Category Archives: Business
On December 1st, 2011 Susan Violante and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with publisher and marketing guru Jacqueline Church (“JC”) Simonds. She is the co-owner of Beagle Bay, Inc, a book packaging and distribution company. Jacqueline is also the author of the historical novel Captain Mary, Buccaneer. We went back to basics for this episode and touched on all the fundamentals you need, including:
- Self-Publishing = Entrepreneurship. Can you handle the business or do you need a partner?
- Publishing is a $3 TRILLION a year, global business. Are you ready to compete?
- Most new publishers are woefully lacking in knowledge about the book business.
- Should you go for a “Doing Business As” (dba) or incorporate?
- How many ISBNs should you buy – 1? 10? 1000
- Understand the new business models of Print on Demand (POD) + distribution, eBooks, and offset printing.
- Marketing = Sales. How do you plan to reach your reader/buyer in the first few months, and from then on?
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 Jacqueline Church Simonds |
| Jacqueline is a book shepherd, assisting self-publishers and start-up presses in launching their businesses. Much of her knowledge about publishing can be found at the Creative Minds Press site New Self-Publisher’s FAQIn Captain Mary, Buccaneer, Simonds has crafted an enduring tale that will satisfy readers with its swashbuckling action, dark intrigue, and torrid romance. The book is the result of Simonds’ extensive research into the pirate subculture of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. From the tales of real women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read who were tried for piracy in Spanishtown, Jamaica in 1721, Simonds has created a character who would be as at home on Wall Street as she is on the heaving deck of an 18th century brigantine. If you enjoy curling up in your favorite chair with a great adventure story, then this book is for you!
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 Captain Mary, Buccaneer |
On November 3rd, 2011 we held the 2011 Publishing and Marketing Roundtable with Tyler R. Tichelaar, Irene Watson, and Victor R. Volkman. Tyler R. Tichelaar is the owner of Marquette Fiction and author of The Marquette Trilogy and other books. Irene Watson is the owner of Reader Views, a book review and marketing services company that does everything from author interviews to book videos. Victor R. Volkman is the owner of Loving Healing Press and Modern History Press that have produced more than 120 titles in paperback and eBook formats in self-help, personal growth, disabilities, and fiction to name a few categories. The focus of this week’s show is both looking back the past five years since the show started in 2006 as well as projecting the trends ahead up to 2016 to come. Specifically, we touched on these topics and how YOU can take advantage of them:
- The rise of eBooks especially in the last 24 months
- The decline of generic bookstores and the success of specialty retailers
- The appearance of subsidy or vanity imprints from traditional industry leaders such as Harlequin Romances, Hay House, and even Amazon
- Globalization of the book industry and the yearly doubling of new titles since 2007
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 Irene Watson  Authors Access: read the book! |
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Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with Brent Sampson., president and CEO of OutskirtsPress.com, on subsidy press, vanity press, and what authors can expect from them. Brent is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist. Through Outskirts Press, Brent has helped thousands of authors successfully publish thousands of books. He speaks nationwide on the topics of writing, publishing, and marketing. You can follow Brent on his blog Our discussion ranged over a variety of topics including:
- A question of semantics – “subsidy” vs “vanity”
- What is the difference between a “subsidy press” and a “vanity press” and a “self-publishing company?”
- Different types of “self-publishing” (DIY vs full service)
- Why does the stigma of self-publishing continue?
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 Brent Sampson, CEO of Outskirts Press |
Irene Watson and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with publishing expert and lawyer Stephen E. Gillen about book titles, trademarks, and your rights as an author. Steve is an attorney with 30 years of experience in publishing, media, and copyright matters. He has been in private practice for 15 years, currently as a partner with 140-year-old intellectual property boutique firm, Wood, Herron & Evans in Cincinnati. We covered a broad spectrum of rights issues including:
- Is the title of your book protected by the copyrights in the book.
- What does the copyright in a book cover?
- Is there no protection for your book title?
- How and when can a title be protected?
- What are the advantages of trademark protection and registration?
- Is there a downside to the intersection of trademark law and book titles ?
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 Stephen E. Gillen |
| Steve represents book and magazine publishers, media companies, corporations, authors and creatives across the country. Prior to establishing his private practice, Steve spent 17 years in the educational publishing business with South-Western Publishing Company, now a division of Cengage Learning. While with South-Western, Steve worked as a copy editor, editor, executive editor, and for the last 8 of his years there as corporate secretary and vice president of legal affairs. You can contact Stephen through Wood, Herron & Evans. |
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| Drew Gerber of PitchRate interviewed Elaine Wilkes, author of Nature’s Secret Miracles about how she got her book into bookstores with NO support from her publisher and NO interest from corporate buyers at Barnes & Noble and Borders. It’s a simple one-on-one technique guaranteed to get you results, all you have to do is be willing to pick up the phone with someone and have a 2 minute conversation about your book. There’s no tricks, no smoke and mirrors, just good old fashioned saying “Hi, I’m an author and I’d love it if your store could have a copy of my book for sale”. |
 Elaine Wilkes |
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