Frequently Asked Questions
- How long has Advantage Books been in business?
- Why would I choose Advantage Books over a traditional publisher?
- What is digital print publishing?
- What kinds of books do you publish?
- Why is an imprint important?
- Will bookstores stock my book on their shelves?
- Will Advantage Books help advertise And publicize my book?
- I doubt that I will have the time or energy to run around the country to push my book. What does Advantage Books do to help authors who work other jobs and have limited speaking opportunities?
- Does Advantage Books recommend attending industry trade shows like NRB (National Radio Broadcasters) and CBA (Christian Booksellers Association)?
- Will my book be listed with Amazon.com?
- Can readers order my book by telephone?
- Will I have an opportunity to review and approve my book before it goes to press?
- How long does it take to publish with Advantage Books?
- What will my book look like?
- In what format should my manuscript be delivered to Advantage Books?
- Once you choose a publishing plan do you have to stick with that plan or can you upgrade to a different plan?
- How is my royalty figured?
- How often are author royalties paid?
- What kind of accounting detail is provided with the royalty payment?
- Are any deductions taken out of author royalty payments?
- As an example, what would be my royalty on a $18.99 paperback book?
- Who determines the retail price of my book?
- What's my cost for copies I purchase?
- How may I pay for the books I purchase?
- Are there any other costs associated with your service besides the publishing plan fee?
- Are there a minimum number of books that I have to purchase?
- Will my book have an ISBN?
- Who owns the copyright to my book?
- Is there a fee involved with those requests?
- What is usual time framework and extent of request process?
- Will Advantage Books help me secure my copyright for the book?
- How can I review a sample author agreement?
- I understand that the author owns all rights to their respective book. Are there any conditions under which that may be cancelled?
- What are the conditions and time frame under which an author can switch to a different publisher?
Advantage Books & Author Owned Publishing
How long has Advantage Books been in business?
Created in 2001, Advantage Books brings together over 115 years of professional publishing experience. The company's co-founders saw a need to make it easier for folks to publish their work.
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Why would I choose Advantage Books over a traditional publisher?
Advantage Books makes publishing your book easy and affordable, in a fraction of the time of a traditional publisher. You can rest assured, knowing your manuscript is in experienced, professional hands, guaranteeing an attractive book of the highest quality. Our innovative technology allows you to purchase copies in any quantity, at anytime, yet you are never obligated to purchase a single copy. Advantage Books will make your book available to 25,000 bookstores and libraries. And remember, you get to keep the rights to your own book.
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What is digital print publishing?
Digital publishing is the way of the future in publishing. No more do you have to print 1000 books at a time you can print one book at a time! With this new innovative cutting edge process your book is only printed as they are ordered. At Advantage Books we print books as the market, or the author demands, thus eliminating the need to store or warehouse books. Utilizing digital print technology, Advantage Books is able to fulfill orders lightening fast, printing books in less than a minute.
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What kinds of books do you publish?
Advantage Books has many imprints and publishes in most every category in the industry.
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Why is an imprint important?
When books make it to bookstores or onto the Internet or specialty stores, they look for books on specific topics or in specific categories. Imprints are a way that a publisher keeps the books separated into categories which make it easier for wholesalers and retailers to find your book. Our current imprints include:
Advantage Academic™ which publishes academic books
Advantage Biography™ which publishes biographical books
Advantage Business™ which publishes business books
Advantage Children™ which publishes children's books
Advantage Health™ which publishes health and fitness books
Advantage Fiction™ which publishes fiction
Advantage Inspirational™ which publishes Christian books that promote Christian beliefs and values.
And many others...
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Will bookstores stock my book on their shelves?
Any bookstore in the country will be able to carry, search for, find and order your book. We cannot guarantee that a store will keep your book stocked on its shelves, but they will be able to if so desired.
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Will Advantage Books help advertise And publicize my book?
Yes. Advantage Books sales and marketing support is a big part of our business. Once your book has been published, our team goes to work making it available to bookstores, libraries, and on the Internet. Advantage Books will market your book according to the terms set forth in our publishing programs. In addition, we will also help you market and promote your book at conferences, in catalogs, to the media, and with valuable learning resources. Additionally, Advantage Books offers a whole host of additional marketing, public relations, and support services on an a la carte basis. Our authors use these opportunities to sell even more books. Please contact one of our representatives for further information.
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I doubt that I will have the time or energy to run around the country to push my book. What does Advantage Books do to help authors who work other jobs and have limited speaking opportunities?
Aside from the marketing and distribution services we provide every author, Advantage Books offers a wide array of ala carte services that include marketing materials, publicity and media, as well as online support. To learn more about those services, please click here.
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Does Advantage Books recommend attending industry trade shows like NRB (National Radio Broadcasters) and CBA (Christian Booksellers Association)?
Yes. Trade shows are a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to members of the media, bookstore owners, and end customers. Every year, Advantage Books authors may have an opportunity to attend these conventions. To learn more about these conferences, please click here.
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Will my book be listed with Amazon.com?
Yes. Advantage Books has partnered with Amazon.com making your book available for sale to hundreds of millions of readers. You will be able to check sales, post reviews and link browsers to your website.
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Can readers order my book by telephone?
Yes. Your book will be available for purchase. We will print, pack and ship the books for you, so you can focus on writing and promoting your book, not being hassled with managing and fulfilling orders.
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Will I have an opportunity to review and approve my book before it goes to press?
Yes! Advantage Books will send you an electronic file of the text and the book cover design. This is called a galley copy and is for your review and approval. If you are unable to accept e-files we will mail you a hard copy.
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How long does it take to publish with Advantage Books?
In most cases, it takes around 90 days to have your book published and ready to order. If you cannot accept files electronically, it will most likely take an additional 2 to 3 weeks to deliver physical materials between you and our office.
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What will my book look like?
Works published by Advantage Books are of the same quality and equivalent to any book you would find on the shelf in a bookstore or library. Using an easy-on-the eyes-off-white, acid-free, library-edition paper stock all Advantage Books' publications have the same quality and look as traditionally published works.
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In what format should my manuscript be delivered to Advantage Books?
We prefer to receive manuscripts via e-mail. However, we can also accept manuscripts on CD or floppy disk. If your manuscript is currently in physical form, we do offer transcription services. To learn more about those services, please click here.
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Once you choose a publishing plan do you have to stick with that plan or can you upgrade to a different plan?
Once you select your publishing plan, it is difficult to change plans as our staff is formatting and designing your book to specific specifications that are unique to each publishing plan. Should you decide to change plans midway through the publishing process, additional fees may apply.
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How is my royalty figured?
Advantages Books offers some of the most generous royalties in publishing. Royalties, which are like a commission, are paid off of the book's wholesale price. The amount of royalties received differs according to the publishing plan the author has selected. An author will receive their first royalty report within 45 days after the first full quarter the book is published.
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How often are author royalties paid?
Semi-annually.
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What kind of accounting detail is provided with the royalty payment?
A detailed accounting of the number of books sold, the price the book was sold for, and the royalty paid.
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Are any deductions taken out of author royalty payments?
The only deductions would be for returned books. Also, remember that each author is responsible for paying taxes on income received from royalties.
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As an example, what would be my royalty on a $18.99 paperback book?
If the book is sold retail direct (AdvBookstore.com, the author will receive a 30% royalty on the retail price of the book. 30% x $18.99 = $5.69
If the book is sold wholesale (to a distributor, bookstore, general market store or website), the author will receive a 30% royalty on the publishers net. Publishers net is the amount of money we sell the book for after discounts.
If the book is sold directly to a distributor or bookstore through Ingram, your royalty is paid on the net proceeds of the sale. That is the amount paid minus printing and shipping.
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Who determines the retail price of my book?
The retail price of a book is determined by page count and cover type (hard or soft). The price is not printed on the book, so that you may sell your book at whatever price you choose. The retail price is, however, imbedded in the barcode, so that retailers and bookstores will know how to price your book.
Book Price Chart 2011 |
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Page Count |
Trade Paperback Retail Price |
Oversize Paperback (8.5 x 11) Retail Price |
Hardcover Retail Price |
48-75 |
$9.99 |
$12.99 |
$17.99 |
76-104 |
$10.99 |
$13.99 |
$18.99 |
105-124 |
$11.99 |
$14.99 |
$19.99 |
125-174 |
$13.99 |
$17.99 |
$21.99 |
175-249 |
$15.99 |
$21.99 |
$24.99 |
250-299 |
$18.99 |
$27.99 |
$29.99 |
300-349 |
$21.99 |
$31.99 |
$49.99 |
350-399 |
$23.99 |
$35.99 |
$51.99 |
400-449 |
$28.99 |
$39.99 |
$55.99 |
450-499 |
$31.99 |
$43.99 |
$58.99 |
500-599 |
$35.99 |
$58.99 |
$63.99 |
600-700 |
$41.99 |
$65.99 |
$69.99 |
700 or more |
PLEASE CALL FOR PRICES |
PLEASE CALL FOR PRICES |
PLEASE CALL FOR PRICES |
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What's my cost for copies I purchase?
All Advantage Books authors receive substantial discounts off the retail price of the book. Those discounts are 40% for our Silver Advantage authors, 45% for our Gold Advantage authors, 50% for our Platinum Advantage authors, and 55% for our Diamond Advantage authors. Platinum Advantage and Diamond Advantage authors may also take advantage of a 55% author discount for bulk purchases of 150+ books.
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How may I pay for the books I purchase?
We accept checks, money orders, and all major credit cards. Advantage Books does not invoice authors for books purchased. Payment must be made when your order is placed. We will directly charge you the exact shipping costs plus a $5.00 handling charge.
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Are there any other costs associated with your service besides the publishing plan fee?
No. However, we do offer an expanded line of a la carte services which include additional marketing, book formatting, and publicity opportunities. You are under no obligation to utilize any of these additional services.
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Are there a minimum number of books that I have to purchase?
No. Unlike some publishers, you are not obligated to purchase a single book to get published. We have the ability to print any size order within 3 to 5 days. Large orders of more than 250 books may take an additional 2 to 3 days.
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Will my book have an ISBN?
Yes. All Advantage Books will be assigned an International Standard Book Numbers. The ISBN is required by all book sales channels to track and order your books. Advantage Books will also place a machine readable Bookland/ EAN bar code on your book's cover. This allows bookstores to order copies of your book.
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Who owns the copyright to my book?
You! An author contacts the U.S. Congress Copyright Office to file for this. Registering with the U.S. Congress Copyright Office gives an author protection from, and recourse in case of infringement.
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Is there a process to get permission to use quotes from various sources?
There is no specific process. However, Advantage Books does have pre-generated forms that we provide our authors so they may request their respective permissions.
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Is there a fee involved with those requests?
No.
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What is usual time framework and extent of request process?
Every individual will respond differently, though it is safe to allow 1 to 3 months for this process.
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Will Advantage Books help me secure my copyright for the book?
We provide all of our authors with guidance so they may safely secure their own rights.
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How can I review a sample author agreement?
To view a sample author agreement, please click here.
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I understand that the author owns all rights to their respective book. Are there any conditions under which that may be cancelled?
No.
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What are the conditions and time frame under which an author can switch to a different publisher?
You may choose to publish with another company at any time. You are not legally bound to Advantage Books for any time period. However, please remember that after Advantage Books receives a signed author agreement and initial investment, your investment can not be returned.
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