Guidelines to Writing and Publishing Your Book

 

The staff at E & F, Inc. can help you get your book into print.  If you are thinking of writing a book, or have a book in draft form, it sometimes is difficult to interest one of the big publishers in your project. E & F may be your best option.  Here are some items to consider in successfully getting your book published.

 

Selecting E & F, Inc. as your Publisher

E & F has been in the printing and publishing business for over thirty years, and as the production and technical aspects of printing have changed, so have our capabilities.  For more information on our printing resources and procedures, please consult our printing website at: www.athensprinting.com.  The primary content that we print relates to our motto: "Quality Resources for the Rehabilitation Profession."  A review of our resources on E & F's website will reflect the fact that our books and journals are directed toward rehabilitation consultants in both the private and public sectors of rehabilitation.  On occasion we do select a title which may be outside this traditional sphere.  For example, see the book titles in the "Fun Section" of our publications.  Even though your book title may seem far afield of the rehabilitation subject area, we will still consider your book in some instances.  There are two categories of titles that we will consider printing: Self-publishing and publishing (at no cost to you.)

 

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing is sometimes referred to as "vanity printing."  This approach occurs when you send us a manuscript for review and we decide that E & F cannot sell enough copies through our network to justify the expense.  This does not mean that your book does not have merit, but it does mean that if you want your book published, then you would pay for the production, marketing and distribution out of your pocket.  Examples of this type of book would be a family history (to be distributed to one's extended family), or a children's book (where you hope that it will turn into a Dr. Seuss series).  Likewise, novels generally are not consistent with our publishing objectives, although we will consider a title of this nature if the story line is rehabilitation related.

 

Publishing for Fame and Profit

As stated earlier, E & F is interested in titles that are directly related to the rehabilitation profession, and more specifically, forensic rehabilitation. Titles in this area would be directed toward the rehabilitation consultant. Examples of books that we have published and have been very successful would include the Classification of Jobs, the Rehabilitation Consultant's Handbook, the CRC Study Guide, and the Medical, Psychosocial and Vocational Aspects of Disability.  However, there are many other titles that are more targeted toward a specific issue and have been very successful when targeted toward a particular group or topic.  Examples would include: the CRCC Desk Reference, Life Care Planning: A Step by Step Guide, Life Care Planning: A Method to Your Madness, The Daubert Challenge, and the Vocational Expert.

 

The primary consideration when considering a book in this area is to think in terms of need for the profession.  Will your book bring new information and/or guidelines that would be useful to the practicing rehabilitation consultant?  How will your book be different from other titles?  Assuming that you have a title that is new, refreshing, and fills a need in the literature, then you may be on your way as a successful author.  Once the book is in print and ready for distribution, then you are positioned for greater recognition with and among your peers (fame) with the potential to earn some money if your book sells well.  And if you are successful, then your book may require subsequent revisions and up-dates for even greater fame and profit.  But lets not get ahead of ourselves yet for there are many things to consider in producing a book.

 

Getting Your Book into Print

When considering the publication of your book, or book idea, the following is intended to give you further information and guidance on publishing, as well as how E & F will approach the publishing/marketing/distribution aspects of your project.

1. Planning: Writing your book may be the most difficult phase of publishing your book (marketing and distribution is the other).  There are many good resources available on how to approach the task, and these resources are available through the web or from a national book source outline like Barnes and Noble.  Suffice to say, planning the whole project is essential in developing the book.

2. Deciding on Your Target Audience: If you are writing a book for your family (genealogy), or a novel, the author can assume much more license in writing style, grammar and format.  On the other hand, if you are writing for other rehabilitation professionals, APA style* is important, along with proper referencing and citations of related publications (including a literature review).

3. Writing the First Chapter: After you have outlined your book, and planned all your chapter topics, begin by writing that first chapter.  Before you get too deep into the project, send that chapter to E & F for purpose of review and feedback.  At this point in time, we will be able to tell you of our interest in the project, as well as some indication of potential sales.  Even if we might think your book would need more planning and thought before you proceed, you still might have a winner. On the other hand, with our experience in publishing for the rehabilitation profession for many years, we will give you the benefit of our experience in terms of the book's potential for success.

4. Finishing the First Draft: After we have provided you with some feedback on your project, and if you feel encouraged by the feedback, proceed with the writing of the entire first draft.  Notice that we used the words "first draft." By the time your book is ready for publication, the manuscript might go through three to five drafts before we decide it is ready for preparation to print.  Multiple drafts should not discourage you for writing, but rather, the drafts will be an attempt to get your book in the best possible shape before it goes to production.

5. Proof Reading: After your draft is finished, give the book to an outside reader - a person who is knowledgeable of spelling, grammar, writing style, APA format (if an academic/professional book), and of the content.  This process might require the reading of two people; one for technical aspects, and the other for general content. This is an important step and, as a result, your manuscript will be much improved.

6. Formatting, Layout, and Cover Design: Once your manuscript is ready to move to production, we at E & F will begin work related to typesetting (involving font size and style), formatting and layout (size of book and page, graphics, if any, and sequencing of content from title page to indexes).  The cover will be designed and decisions made related to soft cover or hard cover, ink colors, and graphics.  The author will have significant input into these decisions, and a final (written) approval sheet will need to be received from the author before the production phase begins.

7. Digital Production or Print: E & F uses two methods for producing a book - depending on several factors.  The chart below provides a delineation of factors to consider when deciding between a digital production (duplication) or printing (wet ink on a press).

FACTORS	DIGITAL	OFFSET
Timeliness	Fast	Longer process
Cost	More expensive per copy	Less expensive per copy
Quality of Type	Good	Better, longer lasting
Number of Copies	Less than 400-500	More than 500-600
Cover	Usually Soft	Soft or Hard
Binding Options	Spiral, Coil, Perfect (soft cover), or Stitch	Perfect or Stitch (hard cover)

As a general rule, if the book only requires a few copies, the selection of choice would be to produce by digital reproduction; the cost per copy would be 10-20% greater than if printed.  On the other hand, if several hundred copies are needed, then it is clearly advantageous to print the book on a printing press.  The process is much more complicated (plate-making, printing signatures, folding, gathering and collating signatures before binding).  With many more copies being produced the over-all cost is less per copy.  Whether the author or publisher decides on which process is used, the deciding factor is the estimate of the number of copies that can be distributed or sold.  The cost of a small number of digital copies is usually quite manageable (a few hundred dollars or less), but printing a book of several hundred or a few thousand copies can be very expensive (possibly several thousand dollars).  The other factors of typesetting, formatting, grade of paper, and binding are generally non-factors in terms of the differences between the two processes.  Again, the real cost factor has to do with the number of copies produced. As we often advise authors, producing the book is a relatively easy task; it is the selling of the book that is potentially a problem (i.e., producing too many books that will not sell).  Based on our experience, we have a sense of what might sell, and in what quantities - which is why E & F will be very deliberative in how many copies will be produced (and which process would be most appropriate).   On the other hand, E & F will produce any number of copies in any format if the author chooses to cover all costs.

 

8. Cost of Production: If E & F decides to publish a book, we may cover all costs of production.  Accordingly, we would reserve the right to decide if the book would be produced digitally or by printing.  In some cases it is prudent to initiate the marketing process following a digital production, and then if it appears that the book is going to do well in terms of sales, we would move to printing a larger number of copies.  Cost estimates will gladly be provided if the author chooses to cover all costs.

 

9. When E & F Pays: If we decide to produce your book and market/distribute through our network, E & F will assume all costs associated with the production, marketing and distribution of the book.  Marketing of our books and journals include an annual catalog, a website, selected brochures, and telephone assistance for people calling for information.  Throughout the year, brochures and complimentary copies are frequently made available at regional and national conferences attended by rehabilitation professionals.  Journal ad copy is occasionally used to promote a new title to a targeted audience.

 

10: Payment of Royalties: E & F pays authors a royalty of 10 to 12% on gross retail sales, depending on the amount of work that is required to produce the book (negotiable). Royalties are paid quarterly.

 

11. Drop Shipping: In cases where the author has paid costs for their book (whether or not E & F produces it), E & F could advertise and market and drop ship your book to customers.  E & F shall retain 40% of the retail cost, and charge $5.00 for handling, plus UPS shipping costs for books drop-shipped from our offices in Athens, GA.

 

12. Cost of Books to Authors: In cases where E & F produces an author's book and covers all costs, E & F makes available to authors any number of copies at 50% off retail prices, plus shipping.  It has been our experience that authors are the best marketers of their own book.

 

13 Copyright and Ownership: Authors are encouraged to copyright their book in their own name, or a company name.  Copyright information can be obtained from the web. E & F can obtain the copyright for an additional cost of approximately $150-$175.00 (includes an ISBN bar code).

 

14. A Letter of Agreement: E & F generally does not develop a contract for the production and marketing of a book.  However, E & F will generate a "letter of agreement." The agreement will stipulate the specifications of the book, production and marketing activities, and the duration of the agreement.  In order to develop a "letter of agreement," the book must be sufficiently developed so that an estimation of costs can be made (i.e. number of pages, size, format, and binding, etc.).

 

15. Duration of Agreement: E & F usually allows for an author to terminate the agreement with six months notice.  In those cases where inventory remains high, accommodations will need to be addressed regarding the remaining inventory, if any.

 

The above information is intended to provide authors and prospective writers some general guidelines on publishing a book - at least with E & F. Authors having other questions regarding the printing/publishing process are invited to contact:

Tim Field, Ph.D., Publisher

E & F, Inc.

www.elliottfitzpatrick.com

800.843.4977

 or  Chan Field, Manager

Athens Printing Company, Inc.

www.athensprinting.com

706.353.2632

 

* Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, 2009, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

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