FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. In this case we have been asked some of them. Others are questions we think you ought to ask.

There's a lot more to publishing than a web site. Where can I find out more?

Try one of our hosted sites, worsleypress.com and their book Publish Your Book (declared self-interest: I'm the author). Other useful sites are:

• aeonix.com by Pete Masterson who has written (and published) Book Design and Production: A Guide for Authors and Publishers. That site also has a useful list of links to other sites for self-publishers.
• wexfordpress.com by John Culleton

Publish it myself, use a subsidy press or look for a traditional publisher?

If you publish it yourself, you take all the risks, pay all the costs but get all the rewards. With a subsidy press, you pay all of what may be inflated costs, and get a "royalty" on sales but there is little incentive for the "publisher" to try to make sales as their profit, or most of it, is made on their charges to you. With a traditional publisher, they pay all the costs and depend on sales to achieve their profit, from which they pay you a royalty or percentage (either on the retail price or on net receipts).

So, what is POD?

This can stand for "print on demand" or "publish on demand". With "print on demand" you can still be the publisher and save on costs by just printing as copies are needed. "Publish on demand" can be similar but can also be a disguised description for "subsidy publishing". Cost per copy is usually higher with POD, so it is difficult to do it at a retail price which allows for normal book trade distribution. It can be very profitable with little up-front investment if you are selling most copies direct.

How can I sell from a web site?

Simplest is to quote a price and a mailing address and ask customers to send you a check or money order. You can also create a form on the web site for buyers to print and post in. There are also a number of companies which allow you to set up your web site to accept credit cards, of which the best known is PayPal. Once you have set up such an account, we can help with putting their "Buy now" buttons on your web page.

How do I calculate the retail price of a book?

Consider what similar books are selling at, although with non-fiction you can also consider how desperately your readers will want the information. Also, if you are planning to sell through the book trade you need to know that a typical bookseller will want 40 to 50 percent of the retail price and a wholesaler will want another 10 to 15 percent with a distributor another 10 percent, which can mean you are left with a third at most to pay for printing, cartage or postage and for your own effort. If you sell direct, then you just have to consider the profit you need and promotional costs, plus some postage.

If I use your automated web site creation system, am I tied to using your hosting?

Initially yes, but you can opt for just six months. The web pages produced are standard HTML files, but you will not have the automated online editing system (though you can even buy a single license copy of that for around US$50). If you leave us after 12 months we will even keep a redirection on our site at no cost for a minimum of 3 months.

Most books have ISBN and barcodes. What do they do and how do I get them?

They become important if you want to sell your book through the book trade or to libraries. The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is issued under the auspices of the United Nations and identifies publishers world wide. In the USA the agency is Bowker and they normally sell them in batches of ten, and although you can buy just one that is uneconomic if there is any chance of you doing a second edition, selling in a different binding or producing an eBook version. Because the ISBN identifies the "publisher of record" for all purposes including contacts for sales, be very wary of anyone who offers to sell you one of their batch. Note that ISBN have changed from 10 to 13 digits but they are easy to convert. You may include both versions on the copyright page but have only the 13-digit version on the back cover. Note also that the new 13-digit ISBN is identical to the number which is at the bottom of the barcode.

On barcodes, there are many other sources once you have the ISBN including several Internet sites which will produce graphics for inclusion in your cover artwork.

Why don't you like the term "self-publisher"?

It used to be something you could say with pride. Now it has been devalued through its use by subsidy publishers. If you publish, in my mind, you are a publisher. If you are successful you may well want to use your expertise to publish something written by someone else. For that reason, and also because booksellers tend to look down their noses at self-publishers, it can be worthwhile establishing an "imprint" or business name which is not obviously just you. Maybe you can use a name based on the area you live in, or on your area of expertise, but be careful not to be too restrictive as to what that business name can do in the future.

If your question is not answered here, then please ask it using our contact form.