self-publishing books about harp

[Sylvia]

I know I’ll probably get some flak for this, but here it is.

[andy-b]

I agree with you completely, Sylvia! There’s also bank account fees, any applicable business permits, and the hassle of dealing with sales tax and reporting. It’s definitely a labor of love, not of profit!

Andy

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

How does this reflect on the plethora of publications by players of all levels? I saw a website by harpers who can just barely play, and they have cds, books, products galore. I’d like to say leave it to the experts, but can they afford it all?

Since I published two pieces, I sold maybe a dozen copies, maybe I barely covered the printing costs, and the dealer who took several copies apparently threw them out.

[Sylvia]

Yikes.

[carl-swanson]

This is the sad truth of publishing music for harp and I’m glad you had the guts to say it. I’ve published a few transcriptions over the years and I’ve known many harpists who have published many things and when they go to a conference and take exhibit space, their best hope is to break even, so they are not out-of-pocket at the end of the conference. The only publication that has made me any money at all is my repair book, A GUIDE FOR HARPISTS. And the check I receive once a year will at best buy me a very nice meal!

[Dwyn .]

Carl:

I have

[Sylvia]

It seems a bit odd that the last place anyone would look would be the author, the person most likely to know where his books are.

[Dwyn .]

As I noted, I

[barbara-brundage]

I’m very confused. I thought Sylvia was talking about her book of memoirs, not publishing sheet music, which is a very different thing.

[barbara-brundage]

> There’s no reason Vanderbilt can’t make money selling the book via Amazon — they just need to get it listed.

Forgive me, but as someone who makes more money as an author than as a harpist these days, I have to say this statement made me laugh.

“Get it listed on amazon”–do you have any idea of what it’s like to be an amazon vendor? Amazon demands a huge, monstrous discount. (Why do you think all books are so darned expensive now? It’s because publishers have to knock the cover price sky high in order to be able to give amazon the discount they demand without going broke.)

Amazon orders the number of copies they think they will likely sell in ONE WEEK. Then you are obligated to provide product at their demand after that. So if amazon sells a copy and they want one copy, you ship them one copy. They charge the earth to participate, too.

Just as an example, do you know how much of your sales amazon allows you if you do a Kindle edition (which they *will* try to force you into doing, at your expense, whether or not you’ve got anything that anyone would ever want on a Kindle)? They keep 70% of the sale price, you get 30, for the privilege of helping them push their ebook reader.

[dawn-penland]

I sell used books and CDs on Amazon as a Marketplace seller.

[barbara-brundage]

Yes, it’s different for used books, but they’re weird about current ones, more so than for other merchandise.

[barbara-brundage]

The easiest way to get a new book on amazon is to use their self-publishing company, but the terms are harder than for lulu and most of the others.

And I have to say my publisher would be ecstatic if I were out selling books all day long. Borders and B&N will only take books published by companies who have relationships with their distributors. It’s very complicated, but in-store sales are less of the book market each year.

Actually, I think the way now is to do an app, if your book is suitable for it.

[Sylvia]

Dwyn,

A lot of people are easy to find just by typing in their name on your address bar.

[Karen Johns]

Me too, Sylvia! I typed my name and “harpist”

[Author]

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