Depending on which
printer you use, you will need about
$7,000 to start up, maybe less. Negotiate
with printers about paying. Never pay all
up front. Usual schedule: 1/3 down, 1/3
on delivery, 1/3 in 30 days after
delivery. DO NOT EXPECT MONEY TO COME
ROLLING RIGHT IN unless you have a
bookfair or festival where you can launch
your book. I always launch at the
Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, the Ohio
Library Association Convention, and the
Buckeye Bookfair.Where will you
store your books? They take up an amazing
amount of room. They need to be shrink
wrapped in plastic unless you are storing
them in your living room. Cold and damp
will damage them unless wrapped. Ask the
printer to pack them in cartons no
heavier than you can lift.
You
do not need to be incorporated. You do
need a good name for your press. DO NOT
call yourself "Joe Smith
Productions" or "Sue Smith
Enterprises". Choose something that
people won't mispronounce or misspell.
Choose something that sounds like it's
been in business for a while.
Who
will send out orders? One of my biggest
gripes with self-publishers is how long
they take to fill orders. Be prompt. You
will need a good working space, a good
postage scale, sealing tape, and padded
envelopes. Plain envelopes will not do
unless you are selling a pamphlet.
Printed address labels add to your
professional appearance. A postage meter
will save you time and trips to the post
office. Ask the post office for postage
rate sheets for all different classes of
mail. "Bound Printed Matter"
may save you a lot of money.
I
always send out autographed books. They
are stickered "autographed
copy" with removable stickers and
they sell faster that way.
Keep
a mailing list of all people who buy. You
can sell them your next book.
• We need 3
free copies of each title—in
saleable condition. There is no other
charge.
• Our deadlines are February 1 and
July 1 for the Spring and Fall catalogs
respectively.
• We need a biography of the author.
• We need a 50% discount.
• We would like 60 days to pay.
• We pay your shipping costs to us.
• We prefer books that are entirely
ghost stories—not mixed with local
history, true crime or strange phenomena.
• We sell to people all over the
world.
We
cannot guarantee sales, but I usually
start with an order of 20-50 copies. I
have sold hundred of some books and only
20 of others. It depends how good the
book is, how unique your idea is, and how
professional the book looks. If also
helps if there aren't already six books
already in print on your state or area.
Some states/areas that do not have ghost
books: Florida—Miami and Sarasota;
San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston,
Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho,
Illinois—especially Chicago and
Resurrection Mary, Indiana, Kansas, Long
Island, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada,
New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah,
Vermont. I'm told that anything in the
Great Lakes region will sell well, as
will anything on the Civil War or
soldiers.
GOOD LUCK! I've
always said that you have to work really
hard to lose money on a ghost
book—generally they are excellent
sellers. I wish you the very best success
in this world—and beyond!
Chris
Woodyard
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