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How do I get paid my royalties?
Your royalties are paid directly into your bank account. We don’t take any of your royalties. Your royalties will be NET the royalty fee charged by the outlet that sold your book; Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.
Do I get to choose my ink quality, paper weight, and book size?
Yes, you get to choose your ink quality, paper weight and book size. We send you a list to choose from at the start of your publishing journey. 8×5 and 9×6 are the most popular book sizes. We would urge you to pop to your local bookshop, library or take a look around your home and examine some book sizes to see what size you would like. Your book size is fixed once the book has been formatted. You are free to change your paper weight and ink quality at any time in the dashboard that is created for you.
Can I choose my book cover and what goes on the back cover and spine?
Yes, at the start of the process we collect information regarding what you envision for your book cover. The front cover, back cover and the spine.
What if I don’t like the first version of my book cover?
We offer unlimited revisions when it comes to the design of your book cover.
Where will my book be for sale and available for distribution?
Your book will be available globally both digitally and in stores. You will be plugged in to one of the publishing industry’s largest global book distribution networks, including access to over 40,000 independent bookstores, online stores, chain stores, eBook retailers, libraries and universities. See a list of some of the most prominent outlets here.
Do I keep my copyright? Who owns my book?
You keep 100% of your copyright and you own your book and all associated rights entirely – that’s what separates our self-publishing package apart from others. The sales and distribution accounts are setup in your name.
Can I add photos and images into my manuscript?
Yes,you can add as many images and photos as you like. Do be mindful that the more images you add the higher the cost of printing will become. You can mitigate these costs by using grayscale or limiting the number of images in the manuscript. It is also worth noting that if a great deal of specific design work is required there may be an additional cost. This will always be quoted before any work commences.
Are there any hidden costs?
There are no hidden costs. All prices are quoted at the start of the publishing process. Additional costs include but are not limited to proofreading, editing, illustrations, illustrated covers and additional typesetting but this is all explained within the proposal document provided when you enquire. Do also note that if you request a change to your book after you have authorised the proof copy or the cover then additional charges may apply. The same is true if you have already published your book and would then like changes made at a later date post publication.
Do you promote my book?
With over 40,000+ followers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, our blog and email list there is a large amount of built in awareness that comes from working with us. We do offer additional PR and marketing services.
What happens if I want to make changes to my book?
There will be opportunities to make changes to your book throughout the process. However, if you have approved the proof copy of your book and the cover but then change your mind any additional changes will be billable.
Will I get a contract?
As we don’t take any ownership of your work nor do we take any of your royalties we provide an SLA (service level agreement). This is the proposal that will be provided to you and details the services we have warranted to provide. Additionally all the sales and distribution accounts are setup in your name so they are owned by you right from the start.
How much should I charge for my book?
You are free to charge as little or as much as you like for your book. We normally advise around £2.99 for an eBook and around £9.99 for a paperback book. Do of course consider that the amount advised for your paperback is going to vary if for example your book is much larger or features a lot of colour images. The more words, pages and illustrations contained within the book the more expensive it will become.
How much will it cost to print my book?
We can provide an estimate of what the printed cost is likely to be but this is subject to change. We can only provide the exact cost once all internal files have been finalised along with the cover. Additionally we need the final specifications regarding colour weight, sizing and other key elements to be decided. Once the book has been uploaded to Ingram we can provide more exact details regarding pricing and printing costs.
How much do your publishing packages cost?
The cost varies depending on the word count of your manuscript, the amount of typesetting (internal design work) and additional services purchased such as proofreading or editorial.
Can you tell me the percentage that the retailers will take when I sell my book?
Yes, Ingram has a handy pricing tool. We can set you book up on Ingram with the price that you have chosen. They will then calculate the royalty payment you will receive every time your book sells. Not only that but they have a reporting dashboard that shows where your books are selling and tallies your income.
How long will it take to publish my book?
Currently the average turnaround time is 12 to 14 weeks but this is not guaranteed. This can vary during busy periods and it should be noted that if you require additional formatting, illustrations, request many changes to internal files or the cover it will of course delay publication.
Will you publish any book?
We have a quality matters policy detailed in our proposal document. What this means is that we check all books for quality. We will advise on editing, proofreading, cover design and any other factors that should be addressed.
Why do you setup the Ingram accounts with a temporary email and password?
We setup the accounts with a temporary email and password so that we can gain access as required to setup your sales and distribution accounts more rapidly. On handover the account and temporary details are handed over to you. You are free to amend these details as you wish.
Can I set a publication date?
Yes, but we only advise marketing this date once you have approved the proof copy of your book, approved the cover design and the files are uploaded and everything has been confirmed.
Will I get a physical proof of my book?
We use PDF proof copies of the book as they are faster and more cost effective.
Do I get any free copies of my book?
You can order as many copies of your book as you like but they are charged at cost price. This means you are just charged purely for the printing and postage of the books you order.
Can I order copies of my book?
You can order as many copies of your book as you like but they are charged at cost price. This means you are just charged purely for the printing and postage of the books you order. If you wish to order in bulk we can connect you with bulk printers for better value.
Here is a video we put together which shows you how to order author copies at cost price from Ingram Spark:
Who handles distribution for my book?
This is handled through Ingram. They connect you with distributors who will print and post your book should major retailers place orders. If someone orders the book on Amazon for example which is a Print on Demand retailer. Amazon prints and posts the book to the customer and you are paid your royalty.
If a larger physical retailer places a bulk order. They simply give their regular distributor your Nielsen registered ISBN (which we arrange for you), tell them how many books they want and they print and supply them. You are paid your royalty. This is all set up in your Ingram account for you when we publish the book.
Is my book automatically displayed on the shelves of physical retailers like WH Smith?
No you will need to pitch the buyers at these outlets to encourage them to place orders.
Does Publishing Push pitch the buyers at physical retail outlets such as WH Smith or Waterstones?
No you will need to pitch the buyers at these outlets to encourage them to place orders.
Speaking to people I think I have sold a certain number of books but the Ingram system hasn’t recorded all these sales?
There can be a disparity between book sales tallied and book sales seen on the reports. This will be down to when the item was purchased and when the report is run. There can be a delay between the platform where the sale was made reporting that sale to Ingram. Every sales platform will report at different times. Royalty minimums on various platforms will also have an impact on when sales are recorded. We always recommend allowing at least 30 days before a report is run to really get an accurate picture of what has happened with sales.
How do the royalties work and how does this differ between paperback and eBook?
When publishing through Ingram we are able to set the retail price for your paperback and eBook in the dashboard.
Paperback royalties.
When it comes to the online retailers that use print on demand they will take the retail price, let’s say £12.99 is the RRP. We then deduct the trade discount (this applies where retailers buy in bulk and is usually around 35% but can be higher) the cost to print and post the book.
Once we have applied the trade discount we have £8.44 remaining. In this case, let’s say it is £3.00 to print and post your book – the remaining £5.44 is the gross royalty.
The platform that sold your book will also take a percentage of this. If we use Amazon as the example they take 40% of this £5.44 that remains. You will receive £3.26 as the NET royalty.
We don’t take any of your royalties. Of course, the above is an example. The more expensive it is to print your book the smaller the royalty. More images, paper and higher quality ink that was chosen can all affect the ultimate royalty you receive. The good news with Ingram is that they fix your royalty so all platforms will pay the same amount giving you predictable income.
eBook royalties.
As there are no printing costs you will receive a royalty directly from the sale. With Amazon as an example, you receive 70% of the amount. *These figures can vary and we always say to visit each sales platform for the latest information. There are additional factors to consider such as promotions and Ingram setting a fixed price which does affect the royalty rate slightly.
I set my eBook Price at £3.99 but it is displaying on Amazon and other online retailers at £2.39?
This is the great benefit to using Ingram. You set the price for your book on the back end and fix your royalty. So even if the online sales platforms discount your book to boost sales your royalty rate remains the same. Put another way you earn the same money even when they discount your title to stimulate sales.
Why is my book not displaying properly on Amazon and Other Retailers?
Although your book may show as Title Available in the Ingram dashboard it takes a while for the files to propagate or transmit. In addition they may appear as separate entities as first. It takes a while for the platform to reconcile the files and join everything up. This video explains all:
How long does it take for my book to appear on retail outlets like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Gardners etc?
Ingram Sparks manually check over every manuscript which is distributed through their system. With today’s technology, you would assume that the propagation would be a streamline automated process, unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the case. They have recently implemented a new system. This will of course improve with time as Ingram is typically much faster at getting books live with retailers.
Ingram have informed us that the propagation of the print version can take up to 30 days to show as available on retailers such as Amazon. Generally speaking, it shouldn’t take this long and we have seen this happen as fast as 10 working days. In regards to ebooks, this can take up to two weeks.
How can I see sales reports for my book and see my compensation?
As part of our service we set you up with a dashboard which allows you to download reports on your sales. Here is a video to explain more:
How much do illustrations cost?
Prices start around £30.00 per illustration and rise from here to as much as £100.00 per illustration. Ultimately the final price will depend on the complexity and style of the illustrations that you are seeking. It is always best to give us an idea of what you are looking for and then we can source options and prices for you.
How do you create the illustrations?
Once you have agreed a style and illustrator that you like an initial draft is created. This will usually be the first sketch. This won’t contain colour or fine detail but it will show enough for you to confirm the illustrator has understood the image or images. Once confirmed the illustrator will then proceed to add colour and finish the images. This process will be repeated per image. You can go on an image by image basis or as most authors do they collect all sketches and then all final images once approved.
How long will it take to proofread my book?
For a 70,000 word novel the usual time is 7 to 10 working days to have this proofread and sent back to you. This does vary during busy periods.
What is sent back to me after proofreading?
You will be sent a clean version which could be published right away should you wish. You will also be sent a tracked changes version of your book where you can see all the alterations that have been made. You will be able to go through these changes one by one and either approve or deny them.
Do you copy-edit?
Yes, as detailed above you will receive a tracked changes version that shows where these edits have been made. You will be free to approve or deny these changes.
Why would I deny some of the changes?
There may be a word that you have spelt a certain way for effect. It may not be grammatically correct or perhaps is a word you have created. Our proofreader would make a change to this word but of course it would be noted so that you can leave the word as it was spelt before.
How does editing differ to proofreading or copy-editing?
Editorial work is where changes are made to the structure of your book, the characters or the plot itself and how this develops.
Do you read my book?
Much as we would love to read all the excellent stories we are sent when it comes to creating a book cover we request information regarding what you envision for your cover; any images you would like featured on your cover; styles that you like; author name; book title and subtitle along with any other key criteria.
What is the process?
We will collect the information as detailed above along with any other information you would like to send to us. Our cover designers then create an initial version of the cover. You can review and request amends until you are satisfied with the cover.
How many changes can I request?
Changes to the cover are unlimited until we have found a design that you are happy with. Put another way we keep going until you are satisfied with the cover.
Is my book automatically displayed on the shelves of physical retailers like WH Smith?