You've written your baby and you have decided, either through an agent or independently, to go with a smaller, independent publisher. What should you know before signing a contract? A lot, and since your new to the business there are questions you'd never think to ask, until it's too late. Signing with a large publisher vs. a smaller publisher is a completely different discussion that I'll be posting about soon.
The following is a list of things you need to ask and consider with a smaller, independent publisher. A large publishing house probably has these things covered, but it's still information you might want to know about them also. It can't hurt.
I also plan on posting a more in-depth discussion of why these are things you should know, but for now, if you have any questions post a comment or email me.
Things to think about:
- Does the publisher have agreements directly with the big online booksellers; B&N, Borders, BAAM, Amazon, Amazon.uk, etc.
- Does the publisher have agreements with any of the top independent or smaller booksellers; Books in Print, Alibris, Bertram, etc.?
- Do these agreements with booksellers indicate that the bookseller keeps an inventory of the publisher’s titles, are they drop-ship agreements directly with the publisher, or is it an agreement to order books as needed through a distributer or wholesaler? This is important for many reasons. A specific one would consumer sales psychology. When the consumer wants to order the book, does it state, ships in 24 hours, sold and shipped by <NAME OF BOOKSELLER HERE> within 24 hours, or ships in 2 to 4 weeks?
- How does the publisher track retail sales? Do they use Bookscan.com, another service, or is it all done in-house based on the publisher’s own tracking methods?
- Can an author get their retail sales figures when asked for (within reason)?
- How many retail sales of all available titles has the publisher had year-to-date? Retail specifically means books purchased online or from the shelf, not books sold by author or publisher at conventions, signings, etc.
- Does the publisher have a dedicated marketing department with available resources and contacts (i.e. reviewers in newspaper, radio, TV, online, etc., comprehensive lists of independent, and chain booksellers to approach for signings, etc? Important, can they provide examples.
- How many copies of a novel are printed on the first run, including both hardback and soft back? (More to the point, how much are they willing to spend on your initial distribution?)
- How many copies of the novel does the author receive free, including hardback and soft back?
- Can the author buy books at cost for promotional purposes?
- Can the author get a list of the current editorial and marketing staff and their CV’s, or a summary of their experience?
- Does the publisher provide a press release on the release of a new novel, and more specifically, where the press release is sent too (i.e. number of places and names)? Can the publisher provide examples of past press releases and where they were printed?
- Does the publisher develop a marketing plan? If so, can they provide an example?
- How much of the sample-marketing plan is their responsibility? How much of it is your responsibility?
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