MORE OPTIONS for REACHING READERS
Unlimited Publishing emphasizes three ways of getting more
books to readers: retail, direct and live sales.
RETAIL sales, as discussed here, are those made
through the conventional book trade: mostly bookstores
and libraries. Single copies of UP books can be ordered
from most major chain bookstores and leading online
booksellers like Amazon.com. After percentages taken by wholesalers and
retailers, UP authors earn at least $1.50 per retail sale--but
much better earnings are possible, as shown below.
DIRECT sales can be made from your own Web site, by
direct mail, phone or other methods. Some UP clients use third
party services (discussed in the following sections) to process credit card orders
and/or handle shipping of books to consumers. Others prefer
to fulfill orders on their own, and retain more income. After printing and shipping
costs, your earning potential is usually $3 to $6 per
book from direct sales.
LIVE sales are made at events held at libraries,
schools, churches, or other public locations where readers
can obtain copies of books directly from the author.
Naturally, these require few (if any) costs for credit card
processing, packaging, postage, etc. Live sales usually
give you $6 to $9 in earnings per book.
Benefits of "Non-Traditional" Markets
UP authors are never required to buy or sell books, but direct
and live sales could substantially increase your
revenues if you pursue them actively.
In a 1996 study, the American Booksellers Association
estimated that there are nearly ten times more outlets
for books than bookstores alone.
In addition, specialty outlets often provide a
better audience for books on related subjects.
For example, a book about gardening may sell better at a
tree nursery than in a bookstore, because almost all of
a tree nursery's customers are interested in gardening.
Finally, the tree nursery will probably pay more, pay faster,
and return fewer (if any) unsold copies
Bookstores and other outlets in the conventional publishing
industry expect big discounts, return unsold books, and take
months to pay. "Non-traditional" outlets like a tree nursery
often do not. The provide a better target audience and better
terms -- but the author must take the time to "cultivate" them,
if you will excuse the pun!
UP handles the traditional book trade for you, but UP authors
who are serious about reaching a broad audience should actively
pursue non-traditional outlets on a regular basis, to
achieve better earnings and more readership.
Our policies are specifically designed to support
you in these efforts. Unlike POD publishers that charge the public
(and authors) inflated prices for "Print on Demand" books,
our goal is to make UP titles comparable to books from major publishers
in content, appearance and price... yet still profitable for our
publishing partners.
For example, our minimum retail price for a 175 page 6x9" trade
paperback is about $12.99, versus $15 or more from other POD
publishers. We also provide our clients with small quantities
of books for re-sale at a deep discount, usually $6 to $9 below
the already competitive public price.
If you take advantage of these policies, your earnings can
improve substantially.
UP recommends pursuing all three sales methods, but the
choice is yours. Each method outlined above has its
own benefits. You are not required to buy or sell books at
any time, but we provide these options to increase your
earning potential. As is usually true in life, the more time
and effort you devote personally, the greater the rewards.
The Traditional Book Trade
UP sells exclusively "to the trade" (bookstores and libraries)
through Ingram and/or Baker & Taylor, the world's largest
wholesale distributors. We do not sell single books directly
to bookstores or individual readers.
UP sells to distributors at a big discount, usually about 50% below cover price.
Distributors sell to bookstores and online retailers, at a smaller discount.
Retailers sell to individual consumers.
Retailers pay wholesalers for books sold, after deducting their percentage.
Wholesalers pay UP months later, after deducting printing costs and their percentage.
UP pays authors the following month.
UP authors are free to bypass the middlemen and accept orders
from individual readers, stores that specialize in products related to
their books, clubs that focus on similar areas of interest, and many
others... the possibilities are nearly endless.
UP provides authors with extensive resources to help them
promote books in both traditional and non-traditional markets,
available free upon request.
Conclusion
Working together, UP and its authors can offer the public a wide range of choices for ordering books:
From most major bookstores
From many online retailers
At the author's live events
From the author's Web site and UP's
Direct from one of our printers
From wholesalers that serve libraries
From specialty outlets whose product lines match the subject of the book
From other non-traditional channels
The needs and goals of each author or publisher can be
quite different. Feel free to use one or more of the
options above, according to your individual situation.
Whatever you decide, UP will work hard to give you a
professional quality book, and effective ways to make
it widely available to readers.
The UPside:
start-up costs are minimal;
little economic risk is required;
UP provides top quality technical work;
appearance of books is surprisingly attractive;
most titles can be in circulation within four months;
book trade distribution and initial promotion are included!
Please click
HERE to request more information.
All text and images � 2000-2005
Unlimited Publishing LLC
P.O. Box 3007
Bloomington, IN 47402
www.unlimitedpublishing.com