#3 A book that will pay for itself

Nobody wants to lose money publishing a book, but a large number of people are content if they "break even" and never realize a profit.

Your break-even point is the number of books you need to sell in order to cover your out-of-pocket expenses.

For example, if you pay $5,000 for editing, design, printing, and binding 2,000 books and you sell your book for $20 each, you're break-even point will be 250 books. After that, it's all "gravy." Don't kid yourself. Nothing about being the publisher of your own book--or anyone else's--is easy.

Regardless of your financial goal for your book, always calculate your break-even point and work hard to meet it as soon as you can.

An easy way to by-pass break-even calculations is to use POD (print on demand) technology. You print only the number of books you have orders for. You can even go through a business such as LightningSource and have the books printed as they're needed.

(Before you go to print-on-demand, check out cautionary notes by the following:
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America ,
BooksJustBooks, Ezine)

My advice is to build the book for the market. Make sure there's a need for what your book offers, and with a ton of courage and a half ton of good luck, you'll achieve break-even within six months.

#2 A Book that Won't Make Money

The first reason people exert an enormous amount of effort to write a book and then spend money to publish it is that they simply want to share with others what they have to say.

What a legacy it would be if every person 80 years and older would be given wholehearted support by children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and others to write their own book.

If the person went through an exciting time such as being a prisoner of war or getting stuck on the elevator at the Statue of Liberty, telling that story should be the heart of the book. Otherwise, the emphasis of the book should be on the years when today's generation wasn't born yet. Stories and scenes especially from the writer's growing up years will be read and re-read by generations to come. The writing style should reflect what the older person remembers, without a lot of coaching or corrections by people who weren't there.

See my web pages on "Writing The Story of Your Life" for tips on how to write an interesting biography or autobiography. It takes time, effort, and even money. But you won't regret it. You can all pitch in to share the cost. Call Griffith Publishing at 800 359-9503 if you'd like more help in getting a nonprofit book ready for the future.

Writing a Book #1

Check here for tips and suggestions for writing a book. We'll cover content selection, organization, a writing plan, editing and design and other topics related to book writing.

So many people want to write the story of their lives that I've posted a short book on how to do that. It's only four pages long, so it shouldn't take you long to read it.

Before you write the first word, ask yourself what you expect from a financial perspective with your book. Which category describe your situation best?

• No expectation of financial success. The book is your gift to the future.
• Break even. You would like to recover the cost of writing and producing your book.
• Career boosting.You see this book as a way to build client credibility or win new clients for your business or career.
• Handsome profit. You believe you have direct access to enough people who need or want this book so that if only 5 to 10 percent of them purchase it, you will cover your costs and realize a profit.
• Fundraiser. You will share promotion and sales with a worthy cause and use the book to raise funds for the cause.
  

All of these are valid financial perspectives. We'll look at each one.