The entire publishing industry is in turmoil. Digital Readers are beginning to flood the market, and the entrenched models for production and marketing are increasingly problematic. The printed book is not going away any time soon, but the tradition of printing warehouses full of books and then trying to sell them will be increasingly reserved for titles that are considered sure bets by the major publishers.

On the other hand, going 100% digital will not provide satisfactory market penetration. Many people, myself included, still prefer to hold a book in their hands, touch the pages, keep it on a shelf. I can still count the number of digital books I have read on one hand, and I am on my computer many hours per day as my livelihood.

The pricing model for digital books is also in flux. How much less should a digital book cost than a printed edition? How much can you charge before the number of willing buyers drops off? What percentage of avid readers will choose a digital book over a printed edition? How many will decline a digital edition even if a printed version is not available? What are the age demographics? While there are statistics and tentative answers to these questions, no-one will claim to have a firm grasp on the fledgling digital book market at this time.

Besides. As an author, wouldn’t you prefer that your book be in peoples’ homes, with an appealing cover, attracting the curiosity of guests? Survive hard-drive crashes? Be handed down to future generations, with a few copies still knocking around a hundred years from now, or longer?

So you are certain you want your book printed, but having a digital version available as well sounds good. That is a very practical way of thinking, to embrace both paradigms. Now the problem of your relationship with the publisher reveals itself.

Just like with a TV show or a new hit song, the company wants a fast and large return on their investment. If this fails they will cut their losses and roll out the next hit. Notice how quickly a new television show is canceled if it doesn’t get good ratings? The same is true of your book in the hands of a major publisher. If you are fortunate, they will foot the bill for a major promotional push for a couple of weeks to try and sell a lot of copies. However, these campaigns are expensive, so will be reserved mostly for established authors and celebrities. You might get that lucky, but it is statistically unlikely. Worse, they might be sending out uncorrected proofs or advance copies for review, and if it is ignored or doesn’t get rave reviews they may make barely a half-hearted attempt to proceed, if at all.

So what happens if your book is “canceled”? First, the publisher asks the book sellers to return all of the copies they have in stock. If the book hasn’t been moving off of the shelves quickly enough they may have already done this voluntarily. Then, the publisher may store them indefinitely, recycle the paper, or offer to let you buy all or some of them at wholesale. I have known authors with boxes of books as furniture in their apartments and no place to sell them. Commonly, the entire stock is sent to the incinerator. Nice, huh? So a few months down the road it could all be over and you’re left with squat.

I have not even addressed the royalties issue. Royalties vary but are commonly less than 10%. You may receive as little as one dollar for a $20.00 book sale. So you need to sell quite a few of them to really get paid, don’t you? Why is the publisher giving you such a bunk deal? Well, they invested a bunch of money printing, distributing and promoting your book and they want to at least get that much back. They may resort to selling your book at a sharp discount to unload as many as possible, in which case you might only get .40 per copy sold. So even if you sell 20,000 copies, which isn’t really that bad for book sales, you might only get paid $8,000 dollars.

That all of that sounds pretty bad. Hell, why bother, right?

There is a solution. InnerCircle Publishing and Revolution Press are here to address all of these issues.

To start with, what if you could keep all of the $20.00 list price? Now, suddenly you only need to sell 400 books to get the same $8,000 you would get selling 20,000 at .40 per copy. Sound better? So imagine what would happen if you really did sell 20,000 copies or more? That is $400,000 free and clear, all yours minus what you pay the taxman.

It gets better. There is no stock to worry about because the book isn’t even printed until someone pays for it. No one can “cancel” your book. If it takes some time for it to catch on, or for you to land that radio spot, it is ok. Your book will still be available at every retail book outlet (yes, Amazon, too). Anyone who wants it will be able to buy it.

If you would like to present a digital edition, that is an option as well.

Representatives are available to help guide you through the process. Proof readers are available. Talented designers will handle the cover design and layout, and what is great is you have the final say over the entire presentation. Nothing you are not pleased with need ever reach the public.

Selling your book is not as tough as you might think. Social Networking has busted open the door for self promotion. InnerCircle staff actively promote each release, and we offer you many tips and guidelines for conducting your own promotional activities. You will probably be surprised how many opportunities there are to gain a great deal of exposure for a nominal but consistent effort. Moreover, traditional media outlets such as television and radio are still, and always, available. Broadcast media always loves a good story. Reviewers will still be write about a good book.

As an authorized Submission Agent for InnerCircle Publishing and Revolution Press, I encourage any writers and artists who have a book for publishing to contact me for more information. Publishing on demand is the future of the industry. You can be on the cutting edge, have complete control over your book’s image and marketing, and keep 100% of the list price. Unlike run-of-the-mill “vanity presses”, you don’t pay for printing and worry about overstock. It is an exciting opportunity to become master of your product and your success. We passionately care about your book. We treat you and your book with special care. You get highly customized and individualized attention as we work together for your success. When you join our family of authors, you really are part of the InnerCircle.

Sincerely yours,
Randolf Smallwood, Submissions Agent
InnerCircle Publishing.