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books:


	• Publishing for Profit: Successful Bottom-Line Management for Book Publishers Thomas Woll Chicago Review Press, 2006 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Too... much... information... Need... brain...enhancers...

I bought "Publishing for Profit" on the strength of the reviews. And what a book it is!

Unfortunately, those who don't have the patience or drive to go through loads of information may do good to skip this book. It's not an A-connects-to-B, dummies-and-idiots kind of book for the moonlighting publisher. This is the real deal for serious publishers, who are willing to be bulldozed over by technical and business jargon. I can even call "Publishing for Profit" a textbook, which in this case isn't a bad thing.

Since I'm a newbie to this whole business, I found myself plodding through the pages. I want to learn as much as I can, but it's going to be a slow ride.

I'm glad I got this book.

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The Inside Scoop on Publishing as a Business Not a Hobby

For many people publishing is a hobby. It's about producing an art object, a labor of love, perhaps an ego trip. But if you don't want to have a lot printed paper hanging around your warehouse, you'd better learn that publishing is a business. Once again, it's a business, and like any other there are rules.

Of course the IRS establishes the underground rules of any business in the United States. But after that there is a set of rules unique to the publishing business. This book can be viewed as three books in one:

First is the basic rules of any kind of business. This includes such mundane things as bank accounts and business licenses.

Second is the part that is directly tied to the publishing business. The common returns policy in the book industry for instance is quite different than in other industries.

Finally there is the sales aspect. Remember that the day you come out with your newest book, there are at least 600 other books published in the US on that same day. How can you possibly hope to compete? Should you hire a sales force? Should you advertise? How do you get book reviewers to look at your titles? (One way not mentioned in the book but which a lot of people do is contact the people who review a lot of books on Amazon - I know, I get contacted a lot.)

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Informative and Helpful

Woll, who has worked for publishers large and small, is currently the president of Cross River Publishing Consultants. And while there are many books written for the small publisher or self-published author, Woll's work is much less of a cheerleading rah-rah, and much more of a how-to. It's loaded with formulas and charts and business math. He shares both horror and success stories. His advice is much more realistic and often even scary for the little guy, but as G.I. Joe often said, "Knowing is half the battle."

Much of Woll's focus is on cash-flow and budgeting. Planning is also a major focal area, as it should be in any business. In addition, he discusses basic organizational structures, hiring practices, inventory management and distribution, contracts, subsidiary selling, and much more.

For those looking for editorial advice or market trends in the area of content, this book is not for you. Publishing for Profit is all about the business side of publishing. It's about the bottom line. Anybody thinking about self-publishing should think about reading Woll's book. Anybody thinking about starting a publishing company and those who work for or manage a small, independent publishing house or a large, financial giant, need to read Publishing for Profit.

I wish I'd read this book a few years ago!

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Probing Insight for Anyone in Publishing

One of the difficulties in publishing is knowing how to ask (then answer) the critical questions. These authors have been there and guide readers through the details of a publishing house.

If you've never seen a profit and loss statement (and most book authors never have), there is one inside this book and the explanation about how it works. This book is ideal for anyone who works on the inside of a publishing house to understand and be more effective in their day-to-day operation.

A pessimistic tone for great information

The tone in which the information in this book is presented is discouraging, pessimistic and sometimes condescending. It is a depressive read for someone considering starting a small press. It portraits the publishing business as an unpredictable and scary place where your chances of survival or even barely scratching a living are infinitely slim. It becomes easy to think "why even try?"

The introduction tells you how tough the business of publishing is, how easily disasters can happen, and how sales channels are practically impossible to access unless you are an established publisher. The part that explains that these risks can be overcome or mitigated, and how, is not included. After this initial backlash, the book is sprinkled with ifs, buts, hopefullys, and maybes. In addition, the constant recommendation of answering the suggested questions is not always accompanied by a good explanation of how to find pertinent answers to those questions.

This book could have been so much better if it had presented the same facts and information in a more positive way in the light of the wonderful opportunities that the changes in technology and the internet present to the very flexible and adaptable small press.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

Publishing is a rapidly changing business, and this readable and comprehensive reference is right in step?covering operations, financial, and personnel management as well as product development, production, and marketing. Written for the practicing professional just starting out or looking to learn new tricks of the trade, this revised and expanded edition contains updated industry statistics and benchmark figures, features a new chapter on e-marketing, and provides new information about using financial information to make key management decisions. Highly practical forms and sample contracts are included for up-to-the-minute advice.

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