KidPub Publishing: Common Questions
Here's a collection of questions that our authors have asked about publishing their book with KidPub. If you have a question that isn't answered here, just ask!
Q: Must I be a member of KidPub to publish my book?
A: Although we would love for you to be part of our community, you do not need to be a member in order to publish at KidPub.
Q: Can I publish a collection of short stories or poems?
A: Absolutely. You have complete control over the material that is in your book. You can publish a full chapter book, or a collection, or whatever else you like.
Q: Can my school class or church group publish a book?
A: Absolutely. We think this a great program for classrooms, church groups, scout packs, or any other group that wants to publish a book.
Q: How long does it take?
A: The time for a project depends on several things. Generally speaking, it takes four to five weeks for your manuscript to be edited and laid out in books form, and you'll receive a draft of the text when that work is completed. If your book is more than 150 pages, or needs extra work in edit, it might take a bit longer. Work on the cover is usually a few weeks, and once everything is approved, it takes a few weeks to get the project set up on the press and have books printed and shipped. Our advice to our authors is to be patient...it took you a while to write your book, so we don't want to rush the publication!
Q: How many pages can my book have?
A: The minimum number of pages is 25. There is no maximum number, however if the book is over about 500 pages we might think about doing it in two volumes. There are approximately 250 to 300 words per page.
Q: Does my book have an ISBN number?
A: Yes, all of our books include an ISBN number. If your book is over 100 printed pages it may also have a Library of Congress card catalog number. All books are registered with Books in Print.
Q: Where will my books be offered for sale?
A: On Amazon.com, the world's largest bookstore. And on KidPub.com, the world's largest website for stories by kids.
Q: Will my book be sold at other bookstores?
A: No, our packages only offer your book for sale at Amazon and KidPub.
Q: What is a royalty?
A: A royalty is money paid to you for each book that is sold on Amazon or KidPub. The royalty is based on the price the book is sold at and varies depending on where the book is sold. For books sold on Amazon, the royalty is 15%, and or books sold on KidPub the royalty is 20%.
Q: What price will my book sell for?
A: Generally speaking, paperbacks sell for between $10.95 and $14.95. Your royalty is based on the sale price of the book, which ight not be the cover price. For example, f your book is marked at $12.95, but is sold on sale at $11.95, the royalty is based on $11.95. We set the retail price based on our cost of production.
Q: How often are royalties paid?
A: Four times per year, in April, July, October, and January.
Q: How often will I receive a royalty report?
A: We send out sales reports on a quarterly basis by email.
Q: What
if my book becomes really popular?
A: Congratulations! You will be paid royalties on every copy that is sold. Because we use Amazon to market and deliver books, if you sell 10,000 copies it isn't a problem!
Q: Can I use a pen name?
A: Yes, but you probably don't want to use the name of another author!
Q: How many book titles can I publish?
A: As many as you like. Each book title published will require purchase of a publishing
package.
Q: Can I buy more books than are in my package?
A: Yes, at a discount. Extra books are priced at $6.95 each, plus shipping, and you may buy any number of extra books at any time. If you decide to buy extra books at the time you purchase your publishing package, the shipping is free.
Q: Can I sell my own books?
A: Yes. You can order copies of your book and sell them wherever you like. You might take some to your local bookstore, or to a fair or market, or sell them on your own website. You do not receive royalties for this kind of sale, but you keep the difference between the selling price and the price you paid per book. In other words, if you buy 10 copies at $6.95 each, and sell them for $15.95, you keep $9.00 of each sale.
Q: Does KidPub edit my material?
A: KidPub does a light edit, which means that we correct most spelling errors and will correct simple grammar errors. We will not significantly change what you send to us. We also format your book for printing.
Q: What size is the book that is printed?
A: Books are printed as trade paperbacks, 6" x 9", similar to what you find on the bookshelves at your library or bookstore. They have a glossy stock cover.
Q: Can I include pictures or illustrations?
A: Yes, however they might not print well. If you want to use an illustration inside your book, we will test it to see what it might look like in the book. In general, line drawings should be fine, and elaborate color photos would not be fine. We don't print color iages inside the book unless the book is less than 30 pages long.
Q: Can I include a dedication?
A: Yes, just put your dedication on a page at the front of your book.
Q: Should I include a Table of Contents?
A: Most chapter books will not need a Table of Contents. Collections of stories or poetry typically do have one. If you want to include a Table of Contents, Make one at the front of your book, and we will update the page numbers and format it correctly for you.
Q: Who owns the copyright to my book?
A: You do. We will send you our publishing contract, which both you and your parent needs to sign. It assigns rights to KidPub to publish your material in book form but you retain all rights to your work.
Q: What about a front and back cover?
A: We'll help you with cover design. If you want to draw an image to use on the cover, we can scan it (if it's on paper), or you can send it to us in email. There's information about the size and type f artwork that we can use in th Publishing Guide.
If you have other questions, please leave them as a comment (KidPub members) or email to info@kidpub.com.
KidPub Authors Club members can post their own stories, comment on stories they've read, play on KidMud, enter our contests, and more! Want to join in on the fun? Joining is easy!
I might've read somewhere that some are sold in Barnes & Noble. Is that true? Is it sold in the actual bookstore, only on the website, or in both?
My newest book = Ember Hope (http://www.kidpub.com/book-page-or-chapter/ember-hope-very-long-prologue...) Comments would be soooooo appreciated- thanks! (By SIS)
Barnes and Noble has been hit-or-miss for a few months. For example, you can find Alaliesia by Savanna Lynn Stewart there, but not some of our more recent titles. We've recently signed on with a new marketing group that provides data to B&N, Books-a-Million, Borders, and several other booksellers; the goal is to have all of our books listed on all of those sites in the next month or two.
That being said, you'll generally only find KidPub Press books at the online stores, not the physical ('brick and mortar') stores. The main reason is competition; in the USA there were in 2009 about 170,000 NEW books published. For example, there are currently over 25,000 books in print in the Business category. Yet at the bookstore (even a large one) you'll find maybe 50 to 100 titles. The competition for limited shelf space is intense, and most of the books on the shelf at a bookstore are there because a publishing company paid to have them there.
Not having a book in the bookstores isn't a bad thing for KidPub authors. The royalty paid on a bookstore sale is very small, and the number of sales is also typically small. While it's great to see your book on the shelf, in reality you might only earn a few dollars on sales.
The exception is your local bookstore. They usually really love having a book by a local young author on their shelves, and they will most of the time work with you to hold a book signing event. One of our best examples is Elizabeth Dang ("The Pantry Wars") who organized a book signing at a large store in Memphis. Sine her story was about cans of food, she also arranged for a food drive to held at the same time for a local charity, and had friends dress up as characters from the book. At the end of the day, she'd sold 100 copies...all she'd brought.
So, we don'd discourage an author from working with a local store to place their book or hold a signing event, but we also don't feel that mass distribution to brick-and-mortar bookstores is a good way for our authors to sell books. The online stores offer better coverage and higher royalties.
Oh, okay! I get it now- thanks so much for the quick and detailed response!
My newest book = Ember Hope (http://www.kidpub.com/book-page-or-chapter/ember-hope-very-long-prologue...) Comments would be soooooo appreciated- thanks! (By SIS)
Wow, I wonder how much it costs to pay for that shelf/space.
This is who I am, like it or don't, it's me; and I'm not about to change it.
why are all the comment removed? i am wondering about trade paperback? what's the difference? are they like schoolbooks. cause i haven't seen trade paperbacks yet, only schoolbooks whired by those little swirls. are they the size of normal novels? i'm cnfused!
Hope*~*Truth~*~LOVE*~*~* If you love popping bubblewrap put this in your sig. My magic bring Voldemort to the yard and i'm like that's hurting my scar.-- some group on facebook
The comments were getting out of hand, and many were on topics that no longer exist. Now we have a clean slate!
The standard size for a trade paperback is 6" x 9", and that's what we use for the majority of our books. We've done a few in larger format; "Earth's Inhabitants", a collection of cartoons,was done as 8" x 10", for example, and we've also done a few 9" x 6" landscape books ("Nighttime at the Pet Department" is a good example).
The other common term you'll see in paperback is 'mass market', those are the books you see at the checkout in the grocery store...they are usually printed on (cheap) newsprint paper and are often slightly smaller than a trade paperback.
The biggest difference in the two is the way that unsold books are handled. A trade paperback is returned by the bookstore to the publisher for credit...the publisher can choose to resell the book if it is in decent shape. Unsold mass-market paperbacks have their covers ripped off, and the book part is recycled. The covers are sent to the publisher as 'proof that the book has been destroyed.
i i get that now.
Hope*~*Truth~*~LOVE*~*~* If you love popping bubblewrap put this in your sig. My magic bring Voldemort to the yard and i'm like that's hurting my scar.-- some group on facebook
we have been wating for over five months for our complete book. Has anyone else had this issue and taken any legal action?
I write for the same reason i breathe because if i didn't i would die!
The wastebasket is a writers best friend.- Isaac Bashevis Singer