Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines)
    "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines)
    "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines)
    Ebook124 pages1 hour

    "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines)

    By Gordon Burgett

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The title really says it all: “Open” Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle!
    About four years ago some printers changed their business model, and that changed the entire publishing landscape. They told authors and publishers how to submit their books—it didn’t much matter what they were about, as long as they weren’t too dirty or bizarre—and, if a few sensible steps were followed, they would produce a printed book and would help distribute it. Almost free (about $25) for paperback proofs, totally free for ebooks. And fast too.
    Digital books, called ebooks, were posted and usually available to buyers in minutes, at most, hours. The publishers showed you on your computer screen what the book's text and artwork looked like just as quickly as you sent it electronically and their software converted into their house text. If the submitter wanted it to look differently, he made the adjustments and sent it in again, until both were satisfied. The publisher paid from 30-85% of the royalty when the ebooks sold. No shipping, no warehousing, and usually no tax.

    Three more houses followed a parallel philosophy and produced ink-on-paper books, mostly paperbacks. They are CreateSpace, Blurb, and Lulu again.

    Here, the submitter had more steps to follow. They had to send a full cover (front, back, and spine), usually as a .jpg and a minimal size. (Yet all three had a do-it-yourself process on their website to help the author create a free cover.) The submitter got a chance to hand-read their book’s printed proof when it arrived a day or two after the submission steps were completed. They had to give a thumbs-up to the publisher (or not). They also paid for that proof’s mailing—that’s the $25 or so.

    There’s a lot more to say about this near-miracle: much of that appears in the pages of the 31 reports and guidelines that follow.

    Why does it look like a miracle to be able to write and publish any book you want fast and mostly free? Because in the old days, like a decade back, you really had two choices: (1) get another publisher to sit on your approved manuscript for 18 months, then pay you about 10% in royalties a couple of times a year, or (2) self-publish it, which took a ton of learning, work, and writing—then finding somebody to buy it, then sell it! The second, (2), cost from $2,000-5,000 to do it right, and unless you were niche publishing and pretesting, there was no guarantee you’d come close to breaking even.

    The first route didn’t work for about 98% of those who tried to get their novel or how-to book bought; the second was a reinventing of the printing wheel for every tome.

    Then the miracle took place. Publishers popped out of the printwork and asked you to write for them, and they’d not only take care of all of the stuff that writers hate (like marketing), they’d even pay you a royalty if your book was anywhere near as good and popular as you thought it was! (They’d pay you if there was only one sale too.)
    So on these pages, Gordon Burgett, publisher since 1982 and author of 41 books in print, wrote a primer (sold by Smashwords) called How to Get Your Book Published Free in Minutes and Marketed Worldwide in Days.

    Two years have passed since that book appeared, and Burgett has been blogging for the profession ever since. So in this book, "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle!" Burgett explains the most important changes and newest guidelines, shared as they happened in the blogs and now updated for current use.

    Burgett has divided the book into eight sections: General Thoughts, Book Preparation for Open Publishing, Book Cover, Details, Publishing the Books, Specific Open Publishers, Publishing Six Open Books in Six Days, and Future Thoughts.

    Is a book with your name on it selling worldwide worth $4.95?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGordon Burgett
    Release dateJun 4, 2012
    ISBN9780979629518
    "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines)
    Author

    Gordon Burgett

    Gordon Burgett has 46 books and 1700+ published articles in print, has given 2000+ paid speaking presentations, and offers a free monthly newsletter at www.gordonburgett.com/free-reports. He posts at his blog at http://blog.gordonburgett.com twice weekly and discusses publishing, niche marketing, and selling one's writing.

    Read more from Gordon Burgett

    Related to "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines)

    Related ebooks

    Finance & Money Management For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Do Your Own Thing

      Mar 4, 2021

      Many years ago, when I was wedded to the idea of getting a book published by what is known as traditional means – that is with one of the mainstream publishers – it seemed the only way possible. It meant submitting one’s (paper) manuscript on spec to

      3 min read

    • Article

      Publish Or Be Damned

      Jan 17, 2021

      Publish Or Be Damned
      4 min read

    • Article

      KISS: Keep It Simple Self-publishing

      Dec 1, 2022

      Could 2023 be the year you self-publish your first book? As technology advances, self-publishing is becoming a simpler process. However, the same technology creates more opportunities, which can make it feel complicated and confusing. Do we have to u

      6 min read

    • Article

      Proposing prose

      Jul 2, 2020

      Proposing prose
      6 min read

    • Article

      How To Self-publish A Book

      Jun 12, 2020

      How To Self-publish A Book
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Problem with Promotion Isn’t What You Think It Is

      Dec 12, 2022

      Every author agonizes over a lack of promotion to some degree, and I’m no exception. But it occurred to me today, as I sat at my computer considering the best use of my time, that one of the biggest problems we have as authors is too much opportunity

      4 min read

    • Article

      Going Indie in 2021

      Aug 14, 2021

      Going Indie in 2021
      15 min read

    • Article

      Distribution Options for Indie Authors

      Feb 15, 2021

      The decision to self-publish a book means taking on all the responsibilities of a publisher. This puts the author in charge of not only the writing, but the distribution, marketing, and promotion as well. Amazon is the leading vendor for book sales i

      4 min read

    • Article

      Preorder Now

      Aug 16, 2023

      NOT so very long ago publication of something like a new Harry Potter novel could cause a frenzy of publication-day anticipation. In those pre-Kindle, pre-iPhone days, kids—and not a few adults—lined up outside bookstores the night before each book c

      8 min read

    • Article

      Meet Your Readers!

      Mar 2, 2023

      Meet Your Readers!
      13 min read

    • Article

      THE relaxed WRITER

      Dec 7, 2023

      THE relaxed WRITER
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of The Comp Title

      Jun 14, 2023

      The Art Of The Comp Title
      6 min read

    • Article

      Let's Talk Publishers...

      Jul 22, 2019

      HOW DOES TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING WORK? If you want to submit your book to a traditional publishing stable (think Little Brown, Penguin Random House), you need a few things. You need a completed manuscript and a strong and polished publishing proposal

      2 min read

    • Article

      Indie Lab

      Jun 15, 2020

      Anyone who has done a book signing knows there is a remarkable similarity between those few hours at the bookstore and a scene from Dante’s Inferno. First, there’s the struggle to book the gig. Bookstores and libraries often need three to four months

      2 min read

    • Article

      Zoom-onomics 101

      Dec 14, 2020

      Zoom-onomics 101
      10 min read

    • Article

      Marketing Matters

      Sep 2, 2021

      Marketing Matters
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Fine Print

      May 27, 2023

      The Fine Print
      9 min read

    • Article

      Under Pressure

      Jan 5, 2023

      One of the first pieces of advice I received as a young editor was that if I hadn’t made up my mind whether I liked a submission after a month, then my lack of enthusiasm was all the answer I needed. My indecision was a de-facto no, telling me that I

      3 min read

    • Article

      3 Reasons Why Authors Resist Book Marketing, and 3 Ways to Overcome That Resistance

      Dec 11, 2023

      Every author wants to do right by their book. They want to give their book the best chance to be seen and sold. Desire and action, however, are two very different prospects. When it comes to book marketing, authors shy away. Why? Three reasons: 1. It

      5 min read

    • Article

      Gigi Will Know

      Jan 30, 2021

      Here’s my problem: my books don’t sell. I’ve authored six nonfiction books and co-authored two, all of which have been published by well-respected publishers and have great reviews. Before COVID-19, I had many well-attended speaking engagements and b

      3 min read

    • Article

      Do It Yourself

      Nov 4, 2021

      Self-publishing can be a rewarding and exciting way of getting your story into the hands of readers but for children’s books it has its own challenges. Three authors share their experiences and advice. I had been writing traditionally published books

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Decent Proposal

      Jan 30, 2019

      A Decent Proposal
      7 min read

    • Article

      How To Publish A Book

      Dec 29, 2023

      How To Publish A Book
      2 min read

    • Article

      Firing Up Fiction

      May 21, 2019

      Firing Up Fiction
      5 min read

    • Article

      Getting Paid

      Oct 11, 2017

      MICHAEL BOURNE is a contributing editor of Poets & Writers Magazine. LET’S say you’re a first-time author who has just landed an agent for your novel or memoir. Your agent has sent the book around to editors at top New York City publishing houses, an

      9 min read

    • Article

      Getting Paid

      Oct 11, 2017

      MICHAEL BOURNE is a contributing editor of Poets & Writers Magazine. LET’S say you’re a first-time author who has just landed an agent for your novel or memoir. Your agent has sent the book around to editors at top New York City publishing houses, an

      9 min read

    • Article

      Book Advances 101

      Feb 16, 2022

      THERE are few things authors enjoy talking about less than money. It feels icky to dwell on spreadsheets and percentages when we’re trying to make art. At the same time there are even fewer things authors want to know about more than money, especiall

      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines)

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      "Open" Book Publishing is Almost a Miracle! (31 reports and guidelines) - Gordon Burgett

      k6JOg#'M1$E8j]:T 7}庩~q K韅젮j '8:My¼Z?ÎjT9DFWef9A綮nG_.kf3}{twğ {sU=Iw9Csd;3]ysX_b((1Xsޮnj'ml٨pH<QMRd3u !T0 |p]_<YKO^1vyG yյq簙<קӘKuZh#/bs˫}%'?PըpunUIzeugrpvu^p 0O\=J^5\^E=;]On%bK,]v͝x뭯 !ٓm7CB僑j"`˶+Nk~g< O~3e )=J?,æzOvo%׭]C=zw+e, ]KCݛBq xt#k$wyI |9 }Xxɢ5TfMpqK79Io97ڡ>;  *\;~&?$$57R `st nCJE+" {!}XX1AW#8cv(LHM99!{na:6μtE};L*$'0Dl[ڤFC휹a"~3K,]5`h QnFO7<5djb/{?"NvJ#nk^ήjw%۽Yjc> ԍڰx␠]XzSI$wGBsie[': !fiֶ3 eIvݸPcXm]wGzZ13lN{w1ҳ,`nL"\M蜪'Kޤ9+A#hkj-cYF7N#aZq~~+=)i1`] Ṑ̉*ϤV`{իp5(5m3~XPCB3 (//Nڻ$htq0x{[;\&P'笤O{.& o; #ŘhzqD39LH7TD)ذ_ƪT:[uHauY2g@&7 5Ejq#:jm`qc:)&n|'ި$e3BʣH%v{eo la0i* J=F;nBXg$v1QLٸy x\$s2 7 VNFg Zޥ!V]r89WA8 C+_ģ ,>o?/d%QPT6P}}uH[`': 0%O|Q6AAͭ<;} U-ɥW2PGÌ*g91æ`>zh0 {BԳB tyaff#'9uhb/⌽Q{61>~ԯ|_E5}&(D؁SEj;soJ(_t?~|Нpw;'A3ZLgaǕ$@4kw 4cIosajR= 岧}C; /@G~V^_Q>p9ΏWZyc$ @cz >SKN̳jvpR>4X~ݐaDy"{E E9/AP>+8h .$|y".d"=CDwg Yp< ˇ$!<,ԱԺ>*x0:X.ǃb#̏+MbTwA1C'Y,1'2x*QNb!U/?KGfj"P2FƜt&U699O _?U@(pAnhyEHaqhmEWR)}> 5Ï+ ?}\3w"a:1zfL5=vr4he6mlBXXVTbJZchw͘νD8fޢV]V LJgl{6?d~=9JNrK>Ĩ3?6ɹLֽHx-KUt0ƓSᝥC&pi\<[D}71|%_ G;L3XX<0s+ ^I\¶^eKIFw9"g9-?0x<փ?qkPJpTB\[*hF&` gSdzIe㢣#J{?knO8dK-_H4>lcZ.1vH*!
      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1