How to sell your books
With our assistance a small quantity can be economically produced and you could sell these in a number of ways e.g. mail order, book fairs, local bookshops, your own web site, club newsletters, specialist magazines, etc. Whatever you decide to do, we will act as your printer only and you will retain full copyright and all publishing rights.
- Do I retain publishing rights?
- Self Publishing
- What are ISBN numbers and must I have one?
- How do I secure the copyright for my book?
Do I retain the publishing rights?
Yes. Although we print your book for you, we do not take over the publishing rights or the copyright to your book. We simply act as your printer and we take responsibility for the manufacturing of the books only. Once you have got your book into print experience has shown us that the chances of it being taken on by a larger publishing company are often increased. If this occurs you are free to negotiate with them over the publishing rights, etc.
Self publishing
Sometimes publishing houses don't have the authors best interests at heart, save yourself disappointment and worry by self publishing. As a self publisher you will need to prepare your manuscript, check a proof, clear copyright permissions, ISBN numbers - the list goes on but with our help you needn't stress yourself out. We will help you as much as we can along the way with all the issues and more that are involved when self publishing. Self publishing is a good way of testing the market, if your book sells well it may well attract the attention of other publishers. With print on demand technology writers can now seriously consider self publishing. Print on demand also offers publishers, in this case you as a self publisher, one other significant advantage, because books are printed on demand there is not as much chance of loosing money in tied up unsold stock
What are ISBN numbers and must I have one?
International Standard Book Number - an ISBN, is a specifically issued number used to find a book in bibliographic databases. The ISBN will used by libraries, publishers and book sellers for listing, ordering and stock control, making it a very important part of book publishing. If you want to sell your book through bookshops and other retailers you will need an ISBN. If however you intend your book for private circulation only, and not for sale to the general public, you do not. International Standard Book Numbers are issued by The UK Standard Book Numbering Agency. The UK Standard Book Numbering Agency Ltd. is the National ISBN Agency for the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It is responsible for issuing ISBN Publisher numbers to publishers located in the UK or Republic of Ireland only.
ISBN and SAN Agencies
3rd Floor
Midas House
62 Goldsworth Road
Woking
GU21 6LQ
Tel: 0870 777 8712
Fax: 0870 777 8714
Email: isbn@nielsenbookdata.co.uk
For more in-depth information concerning ISBN numbers please view the UK ISBN Agency's web site: www.isbn.nielsen.bookdata.co.uk
How do I secure the copyright for my book?
Samples of all written material issued by publishers and distributors within the UK and the Republic of Ireland must be deposited in the six legal archives and libraries. This requirement however, does not apply to self-published books. Also, publishers are not required to deposit the following material unless the British Library makes a written demand for them: internal reports, examination papers, local transport timetables, appointment diaries, wall and desk calendars, and posters. Publishers are required to send one copy of each new publication to the British Library within one month of publication; the other five legal libraries then have a right to claim a copy of the publication from the distributor or publishers.
The current legal basis governing publication in the UK is the Copyright Act of 1911, and in Ireland it is the Copyright and Related Act of 2000. Publications deposited with the British Library are made available to various reading rooms and are kept for future generations to use and become part of the national heritage. Publications also are entered in the world-class catalogues database for researchers and readers, and are also listed in the British National Bibliography (BNB) - which is used by libraries and booksellers for stock ordering.
Definition of a publisher
A 'publisher' is seen to be anyone who issues or distributes publications to the public. All material (except the specifically excluded items mentioned above) published in the United Kingdom and in Ireland is liable for deposit, as are items originally published elsewhere, but later distributed in the United Kingdom and in Ireland. The requirement for deposit remains irrespective of the place of publication or printing, the nature and size of the print run, or the extent of its distribution.
For more in depth information about legal deposit please view The British Library web site: http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/legaldep/
All publications (except newspapers) should be sent to:
Legal Deposit
Office
The British Library
Boston Spa
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS23
7BY
Tel: +44 (0)1937 546268 (monographs) / 546267 (serials)
Fax: +44
(0)1937-546176
Email: legal-deposit-books@bl.uk
(Newspapers should be sent to an alternative address, see: http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/legaldep/)
The other legal deposit libraries
The deposit regulations of the Copyright Acts 1911 and 1963, with slightly different conditions, apply also to the other five legal deposit libraries:
- The Bodleian Library, Oxford
- The University Library, Cambridge
- The National Library of Scotland
- The Library of Trinity College, Dublin
- The National Library of Wales
