Vol. I Issue 4 Apr 29, 2021
Attendees: Frank B., Eva H., Ginger K., Sajeda M., Howard P., Rick P., Ian, R., Richard S., Sheila T.
Happy Time:
The participants were asked to share their recent ‘Balloon lofting’ moments.
Eva just wanted to let people know she was still writing even after publishing her book. She is a monthly contributor to Richard’s website.
Sajeda announced that she has again been published in the Mississauga Writers association, as well as describing how she has been teaching herself to play musical instruments in her spare time now.
Howard described how his poetry contribution in Kitchener Waterloo was a prize winner and the prize was a hearing aid for a needy 2 year old.
Rick explained how he expressed dismay at the federal government not regulating copyright infringements in Canada by sending a copy of one of his books along with a letter to PM Trudeau.
Announcements:
Richard promoted his much-valued NOTEZILLA program and explained how he made arrangements with the developer to provide each WAG MEMBER with access to download and install the app, along with one year’s subscription at no charge to the member. As Richard repeatedly says, “A golden opportunity to use a tremendously useful program for free for one full year.”
Presentation: Eva Henn on Publishing (Self vs Commercial)
Presentation on Commercial vs Self-Publishing
By; Éva Henn
Intro; * I completed my book, – pursued publishing option
*I had two choices 1) go Commercial
2) go Self-Publishing
Here are the facts;
Commercial
*Kindle – sells on Amazon
*e-book format
*free printing
*they take 40% of royalty
*they design the cover- $500.00
*they edit- $45.00/hr – my book was estimated to need 12 hours = $540.00
*interior design/formatting – $900.00
Thus, this process would cost $1940.00 + tax
Friesen Publishing House;
*pay up front $2,500.00 -basic fee on the scale
*after sending Draft, the fee includes the following;
*book counsellor
* initial evaluation and advice if change needed
*editing
*formatting/cover design
*price per copy suggestion (mine would have been $12.99 for 53-page, soft, bound book)
*50 free printing of 6×9, soft-covered books,
*promotion/distribution
*will keep it on file for 2 years, and will print only on in demand
Self-Publishing;
-if you choose self-publishing, you need to make sure that the final product is fluid, attractive and presentable.
-if you are planning to print your book, then you are responsible for the following to produce professional work.
-I followed the following process;
*an artist friend designed the cover
*developmental editing was done by Richard Szpin,
*checking accuracy/historical facts – by a friend
*professional copy-editor-friend
*formatting/style/photos- my son
*used Premium Grammarly
*sent finished Draft in Word to Greenwood Printing House
*ordered 60 copies of soft cover-bound book (53 pages) cost was $560.00 including tax
Staples;
*software called Coding Programming Publishing Bundle– $159.99 – it guides you through the process of self-publishing,
*printing is 5 cents a white page, and the product is a cerloxed booklet
Benefits
Commercial Self-Publishing;
-thoroughly vetted and edited, – rewarding feeling,
-professional, polished book, accomplished my goal
-cost-prohibitive fluid, comprehensive book,
-presents well
-cost-effective
Conclusion
-Self-Publishing and using Greenwood Printing was a good fit for me. Kim, the owner and an accomplished author herself, advised me on several important things. Her guidance on choosing the appropriate title, size of the font, placement of photos and especially the book’s pricing was an enormous help for me.
Upcoming Presentations
Minutes prepared by Richard
Errors, typos, omissions are mine.
