Short-Run Books: Printing, Marketing, and Fulfillment
presented by Bill Frank, One2One Direct

Dana Trout arranged for Bill Frank, of One2One Direct (Valencia, CA) to present the review of book publishing today, especially as influenced by the advent of digital methodology. The meeting broke all records for attendance at an SBPCUG SIG meeting, 65 people. Mr. Frank gave a very lucid and comprehensive review of the publishing industry, defining the boundaries of the six major categories of publishing activity, and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each. He answered many audience questions along the way.

The categories were:

Traditional Publishers, e.g., Harper, Doubleday, Penguin, McGraw-Hill, etc. These companies produce most of the books seen in book stores. Because of the costs and risks involved, it is close to impossible for an unknown author to even have a manuscript read, let alone published.

Subsidy Publishers: A patron, or corporation may split or assume the costs of publishing a document, usually in return for considerable control of content and distribution. e.g., a company might support publication of a biography of its CEO to pass out at a special occasion.

Vanity Publishers: The author pays to have his book edited, printed and distributed, but will usually receive very little support in distribution, and is often left with a stack of his books to do with as he can.

Co-op Publishers: In return for a share of the receipts, will publish and help market the book. This is hard to find for an unknown author.

Self-Publishing: This is getting much more common, especially since almost any PC will be able to provide printer-ready copy of the manuscript. The problem is getting it into the stores. With substantial effort, this can be successful. Most never make back their costs.

e-Books: This is a brand new category, where books are published on the web, and download rights assigned in return for a modest charge. It is too new to predict success. Bill stated that the average book sells ~7500 copies, including million-sellers and flops. The average author is lucky to make $1/copy sold.

His company, One2One Direct, specializes in print runs of a few hundred to a few thousand copies. Their work flow is totally digital from start to finish, and their turn-around times much shorter than the other publishers. They can reprint a batch of books in as little as a week. Their normal process will produce the first print order in ~3 months.

A copy of the handouts used in the presentation is posted at http://www.121direct.net/download/