IBPA PubSpot > article

Distribution · Article | 03.01.16 How IPG Brings a New Publisher On Board
by Mary Rowles

When it comes to deciding whether or not to bring on a publisher for distribution and leading...

Business Operations · Article | 03.01.16 Five Essential Data Tools Every Publisher Can Afford
by Kristen McLean

Because you don’t have to be “big” to be “smart.” Running your...

Legal · Article | 02.01.16 10 Tips for Crafting an Equitable and Secure Publishing Contract
by Mary Rasenberger

PUBLISHED JANUARY 2016 by Mary Rasenberger, Executive Director, Authors Guild On March 3,...

Distribution · Article | 02.01.16 How to Track Down Profitable Niche Markets
by Lynn Rosen

The publishers in this month’s IBPA Independent Roundtable have had great success selling...

Industry News · Article | 01.28.16 Kwame Alexander in His Own Words
by Darhiana Mateo Téllez

Kwame Alexander has been tapped to be the keynote speaker at IBPA’s Publishing...

Business Operations · Article | 01.08.16 Getting the Best from BookScan
by Linda Carlson

IBPA MEMBERS: Don't forget to check out your exclusive member benefit with Nielsen BookScan...

Business Operations · Article | 01.08.16 Old School That’s Good School: Tactics for Customer Care
by Peter Goodman

Certain basic business practices need renewed emphasis in an age of impersonal texting, e-mails,...

Business Operations · Article | 11.02.15 Why and How to Break the Multitasking Habit
by Devora Zack

With too much to do, too little time, and growing piles of daily demands, multitasking is...

Editorial · Article | 11.02.15 Why to Choose an Idiom for Your Title
by Scott Lorenz

Using an idiom as a book title not only makes the book stand out more; it also makes the book...

Production · Article | 10.08.15 Inputting an Index in InDesign
by Joel Friedlander

Nonfiction books almost always need an index. That’s one thing people in the book business...

Design · Article | 10.08.15 A Designer’s Take on Cover Design
by Lon Kirschner

Independent publishers do not have deep pockets, and for some designers, that can be a...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 10.06.15 Creating and Managing E-mail Newsletters
by Jane Friedman

Early in actor Bryan Cranston’s career, when his gigs were primarily composed of...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 09.01.15 Headlines That Make Blog Posts Go Viral
by Jon Morrow

If you write for any serious purpose, you learn very quickly that you can’t afford to...

Business Operations · Article | 09.01.15 Publishing Children’s Books: What Two Years Have Taught Me
by Darcy Pattison

My first children’s picture book, The River Dragon, was published in 1990 by...

Distribution · Article | 08.03.15 The Evolution of Distribution
by Richard T. Williams

For decades, “self-published” titles were considered second-rate and not worth...

Business Operations · Article | 08.03.15 Ten Common Analytic Mistakes
by Jeff Sauro

Collecting, analyzing, and making decisions from data is the heart of customer analytics. But...

Industry News · Article | 08.03.15 Success by Meaningful Measures

Plenty of big numbers pop up when you ask independent publishers about their most successful...

Industry News · Article | 07.06.15 Keeping Count: What Industry Statistics Do and Don’t Reveal
by Jim Milliot

It is a cliché by now to say that the book publishing industry is in the midst of a profound...

Industry News · Article | 07.06.15 The Volunteering Value Proposition
by Kimberly A. Edwards

“I call it face time,” says Becky Parker Geist of Pro Audio Voices, president of the...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 06.11.15 Five Things to Do When Hiring a Publicist
by Crystal Patriarche

Hiring a publicity person or firm can be scary. It’s expensive; there’s no guarantee...

Editorial · Article | 04.06.15 Finding Beta Readers
by Belinda Pollard

Every time I post about beta readers and how wonderful and essential they are, I get more...

Industry News · Article | 03.31.15 The Independent Publisher’s Advantages
by Shannon Okey

Independent publishers get their start in many different ways. As an author of knitting and DIY...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 03.31.15 The Language of Branding
by Brad VanAuken

It is important to establish a common brand-management vocabulary in your organization. The...

Business Operations · Article | 03.17.15 Business Analytics: The Top Methodologies
by Piyanka Jain

Analytics is not rocket science. And business analytics, which uses relatively simple...

Industry News · Article | 03.17.15 Joining Forces: The Why and How of Author Collectives
by Deb Vanasse

One problem for authors who publish independently is that each ends up reinventing the...

Business Operations · Article | 03.01.15 Director's Desk: Harvested Wisdom from Indie Events
by Angela Bole

Earlier this year, I participated in a panel on indie publishing at the Los Angeles Public...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 03.01.15 Marketing Whatever You Have to Market, Part 1: Product Opportunities and Issues
by Linda Carlson

This is the first in a series of articles under the headline "Marketing Whatever You Have...

Distribution · Article | 01.27.15 Assessing the Outlook for Bookstores
by Linda Carlson

Many of us remember when Barnes & Noble was a single store in Manhattan, the Internet was...

Distribution · Article | 12.29.14 Tips for Better Metadata
by Betty Kelly Sargent

Metadata matters—it matters a lot. Defined as data about data, it is information about...

Distribution · Article | 12.29.14 An Aggregation/ Distribution Primer
by Carla King

Independent publishers, including self-publishers, have a lot of choices to make about uploading...

Industry News · Article | 12.29.14 Spotlight: Brooke Warner, She Writes Press
by Linda Carlson

New to the IBPA board this year, Brooke Warner is publisher of She Writes Press and president of...

Industry News · Article | 12.16.14 What Makes Books Different
by Mike Shatzkin

Back in pre-Internet times, books, music, and video generally had their own retail networks. But...

Business Operations · Article | 12.16.14 How to Be Agile with Deadlines
by Taffy Williams

I am an evangelist for entrepreneurial agility because of what I’ve observed and what...

Business Operations · Article | 12.16.14 The Anthology Advantage
by Deb Vanasse

Why publish an anthology? At Running Fox Books, an Alaska-based press and authors’...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 12.16.14 A Social Media Pep Talk with Pointers
by Mary Shafer

Even today, many publishers seem not to understand what social media can do for their...

Industry News · Article | 12.16.14 Spotlight: Jim Milliot, Publishers Weekly
by Linda Carlson

The co-editorial director of Publishers Weekly and one of IBPA’s new board members, Jim...

Business Operations · Article | 12.02.14 I Did It and I'm Glad: Publishing Decisions That Turned Out Well, Part 1
by Michael Sedge; Elizabeth Turnbull; Robert Rosenwald; Maggie Anton; David D. Horowitz; Randi Redmond Oster; Taneeka Bourgeois-daSilva

Common Cause at Conventions During a convention for small publishers that I attended in Europe...

Industry News · Article | 12.02.14 Avoiding Scams and Myths
by Helen Sedwick

Wherever money is to be made, scammers are scheming to take it from you. They promise income,...

Editorial · Article | 12.02.14 Tips on Creating Reader-Friendly Books for Today’s Busy Readers
by Jodie Renner

Today’s readers are much busier and more distractible than ever before. Their time is...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 11.05.14 Online Book Promotion Pointers
by Christopher Zoukis

As a self-publisher, an author published by a small house and a large house, and a social...

Business Operations · Article | 11.04.14 Set-Up for Self-Publishing
by Helen Sedwick

Self publishing authors are sometimes surprised to discover they are starting businesses. For...

Business Operations · Article | 09.13.14 Today’s Self-Publishing Pathways, Part 2
by Linda Carlson

Until about 30 years ago, most people who got published began by sending carefully typewritten...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 09.13.14 10 Lessons I Learned From My PR Campaign
by Robert Matzen

Investing in a PR campaign opened up a world of readers for my book and helped me learn valuable...

Industry News · Article | 09.13.14 Spotlight: Rob Price, Price World Publishing
by Linda Carlson

Rob Price of Price World Publishing in Columbus, OH is one of IBPA’s new board members,...

Industry News · Article | 09.13.14 Imprints that Work Best in Print: Insight Editions' Success Story Features Complex Formats
by Linda Carlson

Show rather than tell. That might be the motto of Insight Editions, where video and other...

Business Operations · Article | 09.13.14 Achieve Big Customer Loyalty in a Small Business World
by Jed Williams;Kristy Campbell

There are nearly 28 million small businesses in America, and they are making a formidable impact...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 09.07.14 The Socialfication Imperative
by Christopher Surdak

Now that social media sites are allowing all of us to form and participate in digital...

Distribution · Article | 09.04.14 Exclusive Is Actually Optional at Amazon
by Mark Coker

There's some confusion among authors, publishers, and media people about the difference...

Production · Article | 08.04.14 POD Problem-Solving: Part 2
by Linda Carlson

When I emailed IBPA members to ask about experiences with print-on-demand, and posted a similar...

Production · Article | 08.04.14 Make Your Kindle Book Look the Way It Should: Preview, Proof, and Test
by Aaron Shepard

If you’re publishing on Kindle, chances are you want your book to look good on it. But...

Industry News · Article | 07.03.14 Spotlight: Janice Schnell Butler, IBPA Board Member
by Linda Carlson

IBPA board member Janice Schnell Butler (photo right) is a content acquisition sales manager for...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 07.03.14 How to Use Goodreads for Book Promotion
by Cynthia Shannon

When I came to Goodreads last year, I had been working as a book publicist for seven years, so I...

Production · Article | 07.03.14 POD Problem-Solving: Part 1
by Linda Carlson

INTRODUCTION: When I emailed IBPA members to ask about experiences with print-on-demand and...

Industry News · Article | 04.03.14 Spotlight: Terry Nathan, IBPA's Chief Operations Officer
by Linda Carlson

Terry Nathan is the only IBPA staff member I’ve worked closely with over the years...

Industry News · Article | 04.02.14 Murder, He Wrote: Grove Point Press Builds a One-Author Publishing Program
by Linda Carlson

Chris Fischer has a problem. His father and business partner, Peter S. Fischer, turns out...

Production · Article | 04.02.14 Keeping Production Costs Down
by Thomas Woll

The production function can be significant in terms of both incurring costs and saving money for...

Production · Article | 03.06.14 Why I Think Vellum Is Great for Cross Platform E-book Editing and Generation
by Rick Hubbard

If you are committed—as I am—to quickly and easily generating readable e-books for...

Business Operations · Article | 03.06.14 Sharing Self-Publishing Basics
by Kimberly A. Edwards

When writers gather to explore self-publishing, the room fills with angst. As IBPA’s Terry...

Editorial · Article | 02.03.14 The Editor's Job in the Digital Age
by Linda Nix

Although e-books are no longer the novelty they were only three years ago, the publishing...

Business Operations · Article | 01.31.14 Partnership Publishing: The Continuing (and Controversial) Revolution
by Brooke Warner

February 2014 by Brooke Warner In 2012, when I co-founded She Writes Press with Kamy Wicoff...

Industry News · Article | 01.06.14 Spotlight: Tom Doherty, IBPA Board Member
by Linda Carlson

Closeup: Tom Doherty Born into publishing is how we could describe IBPA board member...

Industry News · Article | 01.06.14 The Secret of Our Success: Chicago Review Press
by Curt Matthews

The publishing company that my wife, Linda, and I started 40 years ago recently had an...

Legal · Article | 01.06.14 Basic Moves for Movie and TV Deals
by Kate Murray; Tad Crawford

No matter how thrilling it seems to have a film or television producer express interest in your...

Business Operations · Article | 01.06.14 5 Ways to Repurpose Your Book Content for More Exposure and More Sales
by Kristen Eckstei

Repurposing is too often overlooked as a source of income and a marketing tool. Your published...

Business Operations · Article | 12.09.13 The Top 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
by Rana DiOrio

December 2013 by Rana DiOrio As independent publishers, author-publishers, small-business...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 12.08.13 A Book Marketing Timeline
by Tanya Hall

Marketing a book is hard work, no doubt. Countless books, articles, blog posts, conference...

Industry News · Article | 11.18.13 Spotlight: John Mutter, IBPA Board Member and Co-Founder of Shelf Awareness
by Linda Carlson

Closeup: John Mutter A delightful conversation with John Mutter—IBPA board member and...

Legal · Article | 11.15.13 Tools for Dealing with Piracy, Including a Brand New One
by Steve Gillen

It’s a ubiquitous complaint these days: One of your titles is being offered as a free...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 10.14.13 All Aboard the Blog Tour
by Mary Ann F. Kohl

or How to Promote a New Title with an Interactive Launch Many authors and publishers are...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 10.11.13 How Small Publishers Can Still Sell Books
by Martin Shepard

What follows is what we at The Permanent Press have learned over the past 35 years when it comes...

Business Operations · Article | 10.11.13 The Title P&L for Predicting Profitability
by Dave Marx

We all wish we could get a clear answer to that question when we’re trying to decide...

Business Operations · Article | 09.06.13 How to Have an Aha! Moment: The Trio Exercise Yield Insight
by Charles Kiefer; Malcolm Constable

We are all born with the capacity for insight, a capacity that remains with us our entire lives....

Production · Article | 09.06.13 The Stigma of POD
by Aaron Shepard

Nowadays, there’s an odd belief circulating that self-publishing a book as...

Industry News · Article | 08.12.13 Spotlight: Peter Goodman, IBPA Board of Directors
by Linda Carlson

Who’s who on the IBPA board? To introduce you to the people whose names you often see at...

Production · Article | 08.06.13 Printing in China: Is it Wise? Is it Safe?
by Peter Goodman

Should you print your books in China? According to PrintNinja.com, an online U.S.–based...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 08.05.13 A New Copywriting Formula: The 4 C's
by Bob Bly

I confess: I love copywriting formulas! Why? For two reasons. First, the best formulas are...

Business Operations · Article | 07.18.13 Doing Business in Other Cultures
by Kimberly A. Edwards

"We live in a multicultural, multifaceted world," says Dawn Bruno, senior...

Production · Article | 07.02.13 How to Identify E-Books and Other Digital Products
by Phil Madans

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, new platforms with new capabilities debut, and new...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 07.02.13 Working with an Outside Book Publicist
by Cynthia Shannon

Hiring an outside publicist to work on a book is a big investment, so when an author wants to do...

Industry News · Article | 06.18.13 Spotlight: Christopher Robbins, CEO, Familius
by Linda Carlson

Closeup: Christopher Robbins Continuing to put the spotlight on individuals who’ve made...

Industry News · Article | 06.13.13 Books in Action, Part 2
by Judith Appelbaum

As you might imagine, it’s exhilarating to get a stream of reports from IBPA members about...

Industry News · Article | 06.11.13 Top 10 Trends Shaping the Future of Publishing

At Berrett-Koehler, we are currently engaged in a strategic planning process designed to help...

Industry News · Article | 03.19.13 Little Pickle Press: Publishing for 21st-Century Children
by Linda Carlson

Publishers Weekly titled its recent story about Little Pickle Press “Big Ideas for Young...

Distribution · Article | 03.19.13 Using BISAC Subject Headings
by Angela Bole

Publishers need to be able to assign the correct BISAC Subject Heading (or more than one...

Distribution · Article | 02.01.13 Metadata Musts
by Renée Register; Thad McIlroy

Today’s independent publishers have two big reasons for getting metadata right and...

Business Operations · Article | 02.01.13 Moving a Publishing Business Abroad
by Anna Faktorovich

I started an independent publishing company called Anaphora Literary Press back in 2009, at the...

Industry News · Article | 02.01.13 Step Back to Lead Forward
by Kevin Cashman

When I signed books at BookExpo America several years ago, I was one of 32 authors who stepped...

Production · Article | 02.01.13 The Language of Publishing: J, K, L, M
by Linda Carlson

This is the fourth installment of our glossary of publishing terms, which is designed to help...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 01.01.13 How Backlist Makes the Bottom Line Better
by Linda Carlson

Still thinking about New Year’s resolutions? Think backlist promotion. Backlist is the...

Business Operations · Article | 11.01.12 The Work-for-Hire Minefield
by Steve Gillen

Do you think that any book written for a fixed fee is a work-for-hire...and that any book...

Business Operations · Article | 11.01.12 Selling Sidelines
by Linda Carlson

Selling Sidelines November 2012 by Linda Carlson Gifts, games, candy, and other nonbook items,...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 10.31.12 A Sample Author Questionnaire
by Kate Siegel Bandos

Kate Siegel Bandos[/caption] Reviewers, booksellers, and individual correspondents want to know...

Distribution · Article | 09.30.12 Legal Pitfalls of Distribution and Fulfillment Contracts
by Nanci L. Danison

The Woodward family got into publishing by going to the dogs, founder Charlene Woodward said...

Industry News · Article | 09.01.12 President's Post: A 20-Year Salute to Terry Nathan
by Florrie Binford Kichler

Part 1 of this series examined the basics of libel law in the United States. But if your libel...

Distribution · Article | 09.01.12 First Try a Trade Show: The Dogwise Success Story
by Linda Carlson

The Woodward family got into publishing by going to the dogs, founder Charlene Woodward said...

Production · Article | 09.01.12 The Language of Publishing: A, B, C
by Linda Carlson

In a post on bookdesigner.com, where Joel Friedlander offers “Practical Advice to Help...

Legal · Article | 09.01.12 What Publishers Need to Know About Pricing, Terms, and Antitrust
by Steve Gillen

Given the evolving and unsettled state of pricing and distribution terms, this is a good time to...

Legal · Article | 08.01.12 Minimizing Libel Risks: Part 2, Issues You Might Not Expect
by Steve Gillen

Part 1 of this series examined the basics of libel law in the United States. But if your libel...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 07.31.12 Multimedia Presentation: A Book Promotion Tool for David in a World of Goliaths
by Richard Hurley; Terry Meekins

Independent publishers can draw comfort from the story of David, the daring youth who stood up...

Legal · Article | 07.01.12 Minimizing Libel Risks: Part 1, The Basics
by Steve Gillen

SEE ALSO: Minimizing Libel Risks: Part 2, Issues You Might Not Expect In the United States, the...

Distribution · Article | 06.01.12 Why Don't Those Sales Figures Match?
by Aaron Shepard

It’s common for new publishers who use Lightning Source to hang on their computers trying...

Business Operations · Article | 05.01.12 Body Language for Global Business
by Carol Kinsey Gorman

When I traveled from the United Arab Emirates to China to India to Malaysia to the Philippines...

Business Operations · Article | 04.01.12 The Link Between Metadata and Sales
by Andre Breedt; David Walter

Perhaps more than any other industry the book trade is reliant on sharing product data in order...

Business Operations · Article | 03.01.12 Niche Publishing: A Well-Defined System for Producing Profits
by Gordon Burgett

When we in niche publishing claim that the smaller our market, the higher our profits (all...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 03.01.12 Major Media Coverage: Dillman Karate International’s Strategy for Success
by Linda Carlson

George Dillman’s a small publisher. His company, Dillman Karate International, publishes a...

Distribution · Article | 02.01.12 Keeping an Eye on Amazon: Amazon as a Disruptive Force / Amazon’s Dominance and DRM
by Mike Shatzkin

“I’m usually the one wearing the target on my chest.” The speaker was an...

Business Operations · Article | 12.31.11 DRM Decisions: Analyzing the Business Case / Why I Don’t Use DRM

When the phone rings in the IBPA offices, it’s often a call from a member who’s...

Legal · Article | 12.01.11 Trademarking and Your Brand Strategy
by Steve Gillen

Steve Gillen Building a brand for your books is part marketing and part magic. Keeping...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 12.01.11 Book Clubs, Part 2: Identifying Groups to Approach
by Linda Carlson

This screen capture from novelist Meg Clayton’s Web site shows one of the ways she's...

Industry News · Article | 12.01.11 President's Post: What’s a Publisher?
by Florrie Binford Kichler

The Oxford English Dictionary defines publisher as “a person or company that prepares and...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 11.30.11 How to Have a Successful Bookstore Event
by Melissa M. William

With the right plan and marketing, you can almost guarantee a sell-out bookstore event. As an...

Industry News · Article | 11.30.11 Writer Becomes Publisher, Stays Writer: The Bick House Back Story
by Linda Carlson

Dale Bick Carlson, whose decision to become a publisher stemmed from her passion for helping...

Business Operations · Article | 10.31.11 Reversion in the Digital Age: Is Out-of-Print Out of Style?
by Steve Gillen

Because not every book is a success and not every successful book has an indefinite shelf life,...

Industry News · Article | 10.01.11 Born Digital vs. Born Again
by Joseph J. Esposito

While one would be hard-pressed to find any publisher who does not view digital media as a...

Industry News · Article | 09.01.11 Five Ways People Will Misread Your Body Language
by Carol Kinsey Goman

Your nonverbal signals don’t always convey what you intended them to. In fact, when people...

Legal · Article | 09.01.11 Acquiring the Right Rights: Will Your Contract Keep Up with the Markets for Your Books?

When Apple launched its iTunes digital music download business in 2001, few anticipated that it...

Production · Article | 08.01.11 E-Book Conversion: When It Makes Sense and What Your Options Are
by Linda Nix

“How should I handle e-book conversion?” In one form or another, I hear that...

Industry News · Article | 07.01.11 The Bard Press Big Sales Backstory
by Linda Carlson

BUILDING THE BUSINESS When Ray Bard said, “I’m a marketer disguised as a...

Production · Article | 07.01.11 Managing Book Printing Estimates: Part 3, Assess What the Printer Is Promising
by Joel Friedlander

Part 1 of this series (May) looked at the specific items included in a typical book-printing...

Distribution · Article | 06.01.11 The ISBN as E-book Identifier: Confusion and Concerns
by Linda Carlson

"E-book sales outdo print” . . . “Print is dead” . . . “E-books may...

Production · Article | 05.01.11 Don’t Turn Off a Major Market
by Cathi Stevenson

People past the age of 40 almost always need reading glasses. Around then, most can read...

Distribution · Article | 05.01.11 Marketing to the Armed Forces
by Linda Carlson

Getting your books into military base exchanges can be challenging, and selling to such end...

Legal · Article | 04.01.11 Author Warranties: Options for Contract Clauses
by Steve Gillen

Your book publishing contract probably includes provisions that require the author to make...

Distribution · Article | 01.31.11 Anatomy of a Tip Sheet
by Davida G. Breier

Competing for shelf space for your new book is akin to seeking employment in the current...

Legal · Article | 12.01.10 Pollyanna, Titles, and Trademarking
by Steve Gillen

In the early 1900s, Eleanor Porter wrote the first of a series of inspiring books for children...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 11.01.10 Anatomy of a Review Slip
by Kate Siegel Bandos

For more than 25 years, I have been affixing a review slip to every review copy I send out to...

Business Operations · Article | 11.01.10 A Crash Course in Accounting Basics
by Linda Carlson

How do I know if I’m making money? Established publishing companies have finance experts...

Production · Article | 10.01.10 My Lightning Source System for Self-Publishing Profit
by Aaron Shepard

Based on my own experience with Lightning Source, which goes back to 1998—only about a...

Distribution · Article | 08.01.10 How to Sell Books to Gift Shops and Specialty Retailers
by Dana Lynn Smith

In addition to bookstores, potential retail markets for books include small independently owned...

Business Operations · Article | 07.01.10 This One? That One? One of Those Other Ones? Oh, Never Mind: Managing Overabundant Choice
by Sheena Iyengar

Have you heard of the famous jam study? When I met with the head of Fidelity Research, he...

Distribution · Article | 06.30.10 Pitching Books to Indie Stores and Libraries

Most publishers want to sell through bookstores and libraries, but often when we’re...

Legal · Article | 06.01.10 Dealing with Piracy Problems
by Tad Crawford

Allworth Press, the company I founded more than 20 years ago, publishes many books for graphic...

Legal · Article | 06.01.10 Dealing with Piracy Problems
by Nancy Seifer

Allworth Press, the company I founded more than 20 years ago, publishes many books for graphic...

Distribution · Article | 05.31.10 Desperately Seeking Good Data, Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Linda Carlson

INDUSTRY STANDARDS Part 1: Why, How, and What Booksellers Need You to Tell...

Production · Article | 03.01.10 Books Delivered While You Wait: A Close Look at the Espresso Book Machine in Action
by Linda Carlson

What is the Espresso Book Machine, and why should publishers care about it? After interviewing...

Legal · Article | 02.01.10 What New FTC Guidelines Mean for You: Pointers for Publishers, Authors, Bloggers, and Blurbers
by Jonathan Kirsch

For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Federal Trade Commission has issued new and updated...

Distribution · Article | 07.01.09 Marketing to Libraries
by Bob Schatz

Marketing to libraries can be a challenge for independent publishers. For starters, many make...

Business Operations · Article | 07.01.09 Royalty Software: Picks and Pans
by Linda Carlson

“Seriously ugly,” “cumbersome,” and “error-prone” are words...

Production · Article | 06.01.09 Create Productive Production Schedules
by Jessica Tribble

For many, a production schedule seems like a frustrating list of minutiae. But although they may...

Business Operations · Article | 04.30.09 Business-based Tips for Start-ups: Part 3, Projecting Expenses and Revenues
by Maggie Calonico

As you prepare to publish a book, estimating production costs will go a long way toward helping...

Distribution · Article | 03.01.09 A Crash Course in Remainders
by Richard Carmen

What can I do with these books? That’s the question my company faced after we published...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 02.01.09 The Hostile Host: How to Get Your Message on the Air in Spite of a Media Bully
by Roberta Gale Vanderslice

Remember those school bullies? The ones who yelled at or beat up anyone they didn’t like?...

Business Operations · Article | 02.01.09 Tools for Reaching Media, Booksellers, and More
by Linda Carlson

How do you find out exactly what writers and editors want, and keep your media and bookseller...

Business Operations · Article | 12.01.08 Using the Blue Ocean Strategy for Profitable Growth
by Linda Carlson

How can publishers grow—and grow profitably? By focusing on people who don’t buy...

Industry News · Article | 10.01.08 Sarah's Story: Keeping Up with an Instant Bestseller
by Kent Sturgis

It was a wild ride, starting the day John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. The...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 09.01.08 The Pros and Cons of Contests

Earlier this year, a member of Book Publishers Northwest asked, “Which contests make sense...

Distribution · Article | 08.01.08 Sell More Books to Libraries
by Fern Reiss

You can sell lots of books to libraries—if you know how to approach the library market....

Production · Article | 05.31.08 Really and Truly Print-on-Demand: Pros & Cons
by Linda Carlson

How important is print on demand to your business? Not very, some of you say, but a recent...

Distribution · Article | 03.01.08 Selling Books to the Christian Market
by Bette Filley

I had to laugh when a speaker at a recent publishing event said that publishers of Christian...

Industry News · Article | 01.01.08 Director's Desk: My 15 Years with PMA: Looking Back and Ahead
by Terry Nathan

As you may know, I am now responsible for heading up PMA, after the recent passing of my mother,...

Distribution · Article | 07.01.07 Selling to the Elhi Market: Part 2, Getting Books Approved and Adopted
by Linda Carlson

The three Rs can add up to a lot more than 1-2-3 if you’re a publisher whose books are...

Distribution · Article | 05.01.07 Tap Into the Homeschool Market
by Sarah Bolme

The homeschool phenomenon is growing. Currently, more than 2 million children in the United...

Business Operations · Article | 05.01.07 Five Steps to a Productive P&L
by Deirdre Smerillo

The single-title P&L (estimate of profit and loss) is one of the most useful tools in a...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 12.01.06 Publicity Resources
by Kate Siegel Bandos

There are many excellent ways to build a media list that is best targeted to a given book and...

Distribution · Article | 12.01.06 How to Sell Spanish-Language Titles in the United States
by Linda Carlson

If you publish books in Spanish, you probably know that the Hispanic population in the United...

Distribution · Article | 11.01.06 Getting Rid of All Those Unsold Books
by Linda Carlson

Returns, hurts, remainders, overstocks—they’re all books you can’t sell to...

Distribution · Article | 09.01.06 Which Sales Channels Work Best

Most PMA members who responded to this question reported selling through what are still known as...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 09.01.06 Seeding the Audience: A Different Approach to Talk-Show Publicity
by Ellen Ratner

During publicity campaigns for issue-oriented books, you can seed talk-show audiences. This does...

Production · Article | 05.01.06 How Big Should the First Printing Be?

PMA members who responded to a blast about first print runs were—as you’ll...

Distribution · Article | 04.01.06 Take Full Advantage of Amazon
by Brent Sampson

As the president of an on-demand publishing company, I have seen authors earn hundreds,...

Business Operations · Article | 04.01.06 Determining Value for a Publishing Company
by Daniel R. Siburg & Howard W. Fisher

Many publishers think their companies have unique characteristics that buyers will value and...

Distribution · Article | 03.31.06 Better Than Bookstores: Prime Channels for Selling Children’s Books
by Florrie Binford Kichler

I love bookstores. I shop in bookstores. I’m in a bookstore every week without fail....

Distribution · Article | 03.01.06 The Smart Way to Send Book Information: An Introduction to ONIX
by Angela Bole

With the dawn of book digitalization and the explosion of online book sales, it has become more...

Business Operations · Article | 03.01.06 A System for Submitted Manuscripts
by Diane Tinney

Publishers trying to wade through piles of manuscripts while juggling phone calls and walk-ins...

Production · Article | 02.01.06 Beware of Cross-grain Printing
by Dan Poynter

Some printers mismanufacture books. Paper has a grain, just like wood. The paper in a book...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 01.31.06 What the Trades Want: A Guide to Getting Reviews
by Kate Bandos

Getting a book review in one of the trade journals—the periodicals published specifically...

Distribution · Article | 01.01.06 Getting Librarians to Buy Your Books
by Jenny McCune

Librarians have less time, fewer staff members, and smaller budgets these days for evaluating...

Production · Article | 10.01.05 What to Put in Your RFQ
by Pete Masterson

Printing prices vary not only by the nature of the project but also by the amount of work in a...

Industry News · Article | 09.30.05 The Rise of Urban Fiction
by Jenny McCune

Black urban fiction has been around for the last three or four years, as W. Paul Coates...

Business Operations · Article | 09.01.05 The Single Title P&L

We all know that publishing is getting more competitive. We all have seen that we need to make...

Design · Article | 08.31.05 Typesetting in Microsoft Word Part 3. Setting Type
by Jack M. Lyon

It’s midnight, and all the cubicles are dark except one in the back corner, where...

Design · Article | 08.01.05 Typesetting in Microsoft Word:Part 2. Setting Up Pages
by Jack M. Lyon

Once you set up Microsoft Word for typesetting and figure out your design—the steps...

Design · Article | 06.01.05 Typesetting in Microsoft Word: Part 1. Getting Started

If you’re a small publisher, you may have wondered if it’s possible to set type in...

Distribution · Article | 05.31.05 Best Practices for the BISAC Subject Headings - Selecting a Book’s Subject Category
by Karen Pavlicin

When we updated our listing for the PMA directory earlier this year, we had a problem. It was...

Industry News · Article | 05.01.05 Doing Business with Baker & Taylor

PMA members’ reports on dealing with Baker & Taylor can be categorized under three...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 03.31.05 Pitching an Author Event: Tips from Talks with Bookstore Event Coordinators
by Robin Quinn

On any given night across the wide metropolis of Los Angeles, scores of authors can be found in...

Business Operations · Article | 02.28.05 Help!</I> I’m Being Held Prisoner in My Business: How to Know When It’s Time to Grow
by Florrie Binford Kichler

"There just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done–I’ll...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 01.31.05 How to Behave at a Book Fair: Tips on Getting the Most from the Experience
by Christine Louise Hohlbaum

Before I attended my first book fair, I asked around for advice. What should I expect? How...

Production · Article | 09.01.04 Bringing Out-of-Print Books Back to Life
by Danny O. Snow

Now that new production methods offer the option of tiny print runs, it’s relatively easy...

Distribution · Article | 08.01.04 Selling to Specialty Stores
by Brian Jud

Every store that sells a product related to your book’s topic can be a source of sales for...

Industry News · Article | 08.01.04 How Ingram’s New Policy Hurts
by Steve Carlson

Bookstore customers are much less likely to buy smaller publishers’ books as a result of...

Legal · Article | 07.31.04 When an Agent Wants a Never-ending Deal
by Paul Aiken

Certain literary agencies include an "interminable agency" clause in their agreements...

Legal · Article | 07.01.04 Who Owns an Interview? Insights into Copyright Cases
by Lloyd L. Rich

Interviews are frequently an important element of a book, and copyright law permits an author to...

Distribution · Article | 05.01.04 Trade Distribution Options
by David Cole

While a bookstore seems like the most logical place to sell a book, small, startup publishers...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 02.29.04 Radio Time Slots: A Quick Analysis of Interview Opportunities

Radio has a set pattern of listening: During certain days–and certain times of the...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 02.29.04 Eight Reasons to Send a Cover Letter with Your Press Release
by Jeffrey Dobkin

I got back to the peace and quiet of my own office. Took off my tie. Took off my suit, and my...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 02.01.04 Library Tours: How to Set Them Up and What They Can Do for You
by Jerry Labriola

Conducting a regional library tour is one of the least appreciated ways to sell books and gain...

Distribution · Article | 01.31.04 Investing in Better Bookstore Business: Seven Ways to Buy "Pull"

Getting your books into bookstores can be a Pyrrhic victory if they sit on the shelves and then...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 01.31.04 The Publicity Schedule: What You Need to Know About Lead Times If You Want Your Best Shot at Coverage
by Kate Bandos

In real estate they say the three most important considerations are location, location, and...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 01.01.04 What Makes a Guest Great? Tips from Talk Show Pros
by Roberta Gale

If you’re interested in promoting a book on radio or TV shows, you’ve probably...

Distribution · Article | 12.31.03 Marketing to the Military
by Brian Jud

The armed services provide a market for fiction and nonfiction titles of almost any kind on...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 09.01.03 Getting Your Books to the "Tipping Point"
by Steve Mettee

I was at the William Saroyan Writer’s Conference recently when another...

Distribution · Article | 08.31.03 How to Compete in the College Textbook Market
by Mary Ellen Lepionka

Today, by size and by revenue, the American college textbook market is dominated by seven giant...

Legal · Article | 08.01.03 The Perils of Pricing
by Jonathan Kirsch

What is the legal risk for the publisher who offers more attractive prices and terms to a...

Industry News · Article | 06.01.03 PMA - Celebrating 20! A Short History of What Happened When

The first PMA newsletter was called PASCAL Info (the former name of the Publishers Marketing...

Industry News · Article | 03.31.03 Jan Nathan: Getting to Know PMA’s Chief
by Steve O'Keefe

Jan Nathan has been the Executive Director of the Publishers Marketing Association since its...

Legal · Article | 02.28.03 How to Start Selling Foreign Rights
by Tom Woll

Article updated in August 2024. Just as U.S. publishers are always looking for new books to...

Legal · Article | 01.31.03 Fair Use of Trademarks
by Lloyd Rich

When is it permissible to use or write about a trademark without obtaining permission from the...

Business Operations · Article | 01.01.03 Taxes 101: Basic Guidelines for Self-Publishing Beginners - Part I
by Tad Crawford;Kay Murray

Getting Started If you’re self-employed and make money from writing or self-publishing,...

Industry News · Article | 01.01.03 Publishing Profiles - Dominique Raccah Credits Authors for Sourcebooks’ Success
by Steve O'Keefe

Sourcebooks’ Fall 2002 trade catalog begins with an unusual mission statement: "Our...

Distribution · Article | 12.01.02 Untangling the Commission Confusion: An Interview with Jeff Peterson, Advantage Director at Amazon
by Pat Bell

Question: A big question has come up from PMA members about Amazon.com’s policies on...

Industry News · Article | 11.01.02 Censorship: An Overview of What Government, Libraries, and Schools Can–and Can’t–Suppress
by Tad Crawford; Kay Murray

This article is adapted from the newly revised Third Edition of "The Writer's...

Distribution · Article | 10.31.02 Strategic Distribution Decisions
by Catherine Kitcho

Choosing the right set of distribution channels is one of the most critical decisions you will...

Industry News · Article | 10.01.02 Peter Workman: Trying to Do Something Very Good
by Steve O'Keefe

In 1968, Peter Workman published Yoga 28-Day Exercise Plan and the publishing company he founded...

Legal · Article | 08.31.02 Important Issues for Children's Book Publishers
by Ivan Hoffman

Several issues are more significant for publishers of children’s books than for publishers...

Legal · Article | 06.01.02 Defamation Dangers
by Tad Crawford;Kay Murray

This article is adapted from the Third Edition of The Writer’s Legal Guide: An...

Distribution · Article | 06.01.02 Distribution Contracts: Steps to Take to Protect Your Inventory
by Lloyd L. Rich

Entering into an agreement with a distributor, or a publisher acting as a distributor, can be an...

Distribution · Article | 05.31.02 Niche Marketing to Schools
by Jeanne Warren Lindsay

One of the best niches for small publishers lies within the school system. Yes, the big...

Production · Article | 05.01.02 The Economics of eBooks: What You Save, What You Stand to Gain
by Rich Elwood

Comparing eBooks with bound books in terms of costs and benefits is a bit like comparing apples...

Legal · Article | 04.30.02 Don't Run Afoul of Fair Use:<br>Guidelines on Quoting & Copying
by Tad Crawford;Kay Murray

This article is adapted from the Third Edition of The Writer’s Legal Guide: An...

Legal · Article | 03.01.02 Marketing Provisions in Book Contracts
by Ivan Hoffman

Book contract provisions that have to do with marketing and promotion can appear in various...

Industry News · Article | 12.01.01 The Amazing Adventures of Isabella Bird
by Evelyn Kane

Blue Panda Publications has always been an ESP–Especially Small Publisher. To think about...

Distribution · Article | 11.30.01 Introducing ONIX: Why & How to Start Using a Powerful New Publishing Tool
by Frank Daly

In the e-commerce era, every publisher has to be able to send usable digitized data to its sales...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 10.31.01 How to Build Profits with Your Backlist
by David Cole

After a few years of producing a steady stream of titles, life as a publisher in some ways gets...

Legal · Article | 10.01.01 Defining Libel in Fiction
by Alan J. Kaufman

Question: One of our editors is working with an author on her first novel. The antagonist of...

Legal · Article | 08.01.01 Out of Print Provisions in Book Contracts
by Ivan Hoffman

What constitutes "out of print" in the world of print books and now-with the advent of...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 07.31.01 How We Succeeded with How to Behave: <BR>A first-time publisher's book reaches the half-million mark
by Tim McCormick

In January of 1996, I attended a parenting class to learn to deal better with the challenges...

Distribution · Article | 06.30.01 What Makes Barnes & Noble Decide to Buy a Book?
by Marcella Smith

In any given week, the Small Press Department at Barnes & Noble receives more than 100 new...

Business Operations · Article | 04.30.01 Incorporation or LLC?
by Ivan Hoffman

If you’re contemplating incorporating or setting up a limited liability company (LLC)...

Legal · Article | 03.31.01 Napster and "Fair Use"
by Ivan Hoffman

Ivan Hoffman[/caption]Much has been written (and will continue to be) about the recent decision...

Distribution · Article | 01.01.01 Distribute Your Books Down Under
by Clint Greenleaf

While I was in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics, I did some research on the book industry in...

Editorial · Article | 01.01.01 On-Demand Printing Contract Provisions
by Ivan Hoffman -Publishing Attorney

PUBLISHED JANUARY 2001 With the already happening revolution in printing, what sorts of...

Legal · Article | 11.01.00 Right of Publicity
by Lloyd L. Rich

Introduction The right of publicity is generally defined as an individual's right to control and...

Legal · Article | 08.01.00 What is a "Standard" Royalty?
by Jonathan Kirsch

Question: We are an independent publishing house, and we pay royalties based on a percentage of...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 03.01.00 Considering Buying a Mailing List? Here's What You'll Need to Know
by Jeffrey Dobkin

First of all, keep in mind that there are two types of lists (determined by their...

Business Operations · Article | 09.30.99 Sell It Again, Sam
by Gordon Burgett

Selling an article once is a major accomplishment, at least while you're earning your spurs....

Business Operations · Article | 09.30.99 The Cost of Employee Turnover
by William G. Bliss

This article consists of a comprehensive checklist of items to include when calculating the cost...

Legal · Article | 07.01.99 The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act
by Tad Crawford & Laura Mankin

On October 27, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the "Sonny Bono Copyright Extension...

Industry News · Article | 06.30.99 First Amendment Takes a Hit in Paladin Press Case
by Jonathan Kirsch

Bad facts make bad law, as the old saying goes, and never was it better illustrated than in the...

Legal · Article | 04.30.99 Out-of-Print Clauses in the Print-on-Demand Era
by Jonathan Kirsch

Editor's Note: Beginning with this issue of the "PMA Newsletter," Jonathan Kirsch,...

Design · Article | 04.01.99 The Cover Artist/Illustrator Contract
by Ivan Hoffman

In what appears to be a frequently occurring situation, publishers seem to pay cover...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 03.31.99 How To Buy a Great Mailing List!
by Jeffrey Dobkin

Thank God, the worst that can happen to you in direct mail is you lose money. I mean,...

Industry News · Article | 01.31.99 PMA's Commitment to Free Speech: First Amendment Highlights from the Past Year
by Lloyd Jassin

"Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..."...

Legal · Article | 11.01.98 Fictional Characters & the Law
by Lloyd L. Rich

On my Web site, I have an article regarding the legal protections provided for a graphic...

Business Operations · Article | 10.01.98 Publisher's Liability Insurance
by Granite Insurance Brokers

Not sure why you should consider buying publisher's liability insurance? Read these...

Editorial · Article | 08.31.98 The Joy of Editing
by Nick Weir-Williams

Of all the attributes necessary for a publisher to have, editing is the one I'm worst at...

Distribution · Article | 08.31.98 "Thought Full" Marketing to Attract & Keep Bookstore Customers
by Kare Anderson

Editor's Note: Publishers can learn enormously from the following tips Anderson offers...

Distribution · Article | 08.01.98 Returns and the Book Industry
by Nick Weir-Williams

Few topics create such passion in the book industry as that of returns, and I'd like to...

Legal · Article | 07.31.98 Subsidiary Rights: Acquisition & Licensing
by Lloyd Rich

The grant of rights clause in a publishing contract is one of the most important clauses because...

Business Operations · Article | 05.01.98 What You Need to Know about Insuring Your "In Home" Business, But Were Too Busy to Ask
by Argo Insurance Brokers

What do publishers, authors, cosmetic salespeople (Avon, Mary Kay, etc.), and multi-level...

Business Operations · Article | 03.31.98 Who Buys Publishing Companies And What Do They Pay?
by Stephen Kerr

This is an article that I have wanted to write for some time. It may clear up some questions you...

Legal · Article | 01.31.98 Book Plagiarism in the UK. Has It Happened to You?
by Al Siebert

Imagine yourself in this situation: You discover that a highly plagiarized version of a book you...

Business Operations · Article | 01.01.98 One Journalist's Adventure into Self Publishing
by Grace Witwer Housholder

When Susan Klopfer showed up at my front door nearly four years ago to request some press...

Legal · Article | 12.31.97 Book Club Clauses in Publishing Contracts
by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney

PUBLISHED JANUARY 1998 Book clubs can be a source of additional and even substantial income...

Legal · Article | 10.01.97 Electronic Publishing and the Potential Loss of First Serial Rights
by Ivan Hoffman, Publishing Attorney

The Internet offers the publisher and the writer the freedom to post articles to a website, to...

Editorial · Article | 05.01.97 How to Hire an Indexer
by Janis Paris

Getting Started in the Hiring Process The nice thing about hiring an indexer is that you can...

Industry News · Article | 01.31.97 Introducing Nancy & Don Tubesing Whole Person Associates/Pfeifer-Hamilton Publishers

In an effort to assist PMA members in learning some of the tricks of the trade used by surviving...

Marketing & Publicity · Article | 01.31.97 Reducing the (Perceived) Price with Coupons, Rebates & Discounts
by Robert C. Brenner

Cutting book prices can increase sales, but it could also encourage competitors to follow your...

Article · Marketing | 12.31.96 Sample Publicity Worksheet
by Curt Matthews

We have put together this basic information sheet to demystify the process of book publicity for...

Article · Marketing | 12.01.96 When an Author's Ready to Talk, Here's How to Get Shows Listening
by Robin Quinn

The environment of radio and television talk shows is fast-paced, and competition for...

Distribution · Article | 08.31.96 Ingram Returns - Why Do They Happen?
by Curt Matthews, Chicago Review Press

In last month's newsletter, I complained about the propensity of small presses to complain about...

Business Operations · Article | 08.31.96 Rules of Thumb in Pricing and Profitability
by Eugene Schwartz

When I first started my career in the printing business in New York City (after abandoning my...

Industry News · Article | 08.31.96 Perspectives: Jake Baker and Internet Threats
by Joan H. Lowenstein

First Amendment protagonists are not always the types of people you'd choose to chat with over...

Legal · Article | 07.31.96 The Best Books on Publishing Law and Book Contracts
by John B. McHugh

As a publisher, you need to understand publishing law. If your publishing responsibility is new...

Legal · Article | 06.30.96 Royalty Calculations in Book Contracts
by Ivan Hoffman - Publishing Attorney

We often hear about book royalties in a fashion that is illusory. To discuss a royalty rate...

Business Operations · Article | 05.31.96 Listening for Profit
by Robert C. Brenner

The entrepreneurial playing field is littered with the debris of failed publishing businesses....

Production · Article | 04.30.96 The Tree-Free Alternative
by Carolyn Moran

I have been the editor and publisher of an ecology magazine called Talking Leaves for seven...

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