writing a book/ need agent or business advice

[homemadesalsa]

So I have been asked (not contracted) by the AAA (American Avalanche Association) to write a book on the history of avalanche forecasting in the US. It is a dream assignment- a chance to sit down with my mentors and heroes, get some good stories, and put it into a coherent narrative.

The organization, collating, and writing are all big tasks, but my background (avalanche educator and editor of The Avalanche Review for a number of years now) has prepared me well. I am ok with the challenge there.

What I have no clue about, however, is how to structure the business end of this. The AAA has some $; we might be able to self-publish, but I need some help on where/ how to get started. I talked with Bruce Tremper, who published Staying Alive through the Mountaineers. They are super-organized and guide you the whole way through, but you basically get 10% of wholesale on the book sales.

Anyone a book agent? Written a book? Have ideas/ suggestions of how to write a contract for this?

And if you have thoughts/ ideas on the avalanche history aspect, those are welcome too.

[homemadesalsa]

Bump for front page

anyone?

[OldLarry]

pick up some books in a similar vein and contact those publishers? They are probably little subsidiaries of big places.

AFAIK it's hard as fuck to get a book published, and you do get hosed on the $.

[TomK]

Things are changing so rapidly in the book biz, that what was normal 2 years ago is unheard of now, and vice-versa. Seems like your book would be tailor-made for Print-on-demand.

A perspective on self-publishing from an established author...
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...he-future.html

(Been reading a lot about this from Francis Hammit also.)

a POD company - Lulu.com

[The Suit]

I don't have any good advice myself, but do you know Tom Turiano? He's had quite a bit of experience - both good and bad - with boutique mountaineering book publishing. I think he ended up self publishing "Select Peaks." He might have some good advice.

[stupendous man]

I self published my novel. Self publishing is not recommended for fiction, but non-fiction works much better, especially if you have a built-in buyer/promoter.

Lulu has been fine to work with for me - in order to make a profit bigger orders would still be required - this can be done again easily if you have a built in buyer and don't rely on amazon - but amazon and other bargain booksellers dictate the market - i.e. you have to either raise your book price or lower your profit because of their mark-downs and business model.

good luck.

[Spats]

You've got a PM.

[homemadesalsa]

Thanks for all the ideas. Suit- good idea- I will give Tom a call.

Spats- back atcha. Give me a good time and I will call.

[splat]

The book sounds educational enough to maybe pick up a subsidized publishing at a university press.

[JFE24]

I've published with university presses (academic philosophy, so perhaps more or less on par with avalanche history in terms of small, niche markets), and am currently in discussions with another academic press for a collection of essays that I commissioned and co-edited on Thoreau's philosophical significance.

Little, if any, money gets made when the projected sales of a book is certain to be relatively small. Very few, and typically, only very famous academics are making significant money off of book sales from university presses. University salaries effectively subsidize the time and energy it takes for professors to publish books.

I think it can only end in disappointment if a project like the one you describe - despite the fact that it sounds excellent - is undertaken with the expectation that there will be even a decent monetary payoff. So if that makes the project untenable, well, better to be clear about that at the start, I suppose.

Perhaps this is obvious, but it seems like an alternative approach might be to cobble together grant money from someone or some institutions / organizations beyond AAA.

[homemadesalsa]

Thanks all. After a good amount of thought and some top notch input from you all and especially Spats, I am working on a business plan/ contract with the AAA so that I am paid for my research time, and the AAA fronts the costs for publishing the book through one of the better Print on Demand services, then the AAA can reap any "profits" (minus my 1%) over time. What a learning curve, between the business end and the history perspective.

[up an down]

Thanks all. After a good amount of thought and some top notch input from you all and especially Spats, I am working on a business plan/ contract with the AAA so that I am paid for my research time, and the AAA fronts the costs for publishing the book through one of the better Print on Demand services, then the AAA can reap any "profits" (minus my 1%) over time. What a learning curve, between the business end and the history perspective.

check out "the author enablers" columns at www.bookpage.com they have answered this question for many wannbe published authors

[JFE24]

Thanks all. After a good amount of thought and some top notch input from you all and especially Spats, I am working on a business plan/ contract with the AAA so that I am paid for my research time, and the AAA fronts the costs for publishing the book through one of the better Print on Demand services, then the AAA can reap any "profits" (minus my 1%) over time. What a learning curve, between the business end and the history perspective.

I'm afraid to say that I will be shocked if the AAA can afford to do this, though I hope to hell that I'm wrong. Assuming this book runs around 200-250 pages (fair estimate?) I would think you're looking at several hundred hours of "research time," certainly if by this you include the time crafting well made sentences, putting together a solid index, checking and doublechecking facts, etc.

So how much money are you going to need to cover those several hundred hours of your time? 5k? 10k? 30k? The bigger that number gets, the less plausible this becomes.

I hope I'm being overly pessimistic about what the AAA is in a position to offer, and I really hope you reach an arrangement that allows you to write the best book you can. It seems like a very worthwhile project, and you seem like the right person to do it justice.

[Spats]

So how much money are you going to need to cover those several hundred hours of your time? 5k? 10k? 30k? The bigger that number gets, the less plausible this becomes.

As you mentioned, even if she gets a regular publisher to bite, she's not going to get that sort of advance for a special-interest book. Really you just hope to cover direct research expenses (mainly travel, in her case).

[homemadesalsa]

Well, you know, part of it needs to be for profit, but part of it will be my donation to the AAA and to the cause of history. Not to mention that I get to hang with my heroes and listen to them tell stories.

The AAA does have an endowment fund, and in addition, ISSW2004 is committing roughly $6000 as well. That will get a few stories and a few, ahem, well-crafted sentences.

[canonizer]

I work as a literary agent in ny and, as others have pointed out, I don't think many agents would be able to provide you with much assistance. You seem to have been given solid advice here and appreciate the financial and time costs involved, as well as the benefits. That said, I don't see why all parties couldn't eventually see proceeds from the project (though certainly not strong). If you could get the book placed in mountaineering and ski shops, sell a couple thousand copies annually, it could provide some meaningful revenue to AAA.

Good luck; if you have any publishing specific questions on contract language or otherwise, please feel free to pm me.