| Submission
Criteria
Editorial
Selection
Elite Books evaluates proposals
sent in by authors frequently. We are looking for authors with a
basic understanding of the publishing process, outstanding public
speaking and media appearance skills, and the commitment to spend
substantial amounts of time making their work a success. Proposals
are evaluated in about one month. If we believe that your project
fits our profile, we will call you to discuss the possibility of
working together. Please mail your proposal to the address below.
To have your project evaluated,
please send the following items:
- Author Biography. What
makes you qualified to write on this subject?
- Table of Contents
- Summary. One page description
of book, such as you would find on the back jacket.
- Chapter by Chapter synopsis.
1 paragraph for each chapter.
- Target Markets. To which
specific groups of people is this book targeted? Click
here for worksheet to help you plan.
- Similar and Competing
Titles. Title, Publication Date, Publisher, Price, & Ways
in which proposed title differs from the other books, Units Sold
if known.
- Two or three sample chapters
- A self-addressed stamped
envelope, if you would like your material returned.
The
Proposal as Business Plan
It
costs Elite Books at least $40,000 to publish a new book, and we
look closely at whether we can make a return on that investment.
That means selling 5,000 to 10,000 copies. A proposal is, in the
financial sense, a business plan being presented to a publisher
by an author, asking the publisher to invest $40,000 or more in
a product (a new book) that has never been proven in the marketplace
before. Authors who actively promote their books through speaking
engagements, professional appearances, and media interviews are
much more likely to produce sales of 5,000 to 10,000 copies than
those who do not. Authors with a community (a company, practice,
group, or organization) that can guarantee sales of 2,000 to 3,000
copies give a publisher a strong financial basis to proceed, as
well as a "word of mouth army" to spread the news about
the book. When combined with distribution through Borders, Barnes
& Noble, Amazon and other national sales outlets, the author's
community and promotional efforts are vital to the book's financial
success. They are an integral part of a convincing business plan.
Time
Frame
Within four weeks of receiving
an your proposal, we will give you a sense of whether or not we
think that your manuscript fits the profile of the kind of author
and project we are looking for. Sometimes we will suggest major
revisions to the manuscript; other times the work required may be
minor. From the time the manuscript is finished, it takes nine to
eighteen months till the book is in print.
Self
Publishing Services
Our
sister company, the Author's
Publishing Cooperative, offers a complete suite of services
to authors who have made the decision to self-publish, rather than
publishing through a conventional publisher such as Elite Books.
Self-publishing authors fund the entire publication and marketing
process themselves, but then also enjoy the publisher's share of
the book's proceeds in addition to the author's share. An author
working with the Author's
Publishing Cooperative has access to an excellent team of publishing
professionals, who manage the entire publication process, resulting
in a professionally produced, marketed and distributed book. Click
the link for full information, including prices, budgets, and a
list of the steps a book goes through on its way to publication.
Address
MAIL:
PO Box 442, Fulton, CA 95439
PHYSICAL:
2168 Francisco, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
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