First Word

Today's topic - book pricing ... I get routinely asked, "How should I price my book?" A lot of authors will want a low price without considering their breakeven point. If the cost per book exceeds the actual royalty you receive per book, you're going to automatically start in the red and never be able to get past it. Now eBook sales can mitigate this problem since you only have a one-time conversion fee.   My advice though is to never price your book so you're actually losing money. Even if you're making a small profit per book, go that direction and mitigate it with eBook sales. I know many authors are concerned about pricing their books out of the market. So, that is why I suggest at least some profit if you want to lower your price based on that concern; but do not flip it over. Going upside down on any project is always a losing proposition - that is, unless...   You're doing a book to enhance your image or career . If you wr...

I just got off the phone with a prospect. She saw a presentation I recently gave. She said she was so impressed. She cited one thing I said as important, " 3L Publishing's mission is to strive for excellence in everything we do." My desire for excellence is driven by my passion for publishing and books. I know what I like. I know what I as a consumer want to see. What I don't want to see is a low-quality book where no care was given to the quality of the product. I want not only the experience of working with my company to be a great relationship with our authors and clients, but also I want our final products to shine and reflect handsomely on the author and my company. I want every author or client to know that regardless of anything else, their books or marketing materials will be well-done. They will show off their final products with pride. They can feel good about it. When I've achieved those goals I've done what I set out to do -- strive for excellence...

Many authors ask questions about self-publishers such as iUniverse or more recently Book Baby or Smashwords. Now before I explain why these "publishers" are nothing more than a "mechanism" to get your book out there, I want to be fair. Some of these services do exactly what they say -- they get your book converted to an eBook and then posted on eBook distribution service like Kindle on Amazon or Nook on Barnes and Noble. A place like iUniverse does a little more than that, but for the most part not much more.  After speaking to hundreds of authors who have used self-publishing services, I would like to clear up the confusion that seems to follow some of the more popular self-publishers.  Your book is edited by a professional -- true or false ?  False ! Some services provide ZERO editing. Other services provide an editor. Is that editor always qualified? One review of some back cover copies produced by some of these self-publishers suggests a lack of quali...

My company 3L Publishing is often confused with vanity press aka as self-publishing. I thought I would take a moment to clarify the difference for those authors who seek help to get published. First, let's start with defining what is a "hybrid" publisher. Hybrid Publisher -- a new term that was coined to define the difference between a traditional publisher, self-publisher and hybrid publisher. A hybrid publisher combines the best of traditional publishing with self-publishing. The main difference between a hybrid and traditional publisher is that the author pays to have his or her manuscript published in exchange for extremely high royalty rates that range from 35 to 75 percent (traditional publishers typically pay 10-12 percent). A hybrid publisher vets each manuscript and decides based upon quality of writing and the marketplace demands who to publish. A hybrid publisher offers all of the same benefits as a traditional publisher, including distribution and fulfillm...

The following is an excerpt from my book on publishing titled Vanity Circus , which is available on Amazon and my website at 3L Publishing ( www.3LPublishing.com ).  Want to know a way to absolutely ruin an utterly brilliant day? Be forced to read a tragically and poorly written manuscript (fiction or non-fiction … doesn’t matter). In my opinion, nothing is worse than being forced to read a manuscript that for all intents and purposes is utter drivel to the extreme – and perhaps the most pain I can possibly experience is also to be subjected to horrible, horrible dialog. Nothing makes a reader wince more than weak dialog written in a stilted and idiotic manner. I promise you that forcing a reader to strain through inane and meaningless dialog will drive them mad. So with that said, it’s time to tell you about The Good, The Bad and The Brutally Ugly when it comes to sifting through and reading a pile of manuscripts. The Good The Good manuscript while it has a handful of...

I stumbled upon a reaction to 3L Publishing posted by someone who knows absolutely nothing about our company other than assumptions and speculation. I was disappointed that the word "scam" was used about 3L. I was further disgusted by the speculation that has no basis in reality was put out there as fact. I can tell you that not a single one of our authors would echo these sentiments. They would not agree. We have scammed absolutely no one and I take total offense with that accusation. Before anyone accuses 3L of "scamming" authors, they might want to actually speak to our authors. We have a very happy stable of authors who love their final products. Their final products are first-rate, high-quality and do, in fact, land on bookstore shelves. Before assumptions like that get made, you seriously might want to do your homework and know your facts -- especially since you're accusing my company of a scam! I know critics will always exist. I have seen it. I also know...