Sinopsis
"Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)" wants to make you a smarter publisher by giving you access to powerful ideas, strategies, and tools for success. Our interview guests are independent publishers, author publishers, and hybrid publishers, as well as distributors, printers, typographers, reviewers, booksellers, marketers, visionaries, and opinion leaders from all sectors of the book publishing industry.We are sponsored and supported by the Independent Book Publishers Association, the largest book publishing association in the US serving independent publishers and author publishers. IBPAs vision is a world where every independent publisher has the tools and knowledge needed to professionally engage in all aspects of the publishing industry. Your host is Peter Goodman, publisher of Stone Bridge Press and a longtime member and past Board Chair of IBPA.
Episodios
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Publishing is great! Publishing sucks! The host weighs in.
25/04/2019 Duración: 14minTopics include: 5 great things about being an indie publisher today 5 horrible things about being an indie publisher today and a few further thoughts and comments PARTICIPANTS Peter Goodman (host) is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California. He began his publishing career in Tokyo, Japan, in 1976. A longtime member of IBPA, he has served on the IBPA board and as IBPA board chair.
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An expert reflects on independent publishing today, with guest Joel Friedlander
04/04/2019 Duración: 24minHas publishing changed much in the past decades? A lot, but in many ways not at all. Influential blogger and opinion leader Joel Friedlander tells us what’s still important for all publishers to know . . . and do. Topics include: First rule: authors still have to understand their market. Hard copy printing, despite what we hear about ebooks, is still the most popular way of manufacturing, and most of that is offset. Can author-publishers get into bookstores? (One thought: consignment is not the way to go except in one specific instance.) So who gets mainstream distribution? What ever happened to ebooks? Humans have an endless need for stories, which is why we’ll always have books. The future of publishing: interactivity, special editions, crowdfunding. Bottom line: quality is still the most important thing a publisher can bring to a book. Participants Joel Friedlander is an award-winning book designer, blogger (since 2009!), and writer. He speaks regularly at industry events and is the author of A Self-Publ
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Working with Amazon, part 2: Terms of Service and getting reviews, with guest Ian Lamont
28/02/2019 Duración: 26minPart 2 of a wide-ranging interview with Ian Lamont of i30 Media about selling, promoting, and advertising your books on Amazon, plus tips for getting reviews and understanding Amazon’s Terms of Service. Highlights of part 2 include: Amazon Terms of Service Who matters more to Amazon, you the publisher or the customer? Three guesses! the “buy box” controversy how to avoid getting kicked off Amazon: understanding Terms of Service getting reviews and managing giveaways can anyone compete with Amazon? Ian Lamont’s blog is at http://leanmedia.org/blog/. Participants Ian Lamont is an award-winning technology journalist, author, and publisher, and the founder of i30 Media Corp. and IN 30 MINUTES Guides (in30minutes.com). He is also a director and treasurer of the Independent Book Publishers Association, and serves on IBPA's Executive Committee. His books include Twitter In 30 Minutes and Lean Media: How to focus creativity, streamline production, and create media that audiences love. A graduate of Boston Universi
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Working with Amazon, part 1: Keywords, categories, and advertising, with guest Ian Lamont
21/02/2019 Duración: 21minWorking with Amazon, part 1: Keywords, Categories, and Advertising, with guest Ian Lamont Part 1 of a wide-ranging interview with Ian Lamont of i30 Media about selling, promoting, and advertising your books on Amazon, plus tips for getting reviews and understanding Amazon’s Terms of Service. Highlights include: CreateSpace and the not-so-smooth conversion to KDP using and choosing keywords and categories for your book placing ads on Amazon and understanding ACOS to know if you’re making a profit or not art there alternative to Amazon? Ian Lamont’s blog is at http://leanmedia.org/blog/. Participants Ian Lamont is an award-winning technology journalist, author, and publisher, and the founder of i30 Media Corp. and IN 30 MINUTES Guides (in30minutes.com). He is also a director and treasurer of the Independent Book Publishers Association, and serves on IBPA's Executive Committee. His books include Twitter In 30 Minutes and Lean Media: How to focus creativity, streamline production, and create media that audienc
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The logistics of order-fulfillment, with guest Matt Kurtis
31/01/2019 Duración: 26minMatt Kurtis, VP of Sales & Marketing for Ware-Pak LLC, explains how book-fulfillment services (pick, pack, ship) can help publishers manage new logistical challenges, save money, and become more efficient. Highlights include: How is a fulfillment service different from a distributor, from a wholesaler? What does the term “3PL” refer to? What kind of publisher benefits the most from a fulfillment service? At what stage of your company’s growth should you contact a fulfillment company? What kinds of benefits does a fulfillment company offer? How are publishers charged for services? The very important difference between activity-based and percentage-based chargebacks Transitioning from in-house to outsource fulfillment, and why it might make sense (key point: you transfer your fixed costs to variable costs) How do you know if you should choose fulfillment vs full-service distribution (i.e., a distributor that offers sales and marketing support) does digitalization threaten the future of physical shipments (
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Why the hybrid model makes sense for authors and publishers, with guest Brooke Warner
17/01/2019 Duración: 31minWhy the hybrid model makes sense for authors and publishers, with guest Brooke Warner Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press and SparkPress, talks about independent publishing and how the hybrid model is helping authors thrive by creating opportunity and diversifying the marketplace. Highlights include: What is hybrid publishing? What is the hybrid business model? Who pays, and what does it cost? What benefits does hybrid give the author? The publisher? How hybrid democratizes the list: all books get attention, not just the “lead titles” What points do authors need to pay attention to in hybrid contracts? Why do hybrid publishers still meet resistance from some reviewers, contests, and associations? What’s the future of indie publishing? (Hint: it’s bright!) Challenges ahead: costs of paper, book pricing, Amazon dominance IBPA’s role in promoting standards Key point: we need to rethink the way we do things and update our idea of what a book is: the current model may not be sustainable Here are two ess
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Extending your content via e-learning, with guest Deltina Hay
03/01/2019 Duración: 29minDeltina Hay from Elearning Delta, and past Board Chair of IBPA, talks about the benefits and methods of extending your book’s content and repurposing it onto elearning platforms. This podcast is for anyone with instructional materials of any kind: crafts, marketing, cooking, sales—just about any field where you’ve got information to deliver in a structured learning format. Subjects discussed include: what kinds of books lend themselves to elearning? do publishers generally start with a book to adapt, or an idea they want to get across? elearning as a calling card to demonstrate your credentials as an expert what kinds of skills do you need for DIY; can “ordinary” folks master the tools? when should you hire a professional, and why should you? the cheap route: YouTube, Instagram hallmarks of a professional package: quality, certification, assessments, worksheets elearning beyond the book: you have to provide more than what’s already in print finding the best elearning system for your content marketing and mon
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Working with independent booksellers, with guests from Books Inc., Berkeley
13/12/2018 Duración: 27minProfessional booksellers talk about consignment, events, terms and other aspects of working with independent publishers. A store manager, restock buyer, and event coordinator at Books Inc., a leading independent bookseller in Berkeley, California, discuss ways they evaluate books from independent publishers and things publishers can do to make it easier to hold events at and get books into their store. This is a very meaty interview with lots of practical advice. Highlights of this podcast include: how books are evaluated when submitted the ins and outs of consignment: fees, support for nonlocal authors, term the importance of returnability and discounts offered what makes a successful event? (hint: authors need to help with attendance!) store outreach via Instagram, newsletter, Facebook: do authors need to help offset costs? (answer: not always, it depends) the book buyer is “curating a gallery of books” priming the pump: offering a marketing plan, reviews, publicity, showing you are putting effort into dev
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The nuts and bolts of liability insurance for your company, with guest Mike Mansel
29/11/2018 Duración: 24minMike Mansel is a Certified Insurance Counselor, and here he shares his decades of experience working with publishers large and small on sorting out their insurance needs. Highlights of this podcast include: types of liability insurance the role of Intellectual Property attorneys in defending claims do insurance companies just settle or do they go to bat for their customers? why to avoid jury trials do all publishers need insurance? what does publishers liability insurance cost, and do costs depend on the kinds of books you publish? is having general business liability insurance enough? “claims made” vs “occurrence” based policies: know the difference! is it an advantage to be an LLC vs a C-corp vs a sole proprietorship? what is the leading source of claims against publishers? what’s a “hammer” clause and why is it important that you know? Here’s a link to the BookBaby Blog article by Scott McCormick, on using song lyrics in your book: http://blog.bookbaby.com/2018/11/lyrics-in-books-your-questions-answered/
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Ebooks: promises and pitfalls, with guest Laura Brady
18/10/2018 Duración: 25minEbook production expert Laura Brady suggests ways you need to think about ebook design and creation to produce reliable and good-looking results This podcast is for anyone who is thinking of creating ebooks or hiring an ebook designer, or who has seen the ads for “ebooks made easy!” and is thinking, well, how hard could it be? Topics include: problems of ebook conversion (especially if you are using Word) there are lots of cheap ebook creators out there; are they safe? how do I plan my pbook design knowing that it will become an ebook (hint: consider avoiding drop caps!) what kinds of fonts work with ebooks? do I need to license them? what are the big issues that ebook creators are discussing these days: Kindle, design, and the future of the spec why spend a lot of time “designing” an ebook when users can just change your font and typography at the push of a button? will the ebook market continue to grow? if ebooks win do print books lose? and vice versa are better dedicated ebook readers on the way? Links
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A literary agent’s perspective on book publishing, with guest Andy Ross
04/10/2018 Duración: 26minAndy Ross of the Andy Ross Agency discusses how agents evaluate manuscripts and how agents operate in today’s book publishing climate. Andy Ross has been active in the publishing world for 40 years, first as a bookseller and now as an agent. In this podcast conversation, he shares his thoughts on agenting and when and how an agent can work with a small independent publisher. Highlights include: Is there life after bookselling? What does an agent do? What are the real advantages of working with an agent, besides contract negotiation? Why agents need to be more than just dealmakers. How do you find a good agent, or how do you know if a particular agent is good for you? Why is it so hard to get published these days? Will agents work with small indie presses? Why the agent’s first obligation is always to the author. Is it true that agents can turn small indie books into big commercial hits? The age-old question: is Amazon good or bad for publishing and publishers? How does an agent decide if he/she likes a book
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Printing in Asia, Pros and Cons, with guest George Dick
20/09/2018 Duración: 32minGeorge Dick, president of Four-Colour Print Group, talks about all the reasons you might want to print your next book in Asia, especially if it’s in color or for kids Many publishers of full-color books—coffee-table books, art books, cookbooks, children’s books – choose to print in Asia because printing costs less there. But cost may not be the only consideration. Topics include the future of printing in Asia (hint: pretty good) the shrinking of the Asian cost advantage vs North American printers is it freight from China that’s getting more expensive? how about other factors, like new equipment, higher wages, and environmental regulations is Chinese printing less “green”? will Chinese printers accept material that is “objectionable” in terms of politics or sex? how about Korean printers? how much longer will it take to get your book from Asia than if your print in North America? printing in Asia is cheaper, but if you use a print broker do you lose some of that savings? what are the advantages of working wit
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Book Design, Covers, and Interiors, with guest Tami Dever
06/09/2018 Duración: 29minTami Dever, co-owner and founder of TLC Book Design, discusses key elements of book design that signal professionalism, readability, excellence, and permanence What are the elements a book designer needs to consider when designing an interior? A cover? Tami Dever discusses how she works with clients and notes the factors that make a book look good against the competition. Topics include things to keep in mind when designing a book: audience, competition, tone, readability the importance of interior design in sealing the deal and drawing customers to the cash register favoring longevity over trendiness using Word to prepare text for a designer (hint: avoid overformatting!) key elements of cover design that must work together (and it’s not easy!): size of elements typography color images use of space and margins avoiding Photoshop gimmickry Typefaces mentioned in this podcast: Esprit Berkeley To reach TLC Book Design, go to http://www.tlcbookdesign.com/. Notes to the Q&A segment The articl
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Secrets of the Independent Publisher, with guest Cynthia Frank
23/08/2018 Duración: 31minCynthia Frank, publisher of Cypress House, shares some of the hard-won insights from more than 30 years as an independent publisher Listening to this wide-ranging interview you get a sense of what issues come up and what life is like as an independent publisher in a small town on the northern coast of California. Cynthia Frank has been publishing for as many years as there has been an IBPA and before that PMA, and has seen technology go from a phone and fax to high-speed internet and the digital revolution. Lots of things have changed, but much is still the same, like Cynthia’s belief that the publisher must emphasize editorial content and quality of expression more than anything else. And she’s also outspoken on subjects like, is it worth going to BEA? Can you publish successfully without Amazon? Why has there been a resurgence in indie bookstores (hint: Amazon’s success may ironically have had something to do with it!)? Do special sales pay off? Mentioned in the podcast are: Hudson News: http://www.hudsong
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Accounting for the Independent Publisher, with guest Lisa London
09/08/2018 Duración: 27minLisa London, CPA, author, and publisher, discusses many of the specialized points of accounting that every publisher needs to know This podcast looks at many of the things publishers need to know when setting up and using accounting packages to manage revenue, expenses, and taxes. Among the subjects mentioned are: keep it simple! automate everything you can is Quickbooks a good package for publishers? are there others? how to manage royalties the importance of understanding the contracts you sign and their related costs aligning items to your accounting needs and to proper categories the need to be consistent the need to document using attachments in Quickbooks working with e-commerce sites that feed into your accounting package, and vice versa putting money aside to pay your taxes capitalization rules changes ahead thoughts on use tax: does it apply to your business? Some of the goods and services mentioned in the podcast include: Xero accounting package: https://www.xero.com/ Sage accounting package: htt
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Publishing with Happiness, Ambition, and Passion, with guest Daniel Lerner
26/07/2018 Duración: 33minDaniel Lerner, inspirational speaker and teacher at NYU, discusses how publishers can invigorate their work with passion and find happiness by serving themselves in a way that serves others Following his enthusiastically received keynote at IBPA’s Publishing University 2018, Daniel agreed to this interview to further reflect on what makes people happy. So many accomplished people—doctors, lawyers, even publishers-- are stressed out, despite making lots of money and leading a “comfortable” life. What are they missing or not understanding? There’s no easy answer to human satisfaction. But there are some things we can all do that can alleviate our stress levels and connect us better to what we’re doing and to other people. We need to relax, for one thing. To not obsess so much over our jobs. To find additional outlets for our energies. And above all, we need to work in areas that both satisfy us and enable us to serve others, whether it’s making time for our family or our larger communities. Humans are not so di
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Branding Your Book as a First step to Success, with guest Judy Baker
12/07/2018 Duración: 26minJudy Baker of Book Marketing Mentor discusses how branding your book can help you grow your readership and establish yourself as an expert in your field This podcast looks at branding your book and the benefits it brings. Books, especially nonfiction, are where experts can showcase their expertise. The book becomes a starting place for building a business, and can lead to follow-up series, workshops, podcasts, and other related activities. By engaging your readers you build your community and become familiar to them, and this enhances your credibility as an author and makes your books even more desirable. Judy is also active in BAIPA, the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association, based in Marin County north of San Francisco. Judy talks about how BAIPA has grown and what is offered at its monthly meetings. BAIPA is also an IBPA affiliate: Judy notes the many benefits that affiliate publishing associations get from IBPA, such as discounts, speakers, and access to information and expertise. Find out more abou
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Book Printers Grapple with the Future, with guest Jonnie Bryant
28/06/2018 Duración: 26minJonnie A Bryant, Executive Director of Sales/Marketing at book printer McNaughton & Gunn, talks paper, cost, and schedules, and offers her take on challenges facing the industry If you are wondering what’s happening in the world of book manufacturing, and how that might impact your ability to produce a book economically and on time, you’ll definitely want to listen to what Jonnie Bryant of McNaughton & Gunn has to say. Topics include changes in paper availability producing price rises and longer schedules allocation of paper from the mills to printers for the first time in years how the demand for diapers and teabags is making it harder for you to produce your book! how new trucking safety regulations mean you may not be able to get the paper when you need it why you may find it harder to procure alternative groundwood sheets in the future: is this the end of the cheap lightweight option? the development of color inkjet printing that marries high quality with low cost, making all sorts of new project
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Advocating Quality, Hybrids, and a Level Playing Field, with guest Elizabeth Turnbull
14/06/2018 Duración: 26minBoard Member Elizabeth Turnbull discusses quality standards, hybrid publishing, diversity, and other target areas for IBPA's Advocacy Committee Subjects covered include: how to achieve a level playing field for indie books the IBPA publishing standards checklist the IBPA hybrid publishing checklist removing the stigma from indie publishing once and for all expanding diversity in publishing future advocacy projects for IBPA working with indie booksellers Participants Elizabeth Turnbull was born and raised in Haiti where she grew up surrounded by the people and landscapes of her latest book, Say to These Mountains. After graduating from Quisqueya Christian School, in Port-au-Prince, Elizabeth went on to study Spanish and Journalism at Wake Forest University and received her MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University. Today, she is the Senior Editor for Light Messages Publishing where she is immensely grateful to immerse herself in new stories every day. Elizabeth is also
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Publishers Weekly and the Independent Publisher, with guest Jim Milliot
31/05/2018 Duración: 37minEditorial Director Jim Milliot talks about how leading trade magazine Publishers Weekly views book publishing today and the rise of the indie publisher. In a wide-ranging interview, Jim Milliot looks at how book publishing has changed in the last decade and how Publishers Weekly has adopted strategies to adjust, such as developing digital outlets for news and advertising in the face of declining print sales. As a result, today PW reaches a huge audience, surprisingly made up mostly of consumers looking for reviews and opinions to guide their buying choices. Jim also talks about different ways PW serves the publishing industry, not just the BIg 5 but smaller presses. He suggests different ways indies can get coverage, and he emphasizes that PW plays an important advocacy role when it comes to creating a level playing field for publishers of all sizes. At the end, Jim has a rather surprising take on the overall health of the American book publishing industry. To visit Publishers Weekly online, go to https://ww