Buy Their Books Small Publishing Houses Have A Romantic Image, But Most Of Them Struggle To Survive

So you’ve just finished the last sentence of your Great American Novel, poetry collection or personal memoirs and you’re looking for a publisher. You know, one of those slick urbanites who dress in black and meet at the Russian Tea Room to decide the publishing fate of mere mortals.

If this is your vision of the publishing industry, think again. Small publishers are changing the face of the industry to one that better represents the diversity of its writers and readers. And while many aspiring writers view publishers as adversarial gods, their needs and challenges are more alike than different. Writers and publishers both work in an industry that is competitive and fickle. Both need to do their homework, anticipate trends and balance their romantic longings with common sense. Neither should expect to get rich. Both, in the words of publisher Herman Marciel, can expect to “spend a lot of time on the bleeding edge.”

“The publishing business is difficult,” says Marciel, owner of Marciel Publishing. “People aren’t reading as much and there is extreme competition for readers’ dollars.”

His office, an old schoolhouse, is tucked in the pines outside of Spokane. This idyllic setting both complements and belies the focused energy of Marciel. In his 11th year of publishing, Marciel is realistically optimistic about the future. He advises both would-be authors and publishers to “be prepared for the long haul.”

Still, there is the lingering notion of romance surrounding the world of publishing. Bob Clark, owner of Arthur H. Clark Publishing, likens it to winemaking and other “cocktail professions” that make great ice breakers at parties but produce relatively small incomes.

“The reason publishing is one of the lowest paying white-collar industries is because it is romantic,” he says.

Clark, whose grandfather founded the company in Cleveland in 1902, came to the family profession reluctantly. Time and experience have changed his perspective. With a solid reputation in academic publishing, Clark finds he enjoys his work more every year. And because more than 30 percent of Clark’s customers come from direct sales, he has been able to avoid commercial publishing’s love/hate relationship with distributors.

Small publishers typically have small budgets. They rely on, and in many cases, contend with distributors to get their books into large markets.

Distributors act as the middle man between the publisher and the bookstore, warehousing books in expectation of orders from the stores. With few exceptions, the chain stores, which have the largest budgets, cannot buy directly from publishers. They must buy through the distributor.

If a small publisher’s books are even to be considered for purchase by a chain, they must be picked up by the distributor. Independent bookstores typically have more liberal buying policies but smaller budgets. Because of their unique role, distributors can demand and get tremendous discount agreements from the publishers.

Remarkably, the “shelf life” of a new book is about 90 days. After that, a bookstore can return unsold books, including damaged books, to the distributor who then returns them to the publisher. Often the distributor doesn’t even pay shipping charges. If a distributor has overbought, the impact of a large return can devastate a small publisher.

“Publishing is like no other business in the world,” says Tom McGee, editor and marketing manager for the family-run MediPress in Coeur d’Alene. “You don’t buy a car and pay for it 90 days later.”

Yet, distributors routinely do this with books, or worse, return them outright. And payment for books is notoriously slow. This reality has an impact on both publisher and author, making both career choices a bit dicey. One of the keys to McGee’s success has been to recognize the importance of researching different distributors and forging a strong, exclusive relationship with the one that best met his needs.

Like most small publishers, McGee acknowledges that survival hinges on diversification.

“Because of the low cost of books, you have to sell a lot of them to make a profit,” he said. “You must diversify to succeed because cash flow is so bad.”

McGee sees the Internet as a promising new way to reach customers.

Marciel, whose successful printing business helps pay for his publishing venture, agrees. He has recently listed some of his books on the Internet and is working toward creating a network of publishers communicating electronically.

“It is much more cost effective to move information than books,” he says.

Another need publishers and authors share is to find and cultivate their niche. “Get clear about your goals,” advises Ken Shaw of Evergreen Press in Spokane. “Be sure what it is you want to accomplish, and don’t make decisions piecemeal.”

Shaw has defined his publishing niche as “New Thought,” which includes the belief that we create our own reality and that our thoughts have a direct impact on our health. Shaw’s niche reflects a national trend.

Spirituality and alternative healing are two of the hottest categories in the current market.

A national leader in the exploration of mind, consciousness and human potential is Timeless Books in Browne’s Addition. Timeless Books publishes the complete works of Swami Sivananda Radha, the first Western woman to be initiated as a swami.

One of Swami Radha’s greatest gifts was her ability to build a bridge between Eastern thought and Western mind. Linda Ann Seville, publisher, carries on the mission of her mentor with love, dedication and the business savvy of a former Shell Oil marketing rep.

Seville’s knowledge of the corporate culture has helped her succeed in an industry that has many failures.

“You cannot afford naivete in this business.” she says. “There is so much to know, and every time you turn the corner, there is something else to learn.”

Yet she, like her local counterparts, loves the work and the opportunity to produce books that contribute something worthwhile to readers’ lives.

Her advice to aspiring authors?

“What matters most is that the person write from the heart, not for the approval of others. Be very clear on why you are doing it.”

McGee agrees it is important to do some soul-searching before starting a book. He stresses the need for balance between putting your heart and soul into the work - “if you can’t touch the reader, forget it” - and remaining objective enough to handle criticism or rejection.

“It can be shattering to have the best in you rejected. Try to make it a project” rather than the litmus test of your self-worth, he says.

Marciel urges all would-be authors to identify their potential audience before they write the book and to be prepared to market aggressively.

Though budgets are limited and publishers are very specific about what manuscripts they will accept, if any, they are without exception a helpful bunch. Resources abound for the would-be author, and local publishers are generally happy to offer guidelines.

But be prepared. Don’t waste the publisher’s time with questions you can and should answer for yourself.

Questions like “Gee, I’d like to write a book and make a lot of money. What should I write about?” are not welcome. Writing, like publishing, is a business.

“Basically, there are three ways to get your book published,” says Clark. “Conventional publishing, self-publishing and vanity publishing.”

Conventional or commercial publishers purchase the right to publish and sell your book. They handle all aspects of the book’s production, including printing, distribution and promotion.

They may offer a royalty on the retail price, the wholesale price or the number of books sold. Large commercial houses typically accept only manuscripts that are represented by an agent. Terms vary and depend on the size and budget of the publisher, the marketability of the book and the name recognition of the author.

The bulk of the profits, if any, go to the publisher. Books that are attractive to commercial publishers have a broad appeal, a timely subject and an obvious sales potential.

Self-publishing, as the term implies, means the author has taken on the duties of a publisher and owns his or her own book. The author is responsible for all costs of production and promotion. All profits, if any, go to the author.

Many local publishers offer editing, design and printing services to authors who self-publish. All suggest the person do a lot of research before making this important, and often costly, decision.

Books that do best as self-published works have a clearly defined niche and are often written by experts in their field.

Vanity or subsidy publishers agree to publish a small number of books in exchange for a large amount of cash. Since most or all of the costs are paid up front by the author, the vanity publisher, unlike the commercial publisher, has little risk involved in the project.

The promise - you, too, can be published - is hollow. A better option for the author considering this type of publisher is to contact a printer instead.

One man who has successfully worked both sides of the publishing fence is Leon A. Frechette. Frechette, a former general contractor with 20 years experience, was called to act as an expert witness in so many litigation cases that he decided to write a book to help consumers and contractors understand each other better.

Rather than wait to be discovered by a commercial publisher, Frechette decided to become a publisher himself.

Acting on his belief that “sometimes you have to sidestep the industry to get name recognition fast,” he founded C.R.S. Inc. and published his own book. Sales were strong, and Frechette soon gained the attention of some large commercial publishers.

This led to some lucrative book deals and regular magazine work, which in turn helped finance some of Frechette’s independent projects. He is now in the process of compiling much of his own work back under the umbrella of C.R.S.

Frechette, an expert in the field of how-to, affirms that expertise in a particular field and marketing know-how are prerequisites to success in self-publishing. He advises would-be authors that “the biggest mistakes are being too close to the book, not getting outside editing and not researching the market adequately.”

Given the risks involved, is this whole writing/publishing effort worth it? The answer from local publishers is a reserved but resounding yes.

“It’s a long process,” admits Marciel. “Most books lose money.

“It’s important to ask yourself why you are doing it. Does it come from your ego or your greed? For most people, neither will work.

“Some of your soul has to be in it. Otherwise, you are just printing books.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FOR MORE INFORMATION Want to learn more about publishing? Here are a few good resources available at your local library or bookstore: “The Writer’s Market,” published annually by Writer’s Digest Books. “Literary Market Place,” published annually by R.R. Bowker. “How To Write A Book Proposal,” by Michael Larsen, Writer’s Digest Books. “How To Write Irresistable Query Letters,” by Lisa Collier Cool, Writer’s Digest Books. “Self-Publishing Manual,” by Dan Poynter, Ad-Lib Publications.