Making Book

First-time authors gamble on a new form of publishing taking its first shaky steps

A A A Comments By Carlton Stowers Thursday, Jul 25 2002

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For fees that average from $7,500 to $20,000 (depending on the number of books printed), Brown not only promises her authors quality books but counsels them on promotion and sales techniques. "I think the landscape of publishing is going to change drastically in the years to come, and Brown Books is going to be one of the leaders," she insists. "Within the next year I plan to have one of our books on The New York Times best-seller list."

Southlake president of an executive search company, Jim Loose, who recently published My Father's Eyes, a novelized recollection of his father's involvement in the World War II Battle of Riva, hopes that Brown Books best seller will be his. While he has not yet seen sales figures since the book's February debut, he's optimistic. An article written on him and his book by a Maryland public relations firm he commissioned has appeared in hundreds of newspapers across the country; he's done numerous radio interviews and travels constantly to keep speaking engagements and sell his book.

Peter Calvin

Doris Booth, founder of Authorlink, says print-on-demand is the next big thing in publishing, though she's switching to traditional publishing.

Peter Calvin

Frank Thomas hawks his POD book, Madre de Dios, at B Dalton Books at Town East Mall. Two hours of hustling netted him seven sales.

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Promoting a book, he's learned, is every bit as difficult as writing one. "But I think I'm off to an encouraging start," he says. "I'm quite pleased."

While the 47-year-old author is eager to talk about his book, he is mum on the cost of getting it into print.

And as Loose ponders his next promotional step, fellow writer Thomas is wrapping up a two-hour book signing in front of B. Dalton at Town East Mall. He'd been hustling and hawking, handing out fliers and urging Saturday-afternoon shoppers to stop and let him tell them about his novel. He was tired at day's end, but pleased.

He'd sold seven books.

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