If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re like most authors, the first time you hold your newly published book, you are as gentle as a kitten. You touch it, gaze upon it with pride, clutch it to your chest in disbelief and pretty much handle it as though it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a rich treasure. <\/p>\n
And, if you prepared it with care, it is a treasure of story, of information and\/or help. It is appealing, useful and maybe even entertaining. It encapsulates your hard work, your imagination or your heartfelt story. Now, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re ready to share your book with the world.<\/p>\n
You have your book for sale at Amazon.com. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve talked a local bookseller into carrying a few copies. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve created a showcase website. And you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re schlepping your book around to various civic organization meetings, book fairs and flea markets to sell. <\/p>\n
Are you still treating your book as if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your finest treasure? I can tell you that many authors have to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to that question.<\/p>\n
Our books certainly go through a lot. We lug them around in the back of our cars and allow them to do the boot-scootin-boogie. We ship them long distances without appropriate packing materials. We leave them on display in the hot sun or moist air at book fairs. We stand by while others break down the spine as they peruse a book or while they use your new book as a hard surface on which to write a check or sign a credit card slip. <\/p>\n
You leave your books in the hot trunk of your car, in boxes along the non-insulated walls of your garage and, heaven forbid, on display in coffee shops where they become soiled from sticky-bun fingers.<\/p>\n
How many times have you pulled a book because of damage? Just this morning, I realized that I cut into one of my new books while opening a case with a knife. Oops. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll add that book to my donation stack.<\/p>\n
One SPAWN member lost several books this year while displaying them in the SPAWN booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. There was obviously something wrong with the glue the bindery used and it melted in the sun, allowing the pages of his books to start falling out. <\/p>\n
I received a shipment of books from another author recently and several of them were warped, probably due to having spent time in dampness\u00e2\u20ac\u201dperhaps en route. Another shipment of books I received were badly scuffed because they were loosely packed and allowed to scoot back and forth across one another.<\/p>\n
Authors, your books are your livelihood. Each one represents a potential sale or, in the case of review books, many sales. Treat your books kindly so they make a good impression wherever they go. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I suggest:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tStore books, preferably in their original crates in a cool, dry place. (Some authors transfer their books to air-tight plastic containers.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tShip books tightly packed in appropriate-size boxes. I use bubble wrap or newspaper for packing material. Before taping the flaps shut, pick up the box and shake it in all directions. If anything thumps or thuds, you need more packing material.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tWhen you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out in public with your books, try to use one book for display and handling purposes.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tIf you carry books around in your car (and you should), pack them as you would for shipping so they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t scoot and slide. Bring books inside during rainy or hot spells.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tUse caution when opening a fresh box of books with a sharp object. Not every shipping department places pieces of cardboard between the box and the books to protect them.<\/p>\n
Read more about shipping books, finding and working with distributors and wholesalers, book promotion, bookkeeping for authors, getting books into bookstores, self-editing, self-publishing, POD publishing, working with a printer, writing a press release and so much more in my lovingly handled book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.<\/em> http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> <\/p>\n There are benefits to treating your books well. A pristine book brings in more money than a scuffed, bent, dirty, crumpled, dinged one. If your books arrive at the bookstore, Amazon.com, the reviewer, etc. in good shape, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re less likely to get returns and more likely to make a good impression. <\/p>\n Make the extra effort to handle and ship your books with care and they will speak well of you for many years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re like most authors, the first time you hold your newly published book, you are as gentle as a kitten. You touch it, gaze upon it with pride, clutch it to your chest in disbelief and pretty much handle it as though it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a rich treasure. And, if you prepared it with care, it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t