If the bookstore sells them – the publishing house get paid money. If the bookstore doesn’t sell them – they can return all the books. It is ok to hold the books for several months and then send them back.

Archaic? You bet. And still, the vast majority of New York houses embrace the model; and authors scramble to enter into these medieval contracts for the “prestige” of being “under contract.” Authors literally give their rights and souls away for the “honor” of being published by a “real” publisher. Here’s the truth: it’s very,
very difficult to get a deal that has any bones to it today. For every Tim Ferris breakout (The Four-Hour Work Week), there are 10,000 wannabes that have books fall on their written faces. Unless you, dear author, land in the top five percent, your big time publishing experience will most likely be one big time let down, sucking wind. Deals are hard to come by; every major publisher is downsizing and editors are downright fearful. We suggest you breathe deeply and consider your options.

The New Big Four Is there hope? Is there an out? Could there be a better way to get published? Absolutely, and we are here to show you why and how.
More and more authors are opting to go solo, creating their own publishing houses. Why—simply this: It’s about quality; it’s about timing; it’s about control; and it’s about money.

The quality of the books published by mainstream publishers has changed. Paper is thinner; interior designs are iffy; and editing is so-so. The reality is, today’s savvy author can create a better product, make money, and have a good time in the process. And not gasp for air.

Authors want input on how their books look and what they say. With a traditional publisher, cherished titles morph; and decisions about how the book will “look” are made without the authors input or OK. Control flies out the window.

Messages and timing are always critical—unless a book has been “fast-tracked” by a publishing house…meaning it’s being pushed to get out What’s What in Publishing Today within a few months—expect a book to be published 18 months after it’s accepted by the publisher. Eighteen months is a long time—when you want your message out now. Your hot idea could be obsolete by the time your printed word appears. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Finally, the money issue can be shocking. Traditional publishers pay between 10 and 15 percent royalties on the net or retail price of the book— it’s all in the contract—contracts after the year 2000, leaned toward the net number. Why is that important? Simply this: the average non-fiction book sells fewer than 6,500 copies. At the end of 2009, reports coming from New York indicated that overall sales for mid-list books (not the Jim Collins, Tim Ferris type of books) were in the 3,000 to 4,000 range. This won’t seed your retirement nest egg.

Indeed. The old days, are, well, old. Dinosaurian. The new model of author, as publisher, has birthed. And we think it’s a very, very good thing.

Reprinted from “Rick Frishman‘s Sunday Tips”
Subscribe at http://www.rickfrishman.com and receive Rick’s “Million Dollar Rolodex”

All major airports have at least one bookstore, surrounded by a captive audience of weary travelers looking for something to do to help pass time. What better way while away the hours than by reading a good book? Your book? Apparently many travelers seek that option because “a major store in a large airport will sell between $1 and $2 million of books each year” says Kathleen Willoughby of Bookazine.

Bookstores in most small airports have space constraints limiting the titles they stock to only the top fiction and non-fiction titles as well as the popular classics. But a title does not have to be a bestseller to find its way into the stores in large airports. These shops will carry titles by local and regional authors, as well as books pertaining to its specific locale and destination points. For example, the title Fenway: A Biography in Words and Pictures by Dan Shaughnessy and Stan Grossfeld, can be found in bookstores in Boston’s Logan Airport.

Titles for children tend to do well in these outlets, as do titles for business travelers who spend a good amount of time in airports. Also titles on management, investment, economics, business biography, personal finance and health work well in the airport setting.

Summertime is the peak travel period, and as you would expect, it is also the peak bookselling period. There is a bump in sales in the fourth-quarter holiday season, too. Softcover books seem to sell more units than casebound, and the typical size is 6” x 9”. Your book must have an ISBN, EAN bar code and its price printed on the rear cover, although some exceptions are made for non-book items.

The major airport bookstore chains are listed below, and you can reach buyers for these stores directly. When you submit your material to them, send a complete package with everything they need to make a favorable decision. “The more the better,” says Randy Yarbrough of Anderson News.”

Your package should contain a copy of your book, your terms, a summary marketing plan, reviews, sales history and newspaper articles. Include contact information for your distributor or wholesaler since airport stores place their orders through them, using them as both suppliers and warehousers. Call to learn their specific submission guidelines before sending your package.

HMS Host, Book Buyer; 6600 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20817; 866 467-4671

Paradies Shops operates over 100 airport stores. Contact the National Book Buyer, 5950 Fulton Industrial Boulevard SW, P O Box 43485, Atlanta GA 30336; 404-344-7905; Fax: 404-349-7539. http://www.theparadiesshops.com.

W.H. Smith operates or owns 255 airport shops and 421 hotel stores under the names of WHSmith, WHSmith Booksellers, Waterstone’s Booksellers, WHSmith Books.com and Benjamin Books. In late 2003, The Hudson Group bought 180 airport stores, including a number of Waterstone’s bookstore outlets. Contact the National Book Buyer, 3200 Windy Hill Road #1500 W, Atlanta GA 30339; 770-952-0705; Fax: 770-951-1352.

The buyer will review your material to determine if there is a market for your title. If they deem that your title might be appropriate, you will be asked to complete a vendor questionnaire. Since most books are displayed cover out, the front cover design is critical to the title’s success. Airport stores rarely discount the books, so your list price is important, too. Sales are made on a returnable basis and standard wholesale terms are expected.

Most distributors and wholesalers will sell your books to airport stores. When you send your material to them, describe the number of books per carton and how many units were published. Also include information about who is providing sales, marketing and distribution services on your behalf.

You can generally expect to be paid 50% of the amount due you in 90 days and the balance in 180 days. The 50% unpaid balance is held as a reserve against returns. Once your book “takes off” you can usually negotiate different terms. Bookazine and Anderson News are two of the larger wholesalers to airport stores.

New Vendor Development Coordinator, Bookazine Co., Inc., 75 Hook Road, Bayonne, NJ 07002. Complete submission guidelines for Bookazine may be found at http://www.bookazine.com/customer_service/instructions.shtml.

Anderson News Co. (Knoxville, TN), Purchasing Division; 6016 Brookvale Lane, Ste. 151, Knoxville, TN, 37919; Tel: (865) 584-9765; Fax: (865)584-9400

Brian Jud is the author of Beyond the Bookstore (a Publishers Weekly book) and The Marketing Planning CD. He also wrote the series of booklets, Proven Tips for Publishing Success. Contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001; (800) 562-4357; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or visit http://www.bookmarketing.com

Once you have scheduled a book signing at a local book store or other venue, the real work begins. You may think that as the author your only job is to show up, greet your adoring fans, and sign some books; however, the success of the book signing is on your shoulders, so you had better get busy.

Do not assume that the book store is in charge of promoting the event. They may do a few things, such as listing your signing in their event calendar or putting up a few signs, but the rest is up to you.

Start with the people you know and who know you. Send invitations to friends, acquaintances, family members, business colleagues, members of your writers group—anyone who knows you and would be interested in the fact that you published a book.

Announce the signing to your email list. You don’t have an email list? Get started on one today. Sign up for an account at Aweber, add an opt-in form to your website or blog (Aweber makes it easy to do) and start building your list. If you are just starting a list now, it may be too late for this book signing, but you plan to do others, don’t you?

Post information about the event to your website or blog. Let people know when and where the book signing will be, and encourage them to come out and meet you. Update your site after the event with photos and a description of how it went.

Send out press releases. Contact local media to let them know about your book signing. Make sure they know that you are a local author. When you do an event away from where you live, highlight your connection to the area, if any. For example, were you born there, did you go to school there, do you have family in the area, is your book set there, etc?

Distribute press releases online. There are several free and paid options for putting out press releases online. Even if you do not get the attention of the media with your online press releases, they will be seen by the public. Many of the people who see your press release online may not be local to the event, or they may see the notice weeks or months after the event takes place, so be sure to include links to your website as well as information about where people can buy the book online.

Promote your book signing well to bring out a big audience. You will sell more books and it will be easier to convince other book stores to host your future events.

Cathy Stucker is the owner of SellingBooks. She has written and published several books, including The Mystery Shopper’s Manual.