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QUESTION AND ANSWER GUIDE FOR PROSPECTIVE AUTHORS What kind of publisher are you, traditional or POD? Old Line Publishing is both a traditional publishing company and a self-publishing company. This means that if your manuscript is chosen by our reviewers it could be published in a traditional manner, meaning that you as an author do not pay any fees to have your book published. However, we also offer self-publishing for those manuscripts that for various reasons are not published in the traditional manner. Any and all manuscripts can be submitted for review to be published in a traditional manner and if your manuscript is rejected for any reason you are not required to self-publish. If you choose to self-publish with us, you will be given all the same courtesies as our traditionally published authors and your book will be the same high quality publication. What is Publish-on-Demand or Print-On-Demand (POD) publishing? Print-On-Demand (POD) publishing is a new alternative in the world of traditional publishing. It involves a digital printing process, which allows the printer to print high quality individual books, eliminating the need for a publisher to carry a large inventory. Each book is printed and shipped at the time it is ordered. Who keeps the rights to my work? If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, Old Line Publishing will retain certain “exclusive rights” to your book. The reason for this is that as a traditional publishing company we are paying for the entire cost of getting your book published. This includes, editing, layout and formatting, distribution and marketing. These costs can range anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars depending on the complexity of your book. Once the book is published, the rights that are retained by the company is the only assurance that we can recoup the monies that have been invested to produce your book. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then you as the author, keep all the rights to your book. What are “exclusive rights?” Exclusive rights are those rights which are granted to one person or company and cannot be used by anyone else. This does not mean that you cannot give permission for someone to use portions of your text or a picture from your book. In fact, when we apply for the copyright on your book we will be requesting the copyright in your name so that you can give permission to use certain parts of your book. However, you cannot give permission to another company to print, copy, or distribute your book. Do you provide author advances for accepted manuscripts? No. Who keeps the copyright to my book? You as the author will forever retain the copyright to your book. In fact, the copyright page of your book, which is usually the versa side of the title page, will specify you as the copyright owner. If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, Old Line Publishing will register the copyright on your behalf. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, you may choose a publishing package that includes copyright registration as part of the package. How is the retail price of my book determined? If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then the suggested retail price or "cover price" of your book will be determined by Old Line Publishing based on the costs of producing your book and comparable pricing in the book market. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then we will provide you with a pricing window and allow you to choose the best price for your book. Can I include photographs in my book? Yes. You can include photographs, line art, or other photo-quality images in your book. Unlike some other publishing companies we allow unlimited insertions of images in our publications. How long does it take before my book is available for sale? Once the cover design and layouts are approved and we send your book to the printer, it takes about 2 weeks before your book is ready to be ordered. The entire process, from receipt of your submissions package until the book is available for sale, takes an average of 8 to 12 weeks. What kinds of books do you publish? We publish a wide variety of books, including cookbooks, children’s books, fiction, non-fiction, reference books, history books and collecting books. We reserve the right to reject any submission. We will not publish, for example, pornography, libelous or slanderous material, or any material deemed illegal by municipal, state or federal law. How do I get paid? We send you biannual sales reports showing the total number of books sold (if any) in the previous six months, the total wholesale value, the gross profit for books sold, and the total royalties owed. We will also send you a check in the amount of the royalties owed. Royalties earned by the author, which are less than $10.00 are not paid. Instead they are held for the next accounting period and a check will be issued if the combined amount exceeds $10.00. Each report and royalty check is sent within 30 days of the end of each six month period. Royalties are paid on the sale price of the book regardless of the cover price. Do I earn a royalty on every single book that is sold? Yes, with one exception. Because we provide such a substantial discount on author copies, we do not pay royalties on author copies of your book. What are your royalty rates? If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then Old Line Publishing will pay 15% of the sale price back to you in the form of a royalty. This is better than many other traditional publishing houses. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then Old Line Publishing will pay 35% of the sale price back to you in the form of a royalty. Again, this is one of the highest in the self-publishing world. What are “author copies” and how do I get them? “Author copies” are those copies of the book that you personally buy with the intention of selling or distributing yourself. You will always want to have copies of your book on-hand in order to show family, friends, and associates and you will certainly want to have author copies available when you do a book signing or presentation. We offer author copies for sale to you at a 55% discount off the retail price. Why do you need my Social Security Number? The IRS requires us to report any wages in excess of $600 or royalties in excess of $10 within a calendar year paid to contractors, including illustrators. We need your Social Security Number in order to comply with federal law and to properly report royalties paid to the IRS. What will my finished book look like? Your book can be published in any one of six sizes (5.25” x 8”, 5.5” x 8.5”, 6” x 9”, 7” x 10”, 8” x 10”, or 8.25” x 6”) and can be printed in black & white or color and can either be a softcover or hardcover. The interior pages of your book can either be printed on a white or cream colored 60# paper with a matte finish. Paperback book covers are printed in full color on one side, front and back on heavy 10 pt. paper and usually with a glossy finish. Hardcover books can either come as a full color casebound cover or a cloth cover with full color jacket. Can you create digital books such as Kindle? Yes, we can produce digital books for Kindle, Microsoft Reader, Adobe eBooks, Palm Reader and many other digital book readers. Do you edit my manuscript before publishing it? If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then Old Line Publishing will perform basic editing of your work. In some cases we'll provide the editing notes to you, which you can incorporate or discard at your option. Our editors will focus on typographical errors, improper syntax, and the like. We do not alter the "style" or composition of your manuscript in any substantial form. In no case will we rewrite or substantially alter your manuscript, and you always have final approval over any recommended changes. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then you have the option of choosing one of three editing packages to polish your manuscript. I'm sending images to be included in my book. What format do you need them to be? We use industry standard TIFF image files in production. Image files should be sized at "original size" and no less than 300 DPI, or "dots per inch." By "original size" we mean that the image file needs to be the same dimensions as the image will be printed in your book. So if you have a photograph that you want printed at 6x4" in the book, make sure that the scanned image is sized at 6x4" and at least 300 DPI. If you intend to use a small image at a larger size in your book, make sure to scan it at a higher resolution rather than enlarging the image after it is scanned. For example, if you have a 2x3" image that you want printed in your book at 4x6", then set the scanner to scan the image to 4x6" at 300 DPI or scan it at 600 DPI. All B&W line art images should be in 1-bit or "bitmap" format, 600 DPI. All grayscale images should be in 8-bit or "grayscale" format, at 300 DPI or better. All color images must be in 24-bit CMYK format. Can you scan my photos or pictures for me? If you are not familiar with scanning and manipulation of digital images, we can scan your original photos or pictures for you. How should I submit my files? All manuscript files and graphic files should be submitted via email or on a CD. Make sure your files are named so as to indicate what they are. The CD should be accompanied by a printed version of your book as well. All manuscript files must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (either .doc or .docx). Can I get extra books at a discount if I need them? Yes. You may purchase extra books at the discount cost of 55% off the retail price, plus shipping charges. How will you sell and market my book? If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then once your book is finalized by the printer we will begin letting the world know that your book is available. We will always promote and sell your book through our own website, as well as other internet bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.com, Amazon.com, AbeBooks.com and Alibris.com. In some cases, we contract with a marketing firm to do specialized and focused niche marketing. Your book is entered into a master database which is used by all the bookstores in the US (Books in Print). Additional promotional material may be purchased by you to advertise your book such as pamphlets, brochures and/or flyers. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then you can choose how your book is marketed by purchasing the appropriate publishing package. Is there a minimum number of books I must purchase? No. You are under no obligation to purchase any books. However, you will often find it handy to have books readily available for you to distribute as you see fit. You will be one of the greatest promoters of your book. Will I have input into what my book looks like? Yes, most definitely. Old Line Publishing will carefully review your book and your ideas to create a wonderful art package for your book. No artwork goes to press until you have given the final word of approval. Keep in mind the end product needs to draw the reader in and be as visually marketable as possible. Where will readers find my book? If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then your book will receive access to the widest book distribution network in the world. Your book, upon completion, will be available by order through most traditional "brick and mortar" bookstores and will be listed with online booksellers such as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, as well as being put in our own e-commerce catalog. It will also be listed with Books In Print. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then you can choose how your book is distributed by purchasing the appropriate publishing package. Will you consider a previous book I've had published, but that is now out of print? As long as all rights have reverted to you and you again have sole ownership, we'd be delighted to help bring your book back to the marketplace. If you have additional questions that were not answered here please feel free to contact us at authorquestions@oldlinepublishingllc.com. |
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