Scribbler's Cafe

"The Plan"

Unless you are new to my blog (and my life), you know that I have just finished my first book, Anticipation. I thought I’d share my next steps with the book here on my blog so everyone can follow along. It is still a mystery to me how musicians get their CDs produced and shipped to Wal-Mart, how movies make it to the theatre, and how books make it to the shelf of my local bookstores. I am about to find out the answer to one of these questions and I can share my progress with you, dear bloggers.

So, here’s “The Plan.” I have completed the first part of my plan, doing the writing. Luckily, my book is finished, revised and designed. That took about a year and could be a subject for a whole other blog on its own. But I’m done with that, so I’m moving on. Now I’m on to producing and publishing. I am going at this publishing from two angles, small press and big press.

For me, small press means self-publishing. As you all know, my book is already available for sale through Cafepress.com (see link on sidebar on right). They print on demand as each book is ordered, that’s why the price is high. Using the profits made from selling my book to family and friends (Hooray family and friends!) and whatever I get in my graduation envelopes, I will do a small run of 100 books through an independent printer. This will run me about $3 a book. I will then affix a “local writer” sticker to each of these copies and sell them in small quantities to the independent bookstores in Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle and Portland. I should be able to sell all 100 copies without much trouble. I will ask the stores for $9 and they may mark it up as they please. $9 - $3 = $6 x 100 = $600 profit. Using this money, I will then be able to buy a ISBN number (barcode) and the services of a distribution company that sells book to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, big stores like that. I can’t think any farther than that and by then it will probably be time for me to move to Japan and my self-publishing experiment will end.

Big press means to me “publishing contract.” While I’m playing my little self-publishing game, I will try to sell my book to a real publisher. This is the route that most people think of when they think of someone publishing a book. (The acceptance call from an editor, the fat advance check, the complimentary tweed jacket and the Hollywood hot tub parties.) In one month, I am attending the Pacific NW Writers’ Association Conference. I have scheduled meetings at the conference with an editor and an agent. Before these meetings, I will attend workshops that tell me how to pitch my book and how to talk to editors. I have no idea what will come of this, but it’s a start and it will get me some leads at the very least. I will be able to pursue big press publishing even after we move to Japan as most of that wheeling and dealing is done over the telephone or email.

So, that’s it. Exciting, isn’t it? I’ll keep you all updated as things happen.

posted by Scribbler @ Friday, June 11, 2004