Cultural Enterprise Office

Keith Charters explores self-publishing.

How does the industry work?

It works in a variety of ways. Some publishers sell direct to the public in particular niches. Some only sell e-books. Most sell through wholesalers and retailers in addition to selling direct.

Do I need ISBNs?

It depends. You will need them if you are selling through trade, e.g. retailers, wholesalers, but you can choose to do without them if you intend only selling direct to the public, e.g. poets at performances.

Where do I get ISBNs and how much do they cost?

You can get ISBNs from the ISBN Agency. The minimum purchase is 10 ISBNs for £132. 100 cost £318.

What are the different ways of printing books?

The main split is between digital and lithographic (litho) printing. Litho is the traditional form and is still best for large quantities and high-end printing. Its cost of set-up is high but the run-on cost is low, so there are significant economies of scale to be had. Digital is increasingly used as it works well for small quantities, but there are limited economies of scale, so there comes a quantity at which litho becomes more cost-effective. Paper choices are generally more limited for digital.

How easy is it to create and sell e-books?

It’s become increasingly easy. It can be done using the likes of Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, or by using e-book converters (but check for glitches). Amazon’s Kindle still dominates the market, but increasing tablet use means the e-publishing format is making inroads. The issue with e-books is less producing them and more ensuring that they are discovered and bought.

Do I need to charge VAT?

Most print books are zero-rated for VAT as opposed to being exempt from VAT, i.e. VAT is charged at 0%. However, e-books are VATable at the standard rate (currently 20%). From the 1 January 2015 the rules for VAT on digital services provided in the EU, which includes e-books, changed. The rate of VAT payable is now determined by the country in which the customer is located. See CEO's Storify collection on Changes to paying VAT in the EU for further information. 

How should I approach wholesalers and retailers?

For individual titles, send them Advance Information (AI) sheets. These are usually single sides of A4 (nowadays often in PDF form) that show the cover and blurb, list the key data for the title (ISBN, price, genre, distributor’s contact details) and highlight the key sales points (often including expected media coverage). It is worth making a point of meeting wholesalers and retailers at trade events. See my Top 5 Markets for Literature Insight for some of these marketplaces.

Where can I find a distributor?

There are two types of distributor:

• Independents – in Scotland the largest is BookSource
• Publisher-owned – e.g. Harper Collins, MacMillan and Faber

The publisher-owned distributors do not only distribute for their owners but for other publishers too. 

A single thought worth keeping in mind:

Publishing books is the easy part. Selling them is the hard part.

Further information

• Check out our Storify article about self-publishing from Bloody Scotland 2015.

Disclaimer: We want to keep you in the know, so we offer a wide selection of useful resources. But Cultural Enterprise Office isn’t responsible for the advice and information of external organisations in this document. So if you have any questions, please contact the specific organisation directly.