The Advance. The size of the advance may be determined by the size of the publisher's purse, how well the book is likely to sell, and how soon the publisher can expect to get the advance money back in the form of sales. The author's name, reputation, and his or her ability to promote the book will also play a big role in determining the size of the advance. It may be paid up front when the contract is signed, or divided according to the publisher's whim. Sometimes half is paid when the contract is signed with the balance paid on receipt of the finished manuscript (an incentive to insure that authors meet the stipulated deadline date). It may also be paid in thirds, with the final payment made when the book is published. If for any reason the publisher defaults and does not publish the book according to the terms of the author's contract, all rights to the book should be returned to the author, who also gets to keep the advance money.

 

Production costs include all editing, typesetting, and book design costs, proofreading, cover design, and copywriting of cover content. Once the book has been typeset, a copy is normally sent to the author for checking, and any mistakes previously overlooked by the author or editor in this first go-round, or those generated during the typesetting process, are made without cost to the author. Changes after this point, however, may be charged to the author, along with costs related to the index (unless the author is capable of doing this job to the publisher's satisfaction).
When the book is published, the publisher assumes the responsibility for getting it into bookstores and libraries, may offer it to book clubs and other special markets, and, depending on the publisher's policies, may also sell copies by mail or sell the book at wholesale prices to mail order dealers. The publisher lists the book in its catalog and acquaints its sales reps with the new title to facilitate sales to bookstores and libraries. The publisher also writes and distributes at least one news release, sends review copies to its PR list (which author can contribute names to). After that, a new book published by a trade publisher gets little else in the way of promotion unless the author is a big name that warrants paid advertisements.
Bottom line: A new book will survive or die depending on how hard the author works to promote it to prospective buyers.

 

Nontraditional Trade Book Publishers. Some discussion needs to be given to a different breed of trade book publisher I happened to encounter the day a fellow sent me a copy of his book contract and asked for my opinion of it. Frankly, it stunk. This particular publisher (one in the garden industry) had offered the author a contract that required him to do work normally done by "standard" trade publishers. This publisher was calling himself a trade book publisher because he regularly sold to bookstores and libraries, but that's were the similarity ended.
This author had no concept of how a good book publishing contract should read, or all the special clauses an author needs in a book publishing contract to realize maximum profits and protect his rights. I've learned a great deal through the years simply by observing how my agent has negotiated with each of my publishers to get revised clauses that benefited me financially and protected my rights to a greater extent. (See below for a link to the second part of this article, which offers tips on some specific clauses that should be in every book-publishing contract.)
Getting an agent is the best way to insure that you receive a fair deal from a publisher, but if you are unable to get an agent to represent you, do not have (or cannot afford) an attorney who is familiar with book publishing contracts.

 

TYPES OF PUBLISHERS
Book publishing is not just about novels. From a college textbook to a paperback in the supermarket, publishing offers a place to express your interests and showcase your talents. What kind of publishing best suits you?
TRADE PUBLISHING
Maybe you’ve never wondered what people in the publishing industry call the books that you find in a bookstore or local library, but there is a term. They are called trade books and they are designed for the general consumer. Trade publishers sell their books through the channels that have been specifically established for books—bookstores, libraries, and wholesalers. Trade books are published for children, teenagers, and adults. They can be works of fiction or nonfiction, hardcover or paperback. Generally, trade publishing is the most high profile type of publishing as it is the most commercially focused.
PROFESSIONAL AND SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING
Does working with professional studies and dissertations sound intriguing? Then professional and scholarly publishing is for you! Professional and scholarly publishers produce books and journals specifically written for and marketed to professionals in a wide variety of industries, such as medicine, law, business, technology, science, and the humanities. Professional and scholarly publishing is often referred to as STM—scientific, technical, and medical publishing. For more information, visit the website of the AAP Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division, www.pspcentral.org.
EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING
Textbooks are published by what the industry calls educational publishers. In addition to textbooks, educational publishers also publish all of the materials that complement the textbook—such as workbooks, tests, software, CD-ROMs, and maps. As you probably know, textbooks are published for all levels of students, from kindergartners through postgraduate students. “School” publishers publish textbooks and materials for kindergarten through 12th grade and “higher education” publishers publish for college and university students.
UNIVERSITY PRESSES
Arguably the most difficult type of publishing house to define, university presses wear several hats. For the most part, they are not-for-profit departments of universities, colleges, and museums that publish books for scholars and specialists. Nevertheless, university presses sometimes engage in trade publishing as well, marketing their books to the general consumer. To learn more about university presses, log on to the Web site of the Association of American University Presses, www.aaupnet.org.
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS
An independent publisher is privately held rather than being owned by a parent company or by a conglomerate. Independent publishers exist in all sizes and publish all types of books. One of the great things about independent presses is that they often have considerably more freedom to publish the books about which they are most passionate. No one knows exactly how many independent presses are out there, but estimates are in the range of 50,000 and up.
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA (E-BOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS)
E-Books
An e-book is a book distributed and read in electronic format. Instead of walking into a bookstore, to buy a book in an e-book format, you visit a Web site and purchase and download the digital file. You can then read the book on a computerized device such as a Palm Pilot, Pocket PC, laptop computer, or other device. There are all sorts of e-books available today (including popular fiction and nonfiction, textbooks, reference books, and most other genres), and they can be stored in a virtual library on your reading device—which can certainly make it easier to carry a lot of books on vacation or to school.
Audiobooks
As the name implies, audiobooks are books presented in recorded audio format. Generally, audiobooks are recorded onto cassette tapes, CDs, or other digital files such as MP3s. The Audio Publishers Association defines audiobooks as “any audio recording that is primarily spoken word rather than music.” Audiobooks are available in a myriad of categories, from novels to self-help books to language instruction. Some publishing houses have internal audiobook departments whereas other companies publish only audiobooks. You can learn more about audiobooks by logging on to the Audio Publishers Association Web site at www.audiopub.org.
OTHER TYPES OF PUBLISHING AND RELATED BUSINESSES
Subsidy Press/Vanity Publisher
A publishing company that offers publication services for a fee paid by the author, and holds the copyright to the book, but does not generally promote or market the book. Bookstores often refuse to carry books published by subsidy/vanity presses, and such books are rarely reviewed.
Contract Publisher
A publisher that helps authors edit, design, market, and distribute their book for a fee paid by the author.
Self-Publishing
A method of publishing in which the author does all the things a publisher does—from editing to printing and distribution.
Regional Publisher
A publisher who specializes in subjects relevant to a particular part of the country, and sells its books mostly or entirely in that area.
Fulfillment House
A company that handles the entire ordering process for books, such as storing, packing, mailing, maintaining records, and other sales-related operations for the author or publisher.
Packagers (Also known as Book Producers or Book Developers)
Companies specializing in creating books up to the printing stage, at which point a publishing company takes over handling the book. Although publishers most often contract directly with freelance authors and use their own staffs to prepare books for publication, publishers sometimes take on books prepared by packagers. The packager's name may appear on the copyright page, but the publisher is always identified on the spine.