Engaging a publications specialist, even for a consultation or two, can set you on the right path. Sadler Publications will consult with you, work along with you, or take the directive from you to create your publication. You may need assistance with format, content, graphics, deciding how and where to distribute, and how many copies to print and when.
Your novel, collection of essays or poems, or work of nonfiction is just about finished. Knowing the challenging aspects of the publishing world, you’re exploring ways of starting out by printing the book yourself. You’ve heard numerous ways to do this—and are wondering where to start...
As an educator, you’ve developed a unique curriculum and would like to consolidate your teachings for your students. Perhaps your own publication distributed through bookstores or your personal website will help you reach a wider audience...
You have the idea that a book(let) about your company and its service/products can be educational and also bring you more customers. You don’t want to spend a fortune, and you just want to test the waters...
Sadler Publications works with writers whose individual interests are unique. Books we have published include personal memoir and family history; fiction, poetry, and collections; workbooks and instructional guides; commemorative and promotional books; and nonfiction.
As for format, you’ll choose what’s best for your content and general readership—brochure, booklet, book, and/or Internet. Some publications, such as bound books, are finalized products. Others, like spiral-bound workbooks, are works in progress that develop in the testing field.
Additional considerations include overall budget, method of printing/output, and promotion and distribution. An initial assessment of needs and goals, along with some sound planning, will make every step of the project enjoyable. The result will be the right publication reaching the right people, on time and within your budget.
Sadler Publications will assist in any area:
• Planning and budgeting
• Developing a promotion strategy
• Finding the best providers, including print-on-demand services
• Negotiating with printers for cost control and quality
• Content coaching, editing, and proofreading
• Design and production of cover and interior pages
• Photos, graphics, and illustrations
• Full production management
About self-publishing
Not too long ago, self-publishing was generally thought of as “vanity publishing.” But—as thousands of self-published books flooding the marketplace testify—not anymore. With the revolution brought on by the advent of desktop publishing, more and more people are bringing out their own books with confidence, know-how, and style.
Many famous books such as What Color is Your Parachute (Richard Nelson Bolles), Dianetics (L. Ron Hubbard), The Joy of Cooking (Irma Rombauer), Huck Finn (Mark Twain), Ulysses (James Joyce), A Time to Kill (John Grisham), and The Bridges of Madison County (Robert James Waller) were originally published by their authors and later bought out by big-name publishers.
Self-published authors control the production of their books from start to finish. They maintain input on editing decisions, layout and design, cover art, and channels of promotion. They are part of the process, to the extent they wish to be. And most important, they are not dependent on the standard publishing industry for getting their books out to the public.
Today, self-published books can receive at the least a good deal of local admiration and publicity. In the hot self-publishing trend, local and corporate booksellers are increasingly finding room for these books on their shelves and making them available through their online stores.
Getting help with promotion through the Internet, authors can achieve an international readership. E-books (electronic books on the Net) and books printed “on demand” are gaining in popularity. According to a 2006 Publishers Weekly article, a New York study shows that more people visit an author’s website than a publisher’s website. The potential for authors to drive promotion of their book has never been higher.
As self-promoters, self-published authors typically enjoy giving public readings at clubs, libraries, bookstores, and other public places, attracting attention and selling signed copies. Taking advantage of free publicity and simple marketing tools, self-published authors stay busy and in touch with others in their own enterprise.
In an age when nearly everyone “has a book in them,” self-publishing provides an immediacy and flexibility not found in traditional publishing. Eliminating the need to find a publishing house that will keep their books in print, those who produce their own publications do it their own way and with considerable satisfaction.
The following is an overview of various kinds of self-publications with examples from the Sadler Publications portfolio.
Personal memoir and family history
Self-publishing is often the perfect means of publication for writers of personal memoir and family histories. These authors proudly bring out a book of several dozen to several hundred or more copies for the reading enjoyment of their families, friends, and communities.
Sadler Publications has produced a wide range of books by memoir writers including Eleanor Hubbard's 7 Winona Street: Growing up in the 1920s and 30s and the late Agnes Fitch Willliams' A Legacy of Love: The Story of Walter and Ruth Williams and the Williams Farm. Another in the Sadler portfolio is The Letters of Mary Sprague: A Courtship by Correspondence, a collection of letters from the late 1800s compiled and transcribed by Ruth Pardoe.
Working one-on-one or with a family, Jan Sadler can help in the recollection and writing of stories and anecdotes; family photo organization and captions; inclusion of letters and diaries; and layout, design, and production. Not to mention a great cover!
Fiction, poetry, collected works
Your first or second novel, collection of poetry or short stories, or compiled essays may or may not break into print through national or international publishers. Many authors decide to test the waters by bringing out their own book, promoting it themselves in creative ways. Some seek a publisher by distributing their printed book to agents and reviewers. Others have a built-in audience through their professional or specific communities.
Poets generally have a more challenging time getting their small volumes of poetry accepted by major publishing houses. Poets are increasingly finding local and sometimes wider acclaim through self-publishing and distributing their own work.
Examples of fiction and poetry books designed and produced through Sadler Publications include Iris Karas's debut romance-suspence novel Organizing Elizabeth distributed through her own Hold that Thought Publishing enterprise; the late Paul Ryder Ryan’s China Daily: Between the Lines and Kmer Rouge End Game; and Susan Levin's collected poems Ode in Waiting for Music.
Workbooks and instructional guides
Educators and workshop leaders often consider producing instructional guides for their students and wider audiences. These self-publishers have a built-in core audience to which they can market. Publishing provides further validation of their teaching and allows their work to reach beyond the classroom, particularly if marketed through their own website. Because publications can be done in limited quantities, it’s possible to edit or add material as a curriculum changes. Educational and instructional print publications easily translate to personal websites.
Sadler Publications has worked closely with educators including Oneness Model© founders Julie Burns Walker and Deb Christensen, providing workbooks and instructional guides for their enterprise. Examples include The Oneness Model©: A Model for Human Development and Evolution and From Self-Awareness to Transformation: Reflecting on the Journey of the True Self with Tools to Assist the Process.
Another example of this type of self-publishing is Environment for the People, a political action guide by Elizabeth A. Stanton and James K. Boyce from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts. Sadler Publications has also worked closely on a number of in-process books by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, founder of the School for Body-Mind Centering®. These books represent the distillation of decades of her experience teaching throughout the world.
Commemorative and promotional books
Commemorative
Milestones, achievements, and anniversaries call for a special showpiece publication for members, donors, and/or funding sources. Will the book be paperbound, hardbound, printed in one color or full color? Are there biographies or photos to create or organize, and what about budget?
A Sadler portfolio example of this kind of publication is a commemorative book for St. John Cantius Church in Northampton, Mass. Jan Sadler worked closely with church members on narrative text, photo selection and editing, and print production. Everyone involved in the project worked together to produce a beautiful commemorative publication.
Working with client representatives one-on-one, Sadler Publications will help plan and/or produce small or large quantities of your special book.
City and town history
A geographic history or city/town centennial anniversary targets its own special-interest group. Historical narrative and facts, human stories and anecdotes, photos, and perhaps diagrams or maps come together to form a sweeping overview in a well-designed publication.
The “book” may be as simple as a scrapbook or as impressive as a bound book with a full-color cover. Photos may be old and may need touching-up digitally.
Sometimes local people are invited to submit their pieces, and this takes some organization. Teams of people may have to coordinate their efforts, and a deadline for the book may be tied to a special event. Sometimes local people are invited to submit their pieces, and this takes some organization as well.
From a simple overall plan to project development and book design, a professional will make the process smooth and efficient. Contact Sadler Publications to see how the assistance you need can be translated into action.
Promotional
Organizations of all kinds—business, nonprofit, educational, cultural, religious—create publications expressing their mission, products, achievements, and events.
Brochures or pamphlets and newsletters can be simple or complex. Besides being printed and disseminated, they will possibly be mounted to a website.
Books or booklets can vary considerably in size and number of pages. According to budget, they can be printed in one or more colors and configured and bound in a variety of ways. Photographs and graphics, sometimes provided by the client, may be a central element.
In promotional publications, print quality is of utmost importance, and finding "showcase" quality can take some doing. On the other hand, sometimes budget is such that the most economical means of production is the only choice.
No matter what the method of production or the extent of your budget, good text content and effective layout & design are the most important aspects in delivering your message.
Nonfiction
Self-published nonfiction books from massage and feng-shui to sky-diving and business management have great potential for specific audiences.
Authors with expertise in a particular area gain the opportunity to share their unique perspective and/or instruction. The author may target a publication to a narrow audience or to a wider readership, and that readership can grow.
Though written mostly for journalist peers, the late Paul Ryder Ryan’s Bangladesh 2000: On the Brink of Civil War enjoyed a wide readership because of its fascinating commentary and unique perspective. Sadler Publications designed the cover and interior for this locally printed book as well as his aforementioned novels, all of which were distributed through Ryder’s own publishing operation, Munewata Press.
Retired insurance claims expert Dan Baldyga wrote a most useful book, Secrets Never Told: How to Settle Your Own Auto Insurance Claim, for a wide general audience. Jan Sadler worked closely with this author to organize and edit the material for easy reading and instruction.
Yoga teacher and author Elizabeth Terp published her Tao of Eating through a print-on-demand publishing house and turned to Sadler Publications for a cover design that would sell (and it did!).
Julie Burns Walker uses her books The Little Book of the Soul's Big Journey: Becoming the Soul You Were Intended To Be and Changes & Choices as the basis of her teachings in lectures and workshops around the world. Sadler Publications was proud to design and bring both books into the world.
To get your nonfiction book or booklet produced, start with a single consultation with Jan Sadler to help you decide which way to approach the project.
Contact Jan Sadler:
jansadler@comcast.net
413 768-7963
|
