Welcome guest blogger Brian Rathbone! When we heard that Brian had his own micropress, we asked him to share the steps and potential advantages.

About Today’s Guest Blogger

Website: http://www.brianrathbone.com
Email: Brian@BrianRathbone.com 
Twitter: @brianrathbone
He’s on Facebook 
and on Myspace.

Starting your own Micropress: Self-publishing your way to success

by Brian Rathbone

Though the concept has been around for as long as the printing press, self-publishing has only recently become accessible to the masses. New technologies lowered the barrier of entry into the publishing world with both good and bad effect. Those barriers had, in many ways, acted as filters; they let only the print-worthy material slip through. Once that barrier was dropped, there was nothing to stop a writer from publishing their unedited manuscript. Vanity presses sprung up to satisfy the needs of those who wanted a shortcut to being published. A flood of poorly written and unedited books led to the stigma associated with self-publishers today. Some consider self-publishing to be the end of your chances at a writing career, and I agree that this can be the case, but there are exceptions.

The next logical question is how to become one of the exceptions. The simplest answer I can give is to distinguish yourself from the amateurs. You must rise above the stigma through the quality and quantity of your work.

If you cannot commit to having your manuscript edited by a professional, then I recommend you hold off on publishing your work. It’s not ready. It is my opinion that it is nearly impossible for writers to edit and proof their own work. There is a reason big publishers assign editors to EVERY book they print. Even famous authors must work with editors. If you choose to skip this step, then all bets are off, and you are already on a slippery slope.

Before you proceed, you must ask yourself why you want to self-publish. If the answer is that everything you’ve written and submitted has been rejected over and over again, then self-publishing is probably not the solution. You may be better served by talking with an editor about what can be done to improve your writing and make it more commercially attractive.

If, on the other hand, you want to retain control of your project, or perhaps you are looking to build an audience before approaching the folks in New York, self-publishing might be a good solution. If you are willing to invest time, energy, and cash, you might be a good candidate. Publishing is a business, and you need to be ready for all that running the business will entail.

Next comes the question of who will be your publisher. The short answer is you, or more specifically the company you own. You didn’t really want to pay someone to print their name on your books, did you? Better to start your own company. Sure, you could just publish it using your name, but keep in mind that retailers will need a Tax ID for the publisher in order to report taxes. Do you really want to give them your social security number? A better solution is to form a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and get a Tax ID for the company. Using a service like LegalZoom.com or Incorporate.com, you can quickly and easily create your LLC for less than $500. You’ll just need a name for your company. I suggest coming up with something that sounds like the name of a publisher; nothing cute or silly.

At this point, your company is probably best classified as a micro-press. Retailers generally won’t consider you to be a small press until you have at least ten titles in active circulation and you have a deal with a major distributor.

Once you have your Micro-press formed, you’ll need some ISBNs (International Standard Book Number), which can be purchased from Bowker.com. You can buy ISBNs in blocks or individually. If you plan to publish more than one book, I suggest getting a block. Also, if you plan to sell your book through retail outlets, it’ll need a barcode. Barcodes that meet all industry standards can be purchased through Bowker.com as well. Keep in mind that you not only need a barcode, but it must also be placed in the correct location based on industry guidelines.

Do judge your book by its cover. It’s your first impression. Make it count. Even if you are talented enough to produce your own cover art, set aside at least $250 for a professional cover layout.

Most writers aren’t skilled typesetters, and I highly recommend having a professional perform the final text layout. The cost will vary depending on the length of your manuscript, but $300-$500 is probably a safe estimate.

So now, you have a fully edited and laid-out manuscript with an attractive cover and the requisite barcode. Are we ready to go to press yet? Almost. The next big decision is how many books to print. This part is tricky. The more books you print, the lower your cost per unit will be, and it can be tempting to print too many copies in order to raise your profit margin. Selfpublishing.com is one of the few places that offers an online price calculator that you can use to estimate the cost per unit depending on how many you print. Many will tell not to print a single book more than you can sell. If you are going to order a print run, I highly recommend doing a pre-press survey to find out how many books you can really sell. Some folks even offer a discount for pre-ordering. If you can get the money before you go to press, then much of the risk can be alleviated.

You may be tempted to go straight to a printer and deal with them directly, but I would caution against that. The printer doesn’t want to deal with amateurs, and mistakes can be expensive. Companies like RJ Communications can act as brokers in the process and can manage the relationship with the printer, which can be beneficial for all parties involved.

In the end, being a true self-publisher means committing to the process, making an investment in yourself, and overseeing every step along the way. It’s not for everyone, but for those with the will and desire, it can be very rewarding.