Each month, founder of Cardinal Rule Press, Maria Dismondy, will be reviewing business books she is currently reading. Along with a brief review, she is sharing some of her favorite quotes from the book.

PUBLISHING FOR PROFIT

Summary:

Publishing in the 21st century is a rapidly changing business, and this highly readable and comprehensive reference covers it all: editorial acquisition and process, the importance of metadata, operations procedures, financial benchmarks and methods, and personnel management as well as product development, production, and sales and marketing. Written for the practicing professional just starting out or looking to learn new tricks of the trade, as well as self-publishers who want to understand the industry, this revised and expanded fifth edition contains updated industry statistics and benchmark figures, features up-to-date strategies for creating new revenue streams, approaches to online marketing and sales, key concepts of e-book publishing, and provides new information about using financial information to make key management decisions. A new title P & L that incorporates e-books is provided. Over 30 highly practical forms and sample contracts are also included for up-to-the-minute advice.

Maria’s Review:

This book is like the bible to the publishing industry. It has all the ins and outs of what it takes to be a successful company that is built on a strong foundation.

Top 10 Favorite Quotes:

1. If you try to be all things to people, you will be nothing to most.
2. Author’s Guild defined a successful book of fiction as selling 5,000 copies and non-fiction 7,500 copies.
3. It’s not the number of new books that you publish that’s important, but the quality and consistency in which they are published.
4. Your strategy as a publisher must be build asset value -and the best way to do that is to publish books that sell well over time.
5. Editorial Aquisition and development and sales-no matter how small or large your publishing program, these two primary functions should be overseen and monitored in-house.
6. Planning and budgeting are keys to successful publishing.
7. One of the big mistakes some independent punishers make is that the don’t take the time or make the opportunity to see book club buyers or talk to them on a regular basis.
8. The sale of subsidiary rights is essential to the success of your company.
9. Publicity copies of your books are your least costly way of getting the word out about the release of a new title.
10. What this means to the small publisher is that you must be professional and you must be persistent. If you don’t get reviewed the first time you submit a book, keep trying.

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