Publishing 101
You can always ask other members for their advice or experience. That’s one of the best reasons to join NCPA. But to make sure you understand which questions you need to ask, learn the basics.
First of all, read at least one book about self-publishing. Books that cover the basics are Dan Poynter’s The Self-Publishing Manual, The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom & Marilyn Ross, and Fern Reiss’s The Publishing Game series.
Join an e-mail discussion list devoted to publishing. Find out which printers other publishers have used and been satisfied with, and which distributors believe invoices should age at least six months before they’re paid. Publishers are happy to share their experiences. We have our own list, which you will be automatically subscribed to when joining, and you’ll learn about local co-op marketing opportunities there.
Attend a publishing conference. The biggest one is BookExpo America, usually called BEA. It’s held every May-June in a different U.S. city; the 2006 conference will be in Washington, DC. Just before BEA, PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, presents Publishing University, the largest educational event for book publishers and their staff, presenting more than 70 courses during a three-day event.
Join a publishers association. Certainly we want you to join NCPA. But you should also consider these two: PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN). If you’re a NCPA member you’ll receive a discount on your membership. The PMA newsletter alone is worth the membership dues.
Ready to jump into publishing? Here are links to all the resources described above plus links to information about obtaining an ISBN or Cataloging-in-Publication data, and registering copyright. Suggest more links:
- Copyright, Cataloging, and ISBNs
- Getting Started
- Market Research
- With Pen in Hand
- Books About Publishing and Publicity
- E-mail Discussion Lists
Copyright, Cataloging, and ISBNs
- BowkerLink: Publisher Access System
- Purchase ISBNs or add your title to the Books in Print database here.
www.bowkerlink.com - The ISBN Users’ Manual
- www.isbn.org
- Library of Congress: Especially for Publishers
- Information about International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSN), Cataloging in Publication (CIP), and Preassigned Control Numbers (PCN).
www.loc.gov/loc/infopub/ - Quality Books Inc.
- Their Publisher’s-Cataloging in Publication service provides data blocks for publishers who are not participating in the Library of Congress CIP Program.
www.quality-books.com - U.S. Copyright Office
- Everything you could want to know about copyright, right from the official source.
www.copyright.gov - Library of Congress Online Catalog
- Research book titles and authors using the online searchable database.
http://catalog.loc.gov - Ivan Hoffman, B.A., J.D.
- Articles about intellectual property and copyright law.
www.ivanhoffman.com - Publishing Law Center
- Searchable database of articles on various areas of publishing.
www.publaw.com
Getting Started
- Midwest Book Review
- Online articles and links to resources. Don’t forget to send your published book to MBR for review — they give priority consideration to small presses and self-published authors, and their reviews are read by librarians nationwide.
www.midwestbookreview.com - Para Publishing
- Dan Poynter’s site contains up-to-date reports that supplement his book, The Self-Publishing Manual. www.parapublishing.com
- Sensible Solutions for Getting Happily Published
- Companion site to Judith Appelbaum’s book, How to Get Happily Published.
www.happilypublished.com - Aeonix Publishing Group
- Review lists of printers, basic information about file preparation, and more.
www.aeonix.com
Market Research
- Book Marketing
- John Kremer publishes the list of top 500 independent book stores and offers an online Tip of the Week.
www.bookmarket.com - Bookselling This Week
- Book news provided by the American Booksellers Association.
http://news.bookweb.org - Book Industry Study Group
- Purchase reports on the book industry here.
www.bisg.org - Bookwire
- This site, run by Bowker, bills itself as the “book industry resource.”
www.bookwire.com/bookwire/
With Pen in Hand
- ShawGuides: The Guide to Writers Conferences & Workshops
- Database of conferences searchable by location and date.
http://writing.shawguides.com - Writing World
- This writing site includes information about book promotion and self-publishing.
www.writing-world.com - Preditors & Editors
- This site lists businesses that offer services to writers and rates their services based on industry standards of ethical behavior.
www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
Books About Publishing and Publicity
- The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers
- CMS is the standard style guide for U.S. books. There are nifty sections on Bookmaking (the different parts of a book and their content, rights and permissions, more), Style (punctuation, how to handle foreign words and quotations, more), and Production and Printing. www.chicagomanualofstyle.org
- The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book
- by Dan Poynter, www.parapublishing.com
- The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Own Book
- by Tom Ross & Marilyn J. Ross
- How to Publish and Promote Online
- by M. J. Rose & Angela Adair-Hoy
- 1001 Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers
- by John Kremer, www.bookmarket.com
- Guerrilla Marketing for Writers: 100 Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work
- by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, Michael Larsen
- Jumpstart Your Book Sales: A Money-Making Guide for Authors, Independent Publishers and Small Presses
- by Tom Ross & Marilyn J. Ross
- The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, Publish a Book in 30 Days, Bestseller in 30 Days
- by Fern Reiss, www.publishinggame.com
E-mail Discussion Lists
- NCPA-Network
- Members of NCPA are automatically signed up for our members-only list. Contact if you are not getting list messages.
- Publish-L
- Publish-L provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information about publishing and marketing books and related materials.
www.publish-l.com - Smallpub-civil
- A free-ranging discussion of independent and small-press publishing and marketing. Other than bullying, name-calling, rude flames, spam, or entire newsletters, pretty much anything goes. Anyone engaging in a personal attack will lose posting privileges.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smallpub-civil - Ind-e-pubs
- This list discusses ways of producing, distributing, and selling e-books or various formats/types as a group of e-publishers only. Print On Demand is included as an e-book topic. Information-sharing is its only agenda. No direct advertising is allowed; advertisers will be removed.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ind-e-pubs - Print on Demand Publishers
- A business- and marketing-oriented group for publishers of Print-on-Demand books. The moderators will strive to mantain a civilized forum, and they reserve the right to terminate without notice disruptive members.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/POD_publishers - Print-On-Demand
- Authors who published through a POD service can exchange ideas of marketing, promotion and sales of their books as well as discuss the different publishers they have used.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Print-On-Demand - Pub-Forum
- This unmoderated list is targeted at experienced self-publishers and small presses; newcomers may find their basic questions unwelcome.
www.pub-forum.net