Elm Grove Publishing
Frequently Asked Questions
You probably have a million questions, and we are happy to reply personally to your specific enquiries (please email).
Meantime, here are the answers to some of our most often asked questions...
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What makes Elm Grove Publishing different from other publishing companies?
We look at everything from the author’s point of view. Being authors ourselves, as well as specialists in graphic design and marketing, we know how complicated the process can be. You shouldn’t have to learn new software programs or spend hours formatting files. We make it as easy as it can be for authors, whether first time or old hands, to get their books produced and published professionally, quickly and efficiently.
Do you accept any book for publication?
Short answer, "No." We cannot accept every idea or manuscript that comes our way. However, we believe there is a market for lots of different ideas and we do not restrict ourselves to one genre the way that many indie publishers do. We like to say our genre is "good books" (which is essentially books that we think people will enjoy). If you have an idea or a completed manuscript, feel free to give us a shot and we'll give you an honest review and try to help if we can.
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I want to submit my manuscript for your consideration. What should I do?
Please email diane@elmgrovepublishing.com
• Send the first three chapters or 20-30 pages of your manuscript (enough to give us the “flavor” of your book and your style of writing.
Document should be in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) single-spaced. Please use clear format other than indents.
• Write a brief Ssnopsis: sum up the whole story (including the ending – don’t worry about spoilers!). This should be 2-3 paragraphs and no more than a page long.
• Give an approximate word count (you can find this at the bottom of your Word document).
• Include a brief biography: mention any credentials, experience or previously published work
• Let us know if the work been professionally edited.
• Tell us who do you think the market is for the book?
• Can you think of any other well-known books or movies with similar stories or characters? (If someone liked those, they may enjoy your book.)
• Is there anything unique about your book?
What if you decide not to publish my book??
Don't despair if we decline! It could just mean it is not ready to publish yet. There can be a variety of reasons, the most common being that it needs some level of editing. Or the work may fall outside our usual publishing parameters or we may not be the right publisher to get your work to the audience it needs. We will always try to offer constructive and helpful feedback.
Why do I need an editor?
It’s a fact that we all have a hard time editing our own work. It’s because we read what we meant to say, often not seeing what’s actually there or missing. A good editor can see things that seem incongruous, out of order, or interrupt the reading flow and give recommendations to make them better. They look for inconsistencies in spelling or treatment of phrases. They will check that your technical data is correct. Finally, they will find any grammar, punctuation or spelling errors. You have nothing to fear–A good editor will not change your “voice” or style, they will merely polish your book to make it the best it can be!
Do you edit in-house?
We are publishers, not editors, although we will try to help with simple pointers when we can. We can recommend and refer you to editors, depending on the book type, and you will need to make your ow arrangements with them.
Do I need to copyright my work before I submit it to you?
No. Unpublished work is protected by common and statutory law. You will always retain the copyright for your work.
Can I provide the cover design for my book?
The saying goes “Don’t judge a book by its cover” but in fact that is exactly what everyone does! The cover is the single most important factor in determining whether someone will show interest your book. Input is welcome and you may provide art, design ideas and photographs for consideration (at your own expense), but the publisher has final approval for the cover design.
Who sets the price for my book?
The publisher will set the price for the book. Price point is a key factor in publishing and e-publishing and is based on factors such as cost of production and design of the book, type of production (fixed or reflowable for electronic; number of pages, type of paper, type of cover, etc for print) and comparable pricing of other books in the genre.
Will I make any money from sales of my book?
You will receive a percentage of the retail price of each book sold, called a royalty. Most authors do not make a lot of money from book sales, electronic or printed, but sales will depend to some extent on the type of book, general interest in your chosen subject and how much you are willing to help promote it (even top selling authors have to make public appearances!). The short answer is keep writing, but “don’t quit your day job!”
How will my book be promoted?
We will promote your book on our website and social media pages, with links to sources where it can be purchased (such as amazon.com). We will seek reviews and reviewers for your book to boost sales and will try to arrange book-signings whenever possible and practical for you. In addition we will provide help and guidance for you to effectively self-promote your book using your local resources – and nationally via social media. We can provide you with marketing materials such as bookmarks, postcards, e-cards, invitations to book signings for you to circulate among your friends and followers. We will notify you of any paid advertising opportunities which may arise (such as book fairs, special promotions, etc).
In what format will my book be available?
Your book will be produced in soft cover and / or hard back editions and in some cases as an e-book (e-books are used mainly for fiction and books that do not require a lot of images for formatting, though great strides are taking place in the e-book technology which may make picture books more compatible in the near future). We will look at the market to determine the best budget options and advise accordingly.
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How long will it take to publish my book?
The timeline for publishing varies, but generally speaking it’s 4-6 months. (Many large publishing houses take 6-12 months or more to decide if they would like to publish your book. Then it may take them an additional 6-12 months more to actually do it.) We will need to have all the materials in hand to look over before we can really give you a firm idea for a release date. This is especially true if there will be lots of visuals and/or a comprehensive layout necessary.
How many of my books will you print?
As many as we need! We generally use state-of-the-art digital Print-on-Demand. The results are indistinguishable from traditional offset print and we are able to print and deliver just one book at a time, or as many as we need in matter of days.
What is "Print on Demand"?
"Print on Demand" offers the reader a hard copy of a book, digitally printed in high resolution on quality paper stock, and complete with cover (either soft cover or hardback). Such is the technology that each book is literally printed and bound to order and shipped to the customer immediately. More and more books are printed using this technology and the quality is such nowadays that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between a book which has been "printed-on-dmand" and one produced using traditional offset printing.
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How many books can I expect to sell?
It's really impossible to know. There are over 12,000 new books published every day (2.5 million every year!), so there's lots of competition! Some authors sell a few thousand books, some a few dozen. It’s possible to have a “Best Seller” on Amazon with remarkably low numbers if the book has a very specific genre/description so that there are not many books competing in it’s category. These days, in general, for a new author, anything over 1,000 sales is considered to be successful! Success hinges heavily on the author; it really helps for the author to have an online presence: a dedicated website and/or a social media presence. Unknown or first-time authors may sell a few hundred books among friends, relatives, acquaintances and build a following. The bigger your sphere of influence the more the book can sell.
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Why isn’t my book on the shelf at my local bookshop?
Ingram Book Content makes all our books available to online outlets worldwide as well as bricks-and-mortar book retail outlets. Each bookstore or chain decides what they will buy to stock on their shelves. Unless you hit the “bestseller” list, you probably won’t see your book on the shelves at a bookstore, but you can rest assured that if people ask for your book at their local bookstore, the store will be able to order it for them. One way to get your book into local stores is to go and talk to them! Introduce yourself and give them a copy of your book to review, then ask if they would be interested in arranging a booksigning event. Many authors have been successful getting books stocked in local bookshops when they have scheduled a signing with them. Online your book will appear for sale on
barnesandnoble.com, Amazon, Books-a-Million, Chapters/Indigo (Canada) walmart.com, target.com and many others, as well as on our website.
Someone once said that the only "stupid" question is the one you don't ask. If you have any questions related to writing or publishing your book, please email and ask. If enough people ask the same question, we'll add it to this page!