GENRES ACCEPTED: BookPros states that it only accepts a certain percentage of submitted manuscripts, although it receives hundreds of inquiries a month. The low acceptance percentage, BookPros says, is due to the nature of their publishing program, the cornerstone of which is traditional book PR campaigns and traditional distribution. Most submissions aren’t accepted because the book’s PR hook isn’t strong enough. The company accepts all genres of books, with the exception of poetry and romance. In order to help determine a book’s PR potential, BookPros conducts a free analysis of each title submitted for consideration (http://www.bookpros.com/free_book_analysis).
PUBLISHING FEES: BookPros has three publishing imprints: Bridgeway Books, Synergy Books, and Ovation Books. The fees range from around $13,000 to publish under the Bridgeway Books imprint to as much as $40,000 for the top-tier Ovation Books imprint. BookPros does not offer set package prices; instead, the previously mentioned “media analysis” is conducted to determine what level of services an author’s book would require based on its media and distribution potential. These individual services are charged by line item and presented to the author as a custom package. Services are not available on an à la carte basis.
Bridgeway Books: The base price for this package (http://www.bookpros.com/bridgeway) is $5,950; total price ranges from $13,000–$25,000, plus the cost of printing a minimum of 500 books. This package includes, but is not limited to, the following services:
Editing: A professional edit is required and includes grammar, syntax, spelling, and content (plot, character, flow, consistency, etc.). This service is priced on a sliding scale from $.049 to $.028 based on the total number of words (longer is less per word).
Layout: Includes manual formatting of the book, with up to 1 chapter and 3 sections per every 10 pages, as well as title page, dedications, table of contents, drop caps, etc.
Cover Design: Pricing includes custom design of the book’s front, rear, and spine; 2 reviews of the design; and 1 optional stock photo. Author must provide an author photo and 100–200 words of back cover content. Approximate cost attributed to cover design is $3,000.
U.S. Copyright Office registration in the author’s name
ISBN
Bookland EAN bar code
Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN)
R.R. Bowker’s Books In Print registration
National direct wholesale distribution through Ingram Book Group and Baker & Taylor, including listing in catalogs
Listing in BookPros’s catalog, which is distributed at BookExpo America and mailed to bookstores around the U.S.
Listing and monitoring of your book with online booksellers: Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com
Book submission to Amazon Search Inside and Google Book Search programs
BookPros’s management of stock and inventory of book, which includes management of the author’s book at a third-party warehouse and transfers to author, company, and distributor (author pays fees associated with shipping and handling)
Monthly sales and activity reporting via e-mailed reports to authors
Guidelines for successful book signings and a list of the best bookstores for events
Tip sheet: A basic fact sheet serving as a sales tool for a distributor’s buyer
Sell sheet: An illustrative sheet designed to sell an author’s book, for use by the author in scheduling book events (for Synergy Books and Ovation Books titles, the sell sheets will also be used by the distributor’s sales force when pitching the book to buyers)
Print method: Offset or digital—Bridgeway Books requires authors to print a minimum of 500 books, which will be stocked in a third-party warehouse.
Professional book publicity campaign: BookPros uses Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists (http://www.phenixpublicity.com), its corporate partner. Services vary depending on book and campaign length, but basically include strategic planning; a media campaign including television, daily newspapers, radio, and print; galley submissions; media training; press materials creation; and detailed reporting. Bridgeway Books requires a minimum campaign of 2 months, and fees range from $3,000–$4,000 per month (plus any associated postage, galley book fees, etc.)
Synergy Books: The base price for this package (http://www.bookpros.com/synergy) is $7,950; the total price ranges from $23,000–$28,000, plus the cost of printing a minimum of 2,500 books. This package includes everything in the Bridgeway Books package, plus:
Cataloging-in-Publication (CIP) registration
Direct distribution in the U.S. and Canada through Midpoint Trade Books
Publicity and marketing updates to distributor
Print method: Offset—requires minimum run of 2,500
Publicity campaign: Minimum of 3 months?fees range from $3,000–$4,000 per month (plus any associated postage, galley book fees, etc.)
Ovation Books: The base price for this package(http://www.bookpros.com/ovation) is $9,950; the total price ranges from $29,000–$37,000, plus the cost of printing 5,000 books. According to the literature, BookPros only offers this imprint to five to ten titles per year and is extremely selective in determining the titles that qualify for it. The package includes everything in the Synergy Books imprint but with a different distribution program, plus:
National distribution through National Book Network, Inc: NBN is the largest independent book distributor in North America, having represented mid-size to large publishers in the industry for more than 20 years. BookPros is the only fully author-funded publishing company to have a distribution relationship with NBN.
International distribution to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand through National Book Network, Inc.
Print method: Offset—requires minimum run of 5,000
Publicity campaign: Minimum of 5 months—fees range from $3,000–$4,000 per month (plus any associated postage, galley book fees, etc.)
RETURN OF DIGITAL COVER AND INTERIOR FILES: Per BookPros’s contract, departing authors take all of the book’s artwork and production files with them, should they determine to leave BookPros, without further fee.
RETAIL PRICE OF AUTHOR’S BOOK: BookPros works with authors to set a retail price. For example, a visit to the Bridgeway Books website found books between 215 and 228 pages ranging from $13.95 to $16.95.
PRICE AUTHOR PAYS FOR BOOK: BookPros manages the printing process for each author. Although book printing prices are not listed on the website, BookPros requires printing larger runs of books, from 500 books to 5,000. BookPros does not print the books themselves; instead, they act as a “print broker” and take competitive bids from a wide range of printers both in the U.S. and abroad.
Note: Since you are paying all of the setup fees and printing costs, BookPros does not require you to work with one of its printers; however, if you choose your own printer, the publisher will require you to present it with three samples of the printer’s work and reserves the right to reject the printer’s services. If they approve your printer, you will have to manage the printing process yourself, from start to finish, including shipping and customs clearance if your printer is outside the U.S. Whether you are printing in small digital runs or offset through BookPros, the printing markup is approximately 15%–20%. Much of BookPros printing is done domestically, although some books are printed overseas. All costs associated with shipping the books are built into the price.
ROYALTIES PAID TO AUTHOR: BookPros does not take a royalty. Authors receive 100% of the amount paid by the distributor. Unless the author is selling the book through their own website or directly to the consumer, author payments from the distributor are as follows: a Bridgeway Books author will make 45% of the retail price, a Synergy Books author will make 36% of the retail price, and an Ovation Books author will make roughly 32% of the retail price, depending on the wholesale discount offered by the distributor. It’s harder with this company to figure out exactly how much the author’s profit will be on each book because there is no way to know exactly what the author paid for printing. The book printing cost of $.015 per page and $.90 per cover, which is often quoted in this book, will sometimes apply to Bridgeway Books, because authors are only required to print 500 books and may print them digitally (although BookPros says many Bridgeway Books authors choose to print more than 500 books so they can use the offset method, which is cheaper per book and allows for artistic enhancements on the cover). However, that cost formula will not apply to orders of 2,500 to 5,000 books. Large orders are printed offset and will be individually cheaper to print.
Your royalty per book is 45% of the retail price, which is $7.18.
If you were to sell all 2,500 books through retailers, you would receive:
2,500 number of books
x $7.18 author royalty per book
$17,950 author royalty
– $7,500 printing cost
$10,450 author net profit
You invest $24,500 between the package and printing. If you sell all 2,500 books, you recoup $10,450, but still have another $14,050 to go before you’ve paid for this investment. Obviously, this is not the best way to make your money back. So let’s look at a different scenario that includes direct selling, as well as retail sales. BookPros encourages authors to make direct selling part of their overall marketing and sales plan, since it helps increase your visibility with readers and you recoup money much faster. When you sell the book direct (i.e., “back of the room” sales at an event or direct from your website), you make the full margin between what you sell it for and what it costs to print, because there is no retailer or distributor to take a cut. So, in this case:
$15.95 retail price
– $3.00 printing cost
$12.95 author royalty
Let’s say you plan to sell 40% of your inventory through retail and 60% direct. Of your 2,500 books, that’s:
1,000 for retail
1,500 for direct
So for the retail sales, you would make:
1,000 number of books
x $7.18 author royalty per book
$7,180 total author royalty for retail sales
For direct sales, you would make:
1,500 number of books
x $12.95 author royalty per book
$19,425 total author royalty for direct sales
Your total gross sales would be:
$7,180 royalty for retail sales
+ $19,425 royalty for direct sales
$26,605 total royalty
– $7,500 printing cost
$19,105 author net royalty
It gets you closer to recouping your initial $24,500 investment, but you are still $5,395 in the hole, and keep in mind that these scenarios are not taking into account miscellaneous shipping or storage fees. Also, you can’t just assume you will sell 2,500 books that quickly. It could take you months or even years to sell your entire inventory—or you may never sell it. On the other hand, if your book takes off through publicity and marketing, you may sell your entire inventory within a matter of weeks. There’s no way to predict whether or not a book will be successful, which is, in part, why BookPros says they are so selective about the books and authors that they work with. As the publisher, they are invested in your book’s success, and it’s in their best interest to only work with books that have opportunities in the retail marketplace and authors who are committed to actively promoting their titles.
NOTABLE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT: The contract isn’t available online; you’ll only receive one if your book is accepted. I do not like that you cannot see a contract prior to submitting your book. However, because I have worked with the publisher in the past, it sent a contract to me.
The first five sections spell out the services BookPros provides and the prices of each service. If you are unclear about any of the services or prices, you should request clarification.
Subsection 5.11.4 states that the author is responsible for all shipping and postage fees incurred during the publicity campaign, up to a cap of $500, after which the publisher must seek permission from you before spending more. The author will be invoiced for fees and has 15 days from the invoice date to pay the invoice.
Section 6.1 states the minimum number of books the author must print. Subsections of 6.1 state that the author is not required to use the publisher’s printer, but any other printer they use must provide three sample books and is subject to the publisher’s approval. Further, the publisher will not manage the printer found by the author, so you’ll be on your own dealing with the printer.
Printer payments are also outlined in subsection 6.1.1., which states that the author will receive a price quote including printing costs and shipping and handling fees, which the author must pay 50% of within 15 days of receipt. The rest of the payment is due 10 days from the author’s notification that the book is ready to print.
Sections 6.2 and 6.3 cover off-site storage (not to exceed $100 per month/every 2,500 books) and annual service fees ($250).
Section 7 addresses expenses associated with additional services requested by the author that are not outlined in the contract—such as last-minute additions of images or indexing—stating that the publisher must inform client of expenses associated with these services.
Section 8 deals with accounting and payments to the author. Since each imprint has a different distribution arrangement, the amount that you make for retail sales varies, but the Bridgeway Books contract we looked at offered 45% of the retail price of the book.
Subsection 8.1.1also states that the author will be subject to various fees charged by the distributor, which are here undefined, and the author may ask the publisher to provide definition and documentation of the fees. Payments come from the distributors, and the method of payment is very different from other self-publishing companies. Typically, the distributor pays BookPros about 120 days after the reporting period. Then BookPros pays the authors about 15 days after that. So, for sales made in January 2008, an author would be paid on or about May 15, 2008.
Section 8.2deals with accounting and payments.
Subsection 8.2.1 says that returns will be charged against the author’s royalty payments and clarifies the payment schedule. Payments of net amounts (meaning sales less any of those undefined fees) will be paid:
50%—120 days after the close of each accounting month, with a 30-day grace period
50%—150 days after the close of each accounting month, with a 30-day grace period
Subsection 8.2.2 says that if the author doesn’t make enough money to cover distributor fees, the publisher will carry the negative balance forward, but also has the right to demand payment of the author (due within 30 days of receipt).
Subsection 8.2.3 says that all returns are charged against the author’s royalties, and the distributor will withhold 15% of royalties as reserve payment for returns. If no returns are made, or the reserve is unspent, the money will be returned to the author a year from the date it was pulled for the reserve.
Subsection 8.2.4 says that the distributor can set a higher reserve payment if it thinks the author’s book is more likely than others to be returned.
Subsection 8.2.8 indicates that the author will be paid monthly, once his or her royalties equal $50 or more; otherwise, payments rollover until the next period.
Section 11 clarifies that not only do you own the book’s content, but also you own the layout, the design, the cover art, etc., which is important. BookPros allows you to take all the production files with you, so you won’t have to recreate the cover art or reformat the interior of the book should you determine to print the book on your own or with another publisher.
Section 12 is a bit confusing, but it basically says that the publisher will provide the author proofs to review changes made in preliminary revisions of the book. The publisher will also provide one opportunity to review the finished layout and edits. After these proofs, there will be a final proof; any changes the author makes after the final proof may be subject to undefined fees. Authors will have five days to review the proof, which is reasonable if you want to keep production of the book moving.
Section 13 says that the author indemnifies the publisher against any claims should the book, allegedly or otherwise, violate someone else’s copyright or intellectual property, which is reasonable. You plagiarize, you pay.
Section 15 says that either party can cancel with 60 days written notice. If BookPros cancels, they will refund all of the monies you paid that have not been spent in the production of the book. If you cancel, you will be refunded up to 15% of the monies you have paid at the time of cancellation. BookPros says this is because when you sign its contract, the publisher makes “commitments to different vendors and provides a lot of information and expertise to the author that can’t really be quantified.” Nevertheless, 85% of a $25,000 contract is quantifiable: you’ll lose at least $21,250 if you cancel your contract after paying the full fees associated with your project. BookPros says it will consider special cases for terminating the agreement (death, illness, etc.), but this is not included in the agreement, so if you sign up with them be prepared to follow through or pay anyway.
Section 17 states that any arbitration over the agreement is subject to the laws of and must occur in Travis County, Texas. Such a clause is standard.
Section 19 says neither the publisher nor the author is responsible for acts of nature that may hinder the publishing of the author’s book—such as a flood, fires, strikes, etc. Basically, if the printer’s offices collapse in an earthquake, the publisher is not responsible for the fact that your book cannot be printed on schedule.
Section 20states that the entire agreement is contained in the contract and that any amendments must be made in writing and signed by all parties.
AUTHOR FRIENDLY RATING: BookPros is one of the publishers that does not provide a contract or fee schedule to querying authors until it has accepted their book, which is generally a bad sign—in fact, at the beginning of the book, I say that this will often land a publisher in the “Avoid” section of The Fine Print. However, because I have worked with BookPros in the past and they were willing to send me a contract to review, I have more information about the company than I would if I were simply an author querying the publisher for information.
BookPros provides a high-quality service with a dedicated staff of people who know the publishing business. Is the BookPros model worth the money? That is something you’ll have to decide yourself. As with any business venture (or investment of any kind, really), if you can’t afford to lose the investment, then don’t make it. That’s true whether you’re paying a few thousand dollars or $13,000–$40,000 with BookPros.
You have to get out there and sell a lot of books to make your money back under the BookPros model. Unless you already have a following of some kind, are on the speaking circuit, or have other ways to sell large quantities of books, you have to be prepared to personally get out there and work hard at selling your books. That’s not to say you won’t have sales through BookPros’s distributors, but book sales are not automatic. No matter how good BookPros is, if you’re an unknown author, you still have an uphill battle.
I always say that the success of a particular book comes down to the participation of the author. So, you need to be sure that the BookPros model will work for you. If, after you sign the contract and pay, you have second thoughts, it may be too late. BookPros makes it clear that once you pay and they start working, you are not getting your money back for services they’ve provided—and that isn’t just the stuff you see, like editing and design. Publishing a book requires a lot of background work with distributors and registrations, too. So keep that in mind, and don’t sign up with them unless you’re serious about seeing the project through to completion.
The BookPros model relies on book distribution and traditional book publicity to make a book sell. Can a $3,000-a-month publicist make your book sell? Every book is different, and even the greatest publicist can’t guarantee results. While BookPros’s corporate partner, Phenix and Phenix, is a highly respected publicity firm—the company handles publicity for some major publishing houses—whether that experience will pay off for your book is not something you’ll be able to measure until you’ve completed a publicity campaign.
Will BookPros provide a service that is $20,000 better than anyone else in this book? If your book takes off, then yes. However, if your book isn’t very successful, you may not think so.
I know the people at BookPros well. They are a professional, dedicated group of individuals, and the company will provide a publishing experience similar to what you might encounter at a traditional publishing house, with large distribution opportunities and experienced publicists. It comes down to this: there is no question that it’s a class operation, but before you agree to tens of thousands of dollars to publish your book, make sure it is something you can afford. If you can afford to make the investment, and if you have realistic expectations, you will have a fantastic publishing experience.
