BQB Author FAQs
FAQs: General
How many books can I expect to sell?
It would be great if there was one answer to that question, but there isn’t. The number of books you sell depends on the size of the market for your book and how much effort you as an author are willing to put into helping us sell your book. BQB will continue to market and promote every book that we publish through bookseller contacts, trade shows, book festivals and fairs, our website, press releases, booking book signings, etc., and if you are working just as hard on your end and are taking advantage of every opportunity we open up for you, your book will sell. It won’t happen overnight—it typically takes a year to get a book strongly into the marketplace, especially for a new writer who does not yet have a following. But if we are working together in a consistent and planned manner, your books will sell.
Who handles what in BQB?
Terri Leidich – President and Vice-President of Sales and Marketing – Acquisition decisions, publishing books, working with the distributor, uploading eBook versions, bookkeeping, royalty payments, and everything in between.
Katy Whipple – Publisher and Vice-President of Operations – Helps the authors work directly with editors, illustrators, and designers; facilitates the process from initial manuscript review through to printer upload and final proofreading. All questions about your book in the prepublishing and publishing stages should first go to Katy.
Allison Itterly – Acquisitions Manager – Reviews all manuscript submissions that come through BQB’s doors
If you have any questions in any of the above categories, don’t hesitate to contact the person in charge of that area. We are here to help and support you in every way that we can.
What does BQB do for me once my book is published?
Great question. This was the topic of our conference call in August 2012. Click here for the full notes.
FAQs: Events
Who sets up book signing or other events?
Because there are a variety of different types of events where authors can sell their books, both you, as an author, and BQB set up events.
BQB exhibits at a variety of large book fairs, festivals, and other events in various locations (i.e., the Decatur Book Festival, SIBA, The West Virginia Book Festival, The SC Book Festival, etc.). BQB pays for exhibit space and all the other expenses incurred for these events, and we sell all BQB published books at them. The author is paid royalties on any sales from these events.
BQB also actively works to set up book signings for each individual author.
However, it is also the responsibility of BQB authors to find book signing or other events where they can sell their books and to set up these events on their own. When authors set up events on their own, it is important to notify BQB so that the event can be posted on our event tracker and we can help with marketing when possible.
How are events handled regarding sales of the books?
Each event is different and therefore handled on an individual basis. If an author sets up an event, he or she then buy the books from BQB at cost (printing and shipping) plus $1.00 per book to BQB; the author then keeps any profits made from the sales.
When BQB sets up the events and handles the sales, the authors are paid royalties per their contract.
At times, however, a bookseller may want to order books for a book signing event directly from a book wholesaler such as Ingram or directly through BQB. When that is the case, the author is paid royalties on the books that are ordered.
How much money should I pay a book store when I set up my own book signing events?
The typical percentage that a bookstore requires is 40 percent. However, if your book is a case laminate children’s book, the largest percentage you can offer them is 35 percent because of the cost of printing the book. It is very important that you know your costs for the books you are bringing to a book signing so that you can negotiate a good percentage.
When setting up an event, begin by asking the bookseller what percentage they require. Sometimes it may be less than 40 percent, and if that’s the case, it is to your advantage. If they want more than 40 percent, they may be trying to take advantage of a new author—don’t let them! Again, if your book is a case laminate children’s book and they want 40 percent, just explain that because of the cost of printing, you cannot offer any more than 35 percent. (If they purchased your book through Ingram or another distributor, they would not get any more than a 35 percent discount).
Contact Terri if you have any questions regarding the costs of your book.
I noticed in the BQB contract that it references book signings to be handled with a separate agreement. Does this mean that every time I have a signing on my own, I need to do a contract, or is that for when the signing is at bookstores via BQB?
It means that the terms of each book signing or event are specific for that event. BQB has a written agreement that we do with bookstores that simply lists the time, the percentage they will receive, and whether the books will be provided by the author or ordered directly by the bookstore.
When you as an author set up a book signing, we recommend that you also have something in writing that you and the bookstore owner or manager signs so that you are both clear as to the details of the event.
FAQs: eBooks
What ebook distributors will my book be set up with?
The list of eBook distributors with whom we work is growing constantly. We are, of course, set up with the eBook distributors that most people are familiar with: Kindle, Nook, and iBook, but, as a publisher, we also have access to eBook distribution that spans the gamut of the different eBook readers that people use, as well as those providing eBooks to entities such as libraries and schools. If you come upon an eBook site where your book isn’t listed, drop us an email and we’ll check it out.
How much money do I make on an eBook?
Each eBook distributor takes a different percentage off the top—typically 30 to 45 percent—then the balance is paid per your contract. For instance, if your book is selling for $2.99 as an eBook, Kindle takes 30 percent and the balance is split between the author and BQB according to the ebook royalty split in the contract.
FAQs: Marketing
Does BQB do all of the marketing for my book?
No. While BQB has an ongoing marketing plan that encompasses all BQB authors, each author is responsible for creating an individual marketing plan. Authors are in the driver’s seat with the promotion of their book and BQB offers support and coaching to help promote each book and author.
How can my friends and family help me market my book?
There are several ways that your friends and family can help you market your book:
- Provide them with the link to your book either on the BQB online store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble, and ask them to send an email blast to all of their friends to encourage them to order your book.
- When you receive the “Announcement” email that BQB sends out, forward that to everyone of your friends and ask them to forward it on to their friends—get the word out.
- For those who have read your book, ask them to post reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and every other place they can. When it comes to Amazon and Barnes and Noble, the more reviews a book has, the higher it pops up on a list when a category of books is searched for.
- It’s not “what you know,” it’s “who you know.” So, if your friends have contacts in the media, with booksellers, etc., encourage them to use their influence to help you get media interviews, book signings, etc.
- Have them call their local Barnes and Noble store and ask for your book. The more inquiries they get, the more inclined they will be to order your books. Don’t get discouraged if your friends tell you that some person at the Barnes and Noble desk said it’s a print-on-demand book and they will never stock them. This is not true—Barnes and Noble is in the retail business—if there is a demand, they will provide the product. Several of our books are making it onto the shelves of local B&N stores.
Am I on my own with pitching to book stores and trying to get my books in the stores?
No. BQB has an ongoing program for promoting all of our books to bookstores.
However, as an author, it’s always a good idea to stop in to bookstores in your area and let them know about you and your book. Make sure they know you are not self-published and that your books are sold through Ingram and Baker & Taylor because most bookstores will not work with self-published authors simply because there are no quality controls with self-published books and many of them are not done well.
FAQs: Sales and Distribution
Can I sell my book directly from my website?
No. All sales of your book other than those you do at local book signings or school events, etc., must go through either the BQB website or through one of our wholesalers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, bookstores, etc. So, to sell books from your website, you can create a “Buy the Book Now” icon and link it to the page for your book either on the BQB website or on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. The books that you buy directly from BQB for cost plus shipping plus $1.00 per book are only to be used at local events where you personally sell the book.
If you want to offer a signed version of your book to people other than those who are local or can buy them from you at book signings, then we will set up an “signed copy” option on our website and charge from $3 to $5 more per book (your choice). You will send BQB signed books, which we will keep for distribution when orders come in. You will also let us know your costs involved with the signed books (per book) and that will be paid back to you when the books are sold.
What are the areas of distribution that are covered by BQB?
Books published by BQB are sold on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Booksamillion.com, the BQB website, through independent booksellers, available for order at at all Barnes and Noble stores, and available for wholesale purchase through New Leaf Distributing Company. We work directly with booksellers, both the big guys and independents, to promote and sell your book. We also publish your book in eBook format on Kindle (expect for children’s picture books, which they do not yet accept), Nook, Kobo, and iTunes, as well as a growing list of eBook distributors.
Will my book be on book shelves in brick and mortar stores around me?
BQB will let independent booksellers know about your book upon release via email, but it’s up to you to do a lot of the personal contact necessary to have the indie booksellers agree to stock your book in their store. Ask us for a contact list for indie bookstores in your area. New Leaf Distributing will be presenting the books to the large national buyers and will have the book available to anyone who places an order.
What about eBook distribution?
BQB uses the four major ebook distributors: Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo. This list is constantly growing. Check back for updates!
Why is my book listed on websites from companies I’m not familiar with?
This is because the distributors (even eBook distributors) sell to other companies who then offer your book.
Why is the price of my book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble less than the retail price?
Like any retailer, Amazon or Barnes and Noble have the power to choose what they want to sell your book for. The retail price we assign is a suggested retail price (SRP) and each retailer then chooses their pricing for your book. They purchase the book at a wholesale price that BQB assigns when we set up your book for distribution and set the price they believe will work best for their customer base. BQB has no control over the exact pricing these 3rd party retailers choose for each book.
How does sales tax work?
Sales tax is charged when you are selling books directly to an end user; it is not charged if or when you sell books to a store or company that will be reselling or retailing the books.
When selling directly to end users, you need to charge sales tax in accordance with the county in which you live. To locate state sales tax information and how to set up a sales tax account, find your state’s tax center website. (For example, in Georgia, go to their website.) Once you set up an account, it will be your responsibility to keep track of the sales tax collected as well as the other sales information requested by the state and report it each month. The easiest way to do this is to use an accounting program like QuickBooks to keep track of all income and expenses.
How do I understand what my royalty report means?
Click here for a full breakdown and training page of your royalty report worksheet.
FAQs: Training
Does BQB offer training to authors? If so, what types?
The answer is yes. This website is a part of our training, giving authors information and resources that are at their fingertips 24 hours a day. We also offer training sessions occasionally through conference calls or webinars. We will be expanding our training as we continue to grow and know what types of help our authors most need and desire.
Click here to view the available trainings.
Click here to go back to the BQB Authors Portal.