About Us | Why October?| Editorial | Design | Marketing

 

Why October?

With all the choices available to independent authors, why should you choose October Publishing? Here's what we offer:

  • Personal attention to every aspect of the book publishing process-From real editorial support and market-savvy design concepts, to production management that utilizes quality printers from around the world.
  • Quality control-We don't skip over any of the steps needed to produce a top-notch, professional book-the only kind of book that has a shot at gaining media attention.
  • True promotional support-We can help you put together a personalized, project-specific marketing campaign and utilize our media lists to help you get your book noticed.
  • Honesty and integrity-October's staff is made up of individuals with a genuine passion for books and book publishing-people who have devoted their lives to the business. The company was created to help independent authors navigate their way through the new opportunities available to them. We've been honing our skills and knowledge base for years, and we want to share what we know with our clients. Most importantly, we are absolutely committed to making sure our clients' books are of the highest quality and that they can stand up alongside any traditionally published book. We believe that independent authors are changing the face of the business, and we want to help them along the way.

The good news is that self-publishing, when done correctly with a team of talented individuals and a dedicated author, is gaining ground in the industry. Most people in the business can quote some success stories (James Redfield's Celestine Prophecy, for example). An independent author should still be prepared for an uphill battle in terms of garnering media attention for their book and establishing a sales record, but it can be done. Avoiding fly-by-night Internet firms whose books don't meet industry standards and aren't affordable for the booksellers who stock them is the first necessary step for a serious author. With hard work, time, and a professional product, your self-published book can get the attention it deserves.

The Truth About POD (Print-on-Demand)

POD-based firms are all the rage in publishing these days. The services they offer self-publishing authors can seem too good to be true. What many of these firms don't mention on their websites is that they aren't set up to address the numerous middle steps necessary to produce a professional, saleable book. A good way to explain this might be to take you through the publishing process the way it works in a traditional publishing house:

Editorial process-Though many POD firms do offer editorial support, what they most often mean is that someone on staff will do a proofreading pass on your ms. Any professional editor will tell you that there's a lot more to their job than simply correcting typos. Because vanity and POD firms aren't selective in the projects they choose, they don't have an investment to work with the author through the entire editorial process. In a traditional house, an editor is responsible for acquiring books to publish. In effect, it's their name on the line if an author's writing is not the absolute best that it can be. A professional editor is someone who will go through your manuscript and make suggestions for improvement based on their experience in the industry. They'll go back and forth with you until you're both satisfied that your book is as polished and effective as it can be. They do this by making suggestions to improve your book's organization and focus, and by working on the ms. from a holistic standpoint; pointing out any weaknesses in character development, plot, pacing, dialogue, etc. Once a final draft is completed, copyediting begins. Copyeditors will go through your ms. and tighten your sentence structure, correct grammatical errors, and sometimes even act as a fact checker. Only after your ms. has been through these phases will the proofreading stage begin. Most of the time, proofreading is the last step in a much larger process. Many POD and vanity printers simply do not offer this kind of editorial support. If you self-publish you can contract out for professional editing services you would receive from a traditional house.

Design-The impact a book has doesn't just depend on how well it's written. The interior layout and cover design are the first things a book buyer will notice. Each book published is as unique as the author who writes it, and each one has special design issues. POD and vanity printers often use a limited selection of design templates when working with their clients. This means that, after a certain point, all their books start to look the same. Forget individuality. Sometimes they'll limit the number or type of images you can include, which can result in a compromised version of what you had envisioned for your book. The truth is, many of the POD books that are on the market don't meet industry standards when it comes to design quality. Interior layout can be poorly done (unreadable font choices, bad spacing, or confusing organization). Paper stock choices are limited, sometimes to as few as two or three to choose from, regardless of the specifications you feel your book should have. Cover design can be victim to the template mentality as well, with little thought as to the content of YOUR book and what will make book buyers pick it up off of the shelf. As with editing, self-publishing gives you the opportunity to hire a professional book designer-who will be sensitive to industry requirements and to your vision. The way your book looks has a direct influence on whether or not booksellers want to stock it. If it doesn't pass muster with the other books in the store, they won't want it.

Marketing and Promotion-This is an area of utmost concern to authors, and one that numerous POD and vanity firms claim to address. Traditional publishing houses have a vested interest in promoting the authors they publish; after all, they spent the money on author advances, editorial work, design, and printing. With little to no money required up front, it's important to ask yourself what a POD printer stands to gain from promoting your book. Just like the editorial and design packages they offer, the promotional packages may not be what they seem. It's not uncommon for these companies to require their clients to provide mailing lists for their "marketing campaigns"(sometimes with 1000 contacts or more). In a traditional house, the publisher has all the media contacts and information for a variety of projects-from a how-to book to a novel. They don't ask their authors to do it for them. Publishers who offer a kind of direct manuscript-to-book publication process often have no relationship at all with national or regional media. Their "promotional and marketing" support relies entirely on direct mail campaigns, using those mailing lists that you've provided. You may be new to the business, and probably don't have the most complete or effective list of contacts for your book. Their marketing campaigns may or may not include press kit materials. National media and major review forums are often closed to self-publishing authors who choose this type of publisher, because venues like the New York Times or Publisher's Weekly will not review POD books.

Distribution-Booksellers and readers can't buy your book if they can't order it. Distribution is perhaps the biggest obstacle for independent authors to overcome. Some POD and vanity publishers do have agreements with book industry wholesalers such as Ingram and Baker & Taylor, but, like everything else, this may not be quite what it seems. The book business, like every other business, operates on a complex discount schedule-one that moves from publisher, to distributor, to bookseller. In order to be able to stock a wide variety of books on a range of subjects, booksellers are used to purchasing stock for their store at an average discount of around 40%, and have the option of returning it and receiving a refund it if hasn't sold. Many POD firms ask booksellers to order their clients' books on a non-returnable, pre-paid basis, or they're expected to order them through a distributor like Ingram, at a less than average discount. In addition, because the POD printing process is still more expensive than traditional offset printing (costing almost twice as much per book), the list prices of the books- often printed right on the book itself- are much higher than other books of similar size and page count. Bookstores simply can't afford to purchase their inventory in this way, and 99.9% of them won't. What this means is that, while your book may be listed with widely-used distributors, booksellers won't agree to purchase it based on the terms that POD firms require. In reality, your local bookseller may special order a copy or two of your book for those customers who specifically request it, but will not keep it on hand as inventory. Authors who want to have book signings will be required by stores to bring their own stock, and take back any unsold books- which in practice means that the major purchaser of an author's books through a POD-based publisher is often the author himself.

Below is a list of "advantages" many writers believe they'll receive if they go with a POD-based publisher. As a serious independent author, you should consider these points before making such an important decision.

The "Advantage"

POD-driven publishing is an affordable way to get your book professionally printed and published.

The Reality

Most POD publishers skip important steps along the way to getting your book into print. They offer template or formula-driven design packages, proofreading as opposed to true editorial support, and offer no project-specific input or suggestions. October Publishing has a staff of professional editors and designers who are familiar with the industry and come from traditional publishing backgrounds. We work with each client on a one-on-one basis and offer our expertise to help shape your book from editorial, design, and promotions standpoints. Your finalized book will look just as beautiful as a traditionally-published title, and will reflect the same level of care and quality. All of this attention to detail will guarantee that your book meets all industry standards and will be acceptable to reviewers and other media outlets.

The "Advantage"

Little to no upfront cost to the author.

The Reality

Though your initial financial outlay may seem small, POD-based firms are notorious for their hidden costs and fees. Once your book has been printed, they will often pressure you, the author, to buy copies of your own book. Some of these firms even expect their authors to sign very restrictive contracts before they'll print any books at all. We know of one firm who asked an author to sign a contract that stipulated he give up the rights to his own book for a full seven years! With October Publishing, you will always receive honest, upfront pricing with no hidden fees or agendas. We'll never pressure you about sales, and you will always retain full rights to your own work. We know that your artistic freedom is priceless.

The "Advantage"

Distribution-Some POD printers do have arrangements with industry wholesalers such as Ingram or Baker & Taylor.

The Reality

As mentioned above, many POD-driven publishers don't offer industry-standard discounts (around 40%) to booksellers when they try to order your book through distributors. Your book may be listed with the big-name distribution companies, but the truth is, booksellers won't be able to afford them and won't order them because of their prohibitive cost. This means that you'll end up doing the bulk of distribution for your book-regardless of what they may tell you. October Publishing will start out by giving you a professional product, one that booksellers will want to stock because it will look great on the shelf. We'll sit down with you to discuss how the distributor/bookseller relationship works, and help you brainstorm about ways to tackle the process. We'll provide distributor leads and contacts, and help you put together a dynamite package to send to them. We won't guarantee that large distributors will pick up your book, but we won't make you empty promises either.

The "Advantage"

Limited marketing and/or promotional support

The Reality

Marketing campaigns that require an author to provide endless mailing lists, or that rely only on direct-mail appeals instead of national and regional media, are not true marketing campaigns. October Publishing will help you design a personalized marketing plan and then utilize our media lists to build interest in your book. We have years of experience in book retailing and marketing; we understand market niches, and we know what will catch a bookseller or reviewer's eye. You don't have to face this monumental task on your own. We can help.

The "Advantage"

Rapid turnaround time to get the book in print.

The Reality

POD-driven publishers don't necessarily offer production schedules that are any different from traditional publishers. Often, it can take up to a year to get your book into print. The staff at October Publishing has been in the business for years, and we've established relationships with printers around the world based on the quality of their products and their reasonable production timetables. We'll do whatever we can to make sure you have your book when you want it. Our designers and editors have spent their careers meeting tough production deadlines.

The "Advantage"

With POD, you can print as many or as few copies of a book as you need, without needing to invest in large print runs.

The Reality

Print on Demand is merely a technology, and it can be used effectively by self-published authors and traditional publishers when circumstances warrant. As a self published author you can always determine your own print run, in accordance with your own budget. October Publishing can help you choose the best printer for your needs, whether you want a traditional offset printing process, or a digital printing process.

The "Advantage"

No stock to keep on hand or store.

The Reality

Authors will always need to keep stock of their books on hand and easily accessible. You are your own best salesperson, and you should never go anywhere without extra copies of your book in the trunk of your car! POD-driven publishers only print books are they are ordered (and paid for), so it can sometimes take up to a month for an order to be filled or a book to be printed. October Publishing can help you decide what stock levels are most feasible for you, and we can help you to set up fast and efficient fulfillment services so that anytime your book is ordered, the stock is available and the order can be filled right away.