Since we write books and have them published, family members
and friends sometimes expect to receive free copies. However, authors can’t afford
to give them away, as much as we might like to. Here are the reasons.
AUTHORS PAY FOR THEIR
COPIES
Publishers don’t just give authors copies of their books free.
For print books, the paper, ink, and printing all incur cost. So does shipping.
If a traditional publisher publishes the book, they usually provide editing
services and the cover art at their expense. When the book sells, the publisher
and the printer receive the bulk of the proceeds. The author is paid only a
small percentage.
Publishers charge for author copies, although at a reduced
rate from the retail cost. In addition, the author must pay for shipping.
For self-published books, the cost is reduced, but not
enough to hand out copies to everyone who might want one.
Even though it is possible to self-publish at no cost, additional
expenses are required.
COVER COSTS
To produce a professional book, it is necessary to pay for unique
cover art as well as hire a professional to lay out the print cover. It is
possible to download stock cover art at little or no cost, but your book will
look “generic,” and others may share the same cover design.
For The Memory Keeper, our friend and artist,
Robert Schwenck, allowed us to use his beautiful painting of the ruins of the old
stone church of Mission San Juan Capistrano on the cover. We hired Melissa
Summers, who designed quite a few of our other books, to create the print
cover. We are delighted with the result.
Larry is an artist himself. Several of his pieces decorate
our home. He was able to create the covers for his sci-fi series, The
McGregor Chronicles, using NASA star field photos, which are in the
public domain. He was also able to create his own layout using the CreateSpace
templates. Because this series came after we had already published several
previous books, he understood the requirements. Most authors do not.
PROFESSIONAL EDIT
Regardless of which way the book will be published, every
writer should hire a professional editor before submission to ensure the
integrity and professionalism of the finished product. I am a professional
editor, but even I can miss critical issues in my own books.
MARKETING AND
PUBLICITY
Additional hidden expenses surround each book launch. In the
past, we ordered inexpensive business cards printed with the name of the book,
and handed them out for several weeks prior to publication.
We've also created our own video trailers for each book.
However, some of our author friends pay others to create professional trailers
and post them to their social media and websites.
Every author should have both a blog and a website. Website
hosting and web design can be quite expensive, but the site should look
professional. We are blessed with a son who took over the design and
maintenance of our site several years ago. He does this for a living, so he has
the necessary skills to produce an eye-catching and user-friendly website
(www.lornalarry.com). Most people do not have this resource, so they need to
pay someone as their webmaster.
We also plan a book launch event in conjunction with each
new book. During the event, we serve refreshments and hold a drawing for
prizes. All incur cost.
Unfortunately, published authors make considerably less
today than in the past for a number of reasons. Even ebooks are not free. We can
gift copies to people, but we have to buy them in order to do so.
So, although we’d like to be able to give our books to all
our friends and family members, we are not independently wealthy enough to do
so. When we do give someone a copy, please understand it is a gift with
inherent cost to us.
