Do you have a book inside you?

Or have you already written it and now don’t know what to do with the

We've also created a SIMPLY BRILLIANT publishing Programme Just for You! Details here...

manuscript?

Authoring and publishing a book can be a steep learning curve, but the rewards are tremendous when you get the production and distribution options successfully coming together. Believe it or not, writing your book is the easy part – the tricky stuff comes when you start to think about ‘what comes next?’
Hi, I’m Maria Carlton, and my first book was an expensive but exciting nightmare of choices and wasted opportunities.

Throughout the process I kept wishing I had someone to help me figure out the best ways to put it all together. As soon as I had finished I began a new journey of discovery about what it takes to create a quality book that people want to buy, and how to get it to them.

That was back in 2002, and while I was really pleased with my book when I first saw it, I soon started to see all the things that I could have done better.

Hindsight is a great thing, but it doesn’t change the fact that you have thousands of dollars tied up in boxes of books that are just sitting on the garage floor, mocking you each month at stock take time as the pile refuses to shrink.

I decided to learn all I could about not making the same mistakes the next time, because honestly, becoming ‘an author’ was a dream come true and regardless of the success, or lack of it with my first book, it lead to so many new opportunities that I really wanted to keep writing. But let’s face it, there’s not much point in doing a lot of writing if no-one is going to read your work.

If this sounds a little familiar to you already, then please read on and discover how I ended up creating a specialist full-service publishing company dedicated to non-fiction books and modeled on the wish list I made immediately after creating my first book in 2002.

 

Your Options for Publishing Your Book

There are two main options for publishing a book. Either self-publish – where as the author you put up all the money and do all the work required - finding your own designer, editor and printer, and then eventually working out how to get your books into shops and online to sell to those people waiting for your words of wisdom.

The second option is the more traditional method - sending your manuscript off to a selection of publishing companies, waiting for months to get replies (if any) from those who wish to publish your book, and then waiting another year or so until their version of your book appears on the market - often with limited consultation or additional input from you after acceptance contracts are signed.

There are pros and cons for each option, and after talking with  many authors and publishers about these, we've compiled a list to help you with some early decision making:
     

Self-Publishing vs Mainstream Publishing

There are pros and cons for each option, and after talking with  many authors and publishers about these, we've compiled a list to help you with some early decision making:

	Self-Publishing	Traditional Publishing	Maruki Books
Expert editors on hand	?	Y	Y
Printers specialising in books available	?	Y	Y
Design and typeset services provided	N	Y	Y
Typesetting into print preferred programmes	?	Y	Y
Advice and development of product for marketability and targeting	N	Y	Y
Advice on layout and best design for readers	N	Y	Y
Flexibility for authors to have input re design and distribution	Y	Maybe	Y
Higher Profits from book sales	Y	Royalties Only	Y
Distribution into book stores	N	Y	Y
Sell direct from websites or Back of Room (speaking engagements)	N	Maybe	Y
International representation at book fairs*	N	Y	Y
Publicity and Press around launch of book	N	Y	Y
Ongoing PR and Sales opportunities	N	Y	Y
Website and ebook options developed	N	Maybe	Y
Testimonials from celebrity authors for endorsements on cover	N	Y	Y
* For books with international potential

Here's a snapshot view of OUR Options

Here's the thing...

There are certain things that cause a book to sell successfully, and some things that make a book easy for consumers to pass by. The difference can sometimes be in the title, or the design on the cover, or how the back cover is used to convey information about the contents. There are specific ways that people pick up and review a book before deciding to purchase it. Colours, font size, testimonials, the size of the book itself, and the inside layout are all key areas of consideration when producing a book that sells – and what is vital is getting the right mix of all of these ingredients.

But wait – don’t you want a lot more than to just have your book sell? – regardless of how many copies … If you are an expert with enough knowledge to fill 100 pages or more on a subject, then you surely must want to use your book to help advance your career, increase your consultant or speaker fees, and better position yourself as an expert to your target market?

I set up Maruki Books to help professional experts find their way through these minefields of expensive and disappointing mistakes commonly made by new authors. In the process of writing several books of my own - including an international best seller, collaborating with multiple authors, and publishing a growing number of top sellers, I have found that there are quite simply some things that work and some that don’t – luckily my team and I are all very good at getting the mix right.

Our Services - easy to download PDF file

 

The Publishing Process

How it works...

The book development process is divided into two parts:

PART I

    * Content writing and development - this can include ‘ghost writing’, where we conduct a series of interviews with you and then write the content ourselves.
    * Content ‘grooming’ - editing and structuring the content from ‘raw’ to ‘polished’.
    * Market definition and targeting outline.
    * Obtaining reviews and endorsements to spark interest and prior knowledge of the book amongst relevant industry personalities.
    * Pre-press production – cover design and internal layout, typesetting, print options.
    * Listing basic information with the ISBN register and Neilson Book Data.

PART II

    * Printing – including hardcopy proofs prior to final run being completed.
    * Marketing strategy fully developed and implemented – including (as appropriate) a launch event, a public relations campaign and development of a dedicated website.
    * Distribution – channels and options clearly identified, initial contacts made and agreements signed where possible and appropriate.

FAQ's

 

Do I have to use all  of your systems?

NO!  Once your book is written, produced and you are holding it in your hand, you have the choice of taking it and dealing with all of your distribution and marketing options yourself. However we've set up our company with services designed especially to make it easy for you to be an author and speaker, instead of worrying about getting your book sold, and dealing with online sales, hassles of bookstores and international representation.  We are experts at this - and offer our authors potential for their books to be distributed and sold via an extensive range of options. 

Can I use my own graphic designer or editors?

While we try to maintain some flexibility around your preferences in this instance, please bear in mnd that we are all operating as part of a team and our processes are very well organised to work together to obtain the best possible book in terms of design, content and packaging.  Our editors, designers and typsetters are all specialist in book production - not magazines, brochures or mailers.  There is a special range of skills required for creating a book, and so we do prefer to use our own people.

Can I have my materials reviewed and assessed before I go any further?

Yes, we charge a fee for this service, as it is time consuming to review and report back to you on your options, but everyone we've ever worked with this way has found our process for this to be very helpful.

I already have my book edited - I think it's ready just to print so can I skip part one and go straight to the design phase?

That depends entirely of what you call a completed manuscript.  It may still need some work or grooming towards your target market, and so we reserve the option to suggest this if required.