SHEWRITESPRESSAUTHORHANDBOOK

2018

SheWritesPress1569SolanoAve#546Berkeley,CA94707

Arizonaoffice:(480)275-4280Brooke’scell:(510)967-9333

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TABLEOFCONTENTSCOMPANYOVERVIEW 5

EDITORIAL 7

Signedcontract 8

DeliveryofrequestedmaterialstoSWP 8

Tipsheets 8

AnnouncementofyourbookonSheWrites.com 10

Deliveryofmanuscriptfromtheauthor 10

Coverdesign 12

Copyediting(forTrack2authorsonly) 14

Queryintegration(copyediting) 15

Proofreading(forTrack1and2authors) 16

Queryintegration(proofreading) 16

Interiordesign(aka“pages”) 17

Makingchangestoyourdesignedpages 18

Backcoverdesign 19

ARCfilessenttoLSI 19

Finalbookfilessenttoprinter 20

Whattraditionaldistributionmeansforyourbook 21Understandingreturns 22

Warehousingandexcessinventory 23

Booksavailableforsale 23

Ordering101 24

Creatingarelationshipwithyourlocalbookstore 25

Hostinganawesomebooklaunchevent 26

OTHERAUTHORRESPONSIBILITIES 27

Finalproofreadingandsign-off 27

Endorsements(aka“blurbs”) 27

SampleBlurbRequestLetter 28

Authorphoto 29

Permissions 29

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SamplePermissionRequestLetter 30

Technology 31

Audiobookcreation 32

Reachingouttofriendsforsupport 32

COMMUNITY 37

SheWrites.com 37

SheWritesPressSecretFacebookGroup 37

Brooke’sofficehours 38

ConnectingwithSWPandouronlinecommunities 38

DISTRIBUTION&FINANCES 39

Thedistributionrelationship 39

Preorders 41

Understandingthefinances 41

Paymentschedule 43

MARKETING&PUBLICITY 44

Marketingstrategy 44

Componentsofamarketingplan 45

Presellingyourbook 45

SWPcatalog 46

Galleys/ARCs 47

Publicityguidelines 47

RecommendedPublicists 48

Whereyourbookmightbesold 50

Trackingsales 52

Basicsocialmediastrategy 52

Discountingyoure-book 54

AuthorCentralonAmazon 55

Third-partysellersonAmazon 56

Contestsandawards 56

Regionaltradeshows 57

Whattodoifyouseeyourbookonlineavailableasafreedownload 58

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RESOURCES 59

FREQUENTLYASKEDQUESTIONS 64

SHEWRITESPRESSSTYLEGUIDE 72

GLOSSARYOFPUBLISHINGTERMS 81

PROOFREADINGCHECKLIST 85

SAMPLECORRECTIONS—FIRST-PAGESSTAGE 86

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COMPANYOVERVIEW

SheWritesPress(SWP)wasfoundedbyBrookeWarnerandKamyWicoffinJune2012forthe

purposeofprovidinganalternativepublishingoptiontowomenwriters.SheWritesPressisfor

authorswhowantthefreedom,control,andfinancialrewardsofinvestingintheirownbooks

upfront,withoutsacrificingthecredibilityandstatusthatcomewithpublishingunderahighly

selectiveimprint.

SWPisuniqueintheworldofpublishingforthreedistinctreasons:itsvettingprocess,thefact

thatthepresshastraditionaldistributionthroughIngramPublisherServices,andits

missionandbuilt-incommunityofwomenwritersandreadersatSheWrites.com—asocial

networkingsitefoundedbyKamyin2009—aswellasthefactthatitoffersamuch-needed

alternativeinarapidlychangingpublishinglandscape.Unlikeself-publishingplatforms,which

publishwhatevercomesthroughregardlessofquality,SWPworkswithourauthorstoensure

thattheirbookswillbewellreceivedinthemarketplace.Unliketraditionalpublishinghouses,

whichbuythemajoritystakeinyourbookbutoftendon’tdeliverwhenitcomestoproviding

theeditorialandmarketinghelpyouneed,SWPgivesauthorsatraditionalhouseexperience,

completewithtraditionaldistributionandanexperiencededitorialandproductionteam,while

allowingyoutoretainfullownershipofyourprojectandearnings.

InOctober2014,SWPbecamepartoftheSparkPointStudio,LLC,family.ThismovegivesSWP

theaddedadvantageofhavinganin-housepublicitysolutionforitsauthors.FoundedbyCrystal

Patriarchein2004,SparkPointStudiodoesPR,marketing,socialmedia,branding,content,and

publishing.AsCEOoftheparentcompanySparkPointStudio,Crystaloverseestheoperationsof

boththepressandBookSparks,whichofferspublicityoptionsforinterestedSWPauthors.

SWPisnowmulti-citybased.BrookelivesinBerkeley,KamyinBrooklyn,andtheBookSparks

teaminTempe,Arizona.Youwillbeassignedtooneofourthreeextraordinaryeditorial

managers:LaurenWise,CaitLevin,andSamanthaStrom.Ourprimarymissionistoprovideour

authorswithahelpinghandintheprocessofpublishingandtoensurethateachauthor

publishesabookshe’llbeproudofforyearstocome.Wearecommunity-basedanddrivenby

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thebeliefthatwomendon’tletwomenwritealone.ThiswassomethingDeborahSiegel,

cofounderofSheWrites.com,oncesaid,andit’sbeenadrivingforcebehindboth

SheWrites.comandSheWritesPress.

In2017,BrookedeliveredaTEDxtalkaboutherexperiencewithtraditionalpublishingandwhy

sheco-foundedSWP.Weencourageyoutowatchthistalkifyouhaven’talready.Youcanfindit

here.Alsoin2017,SWPwontheIndustryInnovatorAwardfromtheBookIndustryStandards

Group(BISG).SWPcontinuestomakehugeleapswithintheworldoftraditionalpublishing,

gainingaccoladesandrecognitionforourfantasticcovers,excellenteditorialquality,andthe

caliberoftheauthorwe’resigningeachseason.Wewelcomeyouasyoujointheranksofthis

amazinggroupofwomenauthors.

Onbehalfofourentirestaff,towhomyou’llbeintroducedinthesepages,wewelcomeyouto

SheWritesPress.Onceyoureceivethishandbook(becauseyou’vequalifiedasaTrack1or

Track2author),youwillbeconsideredaninterestedauthorandyouwillbeinvitedtooneof

Brooke’sbi-annualwebinars,invitingyoutojointhesubsequentlistifyousochoose.Working

withSheWritesPressismorethanjustapublishingexperience;it’sateamandacommunity.If

youarenotalreadyamemberofSheWrites.com,pleasegothereandbecomeamembersoyou

canmakethemostofyourexperienceasaSWPauthor.Welookforwardtohelpingyoubring

yourbookbabyintotheworld.

Manyauthorsaskforinformationaboutthepresstosharewithfriendsoronsocialmediaor

yourwebsite.Here’sourrecommendedlanguage:

SheWritesPressisanindependentpublishingcompanyfoundedtoservemembersofSheWrites.com,thelargestglobalcommunityofwomenwritersonline,andwomenwriterseverywhere.SheWritesPressisbothmission-drivenandcommunity-oriented,aimingtoservewriterswhowishtomaintaingreaterownershipandcontroloftheirprojectswhilestillgettingthehighestqualityeditorialhelppossiblefortheirwork.In2014,SheWrites.comandSheWritesPressbecamepartofSparkPointStudio,LLC,creatingapowerfulcombinationthatnootherhybridpublisherbringstothetable,includingastrongeditorialvision;traditionaldistribution;twoaward-winninghybridimprints(SheWritesPressandSparkPress),andanin-housemarketingandpublicityteamthroughitspublicitydivision,BookSparks.In2017,theSheWritesPressimprintsignedits300thauthor.TheSparkPointStudiofamilyisafemale-runcompanywithastrongvision,passion,andworkethic.

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EDITORIAL

Whiletheexactscheduleforeachbookisunique,allbooksfollowthesamegeneralprocess.If

youarereceivingtheseguidelines,youhavebeenplacedoneitherTrack1orTrack2bySWP’s

assessmentteam,oryou’reconsideringpublishingwithus.Ifyou’reTrack1,yourbookhasbeen

deemedreadytobeproofreadbyaSheWritesPressproofreader.IfyouareTrack2,youare

enteringintoanarrangementtohaveyourbookcopyeditedbyaSheWritesPresscopyeditor.

Followingistheorderinwhichyoucanexpectyourbooktobedeveloped:

Signedcontract

Deliveryofwelcomematerials

AnnouncementofyourbookonSheWrites.com(timingonthisvaries)

Deliveryofmanuscriptfromauthor

Coverdesignbegins

Copyediting(forTrack2authorsonly)

Proofreading

Queryintegration(forbothcopyeditingandproofreading)

Firstpages(i.e.,interiordesign)

Correctionstofirstpages

Subsequentpagecorrections(generallyseveralroundsofcorrections)

Finalcorrectionstointerior

Backcovercopy

Covermechanical(i.e.,fullcoverdesign,includingfront,back,andspine)

Correctionstobackcover(includingARCedition)

ARCfilessenttoLightingSource(ourPODprinter)

ARCsorderedbyauthor

Finalcorrectionstoallfilesinpreparationforoffsetprintrun

Finalbookfilesenttooffsetprinter

BooksshipfromprintertoIngram’swarehouse

Booksavailableforsale

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Signedcontract

Pleasereadyourcontractcarefully.YouwillbenegotiatingyourcontractwithpublisherBrooke

Warner.Shewillansweranyandallquestionsdirectly,andyoucanreachherat

brooke@shewritespress.com.Notethatwepreferthatyoumarkupthecontractusingtrack

changes,indicatingchangesyou’dliketoseemadeand/orinsertingcomments/questionsthat

Brookewilladdress.

Onceyourcontractissigned,youcanscanthesignaturepagetoBrooke’sattentionat

brooke@shewritespress.com,oryoucansnail-mailittoSheWritesPress|1569SolanoAve.,

#546|Berkeley,CA94707.Paymentisgenerallymadeinthreeinstallments,detailedinthe

contract:uponsigning,uponcoverapproval,anduponbookgoingtotheprinter.Noworkwill

beginuntilwehavethefirstpaymentagreeduponinyourcontract.

DeliveryofrequestedmaterialstoSWP

AssoonasSWPhasreceivedyourcontractandfirstpayment,youwillreceiveawelcomeemail

thatincludesaBookDiscoverySheetandacovermemotofillout.Pleasenotethatthroughout

thepublicationprocesstherewillbesomeoverlapinthematerialsweaskfromyou.Someof

thecontentintheBookDiscoverySheet,forinstance,willmirrorwhatwelateraskforintheTip

Sheet.Andit’sokaytousethesamelanguage.Alloftheseformsservedifferentpurposesforus.

Youreditorialmanagerisyourprimarypointofcontactwhenitcomestoyourdeliveriesof

thesematerials,althoughBrookewilltag-teamoneveryproject,andBrookewillbeyour

primarypointofcontactforyourcoverdesignprocess.Laterintheprocess,onceyourcontract

issignedandyou’reonboard,wewillaskforanauthorphoto,aone-paragraphbiography,and

a200-worddescriptionofyourbook.Thesooneryoucangetthesematerialsbacktous,the

better.Weareeagertogetyourcoverdesignunderway,andweusethephoto,bio,and

descriptiontoannounceyourbookonSheWrites.com.Thedescriptionyousenduswillbethe

basisforyourTipSheetinformation,whichistheinformationthatwilleventuallylandon

Amazon.

Tipsheets

Themomentwecloseanewlist,Brookehostsacallthatwillbededicatedtoaconversation

abouttipsheetsfortheincomingcohortofauthors.Atipsheetiswherewecollectyour

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metadata,whichrefersto“dataaboutdata”andisatermyou’llhearustalkaboutalot.We

sometimesrefertoitsimplyasdata.Yourdataisanythingfromyourbooktitletoyourprice

pointtoyourcategories.TheTipSheetisacompilationofdataaboutyourbook,including

description,authorbio,saleshook,publicityupdates,andmore.Ifyouaregoingbigonyour

publicitycampaign,youwillwanttoseekoutapublicistaroundthistimetohelpyougeta

handleonthescopeofyourcampaign.Thesoonerwehaveasenseofthis,thebetter.TheTip

Sheetalsoasksforkeywords.Oursystemallowsforsevenkeywordsforyourbook,andwe

encourageyoutostartthinkingaboutwhatthesemightbe.Pleaseseethefollowingtwoarticles

fordirection:

https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A2EZES9JAJ6H02

https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-choose-kindle-keywords

PleasealsotakethetimetowatchCaitLevin’swebinaraboutmetadatabeforeyoustartthetipsheetprocess:http://shewritespress.com/understanding-metadata-with-cait-levin/ ThepasswordforthisvideoisSWPauthors

BestpracticesforkeywordsfromIngramPublisherServices:

•Whatarethingsinthebookthatmatter?People,places,etc.

•Whatkeywords,topicsandphrasesdopeopleusetotalkaboutthosethings?

•LookatkeywordtagsoncomptitlesinGoodreads/Amazon/LibraryThing(ie,plottwistvs.

suspense)

•Oneadvancedtooltouseishttp://soovle.com.Youcantypeinakeywordanditshows

promptsfromGoogle,Wikipedia,ping,yahoo,Amazon,YouTube,etc.

•Download“BestPracticesforKeywordsinMetadata”:https://www.bisg.org/best-practices-

keywords-metadata

YouwillbegettingalotmoreinformationabouttipsheetsfollowingBrooke’swebinaronthe

topic,butit’sgoodtostarttohoneyourdescriptionearly,andtolockdownyourdatapoints

soonerratherthanlater.Pleasenotethatyourdescriptionshouldnotexceed300words.You

don’twanttobescramblingatthelastminute,thoughwealwaysgiveyouatleastamonthto

completeyourtipsheets.Wealsoeditandweighinonthemonceyousubmitthemandbefore

postingyourdatatoIngram.It’simportanttonotethatthedatayougiveuswillbeusedfor

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yourAmazondescriptionandbeyond,sospendtimewiththisandmakesureit’sexactlywhat

youwant!

AnnouncementofyourbookonSheWrites.com

ThetimingofwhenyourbookwillbeannouncedonSheWrites.comvariesandyoureditorial

managerwillschedulethiswithyou.Ifyouhaveexpectationsaroundwhenyou’dlikethis

informationtobereleased,pleaseletusknow.Ifyouarenotalreadyamemberof

SheWrites.com,pleasefilloutaprofileandbecomeone!(Seepage37forinformationabout

howtosignup.)Ifyouareamember,youwillbeinvitedtojointheSheWritesPressScret

AuthorgrouponFacebook.Pleaseseepage37forinformationabouthowtobeadded.

Deliveryofmanuscriptfromauthor

Yourentiremanuscript—includingallfront-andback-of-the-bookmaterials—shouldalsobe

submittedbytheauthortoyoureditorialmanagerbytheagreed-upondate,orassoonasthe

contractissignedandthefirstpaymentmade.Pleasesubmityourmanuscriptdouble-spaced

andusingasimplefontlikeTimesorTimesNewRoman.Weexpecttoseethefollowing

elementsinyourfinalmanuscriptatthepointyou’returningitintobeproofread.

TitlePage

Dedication

Epigraph/Frontispiece(optional)

TableofContents(optional)

Foreword(optional)

Chapters

Afterword/Epilogue(optional)

Credits(optional)

Endnotes/Sources(optional)

Acknowledgments

AuthorBio

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Ifyouintendtohaveimagesinyourbook,pleasedonotincludetheminthemanuscript.We

preferyouuseplaceholdersforyourimagesatthisstage,notatedbythenameofthejpegor

tiff.Youwillinsertintothebodyofyourtextaplaceholderthatlookslikethis:

[[insert“water.jpeg”here]]

Youwillthensendusthecorrespondingwater.jpegviaDropbox.comorWeTransfer.com.We

prefertoreceiveimageslikethisratherthanviaemail.Ifyoudonotknowhowtouseacloud-

basedservicelikethis,youcansendyourimagesonathumbdrive.Talktoyoureditorial

managerbeforesendinganythingsowecanconfirmwhichaddressitshouldgoto.

Whenyousubmityourmanuscript,pleasetakenoteofthefollowing:

! PleasesubmityourentiremanuscriptinasingleWordfile.

! Pleasemakesureyousubmityourfrontandbackmatter,specificallyyourdedication,

acknowledgments,andauthorbio.

! Allchaptersandtextfollowinghardlinebreaksshouldstartwiththetextflushleftand

thatyouindentallsubsequentparagraphs.

! Donotincludeanyspecialformattinginthetextbeyonditalics,boldface,andsmall

caps,asitwillgetlostintheprocessoftransmittinge-files.Ifthereisanyformattingin

thetextthatrequiresspecialcare(e.g.,dialogue,specialfonts),pleaseconveythisinan

emailwhenyousubmitthemanuscript.

! Pleasedonotembedyourendnotenumbers,sinceourdesignprogramsdonotread

embeddedtext.Seepage79formoredetailsonhowtohandlefootnotes/endnotes.

! Ifyouhaveanyspecialformattinginthecontentofyourwork(e.g.,youcoinnew

phrases,wantethnicnamestreatedinaparticularway,orhaveapreferenceforthe

constructionofcompoundterms),sendalistofsuchtermswhenyousubmityour

manuscript.

Submittingimages

TheaverageSWPbookdoesnotincludeartorphotographs,anddependingonthescopeof

imagesyouwantinyourbook,youmaybesubjecttoafeebeyondthebasecostofthe

publishingpackage.Ifyouwantimagesinyourbook,pleasenotifyBrookeandyoureditorial

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managerearlyintheprocess.Weneedyourimagestobesubmittedhigh-resolution(atleast

300dpi).Pleasesendthemviaacloud-basedserver,oronathumbdrive.Pleasedonotemail

them.Also,pleasedonotembedyourimagesintothebodyofyourmanuscript.Photoscanbe

providedaseitherTIFForJPEGfilesandagaintheymustbeatleast300dpitobeprintquality.

Whendecidinguponaselectionofimagestoaccompanyyourmanuscript,considerthequality

ofeachimageandhowwellitwillreproduceinprint.Allartwillbeprintedinblackandwhite,

unlessotherwisespecifiedatthepointofcontractnegotiation.Alow-qualityorincorrectlysized

submissionwillreproducepoorlyinthefinalbookandmayproveunsuitableforuse.

Pleasealsobemindfulofthecostofattainingpermissiontoreprintanyimages,acostthatwill

bebornebytheauthor.

Wordcount

Wespecifythatmanuscriptsshouldbenolongerthan120,000words.Pleasekeepinmindthata

longbookisadifficultbooktosell—inpartbecauseofreaders’patienceandtoleranceforlong

books,butalsobecauseofthepricepoint.Also,thelongeryourbookis,themoreexpensiveitisto

print.MostSWPbookswillbe5.5x8.5inchesandwillcostintherangeof$16.95–$18.95.Priceis

generallydeterminedbypagecountandbyhowtheretailpriceofotherbooksinyourcategory

compares.Wewilladviseyouonthesedetails,andanythingfallingoutsideofthiswillalsobe

somethingtodiscusswithyoureditorialmanagerbeforeyourbookgoestolayout.Beyondthe

reader’scostisyourcostofproduction.Thelongerthebook,themoreyoupayforproduction,soif

youhaveaverylongbook,wemightsuggestthatyouhaveabiggertrimsize(6x9inches)anda

higherpricepoint(upto$18.95forfictionormemoir).

Asimplewaytocheckyourwordcountistousethe“wordcount”functioninMicrosoftWord.You

dowanttoincludefrontandbackmatter(allelementsofthebookthatfallbeforeorafteryour

primarychapters)inthefinalcount.

Coverdesign

Assoonaswereceiveyourcovermemo,thedesignprocesswillbegin.Thisentailsadetailedand

thoughtfulprocessthroughoutwhichwekeepyoureditorialcontentandthemarketingdirection

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foryourbookinmind.Oncewehavesettledonacoverconcept,youwillseewhatarecalled

“covercomps”foryourbook.Thesearegenerallythreetofourconceptsthatvaryintermsofhow

completetheymightbe.Weshowyoutheseconceptsforthepurposeofestablishingadirection

youfeelgoodabout,buttheymightsometimesbemorecompletedesigns.

Whenyoureceiveyourcomps,wearelookingforfeedbackthatwillhelpuswithournextstep,

whichisrefiningandpolishing.Ifyoudonotlikeacover,wewanttoknow,ofcourse,butwe

aremoreinterestedinspecificanddirectivefeedbackaboutwhatmightbeworkinginorderto

helpusmoreforward,ratherthanfeedbackaboutwhat’snotworking.

Wewilldouptotworoundsofroughcoversanduptotworoundsofpolishedcoversinour

effortstogettherightcoverforyou.Ifaftertworoundsofroughcoversnodirectionfeelslike

therightdirection,SWPreservestherighttohaveaconversationwithyouaboutwhat’snot

workingandwhatwillneedtohappeninordertogettoagoodplacewiththecoverdesign.We

cannotaskourdesignerstodomanyvariationsbeyondthecompsandpolisheswe’ve

establishedhere,sowewillallworktogethertoensureasmoothprocess,understandingthat

thecoverdesignprocessissometimessmoothsailingandsometimesalittlebumpy.Ifa

designerexecutesthevisionyou’veconveyedinyourcovermemoandyouarestillnothappy

withthedesign,youwillbebilledakillfeeintheamountof$250beforewestartover.

Thebackcoverwillbedesignedseparatelyfromthefrontcover,onceyourbookhasbeen

designedandwehaveafinalpagecount.Weaskthatyoustarttothinkaboutyourbackcover

copyassoonasyousendyourmanuscripttoSWPtobeproofread.Thesoonerwecangetyour

back-covercopy,thebetter.Pleasealsosee“Endorsements,”below.

Yourbackcoverandspinewillbedesignedatthesametimeandsenttoyouforyourapproval.

ThentheentiredesignwillbefinalizedandreadytogototheprinterortobeuploadedtoLSIif

youarechoosingprint-on-demandasyourprintoption.

Pleasenote:SheWritesPressallocatesupto$500forastockimage.Forimagesthatexceed

$500,Brookewillbeintouchaboutthecostandwhethertheauthorfeelstheartworkisworth

anadditionalexpenditure.Forthemostpart,weworkhardtolimitwhatwearelookingforto

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$500orless,butsomecoverswilllendthemselvestomoreexpensiveartorphotography.In

recentseasons,wehavebeenconsciousofgettingbetterimagestocompetewithour

traditionalcounterparts,butwearemindfulofcostatthesametime.Ifyoufeelyouwantto

haveahigherimagebudgetthanwhatweallocate,pleaseemailBrooketodiscussthis,asitwill

giveyourdesignermorepossibilitiestoplaywith.Wealsowelcomeyourideasforimages,and

yourprovidingimagesyouown,whichwewillalwaystakeintoconsideration.

Copyediting(forTrack2authorsonly)

OurcopyeditorsadheretoTheChicagoManualofStyle.Wealsoprovidespecificnotesforeach

copyeditoraboutthebookshewillbecopyediting,includingcommentaryontheauthor’stone

andstyleandspecificareasofthenarrativewe’dlikethecopyeditortopayspecialattentionto.

Onaverage,acopyeditorspendstwotothreeweekseditingamanuscript.Thecopyeditorwho

worksonyourprojectwilleditthemanuscriptforspelling,grammar,punctuation,andlogic.As

sheedits,yourcopyeditormaymakealistofspecificquestionsthatshehasforyou,whichwill

beeitherprovidedinaquerydocumentorembeddedinthemanuscriptusingembedded

comments.

Whenthecopyeditorisfinished,themanuscriptwillbereturnedtoyou.Atthispoint,youwill

reviewthesuggestededits,answerthecopyeditor’squeries,andmakenotesofanyadditional

changesyou’dlikemade.Ifyouchooseto,youcanacceptallthechangesyourselfandanswer

alloftheeditor’squeriesinthebodyofthemanuscript.However,ifyoubelieveyouarelikelyto

introducenewerrors,orifyouwouldratherhirethecopyeditortodothequeryintegrationon

yourbehalf,werecommendit!

Ifyouchoosetoacceptthechangesonyourown,pleasedosoandthensimplysubmitthefinal

manuscripttoSWPpertheinstructionsabove(“Deliveryofmanuscript”).

Ifyouchoosetohaveyoureditoracceptyourchangesonyourbehalf(alsoincludedinthisstep

wouldbetheeditingofanyaddedmaterial,post-copyedit),thenthoseadditionalhourswillbe

billedseparately,orontopof,thecopyedit(atthecopyeditingrate).Pleaseadheretothe

followingstepsifyouwouldlikeyoureditortoacceptthechangesonyourbehalf:

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Queryintegration(copyediting)

Queryintegrationistheprocessofacceptingorrejectinganeditor’schanges.Weallowauthors

todoqueryintegrationontheirowncopyedits,butnotonproofreads.Ifyouarenotfamiliar

withtrackchanges,pleaseseeBrooke’stutorialhere:http://youtube/q0_mtjurxEs.

Afteryourcopyedit,youcanchoosetoacceptorrejectthechangesyourself,butweonly

recommendyoudothisifyou’reconfidentthatyouwillnotintroducenewerrors.Ifyouare

addingalotofcontentinresponsetoyoureditor’schanges,wehighlyrecommendleavingtrack

changesonasyoueditandthensendingthemanuscriptbacktoyoureditorforonemorepass.

Ifyouchoosetoletyoureditordoqueryintegration,gointothemanuscriptandeyeballthe

changes.Anychangesyouagreewith,youwouldsimplyleaveasisandyoureditorwillaccept

themonyourbehalf.Anychangesyoudisagreewith,you’deditormarkupusingtrackchanges.

Youcanevenleavenotestoyoureditorbyembeddingacomment,orbyleavinganotein

bracketslikethis:[[Idon’twanttochangethisbecausethisisreallywhatthischaractersaid.]]

Moresimply,ifyoudon’tlikeachangeyoucanwrite:[[Stet]]whichtheeditorwillknowmeans

toleavethelanguageasitwasoriginallywritten.

Oncecopyeditedmanuscriptisfinal,withnotrackchanges,thefileshouldbenamedwiththe

fileextension“BOOKTITLE_Final.docx.”Thisisthefilethatwillgototheproofreader.

Anthologyeditors

Ifyouaretheeditorofananthology,youmaybegivenqueriesthatonlythecontributorscan

answer.Ifthat’sthecase,youshouldaskforresolutionfromyourwritersandincludetheir

answersinthequerydocument.Youmaysharetheeditedpieceswithyourcontributorsand

allowthemtorespondtotheedits,butthisisacourtesyonlyandit’snotexpected.Asthe

editoroftheanthology,youareentitledtomakeallcontent-relateddecisionsyourself.We

recommendthatyouexplainthisprocessandyourroletoyourcontributorsearlyontoavoid

misunderstandingorproblemslaterintheeditingprocess.

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Whetherornotyouchoosetoforwardtheread-onlypiecestocontributors,weadvisethatyou

setadeadlineforthemtoresolveandreturntheirqueriestoyou.

Proofreading(forTrack1and2authors)

TheproofreadingprocesshappensforTrack2authorsafteryourSWPeditorhascopyeditedand

approvedyourmanuscript.ForTrack1authors,proofreadingstartsassoonasyourfinal

manuscripthasbeensubmittedtoSWP.

Theproofreadingprocessisaword-for-wordread.TheproofreadwillbedoneinMicrosoft

WordusingtheTrackChangesfunction.Pleasenotethatifwediscover,aswemoveintoyour

proofread,thatourassessmentwasinaccurate(ifyouqualifiedasaTrack1author)andinfact

thebookisinneedofaheavieredit,wereservetherighttocontactyoutoaskyoutohavethe

bookcopyedited.Whilethisdoesnothappenveryoften,itdoeshappen.Wehavestrict

editorialstandards,andwedoourbestwhenassessingthemanuscripts,buteveryonceina

whileamanuscriptmayseemtobeinbettershapethanitis.Forusthisisapartnership,andwe

allwantthemanuscripttobeinthebestshapepossible,andinthepast,whenconfrontedwith

thisscenario,authorshavebeengratefulforthefeedback.

Whentheproofreaderisfinished,themanuscriptwillbereturnedtoyouwithanyqueriesyou

mightneedtoaddressembeddedinthemanuscript.Atthispoint,youwillreviewthesuggested

changesandtreattheWorddocumentasaread-onlyfile.Ifyouneedtoansweraquestionfrom

theproofreader,youcandosobyembeddingyourowncomment(seebelow)withTrack

Changeson.Ifyouhavequestionsorconcernsabouthowtodothis,contactyoureditorial

managerformoredetailedinstructions.

Queryintegration(proofreading)

Queryintegrationistheprocessofacceptingorrejectinganeditor’schanges.Weallowauthors

todoqueryintegrationontheirowncopyedits,butnotonproofreads.Ifyouarenotfamiliar

withtrackchanges,pleaseseeBrooke’stutorialhere:http://youtube/q0_mtjurxEs.

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Ifyouneedtoaddanywordsormakeeditstowhattheproofreaderhaschanged,youmaydo

soaslongastheTrackChangesfunctionison.Pleasedonotacceptorrejectanychangesusing

theACCEPT/REJECTfeatureinWord.Ifyouagreewithanedit,simplyleaveitasisanditwillbe

consideredaccepted.Ifyouwanttomakeacomment,youcandosoandwillbeacceptedby

youreditorialmanageronyourbehalf.Youcanevenleavenotesforyoureditorialmanagerby

embeddingacomment,orbyleavinganoteinbracketslikethis:[[Idon’twanttochangethis

becausethisisreallywhatthischaractersaid.]]Moresimply,ifyoudon’tlikeachangeyoucan

write:[[Stet]]whichtheeditorwillknowmeanstoleavethelanguageasitwasoriginally

written.

Pleasenotethatafteryoureturnyourmanuscripttoyoureditorialmanager,followingyour

reviewofthechanges,wewillnotacceptadditionalchangesviaemail.Youwillhaveanother

opportunitytoreviewyourpagesandtomakefinalcorrectionsonceyoureceiveyourdesigned

pages.Thatsaid,pleasespendtimewithyourmanuscripttoensurethatwhatyouaresending

toyoureditorialmanageristhebestandmostcompleteversionofthemanuscriptyoucan

possiblysend.

Interiordesign(aka“pages”)

YouwillreceiveaPDFfileofyourcompletelylaid-outbookwithintwoweeksofsubmittingyour

proofreadchanges.Thisfileiscalled“firstpages,”meaningit’sthefirstroundoflaid-out,

designedpages.(Subsequentversionswillbecalled“secondpages,”“thirdpages,”etc.)Atthis

point,youarelookingatsomethingthatwillverymuchresembleyourprintedbook!It’scritical

thatyouprintoutthesepagesandspendsometimewiththem.Atthisstage,youarelooking

foranyerrorsthatmighthavebeenmissedduringthecopyeditingorproofreadingstage.As

muchaswestriveforexcellence,oureditorsarenotperfect,andeveryyearthousandsofbooks

gototheprinterwitherrors.Wewillhavedoneeverythinginourpowertopreventthis,butthe

finalbuckdoesfalltoyou,theauthor.Weputthefinalresponsibilityforthedesignedbookto

theauthor,soweaskthatyoureadthisfilewordforword.

Pleasealsocheckasyougoforanyformattingissuesthatmighthavehappenedduringthe

layoutprocess.Flaganyproblemswithwordsbeingtoocloseortoospreadapart.Please

18

consulttheproofreadingchecklistattheendofthisAuthorHandbookandchecktomakesure

everythinglooksgood.Youwillbeapprovingyourpageshere,andanyandallvisualelements,

suchasartorphotographs,ifyou’reincludingthem.Onourend,wewillbegoingthroughthe

pagesforaspotcheckonformattingaswell,ensuringthatalltheelementsofyourbookarein

place.Wewillnot,however,bedoinganotherreadofthemanuscriptatthispoint.

Pleasenotethatbooksaredesignedtobejustified,andthereforewordsareoftenbrokenwith

hyphensattheendoflines.Thisiscommon,andweaskthatyoucorrectonlythosethatare

considered“badbreaks,”meaningtheydon’tlookrighttotheeyeoryoucannotlivewiththem.

Youwillnotetheminyourchanges(see“Makingchangestoyourdesignedpages”below).

Anotherimportantnoteaboutdesignformattingisthatbooksoftenhaveblankpages;ifyour

chapterendsonarightpage,thenextleftwilloftenbeblank.Pagenumbersaregenerallyleft

offofchaptertitlepages.Wewantyoutobethoroughlyreviewingyourchanges,butask

questionsifyouhavethem.Pleasedonotintroducenewerrorsbecauseyouthinkyou

understandbookdesign.

Also,onceyousubmityourcorrectionstofirstpages,thosearetheonlychangesthatwillbe

implementedintosecondpages.Youdonotneedtorereadyoursecondpageswordforword.

Youneedonlytospot-checkthemtomakesurethecorrectionsyouaskedtobeimplementedin

firstpageshaveindeedbeenimplementedcorrectlyandthatthedesignerdidnotintroduceany

newerrors.

Makingchangestoyourdesignedpages

WeaskthatyoucreateaWorddocumentcalled“1stpageschanges.docx”tosendbacktoyour

editorialmanageruponreviewingyourfirstpages.Thiswillspecifytheexactchangesthatyou

wanttoseeimplementedinyourmanuscript.Forafullsampleofwhatthisshouldlooklike,

pleasesee“SampleCorrections—FirstPagesStage”onpage86.

Thisisashortexampleofwhatyourchangesshouldlooklikeinyourchangesdocument:

Pg73–Graph1afterthelinebreak:

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ChangeasifonautopilottoabsentmindedlyToread:hewalkedabsentmindedly,andsohewasstartled

Pg83–Graph1,line1:

ChangeMünchentoMunichToread:traintoMunich

Pg85–Graph1afterthelinebreak,line2:

ChangeNanjingtoBubblingWellToread:AngveeredoffBubblingWellRoad.

Pg89–Graph1,line3:

ChangedelitosmalleateryToread:customersswarmedasmalleatery

Pleasenotethatnosubstantivechangesmaybemadeatthispoint.Anysubstantivechanges

thathappenafterthebookhasbeenlaidoutwillbechargedatarateof$60/hour.Thiswill

applynottoerrorsbuttoanyaestheticchangesthatareintroducedpost-design.

Wemakeeveryefforttohaveasfewroundsofpost-layoutpagesaspossible,butit’slikelythat

yourbookwillgointosecondandthirdpages,possiblymore.Eachtimeyoureceiveanew

revisionfromus,weaskthatyoufollowthissameprocess,alwayssubmittingaWorddocument

toyoureditorialmanagerspecifyingyourchangesexactly,notingthepagenumber,graph

number,andlinenumber.Weappreciateyourspecificity!

Backcoverdesign

Asmentionedabove,yourcoverdesignwillbefinalizedassoonaswehaveyourfinalpage

countandback-covercopy(includingendorsements).WewillsendyouaPDFfileofwhat’s

calledthe“covermechanical,”orfullcover,whichisafullflattenedcover—righttoleft—back

cover,spine,frontcover.Anychangesyouwantmadetothecontentwillbesubmittedinan

emailtoyoureditorialmanager.Weaskforaturnaroundonthisstageofnomorethanafew

days.

ARCfilessenttoLSI

WewillbecreatingARCs(AdvanceReadingCopies)foreverybookthathasapublicityplan

attachedtoit.Ifyoudonothaveapublicistordonotintendtohireapublicist,pleaselet

20

Brookeknowearlyintheprocesssothatwecantalkthroughyouroptionsanddecidewhether

ARCsarenecessaryforyourbook.YourARCswilllookexactlylikeyourbook,exceptthatthe

coverwillfeatureabandthatsays“AdvanceReadingCopy,”anditwillhavepublicitycontact

informationonitforreviewers.AnARCfilewillbeuploadedtoLightningSource(orPODprinter)

approximatelyfourmonthspriortopublicationsothatyouhaveARCstouseduringthethree-

tofour-monthpre-publicitywindow,whichisthethreetofourmonthspriortoyourpublication

date.BrookewillemailyouwhenyourARCsareavailabletobeordered,andwewillcollaborate

withyourpublicistabouthowmanyshewants.Mostauthorsorderbetween30and100ARCs,

dependingonhowaggressivetheirpublicitycampaignis.Youwillbechargedforthefullcostof

yourARCs(plusshipping)assoonastheorderisplaced.Youwillalwaysplaceyourorderfor

ARCsthroughyoureditorialmanager,andyoucanorderadditionalcopiesatanytimeleading

uptopublication.

Finalbookfilessenttoprinter

Thefinalfiles(minustheARCelements)willbesenttoanoffsetprintertwomonthspriorto

yourpublicationdate.Brookewillbeintouchwithyouabouthowmanycopiestoprint

approximately10weekspriortoyourpublicationdate.Thefactorswetakeintoconsideration

whendeterminingyourprintrunincludeyourpublicityplan,yourexpectationsforselling,and

yourpreordernumbers.Mostofourauthorsprintatleast500,whichiswhywe’vemoved

exclusivelytooffsetprintingforourfirstprintruns.Manyauthorswilldosubsequentprintruns

throughLightningSource.Regardlessofwhatmethodyouchoose(PODoroffset)foryourfirst

andsubsequentprintruns,youwillpayforthiscostupfront,andBrookewillprovideyouwitha

bidforthework.

It’simportanttounderstandtherisksassociatedwithprintingingeneral.Theplussideofgoing

withanoffsetprinterissimplyeconomics.Youwillgenerallysaveawholedollarperunitonce

youhitaprintrunof500books.Althoughwemonitorinventoryclosely,thefirstthreetosix

monthsofyourcampaignisadifficulttimeformanaginginventorybecausewearerequiredto

fulfillallordersthatcomein.Yetthebookindustryisareturns-basedindustry,andsome

accountsmighttakeabigorder,onlytoreturnitlater.Thisisariskinherentinthisindustry,and

youmaybeinasituationwhereyouareprintingtofulfilldemand,onlytohaveinventorycome

backlater,whichwehavetoabsorb.Pleaseknowthatwedoourbesttomanagethissituation

21

andtoguideyoutothebestofourabilities.OnceyousignwithSWP,Brookewillbein

conversationwithyouaboutthisissuesothatyou’reclearonwhatthebestchoiceisforyou.

Wewantyoutomakesoundbusinessdecisionsandnottogetstuckwithabunchofexcess

inventory,andyettosomedegreethenumberofreturnsagivenbookmighthaveisbeyondour

control.Soyouwanttomakemeasureddecisionswiththebestinformationavailabletoyou—

andwewillhelpyouonthisfront.

Whattraditionaldistributionmeansforyourbook

WhiletraditionaldistributionbyIngramPublisherServicesisahugeboonforSheWritesPress

anditsauthors,italsoputsmoreofaburdenonustoanteupourpublicityandmarketing

efforts.ItmeansthatwemustmeetIngramPublisherServices’effortstosellourtitlesbyat

leastagreeingtoprintasmanyofthepreordersastheyobtainforagivenbookinthefirst

printing.WhatthismeansisthatyoumustprintatleastasmanybooksasIngramgetsorders

for.Ifyoudecidethatthisisnotplausibleforyoueconomically,thereisanoptiontobein

Ingram’sdatabaseandcatalogsbutnottobe“presold,”whichmeansthatyouwillgetthefull

benefitsofbeingaSheWritesPressauthor,butyourbookwillnotbesoldintothemarketplace

byIngram’ssalesforce.Ifyouarenotgoingtohireapublicist,wereservetherightnottopitch

yourbooktotheIngramsalesforce.Inotherwords,ifyouwanttotakeadvantageofwhat

Ingramisoffering,youneedamarketingplaninplacesothatallofyourpreorderedbooks

aren’tsubjecttoahighreturnrate.(See“Understandingreturns,”below.)

Tofurtherclarifythisprocess,Ingramhasasalesforcethatsellsourbooksintomajoraccounts.

Theyurgethebuyersofthoseaccountstotakeacertainorder.Thisistechnicallya“soft”order

becausetheaccountscanandwillreturnbooksthatdonotsell.Hereiswherepublishingisa

gamble.Youwantthosebookstogooutintothemarketplace,butifyouhavenopublicityor

marketingcampaign,thebookswillnotstick.Theywillcomeback,andSheWritesPress(andby

extensionyou,theauthor)hastoabsorbthosereturnsatthecostof50centsperreturn.The

goodnewsisthatthosebooksgobackintostock.Thebadnewsisthatreturnsareanindustry

inevitability,andyouwillabsorbthecostofthereturnsoutofyourauthorearnings.

Theupsideofourdistributionisthatyourbookwillbewidelyavailable.Youreffortstherefore

mustbefocusedoncreatingdemandforyourbookbygettingreviewsandexposureforit.This

22

iswhythevalueofpublicitycannotbeunderestimated,andwhywerecommendthatyouhave

aplansetinplaceforthethreemonthsfollowingyourbook’srelease.Werecommendthatyou

startinterviewingpubliciststhemomentyoudecidethatyoumightpublishwithSWP.

Brookewillsendeachauthorindividuallyherpreorderspriortomakingafinalprintingdecision.

Inpractice,ascenariomightlooklikethis:Advanceordersforyourbookmaybe250.Youwillbe

askedtoprintatleast500copiesofyourbooktocoverthoseordersandbeyond,sincewewant

toprintenoughcopiestocarryusthroughYearOne.Beyondthat,youmaywanttoorder

additionalbookstohaveonhand,andalso(again)fortheeconomicsofit,somanyauthorswith

preordersof250maydoaprintrunof1000copiesormore.Eventually,yourbookwillbe

flippedtoPOD.Wedothisforbacklistbooksbecauseatsomepointitwillnolongermakesense

todooffsetprintrunstoreplenishstock.Aone-offorderismoreexpensivetomanufacture

thananorderof500ormore,butafterYearOne,youmayalsobesubjecttowarehousingfees

forexcessinventory.Becauseoftheseconsiderations,weareconservativeinourapproachto

printing,andBrookewillenrollyouinherthinkingprocessalongtheway,thoughultimatelythe

printingdecisionsarelefttotheauthor.Pleasenotethatyourbookswillbewarehousedforone

yearatnocharge,butafteroneyear,unlessyourbookissellingataregularrate,youwilleither

payforwarehousing(10centsperbook/permonth)orhavetheoptiontohaveyourbookssent

toyouatthecostofshipping,asyouwillalreadytechnically“own”thebooks,sinceyouwill

haveprepaidtheproductionandprintingcosts.Athird—andtheleastdesirable—optionisto

havequantitydestroyedatzerocost.

Understandingreturns

Asmentionedabove,thebookpublishingisareturns-basedindustry.Ifyouwanttohaveyour

booksinbookstores,youmustagreethatyourbookcanbereturnedtoIngramatnocosttothe

retailer.Ingramprocessesreturnsforusattherateof50centspercopy.Thisisachargethatis

passedbacktotheauthorandcomesoutofyourauthorearnings.Thereturnedcopiesgoback

intoinventoryunlessthebooksaredamaged,inwhichcasetheyareconsidered“hurts.”We

havenowaytoallocatehurtstoindividualauthors,soanyhurtinventoryshouldbeconsidered

awrite-off.Ifyouhaveahighnumberofhurts,wecantalktoIngramaboutthepossibilityof

pullingthemfromthehurtinventory,butthisissubjecttoacharge.Yourhurtswillbelistedasa

lineitemonyourquarterlyearningsstatement.PleasereadBrooke’sarticle,“Returns101,”

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here:https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/71886-

returns-101-what-new-authors-need-to-know.html.

Warehousingandexcessinventory

Afteroneyear,Ingramwillcharge,onamonthlybasis,afeeforexcessinventory.Thisfeeis

calculatedonlyforthosetitlesthathavebeenactiveforgreaterthan12months.Excess

inventoryiscalculatedonaper-titlebasisandisinventorythatisinexcessoftheprevious12

months’netsalesoftheindividualtitle.Thefeetocarrythisinventoryis10centsperunitper

month.Brookewillsendyouinformationaboutyourexcess-inventoryoptionsifandwhenyou

haveexcessinventoryoneyearfollowingyourpublicationdate,andwillgiveyoutheoptionto:

(1)payforexcessinventory;(2)haveexcessinventoryshippedtoyou;or(3)destroyexcess

inventory.

Booksavailableforsale

Itusuallytakesanywherefromtwotothreeweeks,fromthepointwhentheyarereceivedin

thewarehouse,forthebooksbeingprintedattheprintertobecomeofficiallyavailableforsale

online.ThebooksmustbemadeavailableinthesystemsatLSIandIngraminorderforAmazon

andotheronlineretailerstobeabletofulfilltheorders.Ifyourbookisnotshowingupona

particularonlineretailerleadinguptoyourpublicationdate,pleasecontactyoureditorial

manager.Youshouldseeyourtitleshowinguponthefollowingmajorplatforms:

AmazonBarnes&NobleiBookstoreIndieboundKoboGoodreadsPowell’sTheavailabilityofyourbooksacrosstheseoutlets(andothers)willvaryinthattheywon’tall

happenonthesameday.PleasenotethatAmazonisnotoriousforreleasingbooksearly,soit’s

verylikelythatanycustomerwhopreorderedyourbookonAmazonwillgetitearly—

sometimesafulltwotothreeweekspriortoyourpublicationdate.

24

Ordering101

Directorderingofyourownbook

Atthebottomofyourcontract,youwillseeasectioncalledDirectFulfillmentFees.Thisdetails

thecosttoyoutoorderyourownbookdirectlyfromIngram.

Ifyouareorderingbooksforyourselffromtheinventoryyoualreadypaidfor(i.e.,yourprint

run),youpayonlyshippingcoststogetyourbooksfromthewarehousetotheirdestinationas

youownyourprintrunflatout.IfyouareprintingwithLSI,youpayaccordingtotheirfees,

whichvarydependingonhowlongyourbookisandhowmanycopiesyouwant.Youwillorder

yourARCsfromLSI,butyouwillalsoorderanyfuturePODprintruns.Youreditorialmanagers

canpriceoutyourPODcostsforyouassoonasyourARCsareavailabletoprint.

Onceyourbookisprintedandinthewarehouse,pleaseplaceyourordersdirectlybyemailing

orders@shewritespress.com.Weneedthefollowinginformationinordertoplaceyourorder:

TITLE,ISBN,QUANTITY,NAMEOFRECIPIENT,SHIPPINGADDRESS,PHONENUMBER.Pleasedo

yourduediligencetoprovideallofthisinformationtoreducetheamountofbackandforthof

emailingthatmightotherwiseneedtobedonetoplaceasimpleorder.Thankyou.

Anybooksthatqualifyassalestocustomersmaybesubjecttothedistributionfeeifyouwant

SheWritesPresstobilltheconsumer.Youcanplaceordersoftenormorecopiesonbehalfofa

customer,butweencourageyoutobillthecustomeryourself.Yousimplyplacetheorder

yourselfonbehalfofyourcustomerandthenbillyourcustomerforthecostofthebooks

(usuallyauthorsoffer50%offifcustomersordertencopiesormore),plusshipping.Youshould

alsofeelcomfortableaskingcustomerstoorderyourbookthroughmajoronlineretailersor

theirlocalbookstore.

SWPwillinvoiceyouforyourdirectorderswithinaweektothreeweeksofplacingyourorder,

andweaskthatyouprocesspaymentimmediately.Youwillreceiveanauto-responsethatyour

orderhasbeenreceived.Generally,orderswillshipthenextbusinessdayandyou’llgeta

confirmationfromusthattheorderhasbeenplaced.

25

PreordersfromabookstoreorotheroutletwithanIngramaccount

Asauthors,youdonothaveanycontroloveryourpreorders,nordoyouhavetoworryabout

them.FulfillmentofthoseordersishandledbyIngramPublisherServices.Brookewillbein

touchwithyouasyougetclosertoyourpublicationdatewithalistofyourpreorderssothat

youcanseewhataccountsareorderingyourbook.

OrdersfromaretailoutletthatmightnothaveanIngramaccount,orthatdoeshavean

accountwithIngramandsaysitcannotplaceanorderforyourbook

IfyourunintoanissuewithastorethatdoesnothaveanIngramaccount,youcanaskthemto

setoneup.Theycancall(866)770-3022.Somebookstoresmaybereluctanttodoso,andifyou

encounterextremeresistance,thenyoucanofferyourbooksonconsignment.Typically

consignmentarrangementsare60/40—60percenttotheauthorand40percenttothe

bookstore.Westronglydiscouragedoingconsignmentunlessabsolutelynecessary,asIngram

doeshaveanexclusivearrangementtodistributeourbookstotradeaccounts(bookstores,

retailers,etc.).IfyouencounterabookstorethatdoeshaveanIngramaccountandtheysay

theycannotplaceanorderforyourbookthroughIngram,thisisgenerallybecausetheydonot

understandthatwehaveIngramPublisherServicesasourtraditionaldistributor.Theymaythink

youaretalkingaboutIngramWholesale.Thesearetwoseparatebusinessentities.Ifyou

encounteranyresistancetoorderfrombookstoreswhodoworkwithIngram,pleasecontact

Brookerightawaysoshecanputtheregionalrepintouchwiththebookstoreownerto

straightenoutanyproblemorissue.

Whatdeterminesapreorderversusaregularorder

Theactualpubdatedeterminesthe“pre”partofpreorders.Theseareadvanceordersthat

comeinbeforeyourbookistechnicallyforsale.Allordersafterpublicationarejustconsidered

regularorders.Allorders,however,are“actual”orders,andallaresubjecttoreturns.Post-pub

orderswillcomethroughIngram’ssystemjustlikepreorders.

Creatingarelationshipwithyourlocalbookstore

Youwanttoletyourfavoritelocalbookstoreknowthatyouareasoon-to-be-publishedauthor

asmanyassixmonthsinadvanceofyourpublicationdate,especiallyifyouwanttohostan

eventthere.TellthemyourpublisherisdistributedbyIngramPublisherServices,andifthere’s

26

anyconfusionthere,pleaseputthemintouchwithBrooke.ReadBrooke’spost,“BestPractices

forAuthorsWhoWantTheirBookinBookstores,”here:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/596e0e68e4b05561da5a5a97

Onceyou’veestablishedthisrelationship,encourageyourlocalfriendsandfamilytobuyfrom

thisbookstoretogenerategoodwill.

Hostinganawesomebooklaunchevent

Pleasenotethatalthoughyouhaveanactualpublicationday,youshouldbemorefocusedon

yourpublicationmonth,andyoudonotwanttohaveyourlaunchpartytooclosetoyour

publicationday(i.e.,thedayof).Retailersarelargelyunconsciousofabook’sactualpublication

day,andyourwindowofpublicityisafullthreemonthsfromthepointofpublication.Wemake

anoteofthisbecauseit’seasytogethookedintoaparticulardateasbeingimportant,orthe

dayuponwhichsomethingbigissupposedtohappen,butthepublishingindustrydoesn’twork

thiswayandyouhavemoretimeandspacearoundyourpublicationdatethanjustonesingle

day.Youcanevenhaveyourbooklaunchpartyasmanyassixweekspostpublication.Readthis

excellentpostbySWPauthorJessicaVealitzek,authorofTheRoomsAreFilled,onlaunchparty

tips:http://www.shewrites.com/blog/view/1897895/swp-behind-the-book-launch-party-tips.

27

OTHERAUTHORRESPONSIBILITIES

Finalproofreadingandsign-off

Astheauthor,youareresponsibleforthefinalsign-offonyourfinalpages.Manyauthorshave

askedusifit’sokaytosharetheirARCswithreaderswhoareproofreaderstocatchanyfinal

errors.Weareopentothis.However,youmustbecareful.Whatyourreaderswillbeoffering

youisnot“proofreading,”inthesensethatthiscananddoesgetstylisticandwewillnotaccept

stylisticchanges.However,youcanaskyourreaderstoreadfortyposspecifically,asyouhave

anopportunityafteryourbookisinARCstomakefinalpagesbeforepublication.Soifyou

decideyouwantafinalread-throughfromfriendsfortyposonly,weencouragethis.Weask

thatallchangesbesubmittedasspecifiedintheproofreadingsectiononpage16.

Endorsements(aka“blurbs”)

Youareresponsibleforsolicitingandacquiringendorsements,orblurbs—thequotesyou’ll

generallyfindonthebackcoverofabook.Thepurposeoftheseblurbsistomakeyourbook

moreattractivetopotentialreadersbyquotingindividualswithauthorityorotherpopular

authorsorcelebritieswhohavereadyourmanuscriptandwouldhighlyrecommendit.Blurbs

arealsoanexcellentwaytoprovidecreativedescriptionsofyourbookthatcomplementthe

back-covercopy.

Wesuggestyoustartthinkingaboutwhomyouaregoingtosolicitblurbsfromasearlyas

possible.Ifyouareonatighttimeline,it’sgenerallygoingtobetoolatetoapproachapotential

endorseronceyouhaveyourfinaldesignedbook.Instead,wesuggestyousolicitblurbsduring

thedesignprocess.Mostendorsersthesedaysdonotrequirethefullmanuscriptinorderto

blurbabook,sokeepthisinmind.It’stypicaltoofferadigitalversionofthemanuscripttoa

potentialendorser.YoucansenditasaWordfileoraPDFfile.Thisshouldbeasfinalas

possible,butit’sokaytosenditoutbeforethebookisproofread.Youcanalsoalwaysaskifthe

personyou’resolicitingwouldpreferadigitalorahard-copyversionofthemanuscript.Ifthey

preferhardcopy,wesuggestgettingthemanuscriptprintedandboundatKinko’s(orasimilar

printingcenter),withthefrontcover.Blurbersgenerallyexpecttohavefourtosixweekstoread

28

andcreateablurb,sokeepthistimelineinmind.

Weaskthatyousendblurbsalongasearlyasyoucan.Ifpossible,pleasesendyourback-cover

contenttoBrookeallinonefile—withback-covercontentandblurbsalltogether.Ifwedonot

receiveyourback-covercopy,wewillpromptitforyouwhenit’sdue,butwedosuggestthat

youstartthinkingaboutendorsersnow!

Sampleblurbrequestletter

ThisisasampleletterthatBrookesenttoJaneFriedmanthatyoucanfeelfreetoliftormodify:

DearJane,Ihopeyou’redoingwell.I'mregularlyfollowingyourpostsandI'masubscribertoTheHotSheet,andsoIknowyou'redoingsuchincrediblethingsforauthors.MySheWritesPressauthorsalsoadoreyou,btw.It'sbeenawhilesincewe'vebeenintouch,andI’mwritingtoaskfortheultimateauthorfavor,toseeifyou’dconsiderblurbingmynewbook,Green-LightYourBook:HowWritersCanSucceedintheNewEraofPublishing.ThisbookiscomingoutonSheWritesPressthisJune,andI’mhopingtogetthesupportofotherchampionsofindieauthors.Iknowfromreadingyouthatthepay-formodelissomethingthatyouhavemixedfeelingsabout,andIdoaddressthisinthebook—notalot,butinawaythatIhopeistransparentandatleastacknowledgingofthecomplexityofthislandscapeandeverythingthat'schangingintheindustry.Thebookisintendedtobeabitofavoiceofdisruption,takingthetraditionalindustrytotaskforthemanythingsthataren’tworking.It’salsogearedtowardeducatingandequippingauthorstoknowwhattheyneedtoknow,notjusttomakegooddecisionsabouttheirbook’seditorialandproduction,butalsoaboutpost-publicationissues,likehowtotalktobookstores,andthinkaboutdistribution,andbegeneroustowardotherwriters,andbeagoodliterarycitizen.IbelieveourvaluesarealignedandIwouldlovetosharemybookwithyou,andIalsorealizewhatanenormousfavorthisis,andsoIthankyouinadvanceforyourconsideration.TheblurbwouldbedueinearlyMarch.Thepubdateismid-June.I’dliketosendyoumydesignedpagesasapdffileifthat’spossible.Again,thankyouforyourconsideration.Best,Brooke

29

Authorphoto

Wewantyourphotoassoonaspossibleforthepurposeofannouncingyourbookon

SheWrites.com,butifyouchoosetohaveanewauthorphototaken,wesuggestyoudoso.The

finalauthorphototobeprintedinthebookisduenolaterthanthepointatwhichyourbook

goestolayout,soaroundthetimeyou’reapprovingyourinteriordesignsamples.Ifandwhen

yougetanewphotograph,alwaysprovideuswiththecorrectcredit(thenameofthe

photographer,evenifit’safriendorfamilymemberwhotookthephoto).

Somebookscallforamoreformal,traditionalauthorpose,whileothersmaybenefitfroma

morecasual,personalizedlook.Hereareafewgeneralguidelines:

• Youshouldappearcomfortableandfriendlyinyourphoto.Don’tletthephotographer

poseyouinamannerthatmakesyoufeeluncomfortable.Aposedphotoislikelytolook

awkwardandunnatural.

• Yourclothingshouldmakeyouappearfriendlyandprofessional.Formalattireisnot

necessary,butmakesureyouarewellgroomedandlookingyourbest.Avoidblack-and-

whiteorhighlypatternedclothing,sincethecontrastwilldrawpeople'sattentionaway

fromyourface.Largejewelrycanalsobedistracting.

• Thephotoshouldbetakenwaist-uporchest-up,ratherthanshowingyourwholebody

fromadistance.Readersshouldbeabletoseeyourfaceclearly.

• Inpreparingforthephoto,thinkofotherauthorphotosyouhaveseeninpublished

works,andconsideryourownreactionstothem.Visualizeyourphotoasitwould

appearnotonlyinyourownbook,butalsonexttoamagazineornewspaperarticle

aboutyourbook.

Permissions

Youareresponsibleforsecuringandpayingforpermissionforanycopyrightedmaterialyou

wishtoincludeinyourbooks.Allpermissionsareduebeforeyourbookgoestolayout.Youwill

needtoobtainpermissionforanyuseofanotherowner’screativematerial,including

quotationsfromotherbooks,magazines,ornewspapers,songlyrics,andpoetry.Withoutthe

necessarypermissions,wewillrecommendthatyouremovethecontentinquestion.Alistof

requiredpermissionsfollows,andyouneedtosubmitthecreditlinesobtainedbythoseyou’ve

30

receivedpermissionfromforustoprintonyourcopyrightpageoronacreditspageinyourback

matter.

Whatrequirespermission?Tables,figures,quotations,poetry,lyrics,photographs.Pleasenotethatforsongsandlyricsyoumustobtainpermissionregardlessofhowmuchtextyouareexcerpting.Forprose,thegeneralruleofthumbisthat50wordsexcerptedverbatimandproperlycreditedisconsideredfairuse.Whatdoesn’trequirepermission?1.Anythinginthepublicdomain.Thatis,anything:

• publishedintheUnitedStates85yearsfromthepresent,or• publishedinGreatBritainiftheauthorhasbeendeadmorethan50years,or• publishedbytheUSgovernment

2.Anythingthatfallswithinthedoctrineoffairuse.Thatis,abriefquotationthatis:

• clearlyidentifiedasbeingfromanotherwork,notasyourwords,and• nottakenoutofcontextordistortedastotruemeaning,and• accuratelyreproduced,wordforword,and• givenfullcredit

Samplepermissionrequestletter

Dear :Iwouldliketorequestpermissiontoreprintthefollowing:Author(s):Title:Copyrightyear: Journalvolume/date: Selection/pagenumbers: Illustrations/other:ThematerialwillbereprintedinabooktitledTitleofbookhere.MybookwillbepublishedbySheWritesPressinasmallprintrun.Iamresponsibleforpayingallfees,soIwouldappreciateawaiverorreductionoffees.Ifyoudonotholdcopyrightinthismaterial,pleaseletmeknowtowhomIshouldapply.Standardacknowledgmentoftitle,author,andpublisherwillbegiven,orIwillgladlyusethecreditlinethatyousupply.Rightsrequested:worldrightsinalllanguages,foralleditions(includingelectronic/digitaleditions),useinpromotionalmaterials(suchasourcatalog),insubsidiarylicenses(suchastranslationsorbookclubs),andinversionsmadebynonprofitorganizationsforblindorphysicallyhandicappedpersons.

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Ihaveprovidedthereleasebelowforyourconvenience.Pleasereturnthesignedoriginalrequesttome.Sincerely,YourName

Technology

Transferringfiles

PleaseemailasattachmentsallWordandPDFfiles.PleasealwayscheckwithBrookebefore

sendingalargeimagefiletodeterminethebestwaytotransferthosefiles.Werecommend

alwayssendingmultipleorlargeimagesviaDropbox.comorWeTransfer.com.

Software

OurinternalcomputerplatformisMacintoshOSX,andweexclusivelyuseMicrosoftWord.If

youareusingotherword-processingsoftware,weaskthatyouhavesomesortofsoftwarethat

willbeabletoreadTrackChanges.

TrackChanges

Beforeyoureachthecopyeditingstage,pleasebesureyouarecomfortablewiththeTrack

ChangesfunctioninMicrosoftWord.Thisfunctionwillallowyoutoseeeachspecificchangethe

copyeditorhasmadetoyourmanuscript.Ifyou’reunsurehowTrackChangesworks,please

viewBrooke’sonlinetutorialhere:http://youtube/q0_mtjurxEs(orgoto

youtube.com/warnercoachingandvisitthe“HowtoUseTrackChanges”video).

Filenames

Whensubmittingyourmanuscriptand/oranyfilestous,pleasemakesuretonamethemwith

eitheryourlastnameorthetitleofyourbooksomewhereintheextension.

Specialcharacters,includingaccents

Providealistofallaccentedlettersorspecialcharactersthatyouhavekeyedin.Sometimes

thesearelostoralteredwhenweconvertfilesfromoneprogramtoanother,andanaccurate

keylistallowsustorestorespecialcharacterscorrectly.

32

Audiobookcreation

ManySWPauthorsareinterestedincreatingaudiobooks.Althoughwe’vehadsuccessselling

audiorightslately,it’snottoocommon.IfSWPkeptyouraudiobookrightperourcontractand

youwantthoserightsback,pleasejustemailBrookeaskingfor“reversion”ofyouraudiobook

rightsandshewillattachthatrequesttoyourcontract,andyoushoulddothesame.

Pleasenotethatwecanhelpyoutoresizeyourcoverfile,oryoucandothatthroughACX.Ifyou

moveaheadwithyourcoverfromSWP,youneedtonegotiatetherighttodosowiththestock

agencyweobtainedyourimagefrom,asSWPonlynegotiatesalicenseforprintande-books

whenitcomestoourcovers.

Formoreinformationonhowtocreateanaudiobook,pleaseseeSWPauthor(Fire&Water:A

Novel)BetsyFasbinderGraziani’swebinar“CreatinganAudioBook:AnotherClimbUpAnother

LearningCurve”here:https://vimeo.com/96250272.

PleaseemailBrookeregardlessifyougetanaudiobookdealorifyoudecidetodoanaudio

bookonyourown.Wewanttotrackthisandshewillputyouintouchwiththerepfromthe

appropriatestockagencytomakesureyoucrossallyourt’swhenitcomestotheimage

licensing.

Reachingouttofriendsforsupport

CherylRice,authorofWhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?,hasgenerouslysharedthefollowing

informationforSWPauthorsasatemplateforanyonewhowantstomirrorhereffortswith

theirownbook.Considersendingoutlettersofsupporttofriendsandotherconnectionsinthe

weeksleadinguptothepublicationofyourbook,usinglanguagesimilartoCheryl’s.

SAMPLEFRIENDEMAIL:

DearJane,Hopeyoursummerandyourspiritsareinfullbloom.

33

It’shardtobelieve,butmydreamofpublishingabookiscomingtruethisOctober.It’skindalikeplanningforababyandaweddingatthesametime.Somuchtodoandsolittleclarityabouthowitwillallturnout.Deepbreath...OnethingIamlearningisthatittakesaninsaneamountofeffort,andalotofhelp,togetabookintothehandsoffolkswhowillvalueit.Andthat’swhereyoucomein.I’mreachingouttoclosefriendsandfanslikeyoutosecuremytribeof“bookbuzzers”—folkswhowillsupportmylaunchweekinOctoberbyhelpingtospreadtheword.(Andstaytuned—yourpersonalEvitetothelaunchpartyonOctober7iscomingsoon!)SinceIknowyoumightpreferonewayofcontributingoveranother,Iputtogetheralistofsomekeyactivitiesthatwillhelppropelthelaunch.I’dbesoappreciativeifyoucouldreviewthelistandletmeknowby8/1whichactivityyouwouldbekindenoughtocontribute.Activity(placean“x”ifyoucando)SendanemailtoyourfriendsonOctober7aboutthebook.(Iwillprovidesampletexttocutandpasteintoanemail.)

FollowmeonTwitter@RiceonLife,andsendafewtweetstheweekofOctober6.(Iwillprovidesampletweetstocutandpasteintoanemail.)

SendFacebookpostaboutthebooktheonOctober7.(Iwillprovidesampletexttocutandpasteintoanemail.)

LikeCheryl’sauthorpageonFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/yourvoiceyourvision.

WriteandpostagreatbookreviewonAmazon,B&N,orGoodreadsinOctober.

ConsoleCherylwhenshegetsanot-so-greatbookreview. RecommendWhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?tofriendswhoareinbookgroups.

Hostabookgroup. Other: Thankyousomuchforyourhelpandsupport.Iwillbesendingperiodicupdatesaboutthelaunchjustsoyoucanshareinthefunstuffaswell.Withgratitude,Cheryl

MATERIALTOSENDOUTTOBOOKBUZZFOLKSONEWEEKBEFORELAUNCH

(AdaptedfrommaterialbyauthorMikeRobbins)Goodmorning,(Nameofindividual):

34

Thankyousomuchforyourwillingnesstosupportthelaunchofmybook,WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?AJourneyTowardLoveandWholeness(hyperlink),andtohelpspreadthewordaboutittoyourcommunityoffriendsandclientswhenitofficiallylaunchesonOctober7(justaweekfromtoday!).WhileI’mfeelingexcitedandnervousaboutthelaunch,I’mdeeplygratefulforandhumbledbyyoursupport.Iwantedtosendyouthisnotetomakesureyouhadalloftheinformationyouneedforthelaunch.Tomakethingsaseasyaspossible,weputtogetherabookassetspageonmywebsite,includingsamplecopyforasoloemail,newsletterannouncement,andsocialmediaposts—aswellasavarietyofdifferentimages.Here’sthelink:(insertmyassetpage).IhavealsoattachedtwoWorddocumentstothisemailwiththesamesamplecopythatyoucanfindontheassetspage(justincaseyoufinditeasiertoopenupthedocumentandcutandpastefromthere).AndIhaveattachedaJPEGimageofthebookcover.Letmeknowifyouhavequestionsaboutanyofthisorifyouwouldlikeadditional/customizedcopyorresourcesfromme.I’mhappytodowhateverwillmakeiteasiestandmosthelpfulforyou.Theidealdateforyoutoposttoyourblog,sendanemailtoyourlist,and/orpostonsocialmediaaboutthebookisOctober7,thoughanydaybetweenOctober5and10wouldbegreat.Thebooklaunchpageitself,whereyoucandirectpeopletogotopurchasecopiesofthebookandreceivetheirfreebonusgifts,ishttp://yourvoiceyourvision.com/book/.Again,thankyouforyourhelp.Itmeanssomuchtome.

SOLOEMAIL

Subjectline:WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?—aninspiringnewbookbyCherylRice

Dear[NAME]/Hieveryone,

I’mexcitedtoletyouknowthatmyfriendCherylRicejustlaunchedhernewbook,WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?AJourneyTowardLoveandWholeness.Whatapage-turner.Ilovedthisbook.Youcangetittoday,alongwithsomeamazingbookbonuses.

Cheryl’shumorous,moving,andverycompellingmemoirisanadultcoming-of-agestorythatwillresonatewithallpeoplewhohavestruggledtoovercomethelossofalovedone,makepeacewiththeirpast,andlovethemselvesunconditionally.

Inthepowerfulandpoignantinterweavingchapters,Cheryltellsthestoriesof:

• Theunexpecteddeathofhermother,whoisherbestfriend,andhowshedealswithhergriefinunique,andnotalwayshelpful,ways

• Thedesperate,unrequitedloveshefeelsforhertherapist• Thejourneyintoherpastthatshedslightonherlifelongpeople-pleasinghabit• Thestruggletofindherwayinanewmarriage

35

• Andfinally,andinspiringly,comingtofullyembraceherfreedomandwholeness

Inadditiontobeingatop-notchwriter,Cherylisacompellingspeakerandcoachdedicatedtohelpingwomenbecomeleadersintheirownlives.

Idevouredthisbook,andIthinkyouwilltoo!And,whenyouordercopiestodayofWhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?,you’llalsoreceivefantasticbonusgifts,includingaworkbookbyMarciShimoff,NewYorkTimesbest-sellingauthorofHappyforNoReason,andaninspirationalbookchapterfromprofessionalspeakerandauthorMikeRobbins,fromhisnewbookNothingChangesUntilYouDo.Checkitout:http://mike-robbins.com/book/here.

Sincerely,

Yourname

EMAILNEWSLETTERANNOUNCEMENT

InspiringNewBookWhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?,byCherylRice

MyfriendCherylRicejustreleasedhernewbook,WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?AJourneyTowardLoveandWholeness.Thispowerfulbook,whichyoucangettoday,isfilledwithtender,poignant,andhumorousessaysthatchronicleCheryl’sjourneyfromgriefandaprofoundsenseofunworthinesstolife-affirminggrowthandhealing.Herstoryissocompelling,Icouldn’tputthebookdown.IalsofoundmyselfmovedtotearsandlaughterasIrecognizedmyownstoryinCheryl’s.I’msureanyone,especiallywomen,willrelatetoandbeinspiredbyCheryl’scourageousinnerjourney.

Formoreinformationaboutthisgreatnewbookandthebonusgiftsyou’llreceivewhenyouorderittoday,clickhttp://mike-robbins.com/book/here.

SAMPLEFACEBOOKPOSTS

Connectwithyourfans,followers,andfriendsaboutWhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?AJourneyTowardLoveandWholenessbytagging@yourvoiceyourvisionandusingthehashtag#WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife.HerearesomesampleFacebookpostsyoucanuse:

CherylRice’snewbookWhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?iscompelling,deeplypersonal,andlife-affirming.Itjustcameout,andwhenyouordercopiesofittoday,yougetgreatbonusgifts:http://www.yourvoiceyourvision.com/book/.

I’msoexcitedaboutthereleaseofmyfriendCherylRice’snewbookWhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife?Shesharessuchdeepandpersonalinsights—you’llbemovedandinspired.Orderyourstoday:http://www.yourvoiceyourvision.com/book/.

36

SAMPLETWEETS

#WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife,@RiceOnLife’sawesomenewbook!Orderitnow&get5bonusgifts!http://bit.ly/WHIBAMLIlovethisnewbookby@RiceOnLife,#WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLife,andIthinkyouwilltoo.Checkitout:http://bit.ly/WHIBAML.Lookingtoloveandacceptyourselfmorefully?Give#WhereHaveIBeenAllMyLifeareadandgetstartedonyourownjourney:http://bit.ly/WHIBAML.SAMPLEBLOGCOPY

Ifyou’dlikeaguestblogpostfromme,anexcerptfromthebook,orabookdiscussionguide,oryou’dliketointerviewme,feelfreetoemailmeatCheryl@yourvoiceyourvision.com,andwecancoordinatethat.I’mgladtodowhateverIcantobestengageyourcommunity!

37

COMMUNITYCommunitysetsSWPapartfromotherpublishinghouses,traditionalandnon-traditionalalike.

Ourdesiretoputyouintouchwithoneanothertolearnfromeachotherandtosupporteach

otherisunprecedentedintheindustry.Ourauthorstourtogether,shareinformationand

contacts,andchampioneachotherinawaythatmakesthiswholeendeavorlesslonelyand

infinitelymoreinspiring.Wearegratefulforthewaythecommunityhastakenoffandtheways

inwhichourauthorshaveformedauthenticbonds.

SheWrites.com

Weencourageallourauthorstocreateaprofilepageandbeginpostingarticlesandblogsabout

theirpublishingexperienceonSheWrites.com,ourauthorcommunityandcontentsitewith

morethan35,000members.Ourauthorsaregivenpreferenceforhomepagefeaturesand

newsletterfeatures.Topost,you’llneedtocreateanaccount:

1.Gotowww.shewrites.comandclickontheturquoise“JOIN”buttonintheupperrightcorner.

2.Completethefieldsandsubmit.Yourmembershipwillbeapproved,generallywithintwenty-

fourhours,andyou’llbenotifiedthatyoucannowloginandbeginposting,joininggroups,and

interactingwithothermembers.

3.Onceyouraccountiscreated,logintothesignbyclick“SIGNIN”inthetopnavigationbar.

Onceyou’reloggedin,you’llseealargeturquoisebuttonthatsays“WRITE”intheupperright

corner.Clickheretobeginwritingablogpostandshareitwiththecommunity.

4.Ifyourunintoanyissues,pleasedirectyourquestionstokristin@sparkpointstudio.com.

SecretSheWritesPressFacebookgroup

Thisisthespotwheremostoftheconnectingbetweenauthorshappens.Onceyousignyour

contractandmakeyourfirstpayment,youneedtofriendBrookeonFacebookandshewilladd

youtothegroup:http://facebook.com/brookeewarner.Ifthisdoesn’thappenautomatically,

pleasejustemailBrookeand/orFBmessageherandaskhertoaddyou.Thethreadsinthis

grouparesupportiveandeducational,andwe’reproudofthecohesivenessthiscommunityhas

createdthroughthisactiveandthrivinggroup.

38

Brooke’sofficehours

BrookehostsofficehourseveryTuesdayfrom11am–noonPacific.Thisisanopportunitytoask

questionsandtodrilldownintospecificsthatBrookemightfinditdifficulttodothroughouther

workweek—thingslikepullinginventorynumbersorsalesdata.IfBrookecan’tmakeitforsome

reasonshewillpostintheFacebookgroupthatdaythatofficehoursarecanceled.

OFFICEHOURSLINE:

1(312)878-3081

AccessCode:660-005-645

ConnectingwithSWPandouronlinecommunities

Weinviteyouto“like”ourFacebookpageandtofollowusonTwitter.Pleasedon’thesitateto

askustolikeyoubackorfollowyoubackifthatdoesn’thappenautomatically.Samegoesfor

Brookeandtheteam.Wewanttointeractwithyouonline!

OurFacebooklinks:www.facebook.com/shewritespresswww.facebook.com/shewritesdotcomwww.facebook.com/warnercoaching

OurTwitterhandles:@shewritespress@shewritesdotcomBrooke:@brooke_warnerLauren:@midnightwritingCait:@CaitLevinSamantha:@dramaramasam

39

DISTRIBUTION&FINANCES

Thedistributionrelationship

SheWritesPressisdistributedbyIngramPublisherServices(IPS).(SeewhoelseIngram

distributeshere:www.ingramcontent.com/pages/ingram-publisher-services-product.aspx.)

Therearemanybenefitsoftraditionaldistributionforourauthors.Thefirstandmostimportant

isvisibility.WithIngram,SWPhasabuilt-insalesforce.Wehaveawholeteamofrepswhogo

outintothemarketplacetosellbooks,notjusttothebigaccounts(Amazon,B&N),butalsoto

independentbookstores,libraries,onlineretailers,andspecialtymarkets.

HavingtraditionaldistributionmakesSWPuniqueintheworldofindiepublishingbecauseself-

publishedauthorsdonothaveaccesstothisbroadernetworkandtoexpandedsalesoutletsand

opportunities.YourbookwillbeavailableinIngram’scatalog,whichishostedbyEdelweiss

(edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com).Thisisoneoftheprimaryonlinedatabasesthatbooksellers

reviewwhenchoosingwhatbookstoorderandcarry.

Traditionaldistributionalsoallowsustopenetratethelibrarymarket—anotherplacethat’s

beendifficultforself-publishedauthorstogetinto.WithIngram,wetakeadvantageofthe

manypartnershipstheyhavewithbookstores,onlineplatforms,andthespecialsalesmarkets

(whichincludesanythingfromairportstobig-boxstores(Costco,Target,etc.)tosupermarkets

toretailerslikeUrbanOutfitters).

NotethatIPSwillbehandlingourprintande-bookdistributionaswellandmakesyourbook

availablethrough127differentdistributionpartners.

Whenyoupartnerwithabookstoreorotheroutletforanevent,youwanttoletthemknow

thatyourpublisherisdistributedbyIngramPublisherServicesinadvance.It’slikelythatthey

alreadyhavearelationshipwithIPS,butiftheydon’t,forwhateverreason,wecanfast-track

themtogetthemsetupwithanaccount.Pleasenotethatsomebookstoresareconfusedbythe

differencebetweenIPSandIngramWholesale.IftheytellyoutheyhaveIngrambutthatIngram

40

doesn’tacceptreturns,thentheyaremistakingIngramPublisherServicesforIngramWholesale.

Don’thesitatetoputabookstoreowneroreventcoordinatorintouchwithBrooketosortout

thiskindofmisunderstanding.

Herearesomeotherperksofbeingatraditionallydistributedpress/author:

1.SWPqualifiestobetraditionallyreviewedfromeverymajortradereviewoutletexceptKirkus,theoneholdout.SWPbookscanbesubmittedtobereviewedtraditionallybythefollowingmajorreviewoutlets:PW,LibraryJournal,Booklist,andShelfAwareness.2.Wehaveasalesforce.Twiceayear,BrookegoestoasalesconferenceinNashvilletopitchSWPauthors’worktoasalesforceoffiftyorsorepresentativeswhosejobitisto“sellin”bookstothetrade.Gettingthiskindoffacetimewithrepsisinvaluable.3.SWPmanagesyourmetadata(seeglossary).WehaveanONIXfeed,whichmeansthatcorrectionsandupdatestoanyandalldatagoouteverynightacrosseverymajorplatformandallourdirectpartners.WhenyouhaveachangeyouwanttomaketoAmazon,emailyoureditorialmanager.4.SWPbooksgetintolibraries!Thisisabigadvantageoftraditionaloverself-publishingandcanmakeadifferenceforyourbook’slegitimacyinwidermarkets.5.WehaveaccesstoiPage,abusiness-to-businesstoolwherebuyerscanorderdirect.Thissitefeaturesallofourbooksandgetsapproximately30Kvisitorsaday.6.OurbooksarefeaturedinEdelweiss,anonlinecatalogreviewedbytheheavyhittersintheindustry—bookbuyers,reviewers,andsomemedia.7.WehaveaccesstoprogramslikeB&N’sDiscoverGreatNewWriters™programandIndieBound’sIndiessentialsprogram,andwewillnominateauthorsfortheseprogramswhereappropriate.Thesameistrueofnationalprizes.Ifyouhaveyoureyessetonsomethingyou’dliketoenterandyouneedyourpublishertosubmitforyou,pleasecontactBrookeWarner.

PleaseseethefollowingpostsaboutSWPandtraditionaldistribution:

SheWritesPressNowDistributedbyIngramPublisherServiceshttp://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/58262-

she-writes-press-now-distributed-by-ingram-publisher-

services.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=381976b3a9-UA-15906914-

1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-381976b3a9-304610921

SheWritesPress:Publishing's“ThirdWay”http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2058#m21035

41

Brooke’spostonSheWrites.comaboutwhatshelearnedfromherfirstyearaspublisherof

SWPandwhythismovetoIngramissoimportantandexcitingforthepress:

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/three-lessons-i-ve-learned-from-my-first-year-as-

publisher-of-she

AndBrooke’spostonSheWrites.comaboutwhat“thirdway”publishingis:

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/not-self-publishing-but-not-traditional-publishing-

what-is-the-2

Asdetailedabovein“Whattraditionaldistributionmeansforyourbook,”therearesomerisks

inherentintraditionaldistribution.Wearguethatit’swellworthitforwhatyougain,but

investinginpublishingwithSheWritesPressmeansgivingyourbookitsoneandonlybestshot

fromtheget-go.Weinsistthatyoucarefullyconsiderbothyourpublicityandyourmarketing

planandmakeyourselfavailableformediaappearancesandblogginginthethreetofour

monthsfollowingyourpubdate.

Preorders

Whenwetalktoyouaboutpreorders,wearetalkingaboutretailaccounts,notindividuals,who

arepreorderingyourbook.Abouttenweekspriortoyourpubdate,Brookewillbeintouch

aboutyourprintrunpricingandthiswillincludeaconversationaboutpreorders,andwhich

retailershavepreorderedyourbook.Weusethisinformationtodecidehowmanytoprint.That

said,preordersareincreasinglylowerthantheyusedtobe,asmanyretailerswillprefertohold

outandorderafterpublicationday.Thiscanmakeitdifficulttodecideonaprintrun,andit’s

alsoimportantthatyoudon’tseelowpreordersasnecessarilyanindicationthatyourbookis

notgoingtosell.Brookewilltalkyouthroughthebestcourseofactionforprintingbasedona

numberoffactors,notlimitedtopreorders.

Understandingthefinances

Theonlydownsidetotraditionaldistributionistherisk.Whatdistributionoffersauthorsis

tremendousinthatitgetsyourbookoutintoallthechannelswhereyouhopeyourbookwould

42

be.Youarefunctioningasatraditionallypublishedauthorinthissense,withateamavailableto

getyourbookintoretailoutlets,andwithoutanyresistancefrombuyersaboutyourbookand

itslegitimacy.

Whenyouaretraditionallydistributed,youhaverepspresellingyourbooksintothe

marketplace,whichmeansthatyouhavetopreprintenoughquantitytocoverthepreorders.In

recentseasonswehaveseentheimportanceofprintingbeyondthepreordersaswell,because

thepreordersgetfulfilledimmediately,andthennewinventoryneedstobeavailableforIngram

todrawfromtofulfillneworders.

Thefinancescomeintoplayhereasyouconsideryourpriceperunit.Forprintbooks,your

earningslooklikethis:

• Thenetsalespricewillbe$8.47,or50%of$16.95(standardtradediscount).• Themanufacturingcostwillanywherebetweenabout$2–$4(dependingonPODvs.

print-run).• Fordistribution,maintainingthetraderelationships,warehousing,shipping,and

accountingforbooksales,SWPreceivesa40%feefromthenetsalesprice.So,forbookssoldthroughthetrade,yourNetProfitwillbe:$1.09-$3.09($8.47minus$2-$4.50[manufacturing]minus$3.38[40%of$8.47]).

Youcanseethatthemanufacturingcostisestimatedat$3–$4perbook.However,it’spossible

togreatlyreducethisper-unitcost,evendowntoaslittleas$1–$2,dependingonthequantity

youprintandhowmanypagesyourbookis.It’salsopossible,ifyouhaveaverylongbook,that

yourunitcostwouldexceed$5.00(thoughthisisunlikelyifyougetaprintrun).Oneofthe

reasonswewantbookstobe100,000wordsorless(thoughweallowforupto120,000words)

hastodowiththecostofprinting.Ifyouareconcernedaboutcosts,shortenyourbook.The

sweetspotis80,000words.

Eachauthor’sscenariowillvary,andBrookewillbeintouchaboutthebestchoiceforyou,given

yourcampaignandyourpreorders.Wemakethisdecisiontogetherwiththebestinformationat

hand,understandingthatthegambleisreturns.

Returnsarepartofthisbusiness.Thefrustratingpartaboutreturnsisthatmoreinventorymay

beneededtofulfillordersthatarecominginevenasexistinginventoryisallocatedtoaccounts

43

thatarejustsittingonit,notnecessarilysellingyourbook.Unfortunately,thisispartoftherisk,

andthetruismappliesherethatyouhavetopaytoplay.Thisiswhywewanttotrytohelpyou

consideryourprintingpricepointsandtomakeameasureddecision.

SWPauthorsbearthecostofreturns,whichis50centsperreturn.Thisisanotherriskinherent

inthisprocess.Youneedtoconsiderthatsomeofyourinventorywillcomeback.Aslongasit’s

notdamaged,itwillgobackintosalableinventory.Ourjobistomonitoryourinventoryandto

printconservativelyenoughthatwedon’tburyyouininventory,buttobeaggressiveenoughto

haveenoughonhandtofulfilldemandasitcomesin.Itmightmakesenseforsomeauthorsto

printonly500copiesoftheirbookandthenswitchtheirbooktobefulfilledondemand.Again,

thesearedecisionsthatwillbemadeabouttwomonthsoutfromyourpublicationdate,and

youwillbegivenafullestimateofallofyourchoicessothatyouknowwhattoexpect,andwhat

you’regettinginto.

***Pleasenotethataseparatehandoutwemakeavailabletooursignedauthorsisacostand

earn-outscenario.Ifyoudonothaveacopyofthis,emailBrooketoaskhertosendittoyou.

PaymentscheduleRoyaltystatementscomeout4timesperyear,electronically—emailedout60daysafterthe

closeofeachquarter,asfollows:

•endofMayforQ1

•endofAugustforQ2

•endofNovemberforQ3

•endofFebruaryforQ4

Wepayoutanyroyaltiesowed2timesperyear—sentout90daysafterthecloseofQ2and

Q4,asfollows:

•AnymoniesowedforQ1andQ2aresentviacheckbyendofSeptember(90daysafterclose

ofQ2)andreflectQ1andQ2,combined

•AnymoniesowedforQ3andQ4aresentviacheckbyendofMarch(90daysafterthecloseof

Q4)andreflectQ3andQ4,combined

44

MARKETING&PUBLICITY

It’snevertooearlytostartthinkingaboutmarketing.SWP’sdistributionrelationshipwith

Ingramisamazinginthatitwillgetyourbookintothemarketplaceeffectively.However,once

thebooksarethere,marketingandpublicityarethetwoforcesthatwillactuallydrivewhatwe

call“sell-through.”Sell-throughisdifferentthanpreorders,inthatsellingthroughmeansthat

yourbookisactuallybeingsoldthroughtheregister,whereaspreorderscanalwaysbereturned,

especiallythroughthemajoraccounts.Inmanyways,ourrelationshipwithIngrammakes

marketingandpublicityevenmoreimportant.BecauseIngramhasthecapacitytogetyourbook

intolotsofaccounts,andingoodnumbers,youwillwanttohavethepublicitytobackthose

efforts.Ifyouoptnottohaveapublicityplan,wewilltemperoursalesforce’sexpectations

accordingly.

Thefollowingguidelineswillhelpyoustarttothinkabouthowtomarketandsellyourbook—no

matterhowfaroutyourbookisslatedforpublication.

Marketingstrategy

Allmarketingplansbeginwithastrategy,answeringthefollowingquestions:

•Whatisthegoalofpublishingthebook?

•Whoisyouraudience?

•Howwillyoureachthem?

•Howdoesthebooksolvetheirproblem?

•Howdoesthebookfitintoyouroverallpublishingplan?

Abook’smarketingstrategyshouldbebriefandconcise.Ifitisthoughtfullypreparedandclearly

articulated,itcanserveasananchordocumentforallfuturemarketingactivitiesthroughoutthe

lifeofthebook.Onceyourpublicationdatehasbeenestablished,wewillbeaskingyoufor

morespecificinformationaboutyourmarketingplan,soweaskthatyoubegintoarticulate

whatyouthinkyourgoalsareandwhatmightbepossibleforyourbook.Werecommendyou

startthinkingaboutamarketingplan,eitheronyourownorinconjunctionwithapublicist.

45

Componentsofamarketingplan

Thecomponentsofyourmarketingplanwillbefocusedonthefollowing:

PublicityPlans

•Pressreleases

•Wireservicevs.mediadatabase

•Onlinemarketing/socialmediamarketing

•Onlineretailers

•Authormarketing

•Otherlow-costmarketingopportunities

Thepublicitycomponentofyourmarketingplanisprobablytheleastexpensiveandmost

effectiveuseofyourresources.Componentsofapublicityplaninclude:

•Pressreleases,whichcanannounce:

-Abook’spublication

-Anauthor’sspeakingengagementorotherpublicappearance

-Newseventsthatrelatetothebook

•Featurearticlesthatarepublishedinonlineandprintpublicationsthatmentionyourbookor

author

•Bookexcerptsthatarepublishedbeforethebookisavailableforsale

•BookreviewsbasedonARCs(advancereadingcopies)orfinalbooks

•TV/radioappearancesbytheauthororotherspokespersonforthebook

•Authorspeakingengagementsatconventionsorotherevents

•Onlinepublicity

Afteryourbookisout,pleasesendyoureditorialmanageranybigmediahitsasyouknowabout

themand/orweeklypublicityupdatesforthefirstseveralmonthsofyourcampaign.

Presellingyourbook

Thebestwaytopresellyourbookistocreateasalespageforyourbookonyourownwebsite.If

youhaveadatabasethatyoumarketto,youcanaskthosepeopletopreorderyourbook.You

46

canalsosolicitpeopleonFacebookandTwitter.It’sfinetopresellyourbook,aslongasyou

knowyouhavealoyalaudience.Somebuyersdonotliketheideaofbuyingsomethingsix

monthsinadvance,whileothersarecompletelyfinewiththis.Knowyouraudienceandbeup

frontaboutwhentheycanexpecttoholdthebookintheirhands.

Pleasenotethatyoucanchoosetopresellyourbookonyourown,oryoucanleavethis

responsibilityuptoonlinevendors,suchasAmazon.Yourbookwillbelistedonretailsitesas

earlyasthreemonthsinadvanceofpublication.Youcandrivetraffictopreorderyourbookif

yousochoose.

Ifyouchoosetopresellonyourownthroughyourwebsite,youmusttakecareofthisthrough

yourownmerchantservicesaccountonyoursite(orusePayPal).Youwillneedtokeeptrackof

theorders(name,mailingaddress,andphonenumbersareusuallyimportantinformationto

gather).Onceyourbookisavailable,youthenorderthequantityofbooksyou’vepresold,by

sendingTITLE,ISBN,QUANTITY,NAMEOFRECIPIENT,SHIPPINGADDRESS,ANDPHONE

NUMBERtoorders@shewritespress.com.Wewillplaceyourorders,tobereceivedatyour

homeoroffice,butnotinquantitiesoffewerthanten.Onceyoureceivethebooks,youwill

fulfilltheordersyourself.Werecommendpresellingyourbookonlyifitmakessenseforyour

audience,andonlyifyouareinterestedindealingwithfulfillment.It’snotforeveryauthor,and

itmaywellmakesenseforyoutoencourageyourbuyerstoallbuyfromAmazononthesame

day—astrategythat’scalleda“bookbomb,”whichhelpstoincreaseyourrankingonAmazon.

Theonlyreasontotakepresalesisformoreprofits,sothisistrulyaneconomicaldecision,and

theballisinyourcourt.

SWPcatalog

SheWritesPressbeganproducingacompletecatalogofallofourbooksinspring2013andhave

issueditbiannuallythereafter.Youcandownloadthesecatalogsonourwebsiteandwe

encourageyoutodoso!Wewillusethecontentprovidedinyour200-worddescription,aswell

asyourauthorbioandfinalcover,inthiscatalog.Itwillbedistributedtothebooktrade—to

retailers,reviews,andbookbuyers.Wecannotguaranteethatitwillimpactyourbook’ssales,

butwecanguaranteethatthisservicewillincreasethevisibilityofyourbookinawaythatno

otherindependentpublisherisproviding.

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ARCs

SWPcreatesARCS,oradvancereadingcopies,foreverysinglebookwepublish.Primarythese

areusedbyyourpublicisttoobtainadvancedpublicity.Yourpublicistwillsendthemoutto

reviewers,whointurnreviewthebook,prepublication,andcreatebuzzforit.Therearesome

outletsthatwillnotreviewabookunlessit’sprepublication.Someoutletsrequirethatyousend

thebookfourmonthspriortothepublicationdate.Werecommendyouconsultwithapublicist

aboutyourbestcourseofaction.Youcanandwillstillgetreviewspost-publication.However,if

youwanttomirrorthetraditionalpublishingprocess,sendingoutARCsinadvanceofyour

publicationdateisrecommended.

PleasereadmoreabouttheARCprocessaboveunder“ARCsenttoLSI.”ARCswillbeoptional,

butifyoudonotplantosendoutanyreviewcopies,wewillneedtoreviewwhetheritmakes

sensetohaveIngrampresellyourbookstothemajoraccounts.

PleasenotethatwewouldliketohaveallofyourfinalblurbsintimefortheARCcopiesofyour

book,butifyouneedtoaddalast-minuteblurbtoyourfinaljacket,wewillaccommodatethat

change.

Publicityguidelines

Planahead

Traditionally,publicitycampaignsstartthreetofourmonthspriortoyourbook’srelease.We

recommendgettingonthistimetable,sincemanyreviewersandmediarequirethismuch

advancenotice.Ifyouhavealimitedunderstandingofhowmarketingandpublicityworks,we

recommendhiringapublicist.Workingwithapublicistwillhelpyouestablishatimetablefor

yourbook,andyoucanrelyonthepublicisttomakeconnectionsandfollowuponleads.Start

contactingpublicistsfivetosixmonthspriortoyourpublicationdate.

Hiringapublicist

WerecommendthatallSWPauthorsworkwithapublicist.NowthatSheWritesPressispartof

theSparkPointStudio,LLC,family,werecommendworkingwithBookSparks

(www.gobooksparks.com),thoughit’snotarequirement.InadditiontoCrystalPatriarcheand

48

herteamatBookSparks,wehavealistofrecommendedpublicistswe’rebuildingonanongoing

basis.

RecommendedPublicists

BookSparksCrystalPatriarchehttp://booksparkspr.comcrystal@sparkpointstudio.comCaitlinHamiltonMarketing&PublicityCaitlinHamiltonSummiecaitlin@caitlinhamiltonmarketing.comwww.caitlinhamiltonmarketing.comPRbytheBookMarikaFlatthttp://prbythebook.commarika@prbythebook.comGetRedPRAnn-MarieNieveswww.areyoured.comam@getredpr.comWildboundPRJuliaDrakejulia@juliadrakepr.comwww.juliadrakepr.comJoanneMcCalljoanne@joannemccall.netwww.joannemccall.netSmithPublicityCorinne Moulder Corrine@SmithPublicity.com www.smithpublicity.com

Publicistswillhavevariouscampaignstrategiesforyou,dependingonyourexpectations.They

willhelpyoudeterminewhenisagoodtimetogetstarted,aswellashowlongyourcampaign

willlast.Publicitypackagesfromthesepublicistswillgenerallyfallintherangeof$5,000-

$15,000,dependingonthelevelofsupportyou’relookingfor.

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BestpracticesforworkingwithSWPandyourpublicist:

1.Ifyouareworkingwitharecommendedpublicistwho’snotonourlist,pleaseintroducethat

persontoBrooketogetonthesamepageaboutgoals,expectations,andcommunication.

2.Pleasemakesureyouroutsidepublicist(again,everyoneexceptCrystal)isfeedingBrooke

informationonaregularbasis,includingmediahits,reviews,andanyupdatesregardingyour

campaigngoals.

3.Ifyou’reunclearaboutadeadline,orifyou’rereceivingwhatfeelslikecontradictory

information,pleasedon’thesitatetoemailBrooke,ortostartaconversationbetweenyour

publicistandBrooketogetclarity.Publicityisnotascience,anddifferentpublicistshave

differentwaysofdoingthings.Ifyoufeellikeyouneedclarityordirection,justask.

ReadthefollowingblogpostbyJudithNewton,SWPauthorofthememoirTastingHome:

ComingofAgeintheKitchen:“ThreeThingsIWouldHaveDoneDifferentlyinHiringaPublicist:

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/three-things-i-would-have-done-differently-in-hiring-

a-publicist.

Pressreleaseandothercollateralmaterials

Thepublicitymaterialsyouneedtoprepareforpublicationinclude:

•pressrelease(includeauthorphotoandauthorbio)

•add-onsheet(Q&Aaboutyourbook,toptips,frequentlyaskedquestions,etc.).Whatyou

includeasyouradd-onisentirelyuptoyou.Itshouldbesomethingofinteresttothemediathat

wouldbelikelytobepickedupas“newsworthy.”Thisgenerallymeanstryingtoconnect

somethingthat’shappeninginthepopularculturetoyourbookinsomeway.

Youwillincludethesematerials,alongwithacopyofyourbook,forallpre-andpost-publication

publicityopportunities.Includeapersonalnoteifyousochoose.Youmostlydon’twanttosend

theseoutunsolicited,becausethereisahighlikelihoodtheywillbeignored—andthatwouldbe

awasteofbooks.Instead,createamediacontactwellbeforeyourpubdate.Thislistmay

includeradiostations,newspapers,magazines,websites,andevenTVshows.Ifyouworkwitha

publicist,shewillcompilethislistonyourbehalf.Butyoualwayswanttoweighinwithyour

50

personalconnections,aswellasyourpie-in-the-skylistofmedia.Youwanttomakecontact

withthepeopleonyourpublicitylistandsecurearesponsefromthemthattheyareinterested

inseeingand/orreviewingyourbook,orthatthey’dliketoconsiderhavingyouontheirshow.

Youmayalsodecidetocreatecollateralmaterials,whichincludethingslikebookmarks,

postcards,orflyers.Youareresponsibleforthecreationofallofthesematerials,butwehave

recommendeddesignersyoucanworkwith,aswellassomerecommendedprinters.

Publicityfollow-up

Youoryouroutsidepublicistwillberesponsibleforfollowingupwithmediacontactsonyour

medialist.Ifsamplebooksarerequested,youoryourpublicistsendsthem.Ifaninterviewis

requested(andyouhaveagreedtobeinterviewed),youoryourpublicistwillsetitup.Youwant

tohaveagoodsysteminplaceforfollow-upwiththemedia.Ifyouareeasilyoverwhelmedby

thesekindsofdetails,werecommendcontractingwithapublicist.

Whereyourbookmightbesold

Trade

Tradesalesencompassbooksthataresoldinbookstoresthroughoutthecountry.Theseinclude

large-scalechains,suchasBarnes&Noble;onlinebooksellers,suchasAmazon;and

independentbookstores.Thesearethemostcommonplacesthatyouwillseebooks.However,

yourbookwillnotautomaticallybemadeavailabletobrick-and-mortarstores,eventhoughwe

haveasalesforcewithIngram.Sometimesbookstorespassonbooks,andbecausethereareso

manybookscompetingforthesameshelfspace,thisisincreasinglymorecommonthanitused

tobe.Andevenifyoudogetagoodpreorderfromamajorchainorfromthe“field,”as

independentsarereferredto,youneedtoaccountfortheinevitabilitythatsomeofthosebooks

willbereturned.Ifyouwantyourlocalorhometownbookstoretocarryyourbook,approach

themaboutthispossibilityamonthortwobeforeyourpubdate.See“Creatingarelationship

withyourlocalbookstore”formoreinformationabouthowtogoaboutdoingthisandhow

bookstoresshouldorderyourbook.

Corporate(special)sales

Specialsalesareanysalemadetospecialgroups.Werecommendcompilingalistofpossible

specialsalesopportunitiesyoumighthaveandsendingthemtoyoureditorialmanager.This

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couldincludeuniversities,clubs,corporations,tradeshowsandconferences,catalogs,fund-

raisers,andauthorsales.Theincentiveforpursuingspecialsalesisthepossibilityofmaking

high-volumesalesinonepurchase.Ingramwillorganizethesesalesonyourbehalfaslongasthe

companyinquestionhasanaccountwithIngram.TheycanalsosetupanaccountwithIngram

bycallingSWP’stoll-freenumber:(866)770-3022.Ifyouthinkthere’sanobviousfitforyour

bookatagiftorspecialtystore,pleasebroachthistopicwithBrooke.Wecanencourageour

salesrepstoapproachcertainspecialtymarketswherewebelieveitmakessense.

Website

Youcanuseyourwebsitetopromoteyourbookbypostingyourbook’scoverandcatalog

description,andbyprovidinglinkstothemajorretailerscarryingyourbook.Bloggingisalsoan

effectivetoolinpublicizingyourbook.Ifyoudon’talreadyhaveablog,considerstartingone.In

ordertomaximizetheimpactofyourwebsite,establishitspurpose,developastrategyto

implementthatpurpose,andthensticktoit.

Websitesshouldincludeatleastthefollowing:

•Homepage,eitherstaticorablog

•CurrentBook(s)—updatedwithbookcovers,biographicaldata,descriptivecopy,andsamples

oftheworks

•SalesLinks—linktosalessiteslikeAmazon,B&N,**IndieBound,Powell’s,yourlocal

bookstore,etc.

•Blog

•PressRoom—announcements,pressreleases,andmedia

•SocialNetworks—providelinkstoallyoursocialnetworkingsites

•Videos—provideallvideosthatrelatetoyourauthor,title,etc.

•ContactInformation—foryou,yourpublisher,andyourpublicist

Ifyouwanttocreateablog,youshouldpostnewentriesatleasteveryotherweek.Ifthisisnot

possible,wedon’trecommendsettingupanauthorblog.Thereisnocosttosetupablogon

sitessuchasBlogger.com,LiveJournal.comandWordpress.com.Makesuretolinkyoursocial

mediatoyourblog,too.

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**PleasenotethatwehavebeenaskedalwaystolinktoIndieBoundonourownsites.

IndieBoundisacommunity-orientedmovementbegunbytheindependentbooksellermembers

oftheAmericanBooksellersAssociation.Itbringstogetherbooksellers,readers,indieretailers,

andlocalbusinessalliances.ItisimportantthatyouplacealinktoIndieBoundwhereverelse

youplaceretailerlinkswhenpromotingyourtitle.

Someauthorsalsofindgreatsuccesswithblogtours,inwhichauthorsgo“ontour”byvisiting

others’weblogsandprovidinginterviews,briefexcerpts,andreviews.PleaseseeResourcesfor

somerecommendedpeopleyoucanhiretohelpyouputtogetherablogtour.

TrackingSales

Asauthors,it’sagoodideatotracksales,butit’snotaneasythingtodo.Wedotracksales

throughIngramforyou,andyouwillgetareportofyouroverallsaleswithyourroyaltyreports

eachquarter.Wheree-booksareconcerned,it’scurrentlydifficultforustopullsalesreports

fromIngram.Ingramhaspromisedtoinvestinaneasierplatform,whichweareeagerly

anticipating.ThemosteffectivewaytotrackyourownsalesisonAmazonthroughAuthor

Central,thoughcurrentlyyoucanonlytrackprintsalesthere.OnenoteaboutAuthorCentralis

thatit’sanincompletemeasureofsales.It’sagoodtool,butyourroyaltystatementswillbea

muchmoreaccurategaugeofsalesthananythingAmazonmightoffer.

Anewtoolfortrackinge-booksalesonAmazonishttps://www.novelrank.com.

BasicsocialmediastrategyWerecommendthinkingaboutsocialmediaasaplacetopromoteandsellyourbook.Youdon’t

wanttooversaturateyouraudience,butleadinguptolaunchandonceyourbookisavailable,

youwanttobetalkingaboutyourbookandencouragingyourreaderstobuyit.Usingsocial

mediaiseasyandfree,andifit’snotalreadypartofyourmarketingplan,itshouldbe.

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

ThemosteffectivesocialnetworkforauthorsisFacebook.ItisimportanttocreateaFacebook

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FanPageandtouseelementsofyourbookdesigntobrandthatpage.Werecommendthatyou

useyourname,ratherthanthebooktitle,foryourfanpage.Postingfrequentstatusupdates

willstarttobuildyourfanbaseandagroupofpeoplewhowillbefuturereaders.

FacebookAdvertising/FanPageAdvertising

http://www.facebook.com/advertising

AlthoughitmayfeelfrustratingtohavetopayforadvertisingonFacebook,werecommenditto

boostyourfollowing.Facebookadvertisingcanbenarrowlytargetedtospecificusersof

Facebook.Youcancreateanadthathasyourbookcoverandcertainkeywordstodrivepeople

toyoursite.Thisisaneffectiveandfastwaytobuildafollowing.

Twitter

AfterFacebook,Twitteristhenext-most-effectivesocialnetworkingsite.Youcanlinkyour

FacebookfanpagetoyourTwitteraccount,andwerecommendthatyoudoso.Onceyouhave

yourFacebookURLandyourTwitterhandle,wewantyoutoincludethoseassetsinyour

marketingplan.Twitterisagreatwaytoannouncereleasedatesandpress-releaseinformation,

anditalsocreatesanonlinecommunityforyourreaders.Also,buyersaretrackingTwitter

traffictodeterminethebuzzonbooks.AswithFacebook,postingfrequenttweetsthatinclude

thefullbooktitleandappropriate(shortened)links.Usebitly.comtoshortenyourlinks.

BookSocialNetworkingSites

Thereareavarietyofsocialnetworksthataredevotedprimarilytobooklovers.Someofthese

sitesinclude:

•Goodreads(www.Goodreads.com)

•LibraryThing(www.LibraryThing.com)

•Shelfari(www.shelfari.com)

Thesesitesallowyoutosearchfortitles,havetitlesinyourownpersonallibrary,andreview

andsharetitleswithothers.

SheWrites.com

Pleaseseepage37abouthowtosetupaSheWrites.comprofileifyoudon’talreadyhaveone.

WeinviteyoutopitchKristinBustamanteatkristin@sparkpointstudio.comifyouhave

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somethingyou’dliketoseefeaturedinourbi-weeklynewsletter.

Op-ed

Ifthesubjectofyourbookistiedtocurrentaffairsinanyway,youcanwriteandsubmitop-ed

columnstonewspapers.Op-edsareanincrediblyeffectivemeansofreachingalargenumberof

people.Theygiveyoutheopportunitytoexpoundonatimelyissueandpresentacompelling

argument.Atimely,well-written,andprovocativepiececanestablishyouasanexpertona

particulartopicandgainnationalmediarecognitionforyouandyourbook.Again,thisappliesas

muchtofictionasitdoesnonfiction.Ifyouhaveanissue-basednovel,whetherit’sabout

mentaldisease,teaching,orsomeothertopic,youcanestablishyourselfasanexpertevenif

you’reanovelist.

ConsidertakinganOp-EdProjectworkshopifandwhentheycometoyourarea.Readmore

abouttheOp-EdProjectandtheiramazingmissionhere:http://www.theopedproject.org.

Moreaboutplatform

Ifyouwouldlikemoreinformationaboutplatformandyoudon’talreadyhaveBrooke’sbook

What’sYourBook?youcanemailherforafreePDFcopyof“Chapter4:TheAlmightyAuthor

Platform.”Therearelotsofeasyideasandstrategiesforauthorstotakeadvantageof,andwe

wanttosupportyoutobethinkingaboutandgrowingyourplatformfromtheget-go.

Discountingyoure-bookManyauthorsaredecidingtodiscounttheire-books,evenassoonasthefirstquarterinwhich

theirbookcomesout.Werecommendwaitinguntilthesecondquarter,atleastthreemonths

afteryourbookhashitshelves,butincreasinglyauthorsareseeingthebenefitsofsalesand

visibility,particularlythroughBookBubcampaigns.Ifyouareinterestedinlearningmoreabout

BookBubandhowitworks,readBarbaraStark-Nemon’spostonSheWrites.comcalledSeven

BookBubBasicsIfYou’reDoingItYourself:http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/seven-

bookbub-basics-if-you-re-doing-it-yourself.YoucanalsopurchasetheSWPwebinarhostedby

LaurenWiseat:http://gobooksparks.com/product/how-to-maximize-bookbub.

.

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AuthorCentralonAmazonOnceyourbookispublished,goonlineandcreateyourAuthorCentralpage.Youdothathere

(https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/landing)bycreatinganaccountandthengoinginand

“claiming”yourbook.Youcanalsouploadphotosandvideosandstartconversationthreads

here.Werecommendbeingasactiveasyoucanbe.However—andthisisimportant—pleasedo

notalteranyofthefollowingtabsonyourAuthorCentralprofile:EditorialReviews,Book

Details,andBookExtras(seeimage).Ifyoudo,youwilloverrideourdatabases,effectively

lockingusoutfrombeingabletomakechangesonyourbehalf.Youcanupdateyourbio,but,

again,pleasedonottouchyourdescriptionorreviewsonthebackendinsideAuthorCentral.

Also,pleasenotethatcustomersoutsideoftheUSwillnotseeyourprofilewhentheyloginto

theirlocalAmazon.Therefore,besuretoaddyourprofiletotheAuthorCentralpagesinthe

countriesinwhichyouwanttosell.

UK:https://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk

Germany:https://authorcentral.amazon.de

France:https://authorcentral.amazon.fr

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Third-PartySellersonAmazonYouwillseeyourbookforsalebythird-partysellersonAmazonandthere’snotmuch

youcandoaboutitatthispoint.Don’tworryifyouseethirdpartiessellingusedbooks

whenyourbookisnewlyreleased,especiallyifthey’repricingyourbookformorethan

Amazonischarging.Thesearejustopportunistswhowillpricethebookatahighercost

andthensimplybuyyourbookonAmazontofulfilltoaconsumerwillingtopaymore.

WedorecommendmonitoringAmazon’sbuybuttonfromtimetotimetoseewhether

yourbookisbeingsoldbyAmazonorbyathirdpartyintheprimarybuyboxposition.If

youhaveanyreasonsforconcernaboutwhothevendoris,youcouldcontactBrooke.

Readmoreaboutwhyanyofthismightbeaconcernhere:http://bit.ly/2yX1Dc1(or

Googlethearticle:“HowAmazon,OnceAgain,IsDrivingDownTheValueOfBooksAnd

UnderminingAuthors.”

ContestsandAwards

Pleasenotethatyoumaysubmityourbookstocontestsandawardsonyourown,oryoumay

dosothroughyourpublicist.Allawardsarenotcreatedequal.Herearetheawardswe

recommend:

ForewordIndies:Recognizingthebestindependentlypublishedbooks.

SartonWomen’sBookAwards:TheSartonWomen'sBookAwardshonorsthebestinwomen's

memoirsandcontemporaryandhistoricalfiction.

IPPYs:Conductedannually,theIndependentPublisherBookAwardshonortheyear'sbest

independentlypublishedtitlesfromaroundtheworld.

TheIBPABenjaminFranklinAward:AdministeredbytheIndependentBookPublishers

Association(IBPA)withhelpfromover150bookpublishingprofessionals.

Nautilus:Recognizesandcelebratesbooksthatpromotespiritualgrowth,consciousliving&

greenvalues,high-levelwellness,andpositivesocialchange.

NextGenerationIndieBookAwards:Thelargestnot-for-profitawardsprogramfor

independentpublishers.

InternationalExcellence:Body,Mind,Spirit:Anybookdealingwithalternativemedicine.

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InternationalBookAwards:Honoringexcellenceinindependentandmainstreampublishing.

NationalIndieExcellence:TheIndieExcellenceWinners&Finalistsrecognizethebooksthat

demonstrateanindefinablesynergyofelementsthatmakesforoverallexcellence.

Reader’sFavorite:Readers'Favoriteisownedandoperatedbyauthorsforauthorswithawide

rangeofawardscategories.

LivingNowBookAwards:Designedtobringincreasedrecognitiontotheyear'sverybest

lifestylebooksandtheircreators.

DoesSWPorBookSparksautomaticallyenterauthorsintoawards?

No,asapublisherwedonotenteryourbooksintoawards.Wedo,however,proactivelysend

outemailreminderswiththedeadlinesandinformationtoalloftheSWPauthorsforthetop

indiebookawards.Ifyouareanewauthorandwishtobeaddedtotheemaildistributionfor

awards,pleaseemailBrooke.

Dotheseawardsmatter?Doawardshaveanyimpact?

Everyyear,aswebegintowinawards,thequestioncomesupiftheseawardsarelegitimateand

dotheyreallymeananything.Theshortansweris,yes,thisisincrediblerecognitionforbothour

authorsandourpress.AlthoughSheWritesPressissweepingmanyawardsprograms,no,these

awardsarenotagivenoreasytowin.Theseawardsprogramsgetthousandsofsubmissionsand

ourSheWritesPressbooksareconsistentlycatchingtheeyeofthejudges.Often,asinglejudge

onlyreviewsahandfuloftitles,sotheyhavenoideathatSWPauthorsareconsistentlywinning

inothercategories,too.Thereismuchdebateaboutthemeritofbookawards.However,they

canbeaveryusefulsalestool.Thelifeofabookissurprisinglyshort.Afterthreemonths,your

bookisbacklisted.Winninganawardandpromotingthatawardcanbreathefreshairintoyour

sales.AuthorKateRaphaeldidagreatpostonMediumaboutthisverytopic.

Regionaltradeshows

ThefollowingisalistofregionaltradeshowswhereSWPmaybeappearingandwhere,asauthors,youmaydecidetoattendoradvertise.Weincludetheseheresimplyasaresource.http://www.sibaweb.com/trade-showhttp://www.newenglandbooks.org/FallConferenceExhibitorshttp://www.naiba.com/http://www.pnba.org/tradeshow.html

58

http://www.heartlandfallforum.org/https://www.mountainsplains.org/http://www.nciba.com/fall-discovery-show.htmlhttp://www.scibabooks.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=899505

Whattodoifyouseeyourbookonlineavailableasafreedownload

Ifyouseethatyourbookisavailableonlineasafreedownload,thereisnotmuchrecourseotherthantoemailGoogleat:removals@google.com.InformthemoftheoffendinglinkandletthemknowthatyouaretheauthorofthebookandthatthelinkisinviolationoftheDigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct.Googlehasbeenresponsivetotheserequestsinthepast.

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RESOURCES

Marketingandpublicitybooks

*Green-LightYourBook:HowWritersCanSucceedintheNewEraofPublishing,byBrookeWarner,SheWritesPress,2016 PepTalksforWriters:52InsightsandActionstoBoostYourCreativeMojo,byGrantFaulkner,ChronicleBooks,2017BigMagic,CreativeLivingBeyondFear,byElizabethGilbert,RiverheadBooks,2016 OnlineMarketingforBusyAuthors:AStep-by-StepGuide,byFauziaBurke,Berrett-KoehlerPublishers,2016 WordofMouthMarketing:HowSmartCompaniesGetPeopleTalking,byAndySernovitz,PressBoxPublishing,2015RiseoftheMachines:HumanAuthorsinaDigitalWorld,byKristenLamb,2013.What’sYourBook?AStep-by-StepGuidetoGetYoufromInspiredtoPublishedAuthor,byBrookeWarner,SheWritesPress,2012.Platform:GetNoticedinaNoisyWorld,byMichaelHyatt,ThomasNelson,2012.TheZenofSocialMediaMarketing:AnEasierWaytoBuildCredibility,GenerateBuzz,andIncreaseRevenue,byShamaKabaniandChrisBrogan,BenBellaBooks,2012.*AllSWPauthorsgetafreecopyofBrooke’sbookshortlyafterwelaunchanewseason**Doyouhaveabookyouwanttosuggestbeaddedtothislist?PleaseemailBrooke.Thanks!

Reviewopportunitiesandauthorresourcewebsites

SigningwithIngramfordistributionmeansthatthemajorreviewoutletsnowrecognizeusasa

traditionalpress.Whatthismeansforyouasanauthoristhatyoucanpursuetraditionaland

independentreviewsfromeveryreviewerotherthanKirkus.Therearemanyreviewsites(listed

below)thataregearedtowardindieauthors,sointhesecasesyouwanttoidentifyyourselfas

anindependentauthor.Whenapproachingareviewoutlet,identifyyourselfasaSWPauthor.

Forthemostpart,theseoutletsarenotgoingtoaskquestionsaboutwhattypeofpressweare.

Theremaybesomeoutletsthatbaryourparticipation,forvariousreasons.Forinstance,

Newpages(newpages.com)willnotreviewauthor-subsidizedbooksatall.Wearetryingtobein

conversationwiththeseoutletsandweappreciateyourbringingthesesitestoourattentionso

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thatwecancontinuetotrytomakeinroadswiththem.

Wearelistingbelowsomeofthebetterreviewsites,butyoucanalsofindacomprehensivelisthere:www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers.www.goodreads.comNowownedbyAmazon,Goodreadsboastsover20millionmembers.digitalbooktoday.com/about-usBasedontheirsite,itsoundsasifthereviewstheyofferareAmazonreviewsforauthorswhosupporttheirsite.Theirfavoritegenresareromance,thriller,medical,mystery,chicklit,sports,nonfiction,fiction,andmore.www.selfpublishingreview.com/submissions/book-review-guidelinesThefeeforareviewhereis$75.Readtheirguidelinescarefully.www.bookreporter.comGreatauthorinterviews,aswellasfeatured“authorspotlights”bygenre.Alsowritebookreviews,hostcontests,maintainablog,andfeaturebooksina“ComingSoon”section,wheretheyputbooksthathavecaughttheirattentionpre–publicationdate.www.bookspot.comOrganizedresourcesforreaders,includinglinkstobest-sellerlists,websitestocompareprices,andpopularbookstores.Alsocontainssomeauthorresources,withlinkstoothersitesthatmaybehelpful,aswellaslinkstopopularpublishinghouses.bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.comBasicallyadirectoryofblogsaboutbooks,dividedintoveryspecificgenres.Theymaintaintheirownblog,mostlyinterviewswithbloggers.www.blueinkreview.comClaimtogive“serious”reviewsofself-publishedtitles,witharosterofreviewerswhohavetraditional-mediaexperience.www.bragmedallion.comBRAGstandsforBookReadersAppreciationGroup.BRAG’sreadersarepassionateaboutallbooks,buttheyfocusexclusivelyontheworkofself-publishedauthorsofprintanddigitalbooks.Theyselectthosebooksthattheybelievedeservetobeconsidered,andthosethatpassmusterareawardedwithaBRAGMedallionandfeaturedonBRAG’swebsite.www.aldaily.comFeaturesarticlesfrommagazines,newspapers,blogs,andanyothersourcefoundonline.Theyalsolinktobookreviews,essays,andopinioncolumns.www.bookslut.com/blogThissitemaintainsaseriesofcolumnseachfocusingonbookreviewsfordifferentgenres.Theyfeaturetheirownbookreviewsandhavedoneafewauthorinterviews.

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www.theindieview.comWritetheirownauthorinterviewsandreviews,withratingsoutoffivestars.Authorsearningthreestarsormorehavetheopportunitytobelistedontheir“IndieAuthors”page,withlinkstotheirblogsandbooks.www.januarymagazine.comOnlinemagazinefocusingonallthingsbook-related.Theywrite(brief)reviewsandalsoconductauthorinterviews,aswellassharebooknews.www.bookwire.com/index.htmlListsofpublishedbooksorganizedbygenreanddatepublished,withlinkstopurchaseonAmazon.Theyalsohaveanauthorindexwithallpublishedworkslisted.fyreflybooks.wordpress.com/about/review-policyBookreviewsallwrittenbythesameperson,includingrecommendationsandlinkstootherreviewsofthesamebook.www.writeradvice.comPostscreativepieces,authorinterviews,andadvice.Recentlystarteddoingcontests.Alsooffersmanuscriptconsultation.www.writersweekly.comFreelancewritinge-zinefeaturingadvicearticlesandpaidwritingopportunities.Publishessomeoftheirownbooksforwriters.writers-bbs.comAdiscussionboardbrokenintodifferentareasofwriting.www.writerswrite.comPostsnewsaboutwriting,books,andtheindustry.Manyofthelinkstakeyoutotheirsistersite,Readersread.com,whichdoesgiveaways,reviews,andauthorinterviews.www.writingclasses.comWebsiteforGothamWriter’sWorkshop;listingsforworkshopsinNYCandonline.www.writers.comOffersonlinewritingclasses,freewritinggroups,informativearticles.www.writing-world.comFeaturesinformativearticlesforwriters,brokendownintogenre,typeofpublishing,andtypeofwriting.Willfeaturebooksontheirlistforafee.www.bookninja.comAnonlineliterarymagazineruninCanada,featuringliterarynewsandauthorinterviews.www.popmatters.comWritesbookreviews,features,andcolumnsforreaders.

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www.complete-review.comComprehensivebookreviewsofbothnewlypublishedandoldermaterial.myshelf.comColumnsforreaders,bookreviews;featuresa“topten.”www.midwestbookreview.comIncludeslinkstoaseriesofspecializedbook-reviewingwebsites(children’s,forlibrarians,smallpress,etc.),aswellasarticlesforwriters.rebeccasreads.comBookreviewsandvideos,withfeaturedreadsandsweepstakes.Opportunitytosubmitbooksforreview.www.armchairinterviews.comAuthorinterviewsandbookreviews.www.fresheyesnow.comColumnsaboutreading;notmanyreviews.www.thewriterslife.blogspot.comFeaturesauthorinterviewsandinformativearticlesforwriters.bly.com/blogWebsiteforBobBly,acopyeditor,whereheblogsaboutwriting.www.beatrice.com/wordpressDoespodcastsandwritteninterviewswithauthors.marksarvas.blogs.comBookreviews,withlistsofrecommendedreads.maudnewton.com/blogEditorandwriterinBrooklynwhodoesmagazineandbookreviews.www.edrants.comFeaturesbookandfilmreviews,aswellaslinkstoauthorinterviews.somanybooksblog.comRatherbriefbookreviewsandblogpostsaboutbookswrittenbyalibrarianinMinneapolis.www.erikadreifus.comWriterinNYCwhoblogsaboutwritingandpostsresourcesforwriters.www.librarian.netAlibrarianbloggingmostlyaboutlibrariesandtechnologyusedinlibraries.

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www.librarystuff.netDedicatedtoprofessionaldevelopmentforlibrarians.www.publiclibraries.comPostingnewsabouttheindustryrelevanttolibraries.www.ala.org/plaInformationforpubliclibraries,news,blogposts,andgrants.www.writermag.comResourceforwritersincludingarticles,contests,andauthorinterviews.www.writersdigest.comResourceforwriters,authorinterviews,advicecolumns,contests,etc.www.pw.org/magazinePrintandonlinemagazineaboutallthingsbooksandwriting,withwriterresources.https://www.awpwriter.orgResourcesforwriterswithprograms,contests,andjoblistings.www.freelancewriting.comResources,tutorials,andcontestsforfreelancewriters.www.nationalwriters.com/page/page/1963103.htmContestsandgroupsforwriters.www.writer.orgResourcesforwriters,workshops,classes,etc.www.writtenmag.com/page/written30in90Ratesbooksonascaleof1–5.www.glimmertrain.com/writersask.htmlMagazinebywriters,forwriters,aboutwriting.https://www.creativenonfiction.orgFeaturesnonfictionbookswithlinkstoAmazon;publishesamagazinewitharticlesaboutnonfictionwriting.www.writingforums.com/forum.phpUKbased;discussionboardsaboutwriting.

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FREQUENTLYASKEDQUESTIONSManyofthesequestionsandtheiranswerscanbeeasilyreferredbacktoonlineat

http://shewritespress.com/how-it-works/faqs.

Whoismyprimarypointofcontact?

Youhavetwoprimarypointsofcontact,Brookeandyoureditorialmanager.Brookeis

responsibleforcovers,printingdecisions,andanyquestionsyoumighthaverelatedtosalesor

distribution.Pleasecontactyoureditorialmanagerforeverythingelse,specificallythe

productionprocess(shepherdingyourbookfromtheproofreadingtofinalpages)andifyou

haveanychangesyouwanttomaketoyourbookdata.i

Whataremypaperchoices,andhowdoIknowwhat’sbestformybook?

Wehavetwopaperchoices—60-poundwhiteoffsetor55-poundhi-bulknatural(cream).These

arebothexcellentpaperchoices.Wetypicallyrecommendwhiteforhow-tobooksandnatural

formemoirsandnovels.Youalsogettochoosebetweenamatteandaglossycoverfinish.We

typicallychoosemattefornovelsandmemoirs,andglossyforhow-tobooks.

IfIseeerrorsinmybookafterit’sbeenpublished,whatdoIdo?

Pleasesendyoureditorialmanageralistofcorrectionsyouwanttohavemadeinanextprinting

ofyourbook.Provideallofthecorrectionsinasinglefile.Pleasedonotsenditpiecemeal.We

askthatthisbeprovidedinthesameformatasthecorrectionsmadetoyourproofread.Again,

thereisasampleinthebackofthehandbook.

WhatifIhavecorrectionsoradditionstoamanuscriptthatisinproduction?

Pleasenotethatextensivechangesthathappenoncethebookhasalreadygonetolayoutwill

bechargedat$60/hour.Wetakeresponsibilityforsmallerrorsyoumightfind,butnotfor

substantivechanges.It’snottoolatetomakethesechanges,butweaskyoutopleasetryto

avoidchangingthepaginationofthemanuscript,andtomakethechangesatalatestageonlyif

they’reabsolutelynecessary.

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IfIseeanerroronAmazon,howcanIgetitchanged?

Simplyemailyoureditorialmanagerandshewillmakesurethatthechangestakeeffect.It

typicallytakesuptotendaysforthefeedtorefresh.

Amazonissayingthereareonly2(or5oranyotherlownumber)ofmybookleftinstock.

WhatdoIdo?

Unfortunately,thisisasalestactic(leveragingscarcity)totrytoencourageconsumerstobuy

books,andshouldthereforebeignored.PleasereadBrooke’spost,TheTop10ThingsAll

AuthorsShouldKnowaboutAmazon:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brooke-warner/the-top-10-things-all-aut_b_6744386.html

Amazonhasloweredthepriceofmybooktoomuch.WhatdoIdo!

Amazonisaretailerandcontrolsitsownpricing.Allyouneedtoworryaboutiswhatthelist

priceisonAmazon.Youwillbepaidroyaltiesbasedonthelistprice,regardlessofwhatAmazon

decidestochargeconsumersforyourbook.Amazonisnotoriousforundercuttingthemselvesto

bethemostpricecompetitive,butthisdoesnotimpactyourearnings.

HowdoIpurchasecopiesofmyownbook?

YouorderyourbooksdirectlyfromSheWritesPressatorders@shewritespress.com.Please

includethefollowinginformation:TITLE,ISBN,NAMEOFRECIPIENT,SHIPPINGADDRESS,PHONE

NUMBER.

CanyougivemeanexampleofwhatIcanexpecttoearnonabookpricedat$16.95?

Howmuchyoumakefroma$16.95bookwilldependonwhereandhowitissold.

Ifyouaresellingphysicalbooksdirectlyfromyourwebsiteoratliveevents:

• Thenetsalespricewillbe$16.95,oralittlelessifyoudiscountit.• Themanufacturingcostwillbe$2–$4(dependingonPODvs.print-run).• Ifyouhand-sellthebooksfromamongyourowninitialinventory,orshipthemyourself,those

areyouronlycosts.IfyouneedtoreplenishyourownstockfromIPS’swarehouse,youneedtotakethosecostsintoconsideration.

• So,ifyousellyourbookdirectly,yournetprofitwillbe$12.95–$13.95($16.95minus$2-$4).• Werecommendthatyoupassalongthecostofshippingandhandlingtoyourconsumer.SendingviamediamailthroughouttheUnitedStatesis$2.58,andthecostofmailersistypically

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about$1–$1.50permailer,soyoucangenerallychargebackbetween$4–$5forshippingandhandling.IfyouaresellingphysicalbooksdirectlythroughAmazon,Barnes&Noble,orotherretailers(theBookTrade):

• Thenetsalespricewillbe$8.47,or50%of$16.95(standardtradediscount).• Themanufacturingcostwillbeabout$2–$4.• Fordistribution,maintainingthetraderelationships,warehousing,shipping,andaccounting

forbooksales,SWPreceivesa40%feefromthenetsalesprice.•So,forbookssoldthroughthetrade,yourNetProfitwillbe:$1.09-$3.09($8.47minus$2-$4[manufacturing]minus$3.38[40%of$8.47]).Fore-booksales:•E-booksarecurrentlysoldatthepricesetbySWPwithauthorapproval.•Formanagingrelationshipsandfiles,distributiontothetradepartners,andhandlingallcustomerserviceandaccounting,SWPreceivesafeeof20%ofthenetsalesprice.•Therearetwowaysinwhiche-bookearningsarecalculated,dependingonwherethee-booksaresold.Thepricingforthesetwomodelsisbrokendownhere.NoteIngram’sfeesandcommissions,whichare5.6%ofretailcostfortheagencymodeland7.5%ofnetforthewholesalemodel.E-BOOKAgencyModel(e.g.,Apple)

SheWritesPress

TraditionalPublisher

Listprice $9.99 $9.99

Retailer $3.00 $3.00

Fees/commissions $0.56 $0.76

Publisher $1.40 $4.74

Author $5.03 $1.49

E-BOOKWholesaleModel(e.g.,Amazon,B&N)

SheWritesPress

TraditionalPublisher

Listprice $9.99 $9.99

Retailer $5.24 $3.00

Fees/commissions $0.36 $0.76

Publisher $0.95 $4.74

Author $3.44 $1.49

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HowdoesanSWPauthordeterminewhethershe’sacandidatefororderingaprintrun,versusmakingherbookavailableasPOD?

TheoptiontoorderashortprintrunisauniqueserviceSWPoffersintheworldofhybridpublishing.Wetalkthroughthechoicesandhelpourauthorsdecidewhetherornotitmakessensetodoashortprintrun.Asageneralruleofthumb,authorswhobelievetheycansellover500booksinoneyeararegoodcandidatesforprinting,versusPOD.Pleasenotethattheauthorfrontsthecostoftheirprintruns.

Howmuchofeachbooksale(i.e.,what%)doSWPauthorsreceive?Doesthatdifferbyprintrun,POD,ande-bookeditions?Andwhywouldaself-publishedauthorneedorwantSWPtomanageheraccounts?

SWPtakesadistribution,management,andwarehousingfeeof40%ofnetsalesonallprintbookssoldand20%onalle-bookssold.Thereisalsoasmallfeeaddedontoe-books(7.5%ofnetsalesforallaccountsexceptApple,and5.6%ofretailforApple).Seethefurtherbreakdownofthisbelow.Weprovidequarterlystatementstoallofourauthors.Wealsomakesurethattheaccountsarecurrent.Weliaisonwithallmajoraccounts.WebelievethatauthorswillbenefitfromhavingSWPmanagingtheirPODande-bookaccountsbecause,asanyauthorbravingtheworldofself-publishingaloneknows,therearealotofsmalldetailstofigureoutandstayontopof.Oneofthemostcomplicatedismetadata.Inourexperience,thebigself-publishingcompaniesdon’tgiveauthorsmuchhandholding.Westrivetofunctionlikeatraditionalpressinthissense.Ourauthorscancontactuswithproblems,andwewillkeeptheiraccountsrunningsmoothly.

DoesSWPpayoutroyalties?

Yes,yougetroyaltystatementsfourtimesayearandpaymentstwiceayear.Pleaseseeourroyaltypay-outscheduleonBX.

Self-publishingisaprettyeasyandinexpensiveendeavorwhenyoulookatdoingeverythingyourself.WhatbenefitdoesanauthorgetfrompublishingonSWP?

Itisrelativelyeasytoself-publish.Thatsaid,mostauthorsdon’tknowhowtopublish,what’sinvolved,andwhatthey’remissing.It’stheoldadage“Youdon’tknowwhatyoudon’tknow.”Mostself-publishedbooksfailbecausetheyareeditoriallyandaestheticallybelowpar.WeensurethateverybookpublishedontheSWPlabelisuptoacertainindustrystandard,andnobookputoutonourimprintwillsufferthefeedbackofbeingpoorlypublished.BrookeWarnerhasmadeauthoreducationanintegralpartoftheexperienceatSheWritesPress.Sheholdsamonthlycallforauthorsinwhichshedetailsallthestepsofthepublishingprocessandexplainstoauthorswhattheyneedtobeconsideringastheymoveforwardtowardpublication.Also,self-publishingisalonelyendeavor,andmanyself-publishedauthorsdon’thavethecommunityorexistingplatformtheyneedtobeabletosellbooks.Althoughwecan’tbuildauthors’platformsforthem,wedofeelwearegivingthemalegupbyfeaturingtheirbooksonSheWritesandonoursocialmediasites.Authorsalsotakeadvantageofthecollectiveexperienceof

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thoseauthorswho’vecomebeforethem,manyofwhomareactiveontheSWPSecretgrouponFacebook,aswellasonSheWrites.com.Wegiveauthorsthebenefitofpublishingonabrandthatalreadyhasasolidreputationintheindustry,andtheaddedbenefitoftraditionaldistribution.

WhatdoesSWPofferbywayofmarketingandpublicity?DoesSWPrecommendhiringanoutsidepublicist?

SheWritesPressisnowpartoftheSparkPointStudiofamily,whichmeansthatwehaveanin-housepublicitysolutionforauthorsthroughBookSparks—andwecouldn’tbemorethrilled.WorkingwithBookSparksforyourpublicityisnotrequired,butweencourageallofourauthorstohaveaconversationwithourCEO,CrystalPatriarche,togetasenseofwhatkindofpublicitysolutionswemightbeabletoprovide.Ifauthorswanttogetotherbidsand/ortointerviewotherpublicists,weprovidealistofpublicistswerecommendinourauthorhandbook,whichauthorsreceiveuponsigningwithSheWritesPress.Attheendoftheday,westronglyrecommendthatourauthorsworkwithanoutsidepublicist,whetherthatbewithBookSparksoranotherfirm,asourexperiencehasshownusthatbookswithoutapublicityplantendnottogoveryfar,andourgoalforourauthorsisthattheywillearnouttheirexpensesand—icingonthecake—turnaprofit.Shortofamiracleorastreakofgoodtimingandgoodluck,theonlywaytosellbooksistohaveasolidpublicitycampaign.

HowdoesSWPhandlewarehousinganddistribution,andwhatisthecosttoSWPauthors?

SWPisdistributedbyIPS,andallbookswillbenefitfromtheirinternalsalesprocess.TheywillalsobelistedinIngram’sonlinecatalogthroughEdelweiss.WewillwarehousebooksinTennesseeatnoadditionalcosttotheauthorforuptooneyear.Afteroneyear,booksmaybecomesubjecttostoragefees.Brookewillnotifyauthorsattheone-yearmarkabouthowmuchinventoryisinthewarehouse,andatthatpointwediscussoptionswiththeauthorsonanindividualbasis.

HowdoesSWPhandlefulfillment?

SWPdoesnotofferfulfillmentservicesondirectsalesfromauthors’websites.TheonlyoptionfordirectfulfillmentfromSWPistoplaceordersof10ormore.Ifyousochoose,youcanfulfillyourownsingleordersdirectlyfromyoursite,makingsuretofactorinthecostofshippingandhandling(werecommendaflatfeeof$5foryourmailerandthemediamailoptionviaUSPS).

CanSWPauthorsgettheirbooksintobookstores?

Yes,anybookstoreinterestedincarryingyourbookcanorderdirectlythroughIngram,thewholesalerandaffiliatecompanyofourdistributor,IPS.Wewillfulfillbookstoreorderswhetheryou’veoptedtomakeyourbookavailablethroughaprintrunorthroughPOD.

HowdoesSWP’scoverdesignprocesswork?

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WhenanauthordecidestopublishwithSheWrites,hercoverismanagedand/ordesignedbyourcreativedirector,JulieMetz.Authorsareaskedtofilloutacovermemotogiveusdirection,andfromtheretheyaregivenatleastthreecover“comps”toreview.Thesewillbeconceptual,notcompletelypolished.Theauthorthenweighsinonthedirectionandconsultswithhereditorialmanageraboutwhat’sworkingandnotworking.Inanidealscenario,oneofthethreedirectionswillbeontrackandthedesignerwillpolishthatcoverwithfeedbackfromtheauthor.Ifallthreeconceptsareoff-track,SWPwillofferonemoreadditionalround.Wewillworkwithourauthorstocreatethebestpossiblecoverfortheirbook,butwewillalsorequestfromourauthorsthatthisbeacollaborativeprocess.Wetakeourcoversveryseriouslyandstrivetoproducecoverswecanallbeproudof.

WhatarethestandardformattingoptionsforSWPauthors?

SWPhas,todate,publishedbothpaperbackandhardcoverbooks.Ifanauthorwantsahardcover,shemustconsidertheprintcosts,andwewouldliketohaveaconversationwithyouabouttheprosandconsofthisoption.Itwillalsoincuranadditionalcharge.Ourstandardtrimsizesare5.5x8.5inchesand6x9inches.Wehavethecapacitytoprintmechanicalandsaddle-stitchedbooks,andwellasnontraditionaltrimsizes.However,ifyou’reoptingforPOD,youmustchooseoptionsthatarestandardforLSI(ourPODprinter).

WhatifSWPauthorswantspecialdesignelementsintheirbooks?

Forthemostpartspecialdesignelementswillnotincuranextracharge,butifyourbookendsupbeingfaroutsideofthetraditionalformatweoffer,youmayincuradditionalproductioncosts.Thingsthatincuradditionalcostsinclude:

•High-designbooksthathavelotsofcharts,graphics,and/orimages.

•Bookswithaphotoinsert

•Four-colorbooks

Ifyouseeyourbookashavinganyoftheseelements,contactBrookeand/oryoureditorialmanagerimmediatelysoweunderstandtheextentofyourprojectfromtheget-go.Thankyou.

WhydoesSWPrequireproofreading?WhatifIhavemyownproofreader?

ForSWP,proofreadingisanonnegotiablestep,andhavingourownstableofproofreaderssignoffonafinalmanuscriptispartofourqualitycontrol.However,wedotheproofreadingbeforethebookhasbeenlaidoutintodesignedpages.Therefore,weurgeyoutoreviewyourfinallaid-outpagesverycarefully,andperhapseventohireanoutsideproofreadertodoafinalpass.Wehaveathoroughchecklistofthingstowatchoutforwhenyoureceiveyourfirstdesignedpages,butit’snevergoingtohurttoenlistmorehelpandgetanotherfinalsetofeyesonyourfinalproduct.

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DoesSWPofferARCs(advancereadercopies)?

Yes,ARCsareastandardpartofourprocessandbuiltintoourproductionprocess.HavingARCsgoeshandinhandwithhavingapublicityplan.SomebookswillnotneedARCs,butmostbooksdo.Ifyou’reworkingwithapublicist,wewillencourageyoutogetARCsmade.Weprintthesethroughourprintingpartner,LightningSource,andthecostrangesfromabout$3to$5perARC.

WillSWPauthorsreceiveadiscountforordersoftheirownbook?

SWPauthorswhogetaprintrunwillowntheirownbookoutright.YoumayorderyourbooksatanypointdirectlyfromSheWritesPressandpayonlytheshippingcostforthosecopies.ForauthorswhooptforPOD,youmaypurchaseyourbooksforyourownuseorresale(excludingtradesales)atthemanufacturingcost,plusshippingandhandling.

WhatcanSWPauthorsanticipateforprintingcostswithLSI?

ThecostofprintingfallstoSWPauthorsandisontopofthecostoftheShePublishespackage.Wehavelong-standingrelationshipswithourprinters.Asaresult,ourpricesarelower,duetoeconomyofscale,thanwhatmostauthorswillfindiftheygooutandsolicitaprintingbidontheirown.Werecommendaprintrunofatleast500copiestomakeitworthyourwhileandtokeepthecostsmanageable,andwewilltalkthroughsalesexpectationswithyoutohelpyoudeterminewhetherashortprintrunmakessenseforyou,orwhetheryourbookshouldbeacandidateforPODonly.

DoesthecostoftheShePublishespackagepriceincludee-books?Wherewilltheybeavailableforpurchase?

Yes.Wewillconvertyourfilesintoane-bookandmakethemavailableto127differentonlineretailers,includingthemajorplayerslikeKindle,Nook,Kobo,etc.Youre-bookwillbepublishedsimultaneoustoyourprintbookandbothversionswillreleaseonthesamepublicationdate.

DoesSWPoffere-book-onlypublishingsolutions?

Wedohavetheseoptionsavailableandwilldiscussthemonanindividualbasiswithinterestedauthors.ContactBrookedirectly.

DoesSWPhandleinternationalsales?

IngramdistributesSWPbooksthroughtheirinternationaldistributionoutletsinEnglandand

Australia,unlesswespecifyotherwise.Pleaseletusknowatthepointofnegotiationifyoudo

notwantyourbookreleasedforinternationalsales.Amazonsellsacrosstheworld,andSWPwill

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makeavailabletheUSeditionforinternationalpurchase.Whilebooksaremadeavailablein

thesemarkets,wedonothaveanactivesalesteaminanyterritorybeyondtheUnitedStates

andCanada.Thisdoesnotgiveustherighttoselltranslationrights,whicharerightsourauthors

retain.

Note:PleasecontactBrookedirectlyifyouhaveaquestionyoubelieveshouldbepartofthe

FAQ.Thankyou!

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SHEWRITESPRESSSTYLEGUIDE

Theauthorityongrammarand style isTheChicagoManualof Style (CMS), 16thedition.

We do not expect that you submit amanuscript that completely adheres to every rule

stated in CMS, but if and when you have questions, you should refer to CMS for your

answers.

Thefollowingareafewofthemostbasicstylepreferenceswehave:

The spelling authority isMerriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition.When a

word is listedwith twoormore spellings inM-W, use the first spelling.Whenaword is

listed as “often capitalized,” retain the (primary) lowercase format.M-W is also a great

toolfordistinguishinghyphenatedwords.

PUNCTUATION

Commas

Use theserialcomma,whichmeans that inaseriesof threeormore items,acommacomes

before“and”and“or,”separatingthelastandnext-to-lastitems(e.g.,Weusedred,green,and

whitestockings.)

EllipsisPoints

•Usethreepointstoindicateanomission.Insertonespacebeforeandafter...eachpoint.

•Usefourpointswhentheomissionfollowsacompletesentence.Thefirst

pointisaperiodandfollowsrightafterthelastwordbeforetheellipses,with

nospace....Theremainingthreepointshaveonespacebeforeandafter

eachpoint.

•Athree-orfour-dotellipsisfollowedbyclosingquotationmarksshouldnot

haveaspacebetweenthefinaldotintheellipsisandtheclosingquotation

marks.

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Apostrophes

•Thepossessivecaseofsingularnounsisformedbytheadditionofanapostropheand

an“s”;thepossessiveofpluralnouns(exceptforafewirregularplurals)isformedby

theadditionofanapostropheonly.Examples:thehorse’smouth,thepuppies’tails,the

children’sdesks.

•Theaboverulealsoappliestopropernames,regardlessofwhetherthenameendsin

“s”:Burns’spoems,Marx’stheories,JeffersonDavies’shome,Dickens’snovels,the

Joneses’reputationandtheRosses’andWilliamses’lands,SheWritesPress’scatalog,

Jesus’sadherents.

•Donotuseanapostropheinfulleras:1990s,not1990’s.However,whenabbreviating

thedates,useaninvertedapostrophebefore:’50s.

Dashes

•Usetheendash,whichisbiggerthanahyphenandsmallerthananemdash,inranges

ofnumbers,suchashoursanddollaramounts;days;years;andsoon(e.g.,1999–2001,

ages4–15,$100–200).OnaMac,theendashisformedbypressingtheoptionkeyandthe

hyphenkeysimultaneously.

•Anendashisalsousedtohyphenatecompoundmodifiers(e.g.,NewYork–based

company;post–CivilWarperiod).

•Anendashisalsousedtoconnectwords,especiallylocationsandtravelroutes,and

signifies“to”incertainconstructions(e.g.,hetooktheFlorence–Rometrain;US–

Mexicoborder).Anemdashshouldbetypedasaformattedemdash(shift+option+

hyphenonaMackeyboard),withnospacessurroundingit.

Hyphens

•Closeupwordscontainingprefixessuchasnon-,pre-,post-,extra-,super-,un-,etc.Refer

totheCMSHyphenationGuidefordetailedguidelines.

•Foradjectivescontainingthesuffix-like,consultM-Wtodeterminewhetheraparticular

adjectiveshouldbeopenorclosed.Iftheadjectiveappearsasaclosedentry(e.g.,catlike),

closeup;ifitdoesnotappearinanyentry,leavehyphenated(sister-like).

•Forcompoundwords(e.g.,cost-effective,fund-raiser,henhouse,lighthearted),refertothe

followingsources(inthisorder)todeterminewhetherthecompoundshouldbeoneword,two

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words,orahyphenatedword:1)M-W;2)CMS.Whenacompoundadjectiveimmediately

precedesanoun,itisusuallyhyphenated(e.g.,seventeen-year-olddog,five-milehike).

•Pleasedonothyphenatecommoncompoundnouns(thosefoundinM-Worincommon

use)usedasadjectivesbeforeanoun(e.g.,hotdogvendor,nothot-dogvendor;highschool

teacher,nothigh-schoolteacher;realestateagent,notreal-estateagent).

•Donothyphenatecompoundtermsusedtocategorizepeople,suchasAfrican

American,evenifusedasanadjective,suchasAsianAmericanwoman.

Colons

Whenacolonisusedwithinasentence,thefirstwordfollowingthecolonshouldbelowercased

unlessitisapropernoun.Whenacolonintroducestwoormoresentencesorwhenit

introducesspeechindialogue,aquotation,oraquestion,thefirstwordfollowingitshouldbe

capitalized.Fragmentsandlistsshouldbeginwithalowercaseletter.

Examples

• Theconclusionisclear:don’tdrinkthewaterfrompollutedrivers.

• ResidentsdecorateddowntownforIndependenceDayinthreeclassiccolors:red,

white,andblue.

• Yolandafacedaconundrum:Shecouldfinishthesoup,pretendingnottocarethatwhat

shehadthoughtuntilamomentagowasavegetablebrothwasinfactmadefrom

chicken.Shecouldfeignsatietyandthankthehostforagoodmeal.Orshecoulduse

thisopportunitytoassertherpreferenceforavegandiet.

Quotationmarks

•Periods,questionmarks,andexclamationpointsgoinsideclosingquotationmarkswhenthe

quotedpassageisacompletesentence.Commasalwaysgoinsideclosingquotationmarks.

Semicolons,colons,anddashesalwaysgooutsideclosingquotationmarks.Questionmarksand

exclamationpointsgooutsidequotationmarkssurroundingasinglewordorphrasewithina

sentencenotsurroundedbyquotes(e.g.,DidIjusthearhimusetheword“surreal”?;Ithought

yousaidyouwere“takingabreak”!).

•Donotsurroundnicknameswithquotationmarksunlessthenicknameappearsbetweenthe

nicknameholder’sofficialfirstandlastname(e.g.,BabeRuthbutGeorgeHerman“Babe”

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Ruth).

•UsequotationmarksforEnglishwordsusedaswordsandphrasesusedasphrases(e.g.,the

word“silly”comestomind;Iassumeyou’veheardthesaying“patienceisavirtue.”

Accents

DonotuseaccentsforwordscommoninEnglishusage(consultM-W),suchasdecor,elite,

facade, naive, regime, but use in words like café, cliché, maître d’, tête-à-tête. If you are

unsure whether a word should be accented or not, consultM-W. It is important to be

consistentand tomarkall accentsclearly.Authors: if yourmanuscriptusesmanywords

with accents and you are unable to type them in with your word processing program,

pleasecontactussothatwemayworkoutthebestwaytosignifyaccentsthroughoutthe

proofingandtypesettingstages.

Spacingininitials

Aspaceseparatesinitials,e.g.,C.S.Lewis,notC.S.Lewis.

CAPITALIZATION

Geographical

•Tosummarize:West,East,North,South,andtheirderivatives(denotingeither

EuropeanorAsiannationsandculturescollectively,orregionsintheUnitedStates)are

capitalized(e.g.,meetotherWesternersattheHyatt;oneaspectofmostEastern

religions;ManypeoplemovedtoCaliforniafromtheSouth).

•Otherregions:WestCoast,theMidwest,continentalEurope,PacificNorthwest,

(American)Southwest,mid-Atlantic,theSoutheast,NewEngland,theMiddleEast,the

DeepSouth,southernAfrica.Forsmallerregionswithinadestination,establishastyle

preferencewithyoureditor,thenmaintainit(e.g.,SouthernCalifornia,WestTexas,the

NorthwestPassage).

•Inaddition,capitalizeandhyphenateallNorth/South/West/Eastcompoundmodifiersthat

includetheword“Central,”e.g.,South-CentralandEast-Central.

Titlesandterms

ªQueenElizabeth,PresidentKennedy,butthepresident,thegovernor.

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•The word “white,” when referring to race, is lowercase. The word “black,” when

referring to race, is generally also lower-case, though author’s preference may be

followed;consultwithyoureditorwhen indoubt.

Periodsofhistory

ConsultM-WprimarilyandCMSsecondarilyforthecorrectformatofspecificeras’names.

Politicalterms

Useinitialcapsforradical,liberal,socialist,left/right,andcommunistonlywhenreferringto

a specific political party or grouping (e.g., the Communist Party, the Left Wing). Use

lowercaseforgeneralpoliticaladjectivesandnouns(e.g.,shewasasenator;theyattended

acongressionalhearing)butinitial-cappropernouns(e.g.,IamaDemocrat;theSenateisin

session).

Fooditems

ConsultM-W for format (e.g., chicken teriyaki, eggs Benedict, beef Wellington, french

fries).Capitalizeuniquelynamedhousespecialtiesandcocktails(e.g.,Norma’sKillerChili,

theBigFrankie, ScreamingOrgasm,Rum&Coke). Also consultM-W for formatofwine

andcheesenames.

Trademarkedterms

Visit the International Trademark Association’s website to verify the correct spelling of

manytrademarkeditems:www.inta.org.Manytrademarkedtermsthatfrequentlyappear

in books are also listed inM-W (e.g., Dumpster, Laundromat, Ping-Pong, Technicolor,

Velcro).

Companynames

Aninitial“the”inacompany’sorinstitution’sname,evenifitispartoftheofficialname,should

belowercased(e.g.,theHonestCompany,theWhiteHouse).

ABBREVIATIONS

•Periodsaregenerallyomittedinabbreviationsofnamesandterms,andinacronyms

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(e.g.,UN,US,PhD,MD,DC,etc.).Alwaysspellout“UnitedStates”asanounand“US”asan

adjective.Donotuseperiodsin“US.”

NUMBERS

•Alwaysspelloutnumbersatthebeginningofanewsentence.

•Generallyspelloutwholenumbersonethroughninety-nine(e.g.,shewasfourteenyears

old)andanynumbersfollowedbyhundred,thousand,million,etc.(e.g.,Icountedthree

hundredsheep).Forallothernumbers,figuresareused(e.g.,therewere235different

entrancestothecastles).

•Whenapiece(suchasahow-tobookwithalotofstatisticsorotherfigures)containsa

lotofnumbers,usenumerals,ratherthanspellingthemout.Inaddition,ifyouuse

numeralsforoneofthenumbersinagivencategory,usenumeralsforall,forthesakeof

consistency.

ORDINALS

Whenexpressingordinals,spelloutnumbersaccordingtotheruleabove.Exceptionsare

numbered streets, floors (in contact information, otherwise spelled out), centuries, and

dynasties(unlesstheybeginasentence).

Fractions

In general, spell out fractions. However, if amanuscript contains a lot of fractions, use

decimals (e.g.,wewalked three-fourths of theway; the statistics show thatwewatch 4.2

hoursoftelevisionadayandread1.7hoursforenjoymentperweek).

Percentages

Always use numerals for percentages and use theword “percent,” not “%”, such as 15

percent. Use numerals also for sizes (size 7), buses (bus 51), flights (flight 583), rooms

(room47),andotherinstanceswherethenumberactsalmostasapropername.

Phonenumbers

Inphonenumbers,useparenthesis:(510)967-9333.

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Datesandtimes

Timesofday ineven,half,andquarterhoursarespelledout in text (e.g., three forty-five in

theafternoon,eightthirtyinthemorning).Thenumberisalwaysspelledoutwheno’clock

is used (e.g., eight o’clock). Use numerals when the exact moment of time is to be

emphasized.Numeralsareusedwitha.m.andp.m.,withasinglespacebetweenthefinal

numeralanda.m.orp.m.Neverusemorning,evening,oro’clockwitha.m.orp.m.(e.g.,

4:00p.m.;7:15a.m.;10:40inthemorning).

Money

In general, use numerals and the dollar sign for all amounts of money (but spell out

“cents”).Whenindoubt,checkwithyoureditor.

Numberedlists

SeeLists,below.

FORMATTING

Manuscriptfiles

•Essays,chapters,andothermanuscriptfilesshouldbeflushleft.Essaytitlesshould

appearflushleftatthetopofpage.Authornameshouldappeardirectlybelow,alsoflush

left.

•Asingletabshouldindicateallindents.Electronicfilesmustshowthishardtab;a

hangingindent,atypicalformattingdefaultinWord,isnotpermissible.Pleaseremove

thehangingindentfeatureandusetabsforindents.Ifyoudon’tknowwhatthisis,our

proofreaderswilltakecareofthisonyourbehalf.

Sectionbreaks

Sectionbreaksaredenotedbytwolinespaces,withflush-lefttextbeginninganewsection.

Please do not insert dingbats, asterisks, or placeholders. Do not use single or triple line

spaces.

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Signs

Allwordsonsigns,posters,banners,etc.,shouldbesetinsmallcaps(e.g.,thesignreadDo

NotTouch,butshecouldn’tresist).

Sounds

Allsoundsshouldbeinitalics(e.g.,thunk;click-click-click)andlowercased.

UnspokenDiscourse

Allinternal,unspokendiscourse(i.e.,thoughts)shouldbeitalicized.

Lists

Ifamanuscriptcontainslists,whetherbulleted,numbered,lettered,orotherwise

highlighted,bemindfulofconsistencyandpurpose.Foremost,listsshouldbe

syntacticallyalike—allnounforms,phrases,fullsentences,etc.Numberedandlettered

liststypicallyimplytheorderinwhichthingsshouldbedone,chronology,orimportance.

Bulletedlistsusuallyhighlightitemsthathaveequalmeritanddon’tneedtobefollowed

inorder.

Foremphasis

Useitalics(notboldfaceorcapitalization)foremphasis.

Footnotes/endnotes

Footnotes and endnotes should be marked as a numeral in brackets ([1], [2], etc.) in

running text; donot autoformator superscript thenumber. The citation/note shouldbe

includedinaseparateNotesdocument;thecitationshouldnotbeformattedaspartofthe

footer. The Notes” document should include all citations/notes in sequential order by

chapter;eachchapter’snotesshouldstartfrom[1].

Useofitalics

•Useitalicsfortitlesofbooks,magazines,movies,journals,paintings,drawings,statues,

radioseries,andindividualworksofart.

•Useitalicsfornamesofbooks,ships,spacecraft,plays,movies,televisionseries,longer

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poems,andindividualworksofart.Useromantypewithquotationmarksfortitlesof

articles,unpublishedworks(e.g.,dissertations),shortstories,chaptertitles,songtitles,

shorterpoems,andartexhibitiontitles.Useitalicsthroughoutthemanuscript,inall

instances,inwordsandphrasesofforeignoriginthatarenotfoundinM-W.

•Donotuseitalicswithforeignpropernames.Thisincludesnicknames(wecalledherLa

Bruja);termsofaddress,includingkinshipnames(Abuelakissedmeonthecheek);place

names(Champs-Élysées,MachuPicchu);andholidays(wemakealtarsforDíadelos

Muertos).

•Punctuationfollowinganitalicizedwordshouldberomanunlesstheentiresentence is

italicized.

•Checkwithyoureditorialmanagerifyouareunsureaboutwhethertouseitalics.

•Specialnote:Innewspapersandmagazinetitles,aninitial“the”issetinromantypeand

islowercased(e.g.,“shereadstheNewYorkTimeseveryday”;“hereadseveryissueofthe

Atlantic”).

Translations

Ifthemeaningofaforeigntermorphrasecanbeinferredfromcontext,thatispreferable

todirectlytranslatingit.However,iftranslationisnecessary,includetheforeigntermfirst,

followed by the direct translationwith punctuation in parentheses.When translation is

neededwithindialogue,thedirecttranslationshouldfollowthequotationandshouldbe

setinsquarebrackets.

Webaddresses

•Omithttp://ifitisfollowedby“www.”However,forURLSwithno“www.,”theprefix

http://shouldbeused.

•Whenawebsitenameappearsinbodycopyastheequivalentofatitle,omit“www.”and

usetitlecaseforwebsitename(e.g.,“AccordingtoChicagoManualofStyle.org...”;).

•RemoveallhyperlinkstoURLs(presscommand+KonaMackeyboardandfollow

promptstoremovehyperlink).

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GLOSSARYOFPUBLISHINGTERMS

B

backlist—titlesthatremaininprintaftertheiroriginalpublishingseason.Seealsofrontlist.

backmatter—materialsfollowingthemaintextofabook,includingtheindex,suggested

readinglist,glossary,andotherresources.Seealsofrontmatter.

C

callout—specialboxedtext,usuallynomorethan400words,usedasadesignelementwithina

book.Callouts(sometimescalledspecialtopicsorsidebars)addbackgroundinformationand

colortothemainchaptertextandshouldfocusonsubjectsrelevanttothattext.

compressionsoftware—programs,includingStuffItandZipIt,whichcompresslargefiles,

graphics,andentirefoldersofdataintoaformatthatiseasytoemail.Thistypeofsoftwareis

availableforfreeattheAladdinwebsite(www.aladdinsys.com).

covermechanical—yourfullcoverfile(generallyaPDFfile)thatincludesyourcompletely

designedbackcover,spine,andfrontcover.

D

distributor—acompanythatcontractswithpublisherstowarehouseandselltheirbooksto

retailandwholesaleaccounts.

dpi—anacronymfor“dotsperinch.”Thedpinumberrepresentstheresolutionofaparticular

image.Forexample,a300dpiimagehasahigherresolutionthana72dpiimageand,froma

technicalpointofview,isconsideredahigher-qualityimage.Theloweraphotograph's

resolution,thegreaterthechancethataprintingdevicewillpickuptheminorcolorvariations

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attheedgeofeachdot.

F

fairuse—anexceptiontoauthors’copyrightsthatpermitscopyingfromaprotectedworkfor

certainpurposes,includingcriticism,newsreporting,teaching,andresearch,solongasthe

valueofthecopyrightedwordisnotdiminished.

flushright/left—toaligntextoragraphicelementwiththefarrightorfarleftmargin,withno

indentation.

frontlist—thenewtitlesoreditionspublishedinanygivenseason.Seealsobacklist.

frontmatter—materialsprecedingthemaintextofthebook,includingthecopyrightpage,

dedication,epigraph,andtableofcontents.Seealsobackmatter.

J

JPEG—theformatmostcommonlyusedforWebgraphics.UnliketheGIFformat,which

supportsonly256colors,JPEGsupportsmillionsofcolorsandallowsforgraphiccompression.

JPEGiswidelyusedforwebgraphicsthatcontainamultitudeofcolorsandgradations,suchas

photos.JPEGgraphicscanbeopenedinbothMacintoshandWindowsplatforms.JPEGimages

arecreatedforoptimumcomputerscreendisplayandconsequentlyarenotappropriatefor

print.SeealsoTIFF.

M

marketing—themethodsusedtopromoteabooktoconsumers,media,andretailers.This

includespublicity,advertising,tradeshows,andmaterialssuchascatalogs,websites,posters,

fliers,authorbiographies,mediakits,andbookstoredisplays.Seealsopublicity.

mediaoutlet—aspecifictypeofmediacoverage,suchasnewspapersandmagazines,TVshows,

orradioprograms.Thistermalsocanrefertoaspecificpublicationorprogram,suchastheNew

YorkTimesorTheOprahWinfreyShow.

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metadata—referstodataaboutdata,andwherebookpublishingisconcerned,thisisallthe

informationyouandyourpublishermustcompilethatgoesoutonthedatafeedsthatupdate

onlineretailersandgivesthemaccurateinformationaboutyourbook,rangingfrompriceto

ISBNtotrimsizeandmore.

P

pagesignatures—theunitofpagesusedtocreatetheplatesfromwhichbooksareprinted.

Signaturescanconsistof8to48pages.

PDF—anacronymfor“portabledocumentformat.”APDFisanelectronicsnapshotofa

document.PDFsmaintainthelayoutandgraphicelementsoftheoriginaldocumentbutlack

pagereflowflexibility.Theyareusefulforelectronictransferofpageproofsandanygraphics-

heavydocument,suchasmapsorforms.

premiumsales—sellingacustomizededitionofabooktoabusiness.Forexample,sellinga

guidebookwithaspecializedcovertoacompanyhostingaconventiontopassouttothe

attendees.

publicdomain—anyworkthatisnotprotectedbycopyrightissaidtobeinthepublicdomain,

includingworksforwhichthecopyrighthasexpired.Suchworksbelongtothepublicasawhole,

andanyoneisfreetousethemwithoutseekingpermission.

publicity—promotingbookstothemedia,includingtelevisionandradioprogramming,websites,

newspapers,andmagazines.Italsoincludesanytypeofauthorintervieworeventfeatured

eitherinthemediaorinanothertypeofconsumervenue,suchasabookstore,panel,or

festival.Seealsomarketing.

publishingprogram—theprojectedscheduleoftitlesthatapublishinghouseplanstoproduce

overthenextseveralyears.

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R

read-onlyfile—thisisanyfile,whetherit’slockedornot,thatweasknotbealteredforthe

purposesofkeepingthefilepristineandnotintroducingnewerrors.

reprint—printingmorecopiesofacurrenttitletomeetdemand.Toproduceareprint,the

printerwhooriginallyprintedthebookusesthestoredfilmordigitalfilesfromthemostrecent

editiontocreatenewprintingplates.

returns—booksreturnedtothepublisherordistributorbytheaccountthatboughtthem

originally.Accordingtostandardbook-industrypractice,booksmaybereturnedatanytimefor

anyreason—asystemthatgaverisetopublisherAlfredC.Knopf’sfamoussaying“gonetoday,

heretomorrow.”

S

specialmarkets—sometimesreferredtoasspecialsales,specialmarketsincludessalestonon-

bookstoreretailersandwholesalers,suchasoutdoorretailers,petstores,andmuseums.

T

TIFF—themostwidelysupportedgraphicfileformat.Itisusedprimarilyforscannedimages

(mostlyphotographs)andisthebestgraphicfileformat(besidesEPS)foruseindesktop

publishingapplications.GraphicssavedinTIFFformatcanbeopenedinbothMacintoshand

Windowsplatforms.SeealsoJPEG.

trademark—atrademarkprotectsnames,titles,andshortphrases.Underbothfederalandstate

laws,manufacturers,merchants,orgroupscanobtainprotectionforaword,phrase,logo,or

symboltodistinguishtheirproductorservicefromothers.

trimsize—thephysicalsizeofabookpage,measuredininches.

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PROOFREADINGCHECKLIST BeforereturningyourprojecttoSheWritesPress,pleaseusethefollowingchecklisttoconfirmthatthemanuscripthasbeenproperlypreparedforsubmission.Ifyouhavequestionsabouthowtoperformanyofthesefunctions,pleasecontactyoureditorialmanager.[]Haveyouputallofyourcontent-relatedqueriesinaseparateWorddocument?[]HaveyouconfirmedthatallpagenumbersintheTOCarecorrect?[]Haveyoucheckedalltextflowfromrectotoverso,andversotorecto?[]Ifthisisananthology,haveyoucross-checkedallcontributornamesintheTOCagainstthechapterbylinesandthecontributorbiosforconsistencyinspellingandusage?[]Haveyoucomparedallchaptertitlesandsubtitleswiththechapterpagesandrunningheadstoconfirmthattheyareconsistent?[]Iftherearemultiplecallouts,haveyoucomparedthemwitheachothertoconfirmthatallstyles/formats/designelementsareconsistent?[]Haveyoucut“http://”fromanyURLthatbeginswith“www”?[]Haveyouinserted“http://”foranyURLthatdoesnotbeginwith“www”?[]Ifthereareendnotes,haveyouconfirmedthatallendnotesappearinconsecutiveorderandthatnonotesaremissing,eitherinthebodytextorintheNotessectioninthebackmatter?[]Ifthereareendnotes,haveyouqueriedanymissinginformation?[]Haveyouflaggedandaddressedqueriesand/orTKs?•THANKYOU•

86

SAMPLECORRECTIONS—FIRST-PAGESSTAGEPage7,graph2,line2:Change:That’swhyIliketomeetmymarksfacetofacebeforeImakemyfirstapproach.To:That’swhyIliketomeetmymarksface-to-facebeforeImakemyfirstapproach.Page17,graph4,line4:

Change(addseriescomma):MasseveryotherSundayatHolyName,andtheoccasionaldoctor,dentistorhairappointment,thedayafterTo:MasseveryotherSundayatHolyName,andtheoccasionaldoctor,dentist,orhairappointment,thedayafterLastgraph,lastline:Change(removecomma):Sheignoredthewoman,whocamped.To:Sheignoredthewomanwhocamped.Page20,graph2,line2:Change:Shewasitchingfortheconfrontationwithheryoungman.To:Shewasitchingfromtheconfrontationwithheryoungman.Graph5,line9:Change(addseriescomma):Withdeliberate,slowdignity,shebentdown,pickedupthebuttandplaceditinthetrayTo:

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Withdeliberate,slowdignity,shebentdown,pickedupthebutt,andplaceditinthetrayGraph2,line17:Badbreakontheword“babysitter”Changeto:baby-sitterPage27,graph2,lines4and6:Change:doctor’sofficesTo:doctors’officesPage32,graph5,line2:Change(addcommas):“Workallnightonadrinka’rum,”shesang,sweetandclearandstartlingtothepeoplearoundher,whoasagroupsteppedback,clearingthepath.To:“Workallnightonadrinka’rum,”shesang,sweetandclearandstartlingtothepeoplearoundher,who,asagroup,steppedback,clearingthepath.