Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What will it cost me to get published?
A: AKW Books never charges to publish your book. We are a traditional publisher with a twist. The only expenses you may have is for any artwork, such as cover art, you may privately contract out. We pay for the cost of converting your finished manuscript into various "e-readable" formats, the cost of creating and maintaining a sales presence on the Internet, selling your book and collecting payment for it.
Q: Do I need an agent?
A: AKW Books does not require agented submissions. If you wish to engage an agent, we will gladly deal with your agent as we would with you directly. However, we won't deal with both you and your agent at the same time (that's a recipe for chaos). Decide before you contact us which of you will be your representative. Any payment to your agent is your responsibility.
Q: How much will I get for Royalties?
A: 50% (one-half) of the net sale.
"Net" is the pre-tax sales price after all discounts which may include, but are not limited to: Book Club Member discount, First month Book Club discount, wholesale discount (if the book is sold by someone else), and special sales discount. For more information see the royalty clause in our agreement.
Q: When do I get paid?
A: Normally, monthly.
We will e-mail a statement to you on a monthly basis. The actual date will depend upon our workload. We may have to spread statement dates out to spread the workload over time. Generally, you'll receive your statement around the same day of each month.
If you have registered a PayPal account with us and we owe you $5.00 (USD) or more, you will be paid when your statement is sent.
If you don't or can't have a PayPal account and we owe you more than $10.00 USD ($25.00 if you live outside the U.S.A.), we will mail a check to you or your agent (your choice) quarterly (every 3rd month).
Q: How long will it take to publish my book?
A: It all depends upon our workload and the amount of work your book needs. If we have nothing else to do and your manuscript is flawless, your book will probably be ready for sale in a week or two. If we're inundated with acceptable manuscripts and doing a lot of editing, our editors and production staff will get to yours in order of receipt. We'll give you a rough estimate when we accept your final package and it's been inspected by one of our editors. AKW Books will try to arrange to publish your book, if it needs no editing, within a month. If we take over three months, you have the right to go elsewhere.
Pay attention to our holiday deadlines. The deadline is for a mss that is ready to print and all our negotiations are finished. Don't drop an inquiry on our in-box on the deadline and expect to get published on time.
Q: Will a bookstore carry my book?
A: It's not likely. Bookstores deal in paper books and only occasionally in other media such as audio recorded versions for sight impaired individuals.
Q: What about marketing?
A: We'll do some. If you want your book to sell well, you should make a good effort to market it yourself. For the complete story on marketing your e-book click here.
Q: Do I need a publicist?
A: That's up to you. If you're good at marketing, you may be able to achieve good sales on your own.
If you do hire a publicist, find one in your area and get references. A bad publicist can be a waste of money and your time.
Don't hire a publicist if you're not willing to do the hard work yourself. Your publicist can only create opportunities for exposure. You have to show up.
Q: Should I set up book signings?
A: That's up to you. A lot will depend upon your target audience. Younger children seem to be more impressed by such things than adults. Most people we've talked to have not found book signings to be of any sales value outside of children's books, but Jerry Simmons seems to think they're worth while.
If you're famous, by all means hold book signings if you can find the right venue.
Talk to us about ways to "sell" at an event when all you have is a printed cover.
Q: What are my obligations?
A: First, you need to celebrate. After months or years of work and learning, your efforts have paid off.
After the celebration is over, we expect our authors to actively promote their books whenever possible. Here's how.
Q: How long is my contract?
A: We require 6 month's exclusive rights for electronic media. After that, we hope you will remain with us. If we invest extra effort or funds into your project, we will require a longer contract.
Q: Can I publish elsewhere?
A: Not in electronic format for the contract period. However, feel free to pursue other media, such as traditional publishing, movie contracts, television shows, etc. You retain those rights.
And don't beleive the myth that publishers won't consider books that are self-published or published in electronic form. Here's a good article on the subject.
After your contract is done, you may publish in electronic format wherever you wish and you don't have to leave us to do so. However, you or your new publisher have to do your own conversions into e-reader format. Don't use ours, the conversion is our property. So is our imprint.
Here's an interesting article on rights.
Q: How about my privacy?
A: That's up to you. You will lose some privacy by the act of publishing. Your name will probably be on the work unless you publish under a "pen name". However, think about how you intend to copyright your work. Will it be copyrighted under your real name? That will appear on your copyright page.
We will not give out any contact information to anyone without a legal order issued by a court within the United States.
If you want publicity in your name, go for it. Set up a page on MySpace, tell everyone you know, whatever you can manage.
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