Hello all

I will be gone from June 1 through June 9 in Belize (Central America) diving with my son and 25 others from Fisheye Scuba in Folsom, California. We are staying out on a small island at a place called Banana Cove, and I won't have cell or email service--the first time I will not be checking in daily to my office since 1999 when I hit the Dominican Republic.

I have longed to hit the Yucatan  Peninsula since I was a kid. On the second to last day we fly to the mainland to hit a pair of Mayan sites and then raft back down a jungle river through caves, etc. Should be a good time, and a trip I am very much looking forward to. As those of you who know me can attest, I don't take vacations. It is time.

So back on once I return. Have a safe early June. And remember--Maps of Antietam hits our warehouse right when get back . . .

-- tps

Diving the arch in the Blue Hole. We will not be doing this, as it is very dangerous and is called the Diver's Cemetery. I would do it if my son was not there, but he is not experienced enough--yet.

This is the Blue Hole from the air. It is deep, and often home to Hammerhead sharks.

This is probably better suited for Sarah's blog, but I want to share what I am thinking these days (in a relatively short post) about working with authors a second time--especially in this environment.

As we all know, the economy is not healthy, the entire Borders chain is history, the majority of independent bookstores have closed their doors, and those that are left have limited shelf space, questionable balance sheets, and little appreciation for how to actually SELL a book.

Into this environment steps two SB authors. Mollie and "Robert." Mollie is real. Robert is a fictional name, and his story below is a composite of events and times spread over two or three of our titles, but the main point remains accurate.

Each of these folks has published a book with me, and each has pitched a second project onto my desk.

MOLLIE: She learned how to master social media, maintains a vibrant blog with an equally vibrant email database, schedules one event after another from county fairs to service clubs to you name it (and has for years--YEARS), checks Amazon and every time it says "only 10 copies left" sends out a blast to her base, constantly asks for feedback. She sets Google alerts, writes articles for magazines, newsletters, etc. She never goes anywhere without a copy of her book, and she never fails to mention it when she meets someone who converses with her. Her book is still in hardcover in its fourth (and maybe fifth) printing. Total returns year over year as a percentage: about nine percent. Industry average: about 35%.

ROBERT: His first book was well received critically speaking, won a prestigious history award, and is just now selling through its first printing after years in print. And it is a DAMN fine study. In fact, I have never heard a negative word about any of it.

So what's the difference? Yes, the topics are different, but the real constant is promotion. Robert does not maintain a blog, and won't despite request after request. He did a slim handful of signings when the book came out--and quit. He is not writing for magazines, newspapers, or historical society newsletters. He does not pen anything for other blogs (many of which would love content). He does not maintain an Amazon author page. He does not jump into bookstores to see if his book is present (and then sign any copies), and if they are not there, ask the manager to stock it.

Both have pitched another book project. One is a no-brainer for a publisher. I KNOW in advance what support I will get from the author. The other? Well, that's also a no-brainer.

Authors, if you choose to go the independent trade publishing route, support your years of research and writing by helping spread the word about YOUR book.

-- tps

How Important is the Publisher's Style Sheet?

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As strange as this might sound,  it is not uncommon for some authors to complain about having to scrub their manuscripts according to a house style sheet in preparation for publication. (No, I am not joking.) These are often the same authors who also complain when an editor has spent untold hours trying to format previously inscrutable footnotes and makes mistakes doing so.

Then the phone rings: "Ted! On page 16, your editor inserted the wrong  . . . "

Submitting a manuscript that matches a house style sheet is important on many levels. First, it means that in most cases, editors will have to do less work fixing relatively simple issues like passive voice, run-on sentences, rank presentation, and so forth. The less time spent on these things means she can spend more time on developmental and substantive details.

Second, less minute detail work means there is a lower likelihood of an editor making a mistake trying to interpret or alter an author's work. Given the nature of our publications, citation format is critically important. No one knows his sources better than the author, so getting your footnotes in line with the house style sheet means makes it easier all the way around for everyone.

Imagine, for a moment, the room for error when an editor has to dig into hundreds of notes to change your "creative" citation of the Official Records . . . . OR, part I, Vol. 21, pages 232-233  . . . to match the preferred house style of OR 21, pt. 1, 232-233. Or "One O'clock" to "1:00 p.m.", etc. At first blush this might seem a small issue. I can assure you that, compounded over hundreds of pages and citations, it most certainly is not. As an author, do you really want an editor taking a spade to your work, or would you rather do it yourself to make sure it is done (and interpreted) correctly?

And those were simple examples. Cites to Internet articles, essays in anthologies, multi-volume works, and so forth, arrive here in a multitude of permutations, and many times within the same document are cited very differently. Trying to figure out the identity of the editor, the author, the volume number, etc., is simply a waste of time, money, and often leads to other problems.

Finally, another dirty little secret: an author's willingness to cooperate and help polish his own manuscript is indicative of his ability and willingness to cooperate later when a publisher decides where to dedicate precious marketing dollars.

So my advice is simple: The next time you get a style sheet, FOLLOW IT.

--tps

The Maps of Antietam--Coming Soon!

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From "Ted's Daily Memo" (front right, home page of our website):

Just reviewed an advance finished copy of The Maps of Antietam by Brad Gottfried, our latest in the Savas Beatie Military Atlas series. It is stunning. Books hit our warehouse the last week of May. If you want a first edition, order fast. I don't think we printed enough of this one. --tps

Specs: 125 full-page original full color maps opposite full-page text description, extensive end notes, orders of battle, bibliography, index. Foreword by Dr. Thomas Clemens, 7 x 10, cloth, dust jacket, acid-free 70# art-matte coated paper, sewn binding. 344 pages. $39.95

Click here for the main Maps of Antietam web page, and read an excerpt (left column) and see a map.

I love all these atlas books, but God do I LOVE this one.

--tps

DOJ Decides e-Book Price Fixing is a Top Priority

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The Justice Department is pouncing on statements by Apple like “aikido move” and “trounce Amazon” to prove its case that Apple was the hub of a illegal conspiracy to fix the price of e-books.

While the statements sounds serious, the government’s overall explanation of Apple’s role in the conspiracy is far from convincing.  Read more HERE.

Another article, slightly different perspective is "Why e-books cost so much." The average person has no idea about how LITTLE the cost of printing is when it comes to pricing a book. It is probably 15%, give or take, of the cost of a title. Everything else is acquisition, editing, design, indexing (in some cases), marketing, wages, overhead, etc. Read more HERE. The comments, for the most part, are pathetically ignorant.

Curious as to your thoughts.

-- tps

Daily Memo

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I often hear this question: "What exactly do you guys do each day?"

I thought about that recently and decided to post "Ted's Daily Memo"--found on the right side of our home page next to our blog links--for a quick hit about what we are engaged in each day. Hope you enjoy it.

Here is today's memo: 

I have edited, developmentally and otherwise, most of our books over the years, but the past couple years have been bringing in other editors. Finding good ones is very hard. I think I have 2-3 solid editors now, which is a real relief and will allow me to grow the company. One of the books I am keeping to edit is Lance Herdegen's The Iron Brigade in the Civil War, his magnum opus soup-to-nuts treatment. This is a stunning lifetime accomplishment with so much no one has ever read (or seen, since Lance has dozens of previously unpublished photos as well). Right now, the Western boys have just finished their first combat as a brigade when Jackson surprised them at Groveton in late August 1862. Stonewall really had an opportunity there--and blew it. --tps

Title Updates

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Hello all,

First, I apologize for not regularly posting. It has been a very long year (outside publishing) and I am finally getting back to speed. I promise to post regularly, and will try to make them as interesting, helpful, and worthwhile as possible.

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As you can imagine, we receive bucket loads of emails, calls, faxes, etc., about title status, what is coming up, and so forth. Here are three updates on major titles that receive significant attention:

1) The Maps of Antietam, by Brad Gottfried. This title is at the printer. Yesterday, I reviewed the blue lines (loose unbound sheets based on our submitted files) to double check pagination, page flow, etc. one final time before we print them. We replaced two pages of text (one capitalization issue in a chapter header and we added a word in a title to match the table of contents), and three maps (because one sequential map section had the wrong regimental designation). So . . . we are good to go, and if the Somali pirates do not strike, will have books in our warehouse the last week of May.

I can assure you that if you like our Savas Beatie Military Atlas series, you will really like this book. It opens the entire complex campaign to a deeper level of understanding. It is very special and Brad has done it again

2) The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles (vol. 1), by Edwin C. Bearss with Bryce Suderow. This was delayed for some time, again my fault alone. It is fully edited, formatted, and we are awaiting the last of the maps while our production manager works with Bryce to place the photos. I am happy to say that George Skoch is drafting the maps (I believe there are 25 maps in just this volume) and they are really outstanding. We will be offering samples in the Libri Novus e-letter on the first of April, together with Bearss' Foreword, so make sure you read that. If you do NOT get our free monthly e-letter, click here for our homepage and enter your email in the top left box. That's it.

We anticipate getting this to the printer about April 15, and having it back the first week of June. Vol. 2 (Battles of the Western Front) is already nearly edited and about to be formatted, so we will be working hard to follow up with that as well.

.3) The Ultimate Marine Recruit Guidebook, by Nick Popaditch. This was delayed a long, long time because of Nick's desire to run for Congress in 2010 and other commitments (which we wholeheartedly supported). He is running again this year in a redrawn district (California 53), but the book is done, editor Rob Ayer is sending the chapters to production, and Nick is submitting the final photos this week. It is very similar to our other successful guidebooks (Basic Training, ROTC, Air Force, OCS, etc.) but what stands out is that Nick was an active duty Marine for 16 years, and spent three of those years as a drill instructor. The demand for this title is very strong.

Nick is internationally known as "The Cigar Marine" whose tanks pulled down Saddam's statute in 2003. He is also the author of the bestseller Once a Marine, which we published in 2008. You can visit his campaign website HERE, and see more about Nick and his platform, etc.

Thanks again for your patience, support, and interest in what we do. We have an amazing slate of titles this spring and fall, and are looking forward to bringing them to you.

--tps