Gold Rush Writer's Conference Mokelumne Hill, Calif. May 1-3, 2009 Laptop 2: “Lulu, where are you?” Tom Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism Santa Fe, New Mexico Self-publishing in the Digital Age

2 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 What we’re aiming for today  Changes in publishing biz  Pros and cons of digital self-publishing (DSP)  Major online Print-on-Demand (P-o-D) houses  What you need to know to self-publish  Computing programs & file types  What publisher needs from you  Working with specialized contractors  How to make your title a bestseller

3 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 The Status Quo?  Amazon announced the second iteration of its Kindle electronic reading device in February Amazon Kindle  The next day, HarperCollins announced it would close its Collins division to substantially reduce head count and limit the number of books it acquires to publish.

4 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 The Status Quo?  Backlist is slowing because traffic at the bookstore chains is slowing  When a book is hot, most sales don't take place in bookstores. They're at Costco, newsstands, grocery stores and other non-book book outlets.  For bookstores, most books are shelf-occupying rent-takers  For publishers (i.e. manufactures), books represent upfront investment that may or may not be recovered

5 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Major changes in publishing biz  Number of book publishers shrank to about 60% of the total that existed in 1997, largely due to industry consolidation.  Ten publishers accounted for more than 80% of annual book publishing revenue.  Top 10 book printers were responsible for more than half of all book manufacturing revenue.  In 2003, 34% of adult hardcover books were returned to publishers compared with 28% in 1993.

6 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Major changes in publishing biz  Traditional costs going up  Staff cutbacks=less editing, design, marketing  Readers being more eclectic in terms of medium, i.e. E-books, book in Iphone, mixing multiple forms – sometimes I-o-P, sometimes digital of same book

7 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Major changes in publishing biz  <57% of the U.S. population now reads even one book per year; 4% decline in a decade.  Percentage of adult Americans who regularly read literature — novels, short stories, plays and poetry — fell from almost 57% in 1982 to 46.7%; a loss of 20 million potential readers

8 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Pros of digital self-publishing  Low initial $$$ investment (but takes time to write and format and, possibly, learn the system)  You have TOTAL control over editing and design  YOU control print run and PRICE!  YOU set the royalty  YOU can make corrections at any time  Get listed on Amazon.com, Border.com, Barnes & Noble.com and in European databases  A successful P-o-D book can get picked up by traditional publisher. (If so, what’s your negotiating position?)

9 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Cons of digital self-publishing  Editors and copy editors are always necessary  You will have to hire them, although P-o-D house can usually help you find someone  Designers are always helpful; perhaps necessary depending on your experience  YOU will be responsible for all PR, marketing and promotion. Again, P-o-D publisher can suggest contractors

10 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 P-o-D/Self-publishing resources  The Self-Publishing Manual By Dan Poynter Read on Google.com/books\ The Self-Publishing Manual  Print on demand Book Publishing by Morris Rosenthal pages Print on demand Book Publishing  The complete guide to self-publishing By Tom Ross The complete guide to self-publishing

11 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu.com  Author chooses layout from templates  Authors “flow” text into Word layout  Author chooses binding style  Author chooses cover art  Author sets price for I-o-P and online version

12 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu.com  Book purchased via Lulu.com or Amazon.com  Lulu.com does fulfillment (printing and mailing)  Lulu.com posts your financials online  What does it cost you?  $0

13 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu by the numbers  A Step by Step Guide to the Lulu Publishing Process -

14 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu #1 – Step-by-Step

15 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu #2 – Overview of steps

16 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu #3 – Project Options

17 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu #4 – Price Setting A

18 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu #4 – Price Setting B

19 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu #5 – Lulu Review page

20 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu Points of Advantage and Caution  Double check with designer on size and placing of ISBN & barcode  Always order a “trial” or “proof” version(s) of your book to check color, font, paper and inking, etc.  Double check graphics  DPI settings  Color should NOT be RGB; instead CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)

21 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Lulu Titlescorer

22 Gold Rush Writers Workshop © J.T.Johnson 2009 ________________________May 2009 Some online book publishers  booksandtales.com/pod/index.php booksandtales.com/pod/index.php        

Gold Rush Writer's Conference Mokelumne Hill, Calif. May 1-3, 2009 Laptop 2: “Lulu, where are you?” Tom Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism Santa Fe, New Mexico Self-publishing in the Digital Age Gracias