Gemima Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 As a dog rescue charity we have been sent a wonderful short story by one of our dog owners about her rescue dog. We are considering getting this published but do not know where to start or how much this would cost. If anyone can point us in the right direction it is much appreciated. Thankyou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karis Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 You have several options: You can approach suitable magazines that may consider it. Approach publishers of short stories. There isn't one comprehensive answer. You need to look at who publishes similar material and target them directly. The Writers & Journalists Yearbook has a list of all the publishers and exactly what they publish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantaspook Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Hi Gemima, If your intention is to simply to spread the story to a wider audience you may want to consider the RSPCA's magazine ANIMAL LIFE which has a circulation of 38,000. It would be a good idea to contact them to see whether they accept submissions and if so, to establish which format that they would find acceptable and to whom the manuscript should be addressed. Animal Life is published by the following organisation. Terry Lock Media Sales Ltd 3 Forest Way Ashtead Surrey KT21 1JN Tel: 01372 276233 Email: tslock@terrylockmediasales.co.uk Another alternative, if the story has a strong 'human interest' angle, is to approach one of the many women's magazines like 'Chat' or 'Take a break' - their stories are generally in the five minute fiction category, if the story is longer you may want to consider a magazine like 'The Peoples Friend' (This magazine is aimed at an elderly demographic audience so the story may need adjusting to suit your market.) If your intention is to raise funds for your charity then it may be best, as Karis has already said, to contact a publisher from the Writers & Artists yearbook or the Writers Market UK, there is some good advice in these books on how to get published. Another alternative that you could consider is using a Print-On-Demand (POD) service such as Lulu.com which is fine for small runs - you basically design your own book and pay a 'manufacturing charge' to receive a finished book, it is up to you to organise advertising / sales etc and the profit (if any) could be very low. Before you do any of this I'd recommend that you make sure the work is organised to the highest possible standard, ask other people, especially other writers / English teachers etc to critique the text and ensure all spelling / grammar mistakes are eliminated, that manuscript conventions are followed and that the story is of a high enough quality to be worth publishing. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemima Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks for all the replies. It is a short story but a very moving one and I have seen short story books, although aimed at children, sold by Retired Greyhound Rescue. This story is aimed at adults, who have, or are thinking of taking on a rescue dog. Our intention is to get the book printed and sell for a small fee at our galas and shows. I will look at all the options mentioned Thanks for your help x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karis Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 The reply from Mantaspook is incredibly helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantaspook Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Our intention is to get the book printed and sell for a small fee at our galas and shows. I will look at all the options mentioned. In this is the case the small run POD option may be your best bet. Just to give you an idea of the cost I've ran some figures through the book calculator at Lulu.com. A standard black & white paperback which is perfect bound and is U.S trade size (6"x9") which has 100 pages and a run of 50 units. £144.50 Manufacturing cost. £7.50 Delivery. (estimated - based on a similar sized book) £152.00 Total. Cost per unit £3.04 Sell at, say, £4.99 would realise a profit of £1.95 per book, or £97.50 per 50 units sold. Using a rough (cost x 3) pricing policy at £8.99 per unit = profit of £5.95 per book or £297.50 per 50 units sold. But would the books sell at this price when a 500 page novel costs the same? From a marketing point of view it would be wise to emphasise the charitable contribution element for the dog rescue centre or opt for a lower price that may be more reasonable, maybe around the £7.00 mark. The reply from Mantaspook is incredibly helpful! Aw thanks for that, you're the third person this week that's said I've been useful, I expect it’s the effect of the new tablets. They are scheduled to run out next week so I should be back to my usual obstroculous self soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karis Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Mantaswot: you're totally welcome: Secondly, while Lulu is good, the quality is fairly terrible. I'd seriously recommend a proper printer. They're actually not a lot more expensive and the quality is so much greater! And, yes, you can print in small numbers like 50. If you go to America, the price is more than affordable and the books look fantastic! There's a huge difference between PoD and true printing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Rich Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 As a dog rescue charity we have been sent a wonderful short story by one of our dog owners about her rescue dog. We are considering getting this published but do not know where to start or how much this would cost. If anyone can point us in the right direction it is much appreciated. Thankyou Hi, I am in the process of starting an e-publishing business and will soon be looking for books to appear on the site. Books are downloaded into computors or mobile phones. There is no charge to put the book on my website and I pay 50% commision on sales. Will you let me know if you are interested. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.