PART 2
In the meantime, I have put my book on Amazon.
I set up a store, so I can control the price and not have Amazon
undercut the stores that are carrying my book. My book sells for 19.95.
I sell it to retailers for $9.00-$10.00. At the $10.00 mark, they can
still mark it up 45%, so they are happy. I set up my own ecommerce
store through BigCommerce.com . I highly recommend them. Their customer
service has been top notch. They have a deal with Facebook to sell on
their site for free. So I can sell off of my FB page.
Another crazy part to all this was setting up the merchant accounts and
linking my store with the bank. None that was fun or easy. I ended up
using Wells Fargo, they had the best interest rate, the best monthly
rate (which I negotiated) and an average set fee per transaction. This
was a miserable process and have since found a great company that will
do it all for you if you are not inclined. Parallel Solutions based in
Utah is who I would talk to.
We can’t leave out Linkedin, Flickr, Googleplus, YouTube, Facebook, and
Twitter. I have become involved with all of these and have learned far
more than I could ever give back. These communities have been great
ways for me to get my book out there and to learn so much. Writing
these books, though extremely important, is such a small percentage of
what being a self-published author really entails.
I hope this helps anyone that is considering publishing a tactile
children’s book. Maybe it can serve as a roadmap or help out with
anyone looking to go this route. I always have questions and welcome
any advice that others may have to offer. The great thing about a
tactile book is that it can’t be duplicated into an E-Book. There will
always be a need for these books. Find your niche. Believe in it. Be
persistent and relentless in your pursuit of your goal. It has taken me
7 years to get to this point. I don’t plan on stopping now and I wish
you the same in your passion.
“Like” my Facebook page if you get a chance. You can always “hide” my
postings on you page if you don’t want to hear from me, but that way you
are still “liking” me and I get higher numbers!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Collegiate-Kids-Books-LLC/275259229184656
Bryan Jones
Sunday, May 27, 2012
My adventures in self-publishing a tactile children's book. Advice given, advice, questions, thoughts and comments welcome!
If anyone is thinking more "Pat the Bunny" or "Tails" than "Goodnight Moon" then this is your discussion group. The only books my two girls wanted me to read to them on a consistent basis were these two books. Don't get me wrong, "Goodnight Moon" and "Madeline" were favorites, but they always seemed to be second choice to the ones that they could participate in. Since I do not have the skills to compete with these two titans, I chose to the touchy-feely route. Material and moving parts can speak more and better to a child than I can.The biggest problem that I encountered along the way was finding a printer. Forget finding a publisher for this stuff until you have come out with several books by yourself and shown that they are a sell-able product. I chose to self-publish after wasting 3 years chasing publishers. I worked with several printers in China, but the saying, "lost in translation" didn't come close. I lost at least a year trying to find someone I trusted and that understood what I was trying to create. I finally found a guy from the UK that was a half owner of a company in China. He has been very helpful and most importantly, responsive.
Next, I had to find a paper engineer. Who knew that was even a profession! Luckily, the printer knew a great one, and it has been fantastic. This guy has designed pop-up cards that are sold by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We send him the art work, he tweeks it, then builds a mock-up, complete with materials and working parts and sends it back to us for approval. Then he meets with printer and it is sent off to China to have a proof made and sent back to us. He is not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Should my first batch of book sell out, then his cost is defrayed on the second printing.
All my materials have to go through independent test labs to make sure I am not poisoning any little children. Very important aspect to all this and not cheap either.
The printer and importer sent all the pages, inks, materials and more off to these labs for me.
You need an importer when you get your books printed overseas. The printer put me in touch with a solid company in California. So far so good, but our books are stuck in customs at this point, so I can’t give rave reviews as of yet. I will know more in a few days.
While all this is going on I took the 10 samples the printer sent me and started mailing them out to different online retailers that might have an interest in carrying them. I got several takers and the rest I have never heard back from, despite phone calls and emails. Their loss! (Always stay positive). I went on a road trip up to stores in Virginia with my sample and found quite a number of different stores that agreed to carry it. A tactile baby book covers several categories, gift stores, book stores and team stores. (My books are a niche, being based on mascots of individual schools).
More in the next post...
Monday, February 20, 2012
Publisher or Self Publish? That is the question...
I would have to say that I wasted 2 years trying to go the tradition route of getting a publisher to even email me back. Forget it. I think the best way to go about this is marry one or stalk one until you are arrested, then you may get noticed. An agent might be a good way to go, but I didn't relish giving up 10% of all future royalties.
With the books that I am producing, I am already paying the schools 10%, so an additional 10% was not in the equation. My frustrations were in large part because the publishing houses would not accept a mailed copy of what we were trying to do. Since we are publishing a tactile book (interactive, touch and feel kids book) I don't think it translated very well into to email.
The system they use is brutal for the hoping author. They say they will email you back in 3 to 6 MONTHS!!! (if they like it). Wow, I would have been a lot happier with a curt "no" or "no thanks" or "you suck" than checking my empty In Box.
I finally decided to go with self publishing. This is not an easier if you are doing a tactile book. I read several books about self publishing to get started. I do recommend this. I also recommend searching wikipedia for companies that specialize in the kind of books you are looking to print. The decision was made and that is where we are today. Thank goodness we chose this route.
With the books that I am producing, I am already paying the schools 10%, so an additional 10% was not in the equation. My frustrations were in large part because the publishing houses would not accept a mailed copy of what we were trying to do. Since we are publishing a tactile book (interactive, touch and feel kids book) I don't think it translated very well into to email.
The system they use is brutal for the hoping author. They say they will email you back in 3 to 6 MONTHS!!! (if they like it). Wow, I would have been a lot happier with a curt "no" or "no thanks" or "you suck" than checking my empty In Box.
I finally decided to go with self publishing. This is not an easier if you are doing a tactile book. I read several books about self publishing to get started. I do recommend this. I also recommend searching wikipedia for companies that specialize in the kind of books you are looking to print. The decision was made and that is where we are today. Thank goodness we chose this route.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Idea
When my daughter Lauren was born back in 2002 we did what every parent does with a precious newborn. We fought. That period of time should be filed under "shit sandwich and other thing that you don't want to eat again". Luckily we made it through intact and still sleeping under the same roof.
My mom is reading recovery teacher. She works in a school system where the parents have little involvement with their children's education and even less with helping them develop a love of reading. She has a vanity plate that says "Read2AKid". So half out of fear of my mother and half out of fear that we would raise a kid that the local illiterate slattern of town, we read to her.
We read and we read. Shell Silverstein, Dr. Suess, Penthouse Letters, just kidding you sicko. I got a crash-course-master's-degree in children's books. Some sucked. Some really sucked, and some I did enjoy reading. The ones I really enjoyed were the ones that my squirmy kid sat still for and even participated in. I also enjoyed the ones that the artwork was interesting to both my and my daughter. A rare occurrence, but a pleasure all the same.
Finally when Lauren was old enough to crawl/toddle, I would ask her if she wanted pick a book. Guess what was numero uno? Pat the Bunny. Pat the Freakin Bunny. Man, she loved it. I loved and hated it. It was easy read, but boring as hell for me. Lauren was thrilled with it, poking her finger in mummy's ring, feeling daddy's scratchy face and smelling fabic softener were always big with her. What simple hit!
Pat the Bunny has been printed since 1940, and according to some statistics, number 4 all-time on the children's best seller list. Another hit with Lauren was Tails, by Matthew Van Fleet. This book was even easier to read. Nothing like a rhyming book that rolls easily off a tired parent's tongue. Lauren was enthralled by the moving parts and the scratch and sniff. We burned through three copies or more of each of these.
Now, I am a NCSU grad. We had received multiple copies of Hello Mr. Wuf. I am a huge fan of my school. My bride, bless her rotten confused heart is a UNC grad. The race to brainwash our daughter was on. No way was I going to let her go to the dark side without a fight. I tried reading this book to her. I wanted it very much to be her favorite book. Wasn't happening. It is a good book, just not one my daughter was putting in her top 50. Lauren was bright enough to know that Daddy loved reading this book to her. I finally gave up reading the story line and made up my own stories, age appropriate of course. I left out what happened with daddy and the co-ed in the library and other such ribald tales of beer induced behavior.
Still, how was I to turn my child into a rabid UNC-hating, David Thompson, Jimmy V lover? I was already catching glimpses of her on my wife's camera wearing Tar-Heel paraphernalia that was quietly removed upon my arrival after work. Hmmmm.
The idea popped in while I was watching Archie Miller snag a rebound. The announcer said he "came off the floor like a pop-up book to get that rebound". That was it. My daughter loved the pop-up books, the moving parts, the different textures, scratch and sniff, and pull tabs. Why not combine my love of NC State and her love of these interactive books and make something we both would love to read?
One of my closest friends in college was a fantastic cartoon artist. He parents, not wanting him to waste his time in college, discouraged (refused to pay) for him to pursue his passion. They ordered him into the textile world. A booming business. That boom was the sound of bottom falling out and all the companies shutting their doors as they hightailed it across the boarder. I began conversation with Mark "Hootie" Bowman about the dream. 6 years later, he finally took me serious.
My mom is reading recovery teacher. She works in a school system where the parents have little involvement with their children's education and even less with helping them develop a love of reading. She has a vanity plate that says "Read2AKid". So half out of fear of my mother and half out of fear that we would raise a kid that the local illiterate slattern of town, we read to her.
We read and we read. Shell Silverstein, Dr. Suess, Penthouse Letters, just kidding you sicko. I got a crash-course-master's-degree in children's books. Some sucked. Some really sucked, and some I did enjoy reading. The ones I really enjoyed were the ones that my squirmy kid sat still for and even participated in. I also enjoyed the ones that the artwork was interesting to both my and my daughter. A rare occurrence, but a pleasure all the same.
Finally when Lauren was old enough to crawl/toddle, I would ask her if she wanted pick a book. Guess what was numero uno? Pat the Bunny. Pat the Freakin Bunny. Man, she loved it. I loved and hated it. It was easy read, but boring as hell for me. Lauren was thrilled with it, poking her finger in mummy's ring, feeling daddy's scratchy face and smelling fabic softener were always big with her. What simple hit!
Pat the Bunny has been printed since 1940, and according to some statistics, number 4 all-time on the children's best seller list. Another hit with Lauren was Tails, by Matthew Van Fleet. This book was even easier to read. Nothing like a rhyming book that rolls easily off a tired parent's tongue. Lauren was enthralled by the moving parts and the scratch and sniff. We burned through three copies or more of each of these.
Now, I am a NCSU grad. We had received multiple copies of Hello Mr. Wuf. I am a huge fan of my school. My bride, bless her rotten confused heart is a UNC grad. The race to brainwash our daughter was on. No way was I going to let her go to the dark side without a fight. I tried reading this book to her. I wanted it very much to be her favorite book. Wasn't happening. It is a good book, just not one my daughter was putting in her top 50. Lauren was bright enough to know that Daddy loved reading this book to her. I finally gave up reading the story line and made up my own stories, age appropriate of course. I left out what happened with daddy and the co-ed in the library and other such ribald tales of beer induced behavior.
Still, how was I to turn my child into a rabid UNC-hating, David Thompson, Jimmy V lover? I was already catching glimpses of her on my wife's camera wearing Tar-Heel paraphernalia that was quietly removed upon my arrival after work. Hmmmm.
The idea popped in while I was watching Archie Miller snag a rebound. The announcer said he "came off the floor like a pop-up book to get that rebound". That was it. My daughter loved the pop-up books, the moving parts, the different textures, scratch and sniff, and pull tabs. Why not combine my love of NC State and her love of these interactive books and make something we both would love to read?
One of my closest friends in college was a fantastic cartoon artist. He parents, not wanting him to waste his time in college, discouraged (refused to pay) for him to pursue his passion. They ordered him into the textile world. A booming business. That boom was the sound of bottom falling out and all the companies shutting their doors as they hightailed it across the boarder. I began conversation with Mark "Hootie" Bowman about the dream. 6 years later, he finally took me serious.
Starting Collegiate Kids Books
After the shock and disappointment of being let go wore off I started my publishing company and instantly became famous. Bullshit. Not even close. First I need to make money. Just as there is no crying in baseball, there is no money in books, at least not quickly.
I had a great offer to open up my own real estate office in conjunction with a builder around the lake that I had worked on for the previous 7 years. I was able to get set up and running within a few months and within 6 months started earning some money. Money is important because it allows you work toward your goal. File that one under "solid gold nugget of advice by this jackass".
I was working for myself, making a living, supporting my family, but didn't feel that I wanted to sell real estate the rest of my days. If I had to I would, but the dream of my book had taken hold. It was something that dominated my thoughts and I knew I had to start working toward making it happen.
I had a great offer to open up my own real estate office in conjunction with a builder around the lake that I had worked on for the previous 7 years. I was able to get set up and running within a few months and within 6 months started earning some money. Money is important because it allows you work toward your goal. File that one under "solid gold nugget of advice by this jackass".
I was working for myself, making a living, supporting my family, but didn't feel that I wanted to sell real estate the rest of my days. If I had to I would, but the dream of my book had taken hold. It was something that dominated my thoughts and I knew I had to start working toward making it happen.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Getting Let Go
On September 11, 2009, I was let go by the company that I had given my heart, time and passion to for the last 7 years. I was the top sales agent every year except one for 7 years. The real estate market had turned, our company had just filed chapter 11 and I was a squeaky wheel that got the proverbial grease.
The boss man didn't like my suggestions on what we could possibly do to boost sales, so I was traded as they say in the sports world. Nothing like sitting in a sales meeting and being asked "What can we do to help you sell". Gee, I how mind-blowingly thoughtful! I never thought to ask for help. Considering I was 100% commission, I truly think these jokers did not think we were motivated or smart enough to sell. Also, nothing like a person telling you how to sell that has never been in the sales world. Much like a scene in the movie "Office Space", it ended and there I was in the middle of semi-depression with no job.
15 minutes after I had hugged my former master's goodbye and walked out the door, I put it all in my past and decided to dedicate myself to figuring out what it was that I wanted to do to make a living. I set a deadline of December 1st, 2011 to have something in the works. I even wrote the guy that let me go a "thank you" letter for the 7 great years I had on the lake with them. No reason to burn bridges or harbor grudges...
The boss man didn't like my suggestions on what we could possibly do to boost sales, so I was traded as they say in the sports world. Nothing like sitting in a sales meeting and being asked "What can we do to help you sell". Gee, I how mind-blowingly thoughtful! I never thought to ask for help. Considering I was 100% commission, I truly think these jokers did not think we were motivated or smart enough to sell. Also, nothing like a person telling you how to sell that has never been in the sales world. Much like a scene in the movie "Office Space", it ended and there I was in the middle of semi-depression with no job.
15 minutes after I had hugged my former master's goodbye and walked out the door, I put it all in my past and decided to dedicate myself to figuring out what it was that I wanted to do to make a living. I set a deadline of December 1st, 2011 to have something in the works. I even wrote the guy that let me go a "thank you" letter for the 7 great years I had on the lake with them. No reason to burn bridges or harbor grudges...
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