Self publish, where to publish?
Objectives of this page
To evaluate some options for self-publishing your own book, to figure out which publishing house to choose based on cost, type of publication (online, print, ebook, etc.). We also tried to contact some bookstores in Reggio Emilia, Bologna, and Modena, to assess the possibility of being on the shelf in nearby cities
Mondadori
The publishing house has for book publishing, 3 predetermined packages
Basic package: offers only the adaptation of the file for printing with the EBM (Espresso Book)
Intermediate package €165 offers the application of the ISBN, the presence of the book on the shelves of the Milan Megastore, distribution on Mondadoristore.it and in the Megastores (the closest one in Bologna)
Major package 255€ offers all the previous services and distribution in the EBM circuit and distribution in all other Mondadori stores (in Reggio Emilia it is at the Shopping Center i Petali)
You must also take into account 40€ for the presence of more than 10 images and at least 50€ for the standard cover, as well as proofreading and eventual editing (variable depending on the length of the content)
The gain is established at the time the order is placed, Mondadori sets a base price to which you can add your own profit
The book features color cover and black and white images
Feltrinelli - ilmiolibro
Formats: ebook (digital) and Print on demand (printed on demand), reservation available at LaFeltrinelli bookstores (present at Meridiana Mall)
Gain: LaFeltrinelli buys the book at a 45% discount from the cover price
Ability to have an ISBN (€79) and use hardcovers and full-color interior
The site is very sparse in publishing cost information
Streetlib
Streetlib is in the self-publishing business and is one of the top-rated sites for publishing in Italy.
Gain: 60% on the cover price, the remaining 40% goes to the online bookstore and Streetlib, free ISBN
Formats: ePub and PDF
Contra: it is unclear whether you can through the ISBN make bookstore reservations (print on demand)
Lulu
One of the world's largest self-publishing sites
Gain: About 50% from the Lulu circuit, variable for other online stores
ISBN: Mandatory to be distributed on circuits different from Lulu
Contacts by phone with some bookstores
To get an "unofficial" view outside the sites of the publishers, we called directly three of the best-known bookstores in the municipality of Reggio Emilia, these are the indications we were given by the employees
- Mondadori, I Petali shopping center in Reggio Emilia: books published through the Mondadori circuit may not necessarily be bookable either, the ISBN is strictly necessary
- LaFeltrinelli, at the Meridiana Shopping Center: does not answer directly, Feltrinelli's call center assures that once published in its circuit it is made available for reservation at the branded bookstores
- Libreria all'Arco,in the historic center: major publishing houses (Mondadori, Feltrinelli, and others) are bookable from them, self-publishing houses are not easily tracked down and available despite the ISBN applied to the volume
Mondadori Customer Service
Given the customer's interest in Mondadori publishing house, motivated by the presence of many physical stores in major Italian cities, we contacted the customer service
The management of self-publishing at this time is still in the testing phase and will officially start from February 2016 and is taken care of directly by the bookstore "Multicenter Milano Duomo"
The staff of the Milanese bookstore cordially explained to us that Mondadori the novel has a 2-year permanence in the catalog, but this is yet to be verified, since it is possible, once converted to a format suitable for the Mondadori circuit to reprint it at any time (they are waiting for explanations from the publishing house)
For the delivery of the manuscript it is necessary either to come to the bookstore or to transmit it by mail.
Delivery format is PDF or word depending on the need for proofreading
The book must be at least 80 pages, possibly some blank or header pages can be included since otherwise binding is not possible
Conclusions
In our opinion it is very important to understand what the target market wants to be, whether online or traditional and the evaluation of the costs and revenues of the two options
Another option to evaluate is the return you will have from your self-published novel, traditional publishing houses guarantee lower percentages but a greater distribution and marketing network, but this has a cost in terms of return per copy sold
Other interesting links:
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