Archives for Bowker

Benefits of Getting Your Own ISBN

ISBN

30% of all e-books sold in the United States lack an ISBN number and are not listed in library and book stores – nor in market surveys or reports by Bowker, AAP, BISG, and Nielsen. So, why do author-publishers don’t obtain their own ISBN’s? Could it be to they want to avoid the fees?

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After all ISBN’s Belong to the Publisher!
If you are the one who has complete control over your book, doing the marketing and distribution, then consider getting your own ISBN. Each version of your book – e-book, paperback, hardcover, or audio-book – needs a unique ISBN.  Order at least a block of ten numbers.  ISBN numbers are assigned by a group of agencies worldwide coordinated by the International ISBN Agency.
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Where to Order Your ISBN:

Canada
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/publishers/index-e.html
USA
http://www.isbn.org
UK
http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/controller.php?page=121
Australia
http://www.thorpe.com.au/isbn/
New Zealand
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/services/get-advice/publishing/isbn
South Africa
http://www.publishsa.co.za/publishing/isbn-numbers

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Benefits of an ISBN
As an author, you may have received offers from distributors, POD companies or “Vanity-Publishers” for a discounted ISBN. Don’t fall for these traps explained in this article!

  • Only the one who purchases their own ISBN from the official distributors is considered the publisher! Or self-publisher.
  • You can list your book worldwide with Bowker to be in all databases of libraries and bookstores around the globe.
  • One of the most important reasons to have your own ISBN is that an ISBN helps to cement your publisher brand and makes it easier for the bookstores and libraries to carry your book or e-book.
  • In Italy e-Books that do not contain an ISBN are charged 22% VAT – while e-books with an ISBN are charged at a rate of only 4%.

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What Do All These Numbers in Your ISBN Code Mean?
ISBN is the International Standard Book Number, a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books published anywhere in the world. Parts of an ISBN are:

  • group or country identified
  • publisher identifier
  • title identifier
  • and the check digit

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To sell your e-book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple or Kobo doesn’t necessarily require an ISBN, but it will be necessary, as soon as you start your book’s print version. Any book on your book shelf, at libraries or in book stores has a mandatory ISBN.

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Read more:
http://www.isbn.org/faqs_general_questions
https://www.savvybookwriters.com/who-is-the-publisher-check-the-isbn/
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2015/best-practices-for-ebook-front-matter-copyright-page-part-1/
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If it Looks too Good to be True, it Probably is!

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As an author, don’t let yourself trap by Vanity publishers and a plethora of scam artists that want to cash in on writers.  The list of these unethical offers is endless and unfortunately some writers are not vigilant and tweet / re-tweet or post without carefully reading and researching these scammers on the Internet. It is easy:  just google “complaint” and the name… You might be surprised what comes up!
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For Example on Monday:
I was on our Twitter book account when I saw by chance this tweet:

Worth a bookmark: To purchase Single ISBN numbers http://www.aardvarkglobalpublishing.com/isbn_numbers.php?adid=askjeeves 
#authors #writing #books  pic.twitter.com/hL5fNi5RfW

(I omit her name here, not to give her more appearance than necessary. Not sure why she promotes this Vanity printer and defends them fiercly…)
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I immediately ran into protection- and investigative mode, and made a quick Google search, as I saw that several people had retweeted it already and posted it.  I replied to her:

NOT a good idea – don’t be tempted by the price! Aardvark Global Publishing is listed as the publisher!  … and I added
ANOTHER TRAP FOR AUTHORS – Don’t waste your money! Read also this and compare:    BTW they pay only $1  – and sell it to authors for $69 …….. Don’t fall for this!  

Her answer:

Exactly my point. So again I ask, why smear a business. CreateSpace has it’s own problems, so do your research

I tweeted back:

Here is the research: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/ECKO-HOUSE-PUBLISHING/   aka Aardvark. $69 ISBN price works only when you publish with them http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Aardvark-Global-Publishing/Sandy-Utah  

Her answer:

You are blocked from following … my Tweets.

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Fine with me. Will not miss her vitriolic answers.  But I hope some smart authors have looked up this Vanity publisher as well (see all the complaint links from the Internet search about this company – who recently changed their name – at the end of this blog post).
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And then she shot one more:

Answer to the pissing duel on ISBN. Aardvark Global is affiliated w/ Bowker.

I am afraid she thought “affiliated” means belonging to Bowker.  Nothing could be further, they are just buyers there.  Dictionary: AFFILIATED means closely associated with another, typically in a dependent or subordinate position, or a re-seller.

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Why I Write About These Tweets?
As an author-publisher one needs to know about the publishing business and certainly about the predators who are hunting for victims.  Familiarize yourself with practices regarding ISBN “sales”, to learn what’s behind a seemingly cheap offer, and how these “businesses” work. 

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What Authors Need to Know About ISBN

  • ISBN numbers are sold to the publisher by the official agency for the USA, R.R. Bowker. If you are not buying it from Bowker, and instead getting it cheaper, or for free, from Vanity printers (everyone who poses as a “publisher”, taking money from writers for “services” that she or he could get much cheaper elsewhere), or POD printers (CreateSpace or SmashWords), trades his publisher-status in exchange for saving a couple of dollars to these “affiliates” of the official ISBN seller Bowker.  Like many others Aakvard / EckoHouse Publishing is a Vanity publisher, a printer or at least affiliated with a printing company.  Researching hundreds of Vanity publishers over the years, one always sees the same patterns…
  • How ISBN sales work: Bowker sells ISBN’s to publishers (and self-publishers) from 1 – 10,000 numbers.  See the prices below.
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This is an original screen shot from Bowker, the official seller of ISBN’s in the USA:
Buying ISBN’s in Bulk at Bowker:  

https://www.myidentifiers.com/get-your-isbn-now

1  $125.00

 

10  $295.00

 

100  $575.00 (= $ 5.75 / per ISBN

“If you are a USA based publisher and buying more than 100 ISBNs, we have programs designed to fit your needs,”  writes Bowker.

So, I gave them a call, to make sure my own files are correct, and 1,000 ISBN’s cost still $1,000 – which means Vanity Publishers and POD’s buy them for $1 / piece – and sell them for any amount, say for example $69 to an author – but ONLY if this authors buys also their other Vanity Services…  
If authors don’t sign up – they have to pay $139, exactly $14 more than they would pay at Bowker – or $138 more than Aarkvard-EckoHousePublishing can get it in bulk from Bowker…
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I am talking here about prices for US-authors / publishers.  The Canadian government supports the writing / publishing community generously, ISBN’s are free in Canada!

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isbn

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VERY IMPORTANT:
An ISBN gives a publisher (YOU)  free inclusion into Books in Print, the world’s largest catalog of books, which is licensed to all major search engines and to ten-thousands of bookstores and libraries.  Your ISBN record will also receive a free online listing at the online Books in Print bibliographic database that’s available on the open Web at http://seo.bowker.com.  Please read also how to sign up for this free listing on Bowker – but it works only if your imprint is listed as the publisher!
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The Book Designer, Joel Friedlander wrote:

  • The ISBN contains within it a “publisher identifier.” This enables anyone to locate the publisher of any particular book or edition. If you use a “free” ISBN from an author services company or a subsidy publisher, that company will be identified in bibliographic databases as the publisher.
  • Owning your own ISBNs gives you the ability to control the bibligraphic record for your book. This is an important part of your book’s metadata, and is a key component in your book being discoverable by online searchers. This has a powerful influence on your efforts to attract search engine traffic to your title.
  • And further cautions: “But keep in mind that it’s rarely a good idea to buy just one ISBN. If you intend to issue your book as both a printed book and an ebook, you will need two ISBNs right from the start, and the cost of buying two individual numbers is the same as purchasing ten numbers (currently $295). In addition, Bowker is actually registering your publishing company when they issue you your numbers, not your individual books. This is a key step for many self-publishers and that’s a pretty good reason to get an ISBN as well.”
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Bowker explains on their Help Page at Bowker:

Question: I got my ISBN from my printer and now I want to make sure it’s in my name, how do I transfer the ISBN?

ISBNs cannot be transferred on an individual basis. If a self-publisher wants to be identified as the publisher, the self-publisher must get their own ISBN.  A printing company or publisher services company cannot sell, give away or transfer one of their own ISBNs they bought in their publisher role, to a customer.

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The only way to be recognized as the publisher and have your book worldwide listed, is to order your ISBN’s directly from and pay to Bowker – and at the end it’s the least expensive!  Don’t give any of your rights away!  Not even to POD service companies. 

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Here is a Short List of Complaints on the Internet:

Aarkvad and Eckohouse Publishing are the same company!

ECKO House Publishing – The Revolutionary Way To Publish Your Book

What is “revolutionary” in taking advantage of authors? Or in printing books?  How else they make money from authors:  http://www.onestopcopyrighting.com

Judy SlackOrdered 10 ISBN numbers and bar codes. As of this date, I have not received or heard from Ecko after numerous calls and e-mails. What is going on with this company? PayPal has delivered the money so that should be no problem in delivery what I ordered in a timely manner according to their website promise.”  http://www.manta.com/c/mtrgs57/ecko-house-publishing

Better Business Bureau complaints
http://www.bbb.org/utah/business-reviews/publishers-book/ecko-house-publishing-in-sandy-ut-22311892/

http://www.mullinchinowsky.com/no_aardvark_global_publishing.htm

https://openlibrary.org/publishers/Aardvark_Global_Publishing  (Aardvark is claiming on their website to have 1000’s of authors helped… checking their website, there are only a few books)

http://www.scambook.com/company/view/122460/Aardvark-Global-Publishing

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/directory/aardvark-global-publishing

Well, and that’s their business site on Google+  –  no comment necessary …

https://plus.google.com/114875685637156881519/about

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Why it is Smart to Get Your Own ISBN

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ISBN

In a recent blog post I mentioned the findings of the January 2015 Author Earnings Report: 30% of the e-books being purchased in the U.S. do not use ISBN numbers and are invisible to the industry’s official market surveys and reports.  Which also means: all the ISBN-based estimates of market share reported by Bowker, AAP, BISG, and Nielsen are wildly wrong.

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Bestseller Author M.A.Demers Explains:
“An ISBN clearly identifies an e-book as a book, no different from a print book.  No ISBN leaves the door open to classify the good as a digital good and not a book.  Since e-books retailers such as Amazon sell a multitude of items in addition to e-books, only an ISBN “proves” the good sold is an e-book. This explains why Italy, who are already facing prosecution for lowering the rate of VAT on e-books, will only do so if the e-book bears an ISBN.”

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A Book – or Not a Book in Italy?
Writing about changes in sales tax (VAT) in the EU, Amazon recently explained in their email that Italy has implemented new legislation that charges a higher rate of VAT on e-books that do not have an ISBN.
e-Books that do not contain an ISBN are charged 22% VAT, while e-books with an ISBN are charged a rate of only 4%.  One might argue: I don’t care about the Italian book market, but other countries might follow this example. 

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The Publisher?  The One Who Owns the ISBN!
You may encounter offers from other sources to purchase single ISBNs at special offer prices. Companies that provide limited services such as distributing, retailing, bar code services, printing, and/or marketing should NOT assign ISBN’s from their company to your publications – unless you allow them to also hold the publishing rights for your books.  If you use one of these reassigned ISBN’s, you will not be correctly identified as the publisher of record in “Books in Print” or many of the book industry databases.  If you want to appear as a professional author-publisher: an ISBN helps to cement your publisher brand and makes it easier for the bookstores and libraries to carry your book or e-book. Each version of your book (e-book, paperback, hardcover, or audio- book) needs a unique ISBN.  So be smart and order a block of ten.  And list your book worldwide with Bowker to be in all databases of libraries and bookstores around the globe.
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BTW:  Did you change your sales price on Amazon? If not, hurry, otherwise you might get only 30% instead of 70% for your $2.99 book.  Amazon would pay you only half of your revenue.

 

Read All About ISBN here:

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/isbn-numbers-and-how-to-get-one/

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/author-beware-unauthorized-resellers-of-isbns/

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If you would like to get a mentor and support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer for three months all this and more for only $179 – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,160 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? There is also the “SHARE” button for easy sharing at Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.

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30% of eBooks in the US do Not Use ISBN

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Author-Earnings

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This is just one of the findings of the “January 2015 Author Earnings Report” by an independent (and non-profit) web survey.  It is not at all Nielsen data, which covers only a fraction of e-book and book sales, and does not reveal the true numbers of purchases and author earnings. However these Nielsen data is publicized widely and people are believing these (wrong) numbers. Not to mention that overall bestseller lists are often manipulated. Until now there were no true numbers available as online distributors, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble don’t even share their e-book sales figures.

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Author Earning Report’s Mission
Number one is to gather and share information so that writers can make informed decisions. Their secondary mission is to call for change within the publishing community for better pay and fairer terms in all contracts.
This is a website by authors and for authors. 120,000 bestselling Amazon ebook titles are included in their surveys.  Or as J.A. Konrath wrote: “See Hugh Howey (bestseller author of WOOL) blew the lid off of Amazon author earnings. To say it is a revelation is putting it lightly.”

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Get the REAL Numbers: January 2015 Author Earnings Report

  • 30% of the ebooks being purchased in the U.S. do not use ISBN numbers and are invisible to the industry’s official market surveys and reports; all the ISBN-based estimates of market share reported by Bowker, AAP, BISG, and Nielsen are wildly wrong.
  • 33% of all paid ebook unit sales on Amazon.com are indie self-published ebooks.
  • 20% of all consumer dollars spent on ebooks on Amazon.com are being spent on indie self-published ebooks.
  • 40% of all dollars earned by authors from ebooks on Amazon.com are earned by indie self-published ebooks.
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Get the comprehensive data, including detailed statistics at the Author Earnings Report. It shows lots of background information and comparison between survey methods – and why they are often wrong, not counting e-books that miss an ISBN.

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Find out more why and how these author earnings surveys evolved and how valuable they are for every writer in an interview on J.A. Konrath’s blog.

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer for three months all this and more for only $179 – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,180 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? There is also the “SHARE” button for easy sharing at Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.

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How these 3 Self-Publishing Tools Help Authors

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Tools-for-Author-Publishers
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Improvements everywhere:  New tools and technology for author-publishers will help to navigate the process from manuscript to finished print book or e-book more easily. Just to make sure you know what’s available for writers now:
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1. Scribd Subscription Service: The “Netflix” of e-Books
Read unlimited amounts of Books: Scribd launched an e-book subscription service for their readers at $8.99/month with unlimited access to books. Everyone enrolled in the subscription program gets e-books in bulk. Readers can try Scribd for free for one month, and are encourage to try unknown authors.
Distributing of your own e-books  is offered in Scribd’s Subscription Program: “Contact us if you would like to make your e-books available via our subscription offering. Our content acquisition team would love to talk to you.”

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2. Bowker offers Self-Published Author resources
Bowker’s database of books in print is huge and their interface sometimes a bit clumbsy. After so many complaints from author-publishers, Bowker offers at least explanations for self-publishers e.g. how to fill out each field in their forms. But that’s not all: Bowker launched the Self-Published Author website, a great source of information with tools, advice, and resources to help authors through the publishing process.
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3. Templates for Book Layout – Interior Book Design
The Book Designer” Joel Friedlander offers templates in Microsoft Word that look as good as books that are professionally designed in Adobe InDesign. A custom-designed interior book might cost between $1,000 and $4,000 , the print book template is less than $40. There are over a dozen Word templates and counting to choose from and more are coming. Add your manuscript and create a PDF to upload to CreateSpace, Lightning Source, or any printing company. Using the e-book template in this series for another $10 and upload it to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Sony, B&N and others. All you need to know is how to apply styles in Word and how to copy/paste text. You certainly can customize your template. All you need to know is basic Word styles. Or you can hire a freelancer to help creating PDFs, upgrading or modifying templates and other tasks at Elance or Fiverr.
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Read about more tools in the publishing process, for example Dropbox:
http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/13359

For computer / software geeks and publishing professionals
http://voices.yahoo.com/top-5-software-programs-self-publishing-desktop-6465478.html?cat=15

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $179 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting for writers: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/ to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 1,010 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://www.111publishing.com

http://www.e-Book-PR.com/

http://www.international-ebooks.com/

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Adobe InDesign, book layout template, Bowker, ebook subscription service, Scribt, self-publishing tools, TheBookDesigner, Toolbox

10 Tips: How to Sell Your Books to Libraries

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LibraryDecator Georgia

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US Libraries purchase books for nearly $2 billion per year. But not only books, also audio books and other forms of publications, such as e-books.  How can authors reach out to this lucrative market? And what about the distribution channels?

Ask the Library:
Ask if the library needs a purchase order for every book it purchases. Many libraries are publicly funded, and a purchase order, or PO, helps them keep track of their budget.
Ask for a current list of books the library needs to acquire. Most libraries put an emphasis on acquiring very new books; however, they may also be in need of replacements for lost or stolen copies. Find out whether they prefer hardcover, paperback or library bound books. Most libraries prefer library-bound or hardcover books.
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Distributor to Libraries
Quality Books Inc.  provides libraries with small press books that are not widely available through other
distributors. Their inventory is devoted ONLY to libraries.They explain:
“For the small publisher, getting noticed, by the appropriate librarian can present an
overwhelming challenge.  Since the vast majority of books and non-print resources produced annually never reach a professional review page, Quality Books Inc. has a stringent review process for all of the
titles we distribute. Our Title Selection Committee is made up of two MLS-degreed librarians and three publishing professionals. The committee uses more than 20 criteria with which to evaluate every title submitted to QBI for possible distribution.”  They give very detailed info what they are looking for at Quality Books’ webpage. They also state clearly how to submit your book, audio-book, CD etc.

Another major distributor to libraries is UniqueBooksInc  and specialist in non-fiction books and DVD’s. “We are a full service library resource providing our customers with newly copyrighted titles. Unique Books Inc. solves the small press dilemma of reaching the elusive, high maintenance library market profitably.”
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How Else Can You Promote Your Book in the Library Market?

  • Offer a free (1-2 hour) class in local libraries, where you can certainly mention your book and maybe even sell it.
  • Most online retailers, bookstores, and libraries find books through purchasing relationships with large distributors.
  • Find out the dates of library trade shows and exhibit through co-operative exhibit programs such as those offered through IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association.
  • Authors with several books, or those who can join with another small publishers, might try to get a booth at the ALA (American Library Association) Annual Conference in June 14, in Las Vegas, or at their other conferences, to show your books.  See a video about the Publisher halls at the Conference.
  • However, such conferences are not a place to sell hundreds of books, it is a place to introduce and take orders or hand out business card and ask librarians for theirs (maybe an iPad as drawing price, when people give their card into a fishbowl.)  It’s more of a PR stunt, than big sales.

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When is the Best Time?
Many libraries make the majority of their acquisitions at the beginning of their fiscal year, whatever this might be. This is a good time to buy books. If you want to approach Libraries directly: The best time to approach libraries might be in early December and early June (also mostly quiet months there) – as this is when they typically do their purchases.

More tips

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/myths-and-truth-about-selling-to-libraries/http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/how-to-sell-your-book-to-libraries/

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/
to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 970 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://www.111publishing.com

http://www.e-Book-PR.com/

http://www.international-ebooks.com/

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Book Listing worldwide, Bowker, How and When Do Libraries Buy, Ingram Distriburion, Library, Library of Congress Catalog in Publication, Quality Books, Unique Books

Myths And Truth About Selling to Libraries

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 Library-Pataskala

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Imagine, you sold your $15 book at 50% discount to only 10% of the 100,000 libraries in the USA, you will earn more than $75,000. But how can you tap into the lucrative library market?  And what do you need to know about libraries before you start to offer your book to them?
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Facts About Libraries
According to statistics from the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group, libraries yearly purchase books for nearly $2 billion. But not only books, also audio books and other forms of publications, such as e-books.
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On the downside: Many of the more than 100,000 public, university and specialty libraries throughout the United States have been forced to scale down their budgets and have to use creative means to update their book collections. They even take advantage of online bargains through Amazon.com, eBay and discount book sites.
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Consider These Steps:

  • Librarians read reviews — at least those in Library Journal and Kirkus or Publishers Weekly. It is not easy to get your book reviewed in these journals; however, it is possible. Sometimes librarians even check out the Amazon’s Bestseller Lists.
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  • Ask others to request your book via the libraries website. Libraries usually take requests seriously, so it’s a great way to get them to put your book on the shelves. Ask some friends and family members to request your book.
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  • Your book has to be available through major wholesalers – and it has to be available in print too.
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  • Apply to work with a library distributor such as Quality Books, Ingram Distriburion or Unique Books, if you have a non-fiction book.
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  • Librarians prefer hardcover books and soft cover perfect-bound books with the title printed on the spine. The cover on a perfect-bound book must be sturdy. Librarians particularly like reference books. If you are writing or compiling such a non-fiction book, be sure to include an index, a bibliography and/or a resource list.
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  • Books for library-use need a Library of Congress Catalog in Publication block or, for a self-published book, Publishers Catalog in Publication block and / or a listing with Bowker world wide. See also a blog post we wrote how to get your book listed for free in Bowker’s listing of available books.
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  • A note, printed on the upper left back cover should indicating the type of book this is and the topic: reference/book publishing, writing/reference, history, autobiography, parenting,
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Try to Sell Books Directly to Libraries

To find their addresses, use  Gale’s Directory of Libraries or the Online Library Directory.
You can also buy mailing lists from a Library Marketing List. You can get listings for 25,000 university libraries or 18,000 public libraries, or 400 listings for community college libraries. Some libraries give instructions and guidelines on their websites, such as this in Tucson, Arizona: Pima County Library.
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Some libraries highlight local authors or will host regular book events like fundraisers that will accept donated books. However, you can’t just walk into a library and hope they will take your book, not even if you are giving it away! Librarians are happy to get books, but they also have constraints on what books they can accept.  One of those constraints is the written or unwritten “acquisitions policy” at each library, which is depending on what that library is collecting. Space and the high cost of storing and/or distributing their books to library patrons is another huge limitation. Time is another issue for librarians – they have little time to spend reading about books.
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Each kind of library: academic; public, school, and special, has different purposes. And they buy different kinds of books. Choose the right type for your book selling efforts. For example: Young Adult and Children’s authors: The largest library market are school libraries (grades K-12).  However, the budgets of academic libraries and public libraries are much larger than those of the typical school library.
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Send a press release to the contact name via e-mail or snail mail. Describe your book and the binding and list any amenities such as index, color photos, resource list and/or bibliography. Be sure to include all your ordering information in detail. Add a list of wholesalers / distributors that carry your book.
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Selling to libraries as an author-publisher (and signing up with book whole sale) works best when you have at least three quality print books to proof you are a serious writer .

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Promote Your Book to Libraries

  • Offer a free (1 hour) class in local libraries, where you can certainly mention your book.
  • Find out the dates of library trade shows and exhibit through their co-operative exhibit programs such as those offered through IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association.
  • Consider donating a copy of your book to a few top library systems, to encourage purchases for branch libraries.

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Read Carefully the Instructions Marketing to Libraries
ALA, the American Library Association gives generous information and tips for authors and publishers,a valuable resource:

  • The Library Market in General
  • What Do Libraries Buy?
  • How and When Do Libraries Buy?
  • Reviews
  • Direct Mail/Library Mailing Lists
  • Connecting Authors & Libraries
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The best time to approach libraries might be in December and June (also mostly quiet months there) – as this is when they typically do their purchases. If you deliver directly to the library and not through whole sale, you may want to offer the same discount to entice them to purchase your book. And last but not least:  It’s always good to become acquainted with your local librarians and ask them for advice.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $159 for 3 months! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/book-promo/ to advertise your new book, specials or your KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 940 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://www.111publishing.com

http://www.e-Book-PR.com/

http://www.international-ebooks.com/

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Book Listing worldwide, Bowker, Facts about Libraries, How and When Do Libraries Buy, How to sell to a, Ingram Distriburion, Library, Library of Congress, Library of Congress Catalog in Publication, Quality Books, Unique Books

ISBN Numbers and How to Get One

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ISBN

ISBN

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Selling your e-book on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Apple or Kobo doesn’t necessarily require an ISBN, but it will be necessary, as soon as you start your books print version. Any book on your book shelf, library or in book stores has an ISBN.

ISBN is the International Standard Book Number, a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books published anywhere in the world. Parts of an ISBN are:

  • group or country identified
  • publisher identifier
  • title identifier
  • and the check digit

ISBN numbers are assigned by a group of agencies worldwide coordinated by the International ISBN Agency in London, England. In the United States, ISBN’s are assigned by the U.S. ISBN Agency: R.R. Bowker is the independent agent in the US for this system.  You can order an ISBN online – or even better, a block of ten. On average it takes about two weeks for ISBN’s to be assigned.  In addition to their ISBN prefixes, every  publisher can also register their titles for free with Bowker to be included in the “Books In Print” worldwide databases. See also a former blog post here on this site:
http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/important-expose-your-book-to-the-world/

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Author Beware:
You may encounter offers from other sources to purchase single ISBN’s at special offer prices. Companies that provide limited services such as distributing, retailing, bar code services, printing, such as aggregators or print-on-demand companies, should NOT assign ISBN’s from their company to your publications – unless you allow them to also hold the publishing rights. If you use one of these reassigned ISBN’s, you will NOT be correctly identified as the publisher. The result may be extensive costs to apply for a new ISBN and the application of stickers to books already printed and in circulation.  Remember: The one who ordered the ISBN from the official agency is listed as the publisher!

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ISBN’s are assigned to publishers as follows: 1, 10, 100, or 1,000 numbers.  The publisher registration fee is US $24.95 plus a service fee that starts at $250.00 for 10 ISBN’s.  There’s also a $25 annual fee for each publisher, so whether you have one ISBN or a thousand, you’ll have to pay that additional amount too.  For a new publisher to get an ISBN – or better ten – will cost (in 2013) US $250 (or US $25 per ISBN). Since you can get 10 ISBN’s for the same price as one, it is worth applying for books you have in mind too, rather than just the one you are right now going to publish. You can also get the bar code for your book from Bowker.

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Bar codes
ISBN’s are emailed to publishers.  Once a publisher has been assigned ISBN’s, they should be placed on the copyright page, encoded on the bar code, and the bar code placed on the back cover of the book. When a title is ready to be sold, it can be registered at “Books in Print” a worldwide book registry. “Books in Print” is the main directory that bookstores, online retailers, and libraries use when looking for books for their customers.
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Where to order ISBN’s in major English-speaking countries:

USA
http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/secureapp.asp
see prices above

United Kingdom & Ireland
http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/controller.php?page=121
10 ISBN = £118.68

Australia
http://www.thorpe.com.au/isbn/
Single ISBN=Australian $40.00 and a block of 10 ISBNs=$80.00

Canada
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ciss-ssci/041002-2000-e.html

 

Good news for Canadian authors and publishers: the ISBN application process is simple and free  of charge – but only if you are living in Canada and your publishing company is registered in Canada.  For all other countries check out the worldwide listing at “National ISBN Agencies“.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 770 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Is Your Book Listed Worldwide?

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Few authors have ever heard about BowkerLink:  a source for publishers and distributors seeking to update or add to title listings, found in Books In Print, Global Books In Print, and the Publisher Authority Database.  How can readers, bookstores or librarians in Japan, Australia, UK or Belize find your book and read, buy or lend it?

This  FREE portal allows you to market titles through Bowker products to many sectors of the book industry including wholesalers, distributors, retail chains, independent retailers, online retailers, schools, libraries, and universities.

You may know Bowker from ordering your ISBN numbers, but they are also the provider for Books In Print and Global Books In Print that contain listings of bibliographical information for international book titles available in the USA or any other part of the world.

In addition, Bowker sells its products worldwide to retailers and libraries, so your titles are exposed to many facets of the book industry through a single web application including other Bowker products like inventory status checks, library catalogue information, and sales data reporting services. Your data is circulated to all of these customers free of charge. To market you book successfully worldwide you need to have it listed worldwide! Their website http://www.bowkerlink.com

Setting Up A New Book on Bowkerlink is easy, just fill in:

ISBN
Title
Subtitle
Translated title
Number of pages
Number of illustrations
Binding type
Language
Subject (1 or 2)
Contributors names and functions
Length, Width and Height
Weight
Year of copyright
Year of original publication
Library of Congress Card Number
Annotation (description)
Country of Sale
Imprint
Title status
Publication date
Price
Price type
Currency
Target market
Age range of the readers

Items in bold are required, the others optional. You should try to fill as many of these fields as possible, as completely as possible, in order to be found easily.

Why register with BowkerLink?
Listing your titles is absolutely free. The BowkerLink Publisher Access System allows you to announce your new release titles, as well as price and status updates to a wide audience of book, audio and video buyers. Your titles are WORLDWIDE exposed to many facets of the book industry through this single web application.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 740 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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How to Sell Your Book to Libraries

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According to statistics from the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group, libraries yearly purchase books for nearly $2 billion. But not only books, also audio books and other forms of publications.

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Imagine, you sold your $15 book at 50% discount to only 10% of these libraries, you will earn more than $75,000. But how can you tap into the lucrative library market?
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On the downside: Many of the more than 100,000 public, university and specialty libraries throughout the United States have been forced to scale down their budgets and have to use creative means to update their book collections. They even take advantage of online bargains through Amazon.com, eBay and discount book sites.

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Create a Library-Quality Book

  • Librarians read reviews — at least those in Library Journal and Kirkus. It is not easy to get your book reviewed in these journals; however, it is possible.
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  • Your book has to be available through major wholesalers.
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  • Apply to work with a library distributor such as Quality Books or Unique Books, if you have a nonfiction book.
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  • Librarians prefer hardcover books and soft cover perfect-bound books with the title printed on the spine. The cover on a perfect-bound book must be sturdy. Librarians particularly like reference books. If you are writing or compiling such a non-fiction book, be sure to include an index, a bibliography and/or a resource list.
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  • Books for library-use need a Library of Congress Catalog in Publication block or, for a self-published book, Publishers Catalog in Publication block and / or a listing with Bowker word wide.
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  • A note, printed on the upper left back cover should indicating the type of book this is and the topic: reference/book publishing, writing/reference, history, autobiography, parenting,
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Sell Books Directly to Libraries

To find their addresses, use  Gale’s Directory of Libraries or Online Library Directory
You cam also buy mailing lists from Library Marketing List. You can get listings for 25,000 university libraries or 18,000 public libraries, or 400 listings for community college libraries.
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You can’t just walk into a library and hope they will take your book, not even if you are giving it away! Librarians are happy to get  books, but they also have constraints on what books they can accept. One of those constraints is the written or unwritten “acquisitions policy” at each library, depending on what that library is collecting. Space and the high cost of storing and/or distributing books to library patrons is another huge limitation. Time is another issue for librarians – they have little time to spend reading about books.
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Each kind of library: academic; public, school, and special, has different purposes. And they buy different kinds of books. Choose the right type for your book selling efforts. For example: Young Adult and Children’s authors: The largest library market are school libraries (grades K-12). The budgets of academic libraries and public libraries are much larger than those of the typical school library.
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Send a press release to the contact name via e-mail or snail mail. Describe your book and the binding and list any amenities such as index, color photos, resource list and/or bibliography. Be sure to include all your ordering information in detail. Add a list of wholesalers / distributors that carry your book.
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Selling to libraries as an author-publisher (and signing up with book whole sale) works best when you have at least three quality print books.

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What else can you do to promote your book to libraries?

Offer a free (1 hour) class in local libraries, where you can certainly mention your book.
.
Find out the dates of library trade shows and exhibit through co-operative exhibit programs such as those offered through IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association.
.
Consider donating a copy of your book to a few top library systems, to encourage purchases for branch libraries.

.

The best time to approach libraries might be in December and June as this is when they typically do their buying. If you deliver directly to the library and not through whole sale, you may want to offer the same discount to entice them to purchase your book.

.

<><><><><>

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn, how to navigate Social Media: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 700 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article, where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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