|
Frequently
Asked Questions
This page contains answers to common questions
concerning self-publishing.
- What is an ISBN?
- How do I copyright
my book ?
- Where do I obtain
an EAN barcode?
- What is Cataloguing in Print (CIP)?
- What is Collections Canada?
- What is Legal
Deposit?
- What is the
Library of Congress?
- How do I market my book?
- What is self-publishing?
- How can Petnyaa
save me
money?
An International
Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit number unique to each book.
It is used on all published material
for classification, retrieval and
inventory purposes.
The copyright page
inside the book contains the
copyright statement (your name, the
year of publication, and the
copyright symbol ©), Canada in
Print cataloguing information,
credits for design, photography,
layout, illustration, etc., an
"all rights reserved"
statement, and contact information
for the publisher and/or printer.
This is usually sufficient, but a
request for copyright can be made
for approximately $35 CAD. Contact
the Canadian Intellectual Property
Office for a free beginners guide at
1-866-997-1936 or visit www.cipo.gc.ca.
U.S. authors can contact the
Copyright Office at (202) 707-3000
or visit www.copyright.gov
for more information.
A Bookland EAN
barcode can be created with special
software or you may purchase one
from a barcode vendor. It is
necessary to have an EAN barcode if
you wish to sell your book in
bookstores as it contains
information about the ISBN, the
price of the book, and the
currency.
Cataloguing in
Print (CIP) is a program coordinated
by the National Library of Canada to
catalogue all books published in the
country. An application for CIP must
be made before the book is published
and the information is printed in
the book on the reverse side of the
title page. The National Library
catalogues and distributes this
information to booksellers and
libraries across Canada. The program
is coordinated by The Library
of Congress in the U.S.
Collections Canada
was created to preserve Canadian
published heritage. When more than
101 books are printed, two copies
must be sent to Collections Canada;
one copy is required if there are
more than three copies, but less
than 101; but no copies are
necessary if less than three copies
are printed.
Legal Deposit
refers to the number of books sent
to Collections Canada. (See
above.)
The
Library of Congress coordinates the
program that catalogues all published
books in the U.S. Its function is the
same as the National Library of Canada
which operates the CIP program.
You
begin marketing before you even get
your book printed! Tell anyone and
everyone that you are planning to
publish and decide on a date when you
wish to introduce your book to the
world. Start speaking to bookstores as
soon as you can... spread the word and
create a sense of anticipation!
A
short time before publishing, speak to
your local newspaper. Find out who
reports on new books or the arts and
talk to that individual. Contact your
local radio and TV station and find
out if they have a segment where you
can publicize your book.
Speak
to interest groups in your area,
especially when your book has been
printed. Your book will add
credibility to your talk. If you are
nervous about speaking to people,
contact a Toastmasters club near you
and they will be delighted to give you
some pointers on public speaking (www.toastmasters.org).
Petnyaa
can provide you with a unique domain
name for your book and your own
website, which will be linked to our
site. We can also provide a News
Release to various news groups.
Self-publishing
is just what the name implies. Instead
of going to a publisher to
distribute/market your book (where you
receive only a very small percentage
of the sales), you get your book
printed yourself. You are then
responsible for marketing it... but
you also receive all the income!
Bookstores will require a percentage
of sales, but you still receive the
lion's portion.
Petnyaa
Self-Publishing initially provides you
with twenty-five printed copies of your
book. This will be sufficient to
determine whether your book is going
to sell or not (once you've exhausted
sales to family and friends)!
Most
bookstores are willing to take a small
number on consignment, for probably a
60-day period. During this time, you
can market and advertise it to
generate interest.
Your
book will also be available via the
Internet on Petnyaa's website
and on your own if you choose. But be prepared for this to be
a long-term market as it takes time
for websites to propagate on the Net.
You can increase traffic to your web
presence by using the URL on all your
emails and other correspondence.
If
your book sells well in the first few
months, you can then figure out how
many additional copies you will need on your next print
run. You may wish to order thousands,
or you may need only a few. In the
meantime, you have avoided a large
inventory which can tie up a lot of
capital.
|
