely WONDERFUL. For a debut author, it was a great way for me to get the word out about Shadow Cat.
The giveaway ran for about 30 days. I had a rough start and missed a couple of early days making changes (extending the deadline & adding Canada to the eligibility list). Each time a change is made, the giveaway needs to be reapproved. Since a lot of people only tune in at the start and end of giveaways, I’m sure I missed quite a few opportunities. Still, I ended up with over 700 entrants, and over 60 people added Shadow Cat to their Goodreads list during the giveaway.
The thing with Goodreads is that the prize must be a print book which another reason to publish in paper. The cost to me was less than $9 to send Shadow Cat to the US winner who also happened to leave a review on Goodreads within a few weeks. One nice feature about Goodreads: winners don’t have to leave reviews, but their chances of winning in the future increase if they do. It creates a win-win situation for everyone, in my opinion.
Which publishing outfit did you go with, and why did you choose that one?
I know a lot of people rave about Lighting Source (LSI). However, I went with CreateSpace—mainly for the reason above… cost effectiveness. For many self-published authors, print books are not going to be the stable income. And if we go with the statistics that most authors earn less than $100 with a book then it makes even more sense to go with a low cost way of publishing. This is only heresy, so do your own research, but I’m told LSI can yield a higher royalty, but the start up is costly. For example, a block of 10 ISBNs costs $275 whereas publishers can option for a free one through CreateSpace. Others may feel differently, but at this point in my writing career, I don’t feel the need to own an ISBN, so free works for me. Later down the road, I may change my mind and republish Shadow Cat under my own ISBN.
Typically, the cost to publish with CreateSpace is the price of the proof (usually under $10) plus shipping & handling (less than $4 for ground mail in the US). With a little research, you might find a coupon for CreateSpace to provide the first proof for free, like I did. So essentially, an author could publish with CreateSpace at no cost to them. For the financially challenged, free is good. 🙂
Anytime I want to make a change to Shadow Cat, I simply upload the new version, order a new proof for review (at the cost listed above), and if satisfied, approve the proof.
I went with the extended distribution channels which cost an additional $39. That’s optional, but provides greater royalties, cheaper wholesale costs, and puts the work in more stores and libraries. Would I recommend it? If we use the statistics above (most books make less than $100), I’d say no. But if you have a distorted but optimistic view, like I have for Shadow Cat, then I’d say yes. Haha. Of course, you can always take the wait and see approach and option for it at any time once sales take off.
How is the formatting and cover art different for a paperback book?
Oh my goodness. It’s certainly not as straightforward as ePublishing, especially if one used the Smashwords Formatting Guide for the eBook. With digital, the main concern is eliminating the funky hidden formatting so the distributor receives a clean draft. No worries about page size, headings, page numbers, and so forth—mostly because each reader is different with different settings.
When I published with CreateSpace, it pretty much was what you see is what you get. I didn’t have to worry about the funky hidden formatting. However, I did have to make sure it looked pretty—suppressing page numbers on chapter pages, including page numbers, formatting the work to the actual size of the work.
The cover was a bit simpler. The main concern is making sure the important stuff (images, type, etc) is within the specified margins. If I’m not mistake, 1/4 of an inch from the edge. If one formats the cover art for print the first time, that same cover art can be used for the digital book.
I struggled a bit with formatting the text and cover art. In fact, my first submission was rejected. Even so, it took me less than 24 hours from the time I started formatting Shadow Cat for print until I received final approval (which included that first rejection) and ordered a proof copy.
If you have the $$$, CreateSpace offers services to format your book and even create cover art for it. A less expensive alternative might be to seek out the freelancers in the indie community.
Did you have much say in the pricing, or is it based on word-count/ pages?
I did and do have control of the pricing. However, the associated costs of printing and distributing play a role. CreateSpace allows you to set your own price as long it yields a profit to the publisher (the author if self-publishing). Those interested can find a breakdown in the CreateSpace Understanding Royalties guide. The math is straight forward and far superior to the convoluted explanation I considered giving. haha
Do you want to finish up by telling us about your book and where folks can buy it?
Do I ever! 🙂
Shadow Cat is my debut novel and follows Eric, a CEO of a pharmaceutical company, as he mixes business with a little R&R in the Malaysian jungle. He encounters the native Berani, who unbeknownst to him is also a wehr-tigress. A few mishaps later and Eric finds himself fighting demons, wehr-tigers, and his growing attraction to a female who could disembowel him with one swipe.
Oh… and it has a heat level which has left my mother traumatized for life. 🙂
Readers can find Shadow Cat at the following locations:
Thanks, Reena!
Thanks for having me, Lindsay.
Thanks for having me, Lindsay. 🙂
All success to Reena 😀 That’s a lot of great information.
Another great and very helpful post! Bookmarked 🙂