Publishing for Profit

Update

2008-05-11T00:26:22Z

I've been insanely busy, trying to keep publishers out of trouble or plot solutions for those already in trouble, but I have been blogging on my main blog. I apologize to all my friends here for failing to post updates on this journal.

Here are the entries you may have missed:

--Getting Published (a few thoughts for those who are having trouble getting a manuscript accepted)

--The Amazon-Booksurge Flap (a brief discussion of possible reasons for Amazon's controversial actions)

--Chart of Accounts and Plant Costs (a quick overview of some technical accounting issues)

--Isn't Content More Important than the Cover? (No, it isn't, and some thoughts on what you need where.)

--What Kindle 2.0 and 3.0 Should Be (I LOVE my Kindle, but it's not perfect. Yet.)

--What is a Publisher?

--Self-Publishing vs. Using a "Self-Publishing Company" (including a little bit about the impact of that difference on your book and your profits)

--Are Returns a Bad Thing? (sounds obvious, but it isn't)

--Is the Book Business Headed for Big Changes? (some aspects of the future that you may not have considered)

Co-ops of Indie Publishers, and You

2007-12-19T18:48:33Z

I've been really bad this month. So far, I've only posted twice in two and a half weeks. But you might want to drop by and see those two. They are:

Why Co-Ops of Indie Publishers Don't Work and Getting to Know You. The latter is an invitation to tell me something about yourself. I saw this on another LJ, and it's such a good idea. Even if it's too much trouble to post to my WP blog, please post here? I'd like to get to know who each of you is -- publishing is such a small world, that I'm sure we'll meet one way or another in other places. It's lovely to be able to say to myself, "Oh, yes, he/she likes polka dots!" or whatever. Makes the connection multi-dimensional.

Thanks for tuning in! And remember, comment there, or comment here, just comment. I promise to write more (and more interesting!) stuff if you do.

More entries on my other blog

2007-11-08T22:03:33Z

I haven't had time to put an RSS feed into this blog from my other one. But I can let you know about the newest entries. Lately they have included:

What About Returns?
Are they really as bad for publishers as we all think? Should we try to change the standard terms of trade or not?

Why Are Publishers So Backwards?
People from other industries are commonly amazed at the stupid things the book industry does. Is it really true that we're all missing obvious improvements? Are we perhaps an industry of traditionalist technophobes? Or are there less than obvious reasons why our business works the way it does, and why changes that have hit other industries haven't yet taken hold here?

Who Is and Who Is NOT a Publisher?
If you're paying the bills, and calling the shots, does that make you the publisher? Or is there something else going on? And why should you care? Plus a riff on vanity publishers, and the currently fashionable names for them.

Where to Cut Plant Costs?
Does text design really matter? And just what does a text designer do, anyway?

Publishing Jargon
What IS a plant cost? COGS? PPB?

Distribution? Who Needs It?
And is it really worth 70% of the list price of the book? Who should and shouldn't fork over a huge chunk of their potential revenue. Or when will the increase in volume offset the decrease in margin?

Come visit, and comment or ask questions. I'm feeling wordy.

(Really, I'm procrastinating -- come give me an excuse not to get back to work!)

Wheee!

2007-11-04T23:08:35Z

My other blog caught a link from Galleycat today. I feel like I'm in the big time!

New Entries on my other blog

2007-09-21T18:53:56Z

I haven't figured out how to feed the new entries on my blog to LJ yet, but here are some snippets of the ones you may have missed:

If the advance doesn’t earn out, is the book unprofitable?
It depends. (One of my very favorite answers, that is!)

Sometimes publishers deliberately pay more advance than they expect the book to earn in royalties. If you have such a book, you’re counting upon selling enough copies that the fixed costs of producing an edition are a smaller than normal slice. This leaves more for you to give the author. Unrealistic advances are a way to give a higher royalty to the author without setting a precedent for future agreements.

Large advances can also be used as a publicity generating ploy.

On the other hand, . . . . to read more

Amazon and LSI: a question from the audience
Shortly after I left for vacation, a reader asked:

Is it safe to assume that if you print a POD book via LSI, you can set whatever discount you want between 55% to 20% off and Amazon will list it regardless of what you choose–and even if you don’t go through the Amazon Advantage program? Also, will B&N.com also list everything LSI offers, regardless of discount? Are all LSI printed titles, regardless of the discount one lists “eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25″ on Amazon?

First, yes, I believe it is safe to assume that Amazon will list anything available through Ingram. Therefore, if you take Ingram distribution from LSI, and set any discount that they allow, you are likely to be listed on Amazon.

I suspect that B&N.com does the same.

And last, if I understand Amazon’s terms on the SuperSaver option, your books will be included, as long as the customer purchases through Amazon itself and not a Marketplace reseller.

There is a kicker, though. . . . . to read more

AND

Getting a Job in Publishing
A question was asked:
What can you do to improve your chances of getting a job in publishing? The writer has work experience and two bachelor’s degrees and wants to be an editorial assistant.

I’m going to start with the basics, which you may already know, but others may not.

Consider what an editorial assistant does, and what makes a good one different from the rest.
–They handle a lot of the administrative detail, so strong typing and organizational skills will be critical.
–Editorial assistants also need to have tact and good judgment when dealing with authors and agents.
–They need to be able to sort the marketable books from the trash when reading slush. And, last but not least,
–they need the motivation and ability to absorb large amounts of information, and to endure long stretches of routine tasks.

Your task is to show a potential boss . . . . to read more

As before, I'm looking for your questions. You can either put them in the comments here or there, or you can email them to me directly. My email is Marion.Gropen@GropenAssoc.com

New entries on my new blog

2007-07-17T01:56:44Z

There are a couple of new entries on my new blog that you may want to read if you're interested in book publishing. But more importantly, I'm looking for questions on publishing. Tell me what you want to know, and I'll do my best.

With 16 years in the trenches, I have a few answers. And some may surprise you. For example, did you know that the author makes more in royalties than the publisher makes in profit for most trade books? (Trade books are the fiction or general interest non-fiction, in hardback or large format paperback, that you find in bookstores, and not in other places.)

Come one, come all. It's your turn.

Switching

2007-06-25T00:35:59Z

Dear LJ Friends,

I am no longer posting entries here. You can find me at www.GropenAssoc.com . My new blog is here.

And, by the way, I do most of my talking on either the Yahoo self-publishing group, on Pub-Forum, or in the Reference Desk section of my site. (The latter also includes a 25+ page directory of web sites useful to publishers and reviews of books on publishing.

Do please visit my new blog regularly, or even subscribe with RSS. I suspect I'll be posting much more frequently now!

Oh, and 2 more things:
--I will be looking for questions to answer in the new blog, and
--A publisher is asking me to write a book for those founding a new micro-publisher or starting as self-publishers. It is intended to give them a look at the hidden realities of the industry. Any topics you would like to see?

Thanks LJ, and to my flist. It's been fun and very educational.

Marion

Turning a Writer Into an Author

2007-04-07T02:29:30Z

[Originally posted in the Reference Desk section of my site, www.GropenAssoc.com.]

Authors are writers who choose to publish, professionals who enter the publishing industry. Writing is an art. Publishing is both an art and a business. Like any creative endeavor, writing has worth in and of itself, but this entry is about the business of authorship.

Authors write to get paid as well as to get their words to the widest reasonable audience. They also co-operate in the process of bringing those words to the people who will most want to read them. In my years in publishing, I have come to believe that successful authors follow many of these suggestions.

Write for your readers. Know who they are, and what else interests them. What needs are you filling? How can you give them more of what they want from your book?

Take advantage of your editor. A good one enhances your work without changing the essence of your content, style or voice. There are 3 types of editing.

--Copyediting is the most common, and generally focuses on spelling, grammar and punctuation. The usefulness is obvious.
--Line editing commonly pinpoints awkward or unclear phrases, sentences, and occasionally paragraphs. Author and editor bat possible improvements back and forth, until the issue is resolved.
--Deep, structural or developmental editing (it goes by many names) is least common, and can make the most improvement. These editors put themselves into the mind of the intended readers, to analyze your work's impact on that person as they read. They look for what could work better, and for ways to improve the reader's experience but still keep the essence that makes your work distinctive.

If you have a good editor at your publisher, cherish him or her. If you want more editorial assistance than your acquisitions editor can provide, you may need to hire an outside professional.

Know your contract. Agents are useful, as are IP attorneys, but YOU are responsible for this agreement and its consequences. Critical items include:
--Royalty rate and bases. For example,10% of list is very different than 10% of sales net discounts and distribution fees. On a $20 book, 10% of list is $2.00. 10% of sales net discounts and distribution fees can be as little as $0.60. Each market segment and format will have different traditional rates and terms.
--Rights sold. Larger traditional publishers are quite good at selling subsidiary rights, to the benefit of all. If neither you nor your agent has a particular strength in marketing one or another of those rights, you're usually best served by letting your publisher do this for you.
--Termination and reversion clauses. My preference is for rights to revert, with the option for the author to purchase remaining inventory and possibly rights to the design of the book, when royalty earnings drop below a stated level for a stated period of time. Tastes differ on these clauses, but some specific clause should be included.
--Media liability insurance. Ask that their policy be extended to cover your risk. Waivers of subrogation (which accomplish this) are usually either free or very inexpensive.
--Due dates and details. Become known for meeting all deadlines, with time to spare. Publishers value authors who are easy to work with, and reputations spread.

Understand your readers: what else they like, and where there are high concentrations of them. Marketing is key to a successful book, no matter how you define it, but most publishers can no longer afford to invest as heavily in each book as they would like to do.

Be prepared to do your own marketing, especially publicity.
--Work with your publisher's marketing people, rather than at cross-purposes.
--Be considerate of your assigned publicist, etc. They are usually spread too thin, and you'll get more from them by being helpful and kind.
--Think about paying for an outside publicist. Publicity is generally the most cost-effective method of marketing your book, whether fiction or non-fiction. Be creative, and go beyond reviewers and the book pages of newspapers and magazines.
--There are now more publishing options than ever before. This leads to the refrain "Before you make books, read books," from many of the old hands in the industry. (There are reviews of books on publishing elsewhere on this site.)

Whatever choices you consider, information is critical. You have spent hundreds of hours writing that manuscript. Don't let them be wasted for lack of a few more hours learning about your options.

Ways to Publish

2007-01-03T18:00:59Z

I just answered the question, "How should I publish my book?" as asked by someone who was considering various online publishing operations. It's a very FAQ, so I'm posting it here.

Dear Name Deleted,

I don't want to tell you what you already know, but I'm going to start with some basics, just in case:

There are 4 basic ways to be published:
Traditional publishing. You get a significant advance against future royalties. The publisher gets some or all rights to your book, and then purchases an ISBN (in the US you need to go through Bowker), has it edited, the interior and cover designed, and rolls out a publicity campaign. They then sell it into appropriate bookstores.

Self-publishing. You act as your own publisher. Most savvy self-publishers set up a separate company, and even have contracts between that company and themselves as author. Everything else is the same. You will probably need to hire outside professionals for several aspects of the process, if you want your book to be sold from bookstores shelves.

Self-publishing with a book coach. You act as the publisher as above, but hire an expert to assist you with the areas where your experience and skills are weakest. His or her contacts will help you find the best outside pros, and he or she may be able to do some of the work for you. For a fee.

Subsidy publishing. You pay someone else to be the publisher for your book. (This is often mis-represented as self-publishing. There are IMPORTANT differences.) This method will add additional obstacles to your path if your goal is making profitable sales, or seeing your book sold widely in bookstores.

Subsidy publishing is a very good alternative, however, if you have a book with extremely limited sales potential (a family history, poetry, whatever).

If you want to find the right traditional publisher for your book, you might start in your local bookstore. Go look at the shelf where you want to find your book someday. Look for the most successful books. Pick the ones most similar to yours, especially focusing on the type of reader who will be buying the book. Look at those titles for the publisher, editor and agent. (Most authors thank their editor and/or agent somewhere in the front matter of the book.)

Look up the addresses of all of the above (Writer's Market, Literary MarketPlace, etc. Use your library, as some references are quite expensive. Use only the latest years' edition.)

Pay special attention to submission guidelines and query formats.

If you want to self-publish, buy (yes, BUY) a half-dozen good books on the subject. Start with Dan Poynter's classic Self-Publishing Manual, 15th edition, and Fern Reiss' Publishing Game series. Get at least one book on production and design (I like Pete Masterson's Book Design and Production). Get at least 2 books on book publicity (there are dozens of good ones) and another on book marketing.

Read them. Draw up your plans, get estimates, make a budget, and run projections on your expenses and revenues. Revise. Rinse and repeat. And repeat.

Join a self-publishing or small publishing group. PMA and its affiliates are good. So is SPAN. (In the US) Try the Yahoo Group Self-Publishing.

How Much Should an Ebook Cost?

2007-01-02T16:18:11Z

Nothing? The same as the current print version? Whatever the market will bear?

Your answer will probably depend upon what role you play in the ebook world. If you're a reader, you probably said "FREE!"

If you're an author, you probably want your royalties. Most authors don't think that the costs will be much more than that, so the price should be pretty low.

If you're a publisher, you consider royalties, formatting, discounts to retailers, and overhead. You have to cover them all and then juggle the price so that it maximizes your profit. But what about the reported increase in print sales if you simply give away ebooks? And piracy -- won't that make selling ebooks hopeless anyway? And . . . It's simpler to just beat your head on a wall until the thoughts stop.

Truly, there are issues to be resolved before much of the most popular content is released in ebook form. And ebooks need bestselling content to really become popular.

The real problem, in my opinion, is that we book-people haven't decided what we want the ebook to do. Is it a promotional item? Or is it to be a new revenue-generating format for our "content"?

We all know that there are extravagant costs associated with the physical nature of books. Printing, paper and binding are only the start. There are returns, shipping, receiving, pick and pack lines and warehousing at several points in the distribution chain, and more.

It is often said that the feel of a book more than justifies the extra cost. I wonder if that's true for the people who buy paperbacks (trade or mass market). I suspect that most of them would happily forego the feel for a 50% drop in price.

If I'm right, then ebooks will eventually replace the paperback.

If I'm right, book folks need to find a way to make ebooks profitable if we are to weather that transition well. I suspect that we'll need to increase the volume, which will be helped by a lower price, and easier storage, and drop the price far enough that it's easier to buy than to pirate.

So, my answer is: how low can you afford to go? For now, I suggest that many ebooks can be effectively priced below cost. Consider the difference a promotional expense. Meanwhile, you are helping to make the format more popular, recouping some of the cost of the ebook promotion, and getting your future customers more used to the idea that ebooks aren't supposed to be free.

What say you?

Whee!

2006-11-17T01:22:04Z

I just finished the first draft of my book. I am more than a little thrilled.

Okay, so I already know that I need to rip it apart on the second draft, adding a large amount of material, totally re-working about 1/3, and deleting a bit, as well as adjusting the tone, but for now -- I managed to complete the draft, and I am very pleased with myself.

Now, y'all know I don't write for a living, and have never thought of myself as a writer, so the question arises: you, doing a book? Yeah. Well. You see, I get tired of telling people that there really isn't a textbook addressing the basics of accounting and finance for book publishers. Worse, I'm getting ready to roll out a course for managers and new publishers that covers this stuff. Gotta have a text, especially since the course is internet-based.

Conclusion: if you want it done, do it yourself.

Do publishers really market your books?

2006-10-16T16:49:12Z

Yes. And, no.

Yes, publishers do send out review copies in a timely fashion, and to the appropriate book reviewers. They may float a couple of ideas past radio or tv segment producers who seem to fit your book. And they'll present the book to their sales force, list in their catalog, and make it available through Ingram or the equivalent.

No, because they don't have the time or the resources to go much further than that for many books on their lists. They aren't going to write op-ed pieces when something happens that is related to your book. You need to do that, and work with your publicist to get it published.

They aren't going to join every reasonable internet group relating to your work, become a known quantity, and encourage the more influential people in the groups to read and praise it. You have to do that.

They may help you put up a web site, but they aren't going to give it fresh and interesting content, nor are they going to promote it much. You have to do that.

They may not even know unusual, but influential bloggers in your niche. They probably don't have the relationship with them that you do. (And if you don't -- develop one!) When it comes to finding the right "big mouths" who can help you sell another few hundred copies, well, you have to do that.

They may not even know of niche newsletters and publications that might want a short article from you that could cite your book, or use it in an example, or just include it in your bio blurb at the end. They can't write those articles. You have to do that.

They may be able to help you post for use-with-attribution other articles you have written that will bring notice to your site and your book, but they won't be able to do the writing. They probably won't even suggest the idea. You have to do that.

They may have relationships with influential booksellers, but they won't be using them to push every single book. And, in any case, it doesn't mean as much as it would if you became friendly with these people. You have to do that.

And why don't they do all of these things? Well, the sad and sorry truth is that many authors actually make more from those pitiful royalty statements than the publisher makes from the same book. Publishers then need to use that slim margin to support their overhead. They can't afford to engage in the time-intensive tasks that can make all the difference. You have to do that.

Good luck.

[Oh, and by the way, I was never in marketing. All of this is garnered from my years of watching the marketing department work across the hall, and from looking at their budgets. Therefore, unlike the advice I sell, the above may be worth exactly what you're paying for it. Nothing. It's a judgment call and -- you have to do that.]

Now I Get It!

2006-09-15T13:36:06Z

I have always been a little bemused by the authors I work with. Now, I am writing a book length piece myself, and suddenly I "get" more of the things I hear. I hereby apologize to all the authors about whom I thought unkind or disrespectful thoughts. You are more heroic than I knew. And more controlled in your response to editorial or marketing suggestions than I understood.

The piece that brought about this change of heart is the first draft of the text I will be using for an internet-based class I am offering on the financial aspects of running a publishing company. It must cover the basics of accounting, financial analysis, strategic thinking, and decision making in eight weeks. Yeah, right.

And, it has to be friendly to people who aren't really numerically inclined, but complete enough to help them make more money quickly. Yeah, right.

Oh, and it has to be ready in 3 to 4 weeks. Yeah, right.

What was I thinking???

Ah, well, back to the ms. Wish me luck.

Self-Publishing?

2006-08-15T13:52:54Z

So, you have decided to give up on traditional publishing and take control of your future. You are going to put your work out there on your own.

Is it a good idea to go with Lulu.com? AuthorHouse? iUniverse? another?

That depends. Why do you write? Why are you considering this option?

If you have a stunningly literate book of poems from the heart, one of them may be your best choice. Similarly, if you are publishing a very short run of cookbooks to raise money for your club or school. If you have a fascinating memoir of your years in XYZ, and feel that marketing it would soil the purity of your work, yup, this path is the right choice. Do a little research and go with the one with the best terms for your situation.

The common element above is that you have little chance of large sales, and very little chance of significant presence in bookstores.

If you want to reach as many readers as possible, for the lowest cost possible, put your book into a pdf, post it to a website, and publicize it. Readers can download it, and read it, without the investment in formatting, printing, and without the hassle of the distribution system for books.

If you want money, writing is a bad choice but you will probably do best with a traditional publisher. Try again, with a marketing plan underlying your proposal.

The number of self-publishers who can profit significantly from their own work is very, very small. You must be good at marketing, business and writing. If that describes you, go buy some of the books listed on my website, www.GropenAssoc.com, and read them. Several times.

Good luck to all.

BEA -- more of the same?

2006-05-22T17:31:36Z

I love BEA. It always leaves me excited, exhausted and footsore. But I find that I can't remember half of what I have seen or said. This isn't the effects of a toxic substance, but rather an example of my brain on overload. Fortunately, many things remain the same from one BEA to another. That means less work for my poor memory.

Which wonderful things were the same?
--The number of exciting titles soon to be released.
--The thrill of being with tens of thousands of other people who GET why we love working on books.
--The buzz of new ideas, or old ones being approached differently.
--The pleasure of meeting old friends from in-house and renewing ties.
--The fun when you meet someone you know on-line face-to-face.
--The presence of new publishing houses that are doing everything right.

What depressing things remained the same?
--The dreary location and low traffic to be found in the small and premium small press sections.
--The only a little less dreary location and traffic levels in various specialty sections (black publishers, for example).
--The clogged aisles, and confusing layout.
--The difficulty of getting to food or caffeine, and the low quality of what was (relatively!) easily found.
--The presence of new publishing houses, or self-publishers, or authors, who are clueless.

So, what was different? What actually stuck in that overworked brain? Of course, there were meetings with particular friends and clients, but I should probably be discreet and gloss over most of that.

My BEA includes these edited-for-public-consumption memories, in particular:

Teaching at PMA-U is always a blast. I truly enjoy helping people publish more successfully, and being able to be in the same room with them, and getting feedback is very rewarding. I say this even though my topics are usually not particularly congenial to publishers. (I mean, really, what editor LIKES spreadsheets?)

This year, I had been a little worried about whether or not the new classes I was debuting (on building and using a budget, and on using a single title P&L to make your company more profitable) would be quite ready for public consumption. I'm still not quite sure that they were as well-done as they will be in the future, but I don't feel the need to beat myself up over them, either.

Every year, the members of the 4 big yahoo groups/listservs get together for the "list dinner." And every year, it is a great experience. This year was no exception. Fern Reiss and Sharon Goldinger did an exceptional job of organizing it, and of seeing that we entertained each other. (In a stunning development, it seems that half of us are actually Al Canton.)

More small publishers seem to be finding ways onto the main floor. I do believe that this is a good thing, if you are going to go at all. There's not much point, as far as I can see, in having a booth off in Siberia. These hard-chargers also seem to have lists with promise, and a realistic approach to the business. I thought that the extent to which this was true was greater than at some prior BEAs.

There also seems to be a slightly greater awareness in the industry that small presses can be interesting and dynamic, as well as occasionally profitable. I saw heard a lot more people who were familiar with this part of the publishing world, and beginning to make mental room for it. The best sign of this? That there were a lot more publicists, designers, editors and other professionals planning to make small presses part of their customer base, and looking for ways to make it economical for all concerned.

I can't really say much about the big houses, and the big buzz books. I don't find them quite as exciting, perhaps because it seems that they remain the same, even as they change.

So, was your BEA a good one? What was the same-ol', same-ol', and what was surprising?

small press distribution

2006-04-26T13:40:33Z

I guess I'll use this to write a few articles on topics that come up around here. If I weren't addicted to answering questions and telling other folks what to do, I wouldn't be a consultant.

So, how do small presses get their books into bookstores?

The short answer is that they hire someone to do it. The usual suspects are PGW, IPG, NBN, Consortium and Midpoint Trade. Biblio also exists, as a branch of NBN, for presses that aren't doing as much business through the stores. Even Biblio gets the books into Ingram, and that is critical.

The long answer is that they have to create reader demand for the book. Reviews, particularly in the long-leads, like PW, Library Journal, Kirkus, . . . . are very important, but won't create reader demand. They do give bookstores a reason to buy, but bookstores will send those books right back unless someone else takes them to the front register right quickly.

So, the real question is:
How do we get readers to want our book?
First, the author should have written to and for a specific audience. You have to hope that the writer has been thinking hard about the person reading those words.
--What do they want from this book?
--What about the book might give them that benefit, and how can the writer give them more of it?
--What else does this person do, and where can these people be found in large groups?
--Is there anything about those activities or groups that can be used in the book that will make it easier to hook their interest later? Or that will improve the reader's experience of this book?

Believe it or not, all of the above can apply to fiction, too. Go back and look carefully. Fiction readers have needs that the works are filling, but they may not be as obvious or as conscious. The writer might be well-advised to try to understand what will trigger this satisfaction with the book, and put more of it in.

So, now you know that the book will satisfy your audience, who the audience is, and where they are. The author has made the publisher's marketing department a much happier crew. All they have to do is find those groups, and figure out a way to get them to notice the book.

In some groups, the message can be delivered by placing comp copies in the hands of opinion makers.

In others, you have the author write some articles for newsletters and such on ancillary topics. These articles should always have the book in the author info, and should use the book as an example or illustration anywhere it can reasonably fit.

And so on, and so forth. More ideas are in some of the books listed in the reviews section on my web site.
[The site is here.
The Reference Desk (for publishers, mostly) is here.
The Reviews are here.]

Please feel free to comment on the ideas here, or in any of my other entries. The free exchange of ideas and experience helps small publishers survive and helps ensure the vibrant life of the mind that makes us all richer.

The publishing community

2006-04-26T01:53:03Z

I used to think that book publishing was a very small world. I still do, but not quite as small.

I am active in about a dozen other publishers' groups, and astoundingly, I see very few of the same folks. Here are some of the larger ones, so that you can look in and see what I mean:

EBook-Community
Self-Publishing
Publish-L
Pub-Forum

Each has a distinct personality, and its own "take" on common issues. All of them cover more turf than their names would imply.

And here, on LJ, there's yet another new and active group. What fun!

Standard Disclosure: I'm a listmom on two of the above, and participate myself in a third.

Introduction

2006-04-25T14:24:05Z

I am very interested in book publishers and book publishing, and have a certain amount of experience in the industry (15 years). I have a slightly different perspective than the norm: I do finance and operations management, originally in-house, but the last couple of years have been as a consultant. Editors and writers tend to see things a little differently than I would.

I am happy to be here, and to share my perspectives.

Marion Gropen