Having printed books in India on behalf of European and Australian academics, my experience is if the print run is 500+ then the cost of offset printing (on fairly decent paper) and perfect binding a softcover book with approx. 250 -300 pages is about $3.50 per copy shipped to the USA.
500 copies seems to be the crossover quantity for digital versus offset printed books. On Sun, Jul 5, 2020 at 6:33 PM Eric Charles <eric.phillip.char...@gmail.com> wrote: > Probably make digital copies accessible for $5, and whatever the > equivalent these days is for other media. > > I say that... but probably free at this point, thats what i would have > started with.... > > At any rate, it would be nice to have the copyright in principle. > > > > On Sat, Jul 4, 2020, 11:56 PM <thompnicks...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Eric, >> >> >> >> If you had the rights back, what would you do with them? >> >> >> >> N >> >> >> >> Nicholas Thompson >> >> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology >> >> Clark University >> >> thompnicks...@gmail.com >> >> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ >> >> >> >> >> >> *From:* Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com> *On Behalf Of *Eric Charles >> *Sent:* Saturday, July 4, 2020 8:55 PM >> *To:* The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group < >> friam@redfish.com> >> *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Book publishing advice needed >> >> >> >> Nick said " the contract should explicitly say that rights revert to the >> author when the publisher no longer maintains the book in print and >> promotes it." >> >> >> >> I handwrote that into the contract for the book on New Realism >> (presumably based on a suggestion from you). Alas, that's an almost >> nonsensical insertion at this point. The company will maintain a website >> that lists the book indefinitely, with it available for purchase from >> various marketplaces such as Amazon and Google books. So it is "maintained" >> and "promoted", at no cost, in perpetuity, and is always available, because >> books can now easily be printed on demand in single copy. I expect nowadays >> it might make more sense to say something like: "If the book sells no >> copies in X years, in any medium supported by the publisher, then the >> rights revert to the author." >> >> >> >> It has been nine years, and the book still hasn't sold enough copies for >> me to see a penny. >> >> >> >> If I were writing a novel I would definitely either self publish or find >> a firm that focuses on online publishing, and which returns a definite >> marketing plan in return for their cut (there are firms that focus on >> kickstarting novels, or other internet forums, for example). >> >> >> >> >> ----------- >> >> Eric P. Charles, Ph.D. >> Department of Justice - Personnel Psychologist >> >> American University - Adjunct Instructor >> >> >> >> >> >> On Sat, Jul 4, 2020 at 4:46 PM <thompnicks...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> At the very list, the contract should explicitly say that rights revert >> to the author when the publisher no longer maintains the book in print and >> promotes it. I often edited my magazine contracts to give only first >> rights. I agree with Tom, that copyright should stay with the author. >> >> >> >> N >> >> >> >> Nicholas Thompson >> >> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology >> >> Clark University >> >> thompnicks...@gmail.com >> >> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ >> >> >> >> >> >> *From:* Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com> *On Behalf Of *Tom Johnson >> *Sent:* Saturday, July 4, 2020 2:32 PM >> *To:* The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group < >> friam@redfish.com> >> *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Book publishing advice needed >> >> >> >> Another advantage of self-publishing is that you retain the copyright. >> Ergo, you can license it to a publisher for an updated edition or just >> distribution. >> >> Tom >> >> >> ============================================ >> Tom Johnson - t...@jtjohnson.com >> Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA >> 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) >> *NM Foundation for Open Government* <http://nmfog.org> >> *Check out It's The People's Data >> <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Its-The-Peoples-Data/1599854626919671>* >> >> >> ============================================ >> >> >> >> >> >> >> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=icon> >> >> Virus-free. www.avast.com >> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=link> >> >> >> >> On Sat, Jul 4, 2020 at 2:25 PM Jochen Fromm <j...@cas-group.net> wrote: >> >> Thanks. Yes, self-publishing is an option. I am looking for an official >> publisher mainly for one reason, namely that other scientists and >> researchers can cite it, since I still cling to the illusion that someone >> would actually do it. Normally self-published texts are not considered as >> reliable or trustworthy sources. I didn't expect that finding a decent >> publisher would be so difficult. >> >> >> >> -J. >> >> >> >> >> >> -------- Original message -------- >> >> From: Tom Johnson <t...@jtjohnson.com> >> >> Date: 7/4/20 20:10 (GMT+01:00) >> >> To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com> >> >> >> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Book publishing advice needed >> >> >> >> Jochen: >> >> The deal being offered strikes me as a bad deal. >> >> >> >> Background: I have been practicing and teaching about "Be Your Own >> Publisher" for nearly 15 years. There are, in my opinion, some major >> problems with all publishers today. It starts with control of the >> copyright. I think YOU should want to maintain control of the copyright to >> your work. It will depend on the contract, but many or most publishers >> will try to lock down the copyright in their favor for all -- ALL -- forms >> of your work in perpetuity and throughout the universe. Sometimes quite >> literally. >> >> >> >> Second, you should assume -- especially with a small publisher and you, >> not being as well known as Stephen King or Daniel Steele -- the publisher >> will do little if anything to promote your book beyond a mention in its >> catalog and, maybe, some promotional links on Amazon. Given that, a 5 >> percent royalty should be seen as a con. >> >> >> >> Third, given your computing experience, you should find it easy to format >> and produce the book yourself. I have used Lulu.com for years. It is >> especially good if you want to have both hardback, paperback and PDF >> editions. Again the advantages: you keep the copyright, you can set (and >> change) the prices and to a degree the royalties. Also, Lulu and Amazon >> handle all the backend financial arrangements and administration and pay >> directly and quickly. I also use a very good, high quality digital printer >> in Albuquerque for paperback editions. It is Lithexcel >> <https://lithexcel.com/services/print.html>. It handles all the >> printing (one copy to any number) quickly, along with all the fulfillment >> and accounting. The folks there will also, for only $25, set up your book >> in the Amazon inventory search engine. Finally, there is Amazon's >> self-publishing arm >> <https://www.bookbaby.com/free-publishing-guides?utm_campaign=GOOSL31&utm_source=SITELINK&utm_medium=cpc&mkwid=sNzCXe5z8_dc%7Cpcrid%7C238281756657%7Cpmt%7Ce%7Cpkw%7Camazon%20book%20publishing%7Cslid%7CcWU1oXIv%7Ctargetids%7Ckwd-362938383597%7Cgroupid%7C48812614458%7C&pgrid=48812614458&ptaid=kwd-362938383597&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0YD4BRD2ARIsAHwmKVnFci42apQ6vWUruvHuYX-FOum9VCF7bx83c_tSMHGoby8yylL_RTMaAjOEEALw_wcB>. >> While Amazon might take a bigger slice, the control over all aspects is in >> your hands. >> >> >> >> Here's the problem/challenge with all of these. *YOU* have to do the >> marketing/publicity/promotion. But so what? If you today sign with any >> publisher of any size you will have to do the same thing. >> >> >> >> Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me with questions. Also you might >> want to see https://bit.ly/2ZvihKc >> >> Tom >> >> >> ============================================ >> Tom Johnson - t...@jtjohnson.com >> Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA >> 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) >> *NM Foundation for Open Government* <http://nmfog.org> >> *Check out It's The People's Data >> <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Its-The-Peoples-Data/1599854626919671>* >> >> >> ============================================ >> >> >> >> >> >> >> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=icon> >> >> Virus-free. www.avast.com >> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=link> >> >> >> >> On Fri, Jul 3, 2020 at 1:29 AM Jochen Fromm <j...@cas-group.net> wrote: >> >> At one end of the spectrum there are the 5 big commercial publishers >> Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & >> Schuster. They only publish stuff their agents select to make a lot of >> money. There are also the big academic publishers like OUP, CUP, HUP and >> MIT Press, which preferably publish strictly peer-reviewed content from >> professors at Ivy League universities who made their PhD at the age of 20. >> >> >> At the other end of the spectrum there are "predatory publishers" who >> publish anything you submit as long as you pay enough money for it. Open >> access books can also be very expensive. Publishing an "open access book" >> at De Gruyter for example costs up to 8000 $. You pay for it so that other >> people read it. It is basically some kind of advertising of your own work. >> >> >> For my own new book I finally have an offer from a small publisher in >> Washington D.C. who is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. They are >> really small and offer 5% royalties. Should I accept this offer or wait for >> a better one? It is the only one from more than 25 publishers I have asked, >> and the publishers at the moment are flooded with submissions. :-/ >> >> https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/mar/26/novel-writing-during-coronavirus-crisis-outbreak >> >> >> >> -J. >> >> - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> >> - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> >> - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> >> - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> > - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam > un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >
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