Received: from mail-3-164.rch001.net ([52.124.3.164]:46179) by stodi.digitalkingdom.org with esmtps (TLSv1.2:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:256) (Exim 4.92) (envelope-from ) id 1hT5q5-0007Dv-Ip for Lojban@lojban.org; Tue, 21 May 2019 07:34:05 -0700 From: "Martin Foner" To: "Lojban@lojban.org" Reply-To: Subject: Publishers... Still Support This President?... Then You Must Be a Business Masochist with a Death Wish X-BPS1: 7122020 Feedback-ID: 2306760:e3f358ff3e2f409298df36d6dac03a14:marketing:reachmail X-BPS2: 73291 Message-ID: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click X-Mailer: RM Mailer (v5.4.976.0) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=-MCmRKcUHEeChR5GzRXZ0WA==" Date: Tue, 21 May 2019 09:34:01 -0500 X-Spam-Score: 0.1 (/) X-Spam_score: 0.1 X-Spam_score_int: 1 X-Spam_bar: / X-Spam-Report: Spam detection software, running on the system "stodi.digitalkingdom.org", has NOT identified this incoming email as spam. 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[URIs: nplconsult.com] -0.0 RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE RBL: Sender listed at http://www.dnswl.org/, no trust [52.124.3.164 listed in list.dnswl.org] -0.0 SPF_HELO_PASS SPF: HELO matches SPF record -0.0 SPF_PASS SPF: sender matches SPF record 0.0 HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS From and EnvelopeFrom 2nd level mail domains are different 2.0 HTTPS_HTTP_MISMATCH BODY: No description available. 0.0 HTML_MESSAGE BODY: HTML included in message 0.0 LOTS_OF_MONEY Huge... sums of money This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --=-MCmRKcUHEeChR5GzRXZ0WA== Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Having trouble viewing this mail? Click here to view it in your browse= r. http://link.rm0004.net/v/R0WNvlDG4oc8h2QGYJzS3A2 Make sure that you always get our messages: Add martin@ppgcpublishers.= com to your contacts. Click here to unsubscribe or update your email address. http://link.rm0004.net/subscription/?t=3DR0WNvlDG4oc8h2QGYJzS3A2 Martin Foner's Publishing Newsletter Volume 24, Number 9 Keeping Publishers in Business Since 1995 If You Are a Publisher... and You Still Support This President... Then You Must Be a Business Masochist with a Death Wish Hello, Everyone... Well, it is pretty damn amazing we are still here, and all in one piec= e. Here are this issue's articles... =C2=B7=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 As the header says, i= f you are a publisher and still support this President, then you truly= have a death wish for your business. And since his supporters will ru= n through burning buildings for him, don't expect him to wise up, or g= ive a damn about anyone else other than himself, any time soon. I will show you THREE ways he is ripping you off and costing you BIG m= oney. =C2=B7=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 Piracy, ebook sharing= , Kindle questionable reporting, fear of Amazon... This was a teaser of an article I didn't have room for in the last iss= ue. Need I repeat this... Amazon is NOT your friend. They will rip off your products if they can= . If you put all your publishing eggs in this basket, you have a death w= ish. Because, if they don't like you, you're out. Period. End of sentence. =C2=B7=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 We have had a nice re= sponse to our editing and proofreading services so far and have finish= ed several projects already. We have also just signed our first two gh= ostwriting agreements, if that is a service you are considering for yo= urself or a recalcitrant author. If you have an editing or proofing project, or now, a ghostwriting pro= ject, that needs to be done professionally and promptly and cost effec= tively, contact us at mfoner@nplconsult.com mailto:mfoner@nplconsult.c= om . =C2=B7=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 I am hearing it more = and more... prospective authors are making more demands, more royaltie= s, more marketing budget, and more control, and are threatening to sel= f publish as an alternative. What should I do? Since caving in is yet another death wish, you must remember three thi= ngs in order to keep your wits about you and remain successful and in = charge of your own business. =C2=B7=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 And, as usual, a brie= f list of the companies we are representing for acquisition. Now, let's try really, really hard not to self-destruct... and read th= e newsletter. Enjoy, but learn! If You Are a Publisher... and You Still Support This President... Then You Must Be a Business Masochist with a Death Wish As the header says, if you are a publisher and still support this Pres= ident, then you truly have a death wish for your business. And since h= is supporters will run through burning buildings for him, don't expect= him to wise up, or give a damn about anyone else other than himself, = any time soon. I will show you THREE ways he is ripping you off and costing you BIG m= oney. 1. The largest and most immediate issue you face now as a publisher is= his idiotic ideas about trade wars. He has a Napoleon complex and YOU= are going to pay for his ego and ignorance of how things work. As I am sure you already know, the next round of tariffs being imposed= on American companies is on book publishing. So, any books you print = or that go through China on their way to you, will now cost you 25% mo= re. Yes, the math is just that simple. And if you buy his ignorant, lying bullshit that the Chinese governmen= t is paying those tariffs... then I suggest you send the invoice from = the Customs Department to the government of China for payment and see = how quickly you get your books. YOU are going to pay those tariffs out of your own checkbook. Period. = End of discussion. Ask anyone familiar with tariffs and they will tell= you the truth. So, if you have a printing bill from a Chinese printer for $10,000... = when the books arrive in Los Angeles port, or NYC port, or wherever th= ey land in the U.S., you will be advised not only to pay the freight b= ill and other miscellaneous charges, but you will be handed an invoice= from Customs for a tariff bill of $2,500. This President didn't ask you if you wanted to play in his sandbox... = you just got screwed. 2. The next largest issue is one you are just a victim of and have no = direct push or pull involved. Still... more tariffs. Farmers have been taking this tariff issue in the wallet since last ye= ar. Thousands of small farmers have filed bankruptcy thanks to the mis= guided idiocy of this Administration... and not too publicly discussed= , hundreds of farmers have committed suicide as their only way out of = their financial problems. But, the President understands their plight. He is trying to get a bil= l passed to reimburse them for their losses, in essence, by offering $= 12 Billion in grants to cover roughly $50 Billion in losses so far. I = don't get the math either. Too little too late for some... insufficien= t for others. So, why do it? Aha! Farmers have overwhelmingly voted for him, so in some vain attemp= t to "keep his base", he is taking money from other areas of the budge= t, for other areas where spending is already set, from other programs = of the government, and giving it to "his base" to keep them mollified. And if this tariff thing continues, he will have to reimburse closer t= o $50 Billion to have any impact at all... just in 2019. So, how does this impact you as a publisher? YOUR taxes are covering this shortfall in the budget. His supporters g= et relief, and YOU, Mr & Ms Publisher, get royally screwed. What about= YOUR tariff bills? If you print even $100,000 in China, your tariff w= ill be $25,000 this year alone. And no, you won't hear one word about being reimbursed. Why? Because p= ublishers are not on his list of "his base voters". (In fact, if he gets reelected, he has other plans for publishers alto= gether.) So, your taxes will go up to support his need to keep his base taken c= are of. 3. The third "grab" has already taken place. The amazing, wonderful, g= reatest ever tax cut of his... great for the 1%, and if you are the 1%= , then ignore this issue. But if you aren't, just assume the tax cut i= s already cutting you and will continue to cut you... in fact, he is e= ven pushing for MORE tax cuts, meaning you will be cut even worse, if = he succeeds. SO, there it is... three reasons why you, as a publisher, need to make= a decision. Either continue to support this person and keep getting s= crewed until you are put out of business... or start looking out for y= ourself and your company. It is a very simple decision to make. And if= you choose to continue to support the current situation, expect to co= ntinue to get what you have been getting... screwed! One last thing... this is NOT a political thing. IT IS A FACTUAL, FINA= NCIAL THING. Money is being removed or about to be removed from your p= ocket as a publisher. That is ALL I care about here. If you want to ta= lk politics, save your breath. I am not interested in conspiracy theor= ies, investigations, or anything else. Just stated facts and the twist= ing, ignoring, and implementing of them. Amazon is NOT your friend. They will happily rip off your products if = they can.=C2=A0 If you put all your publishing eggs is this basket, yo= u, too, have a death wish.=C2=A0 Because, if they don't like you, you'= re out. Period. End of sentence. I bet you find it hard to believe that Amazon is not your friend. I me= an they help grow your company. They are fair with your company... and= offer your titles at prices you approve... and don't make any demands= of you... They respect your copyrights and ownership rights and do no= t interfere with the subject matter of your titles or products. BULLSHIT! Amazon will slit your throat figuratively if they can make money doing= it. Read this article first, from INC Magazine, a respected source for bus= iness information and then I have a story about my own client for whom= I can verify ALL the details going back YEARS. http://link.rm0004.net/go/R0WNvkMfL6blqtUxDAPaIw2/ http://link.rm0004.= net/go/R0WNvkMfL6blqtUxDAPaIw2/ Notice two issues in that article...Amazon does NOT protect the legiti= mate vendor from counterfeit products being sold on their site despite= their protestations to the contrary. And, Amazon will happily knock o= ff your product themselves if they see enough business doing it. Welco= me to the 'do no harm' economy. Now, on the point of protecting you if you have copyright to a book an= d someone else is selling it on Amazon... IN SIMPLE ENGLISH YOU MIGHT = THINK YOU HAVE RIGHTS, BUT WHAT YOU HAVE WITH AMAZON IS A HUGE HEADACH= E AND LIKELY A COMPLETE LOSS. My client is in the map business. Some famous and some unusual maps fo= r which he owns both copyrights and marketing rights, and some where h= is rights are limited to sales of the maps in North America. It is bad= enough after OVER A DECADE that he cannot get Amazon to clear off oth= er illegal sellers of his copyrighted products... but he can't even ge= t Amazon to stop European sellers from selling into North America, vio= lating his rights. He is what even he refers to as a small player. He is working with muc= h larger players with similar issues whose losses are running into the= six figures per year thanks to Amazon's ignorance, profit motives, il= legal actions, or whatever you want to call them. It is so much easier to tell the legitimate copyright holder to go scr= ew himself than it is to try to delete twenty other vendors. In one co= rrespondence, Amazon even told him that they are prepared to spend mil= lions of dollars in legal fees if my client decided to sue them, as he= threatened. (Sidebar... I am listening carefully to the result of these map compan= ies and their possible class action efforts. If they can move forward,= then I can announce that if you have a similar issue you can join in. I am also working my tail off on a program of "ABA"... Anyone But Amaz= on... what I call a program to create a smaller book only competitor t= o Amazon. Yes, I know I am swimming deeply upstream, but if I can get = even 500 to 1,000 publishers to join... there are millions of potentia= l customers who would LOVE to deal with Anyone But Amazon, if the pric= ing and service are identical, or better!) And what about this issue of putting all your eggs in the Amazon baske= t? Well, if it turns out Amazon doesn't agree with your politics, or y= our positions, or your solutions to social issues... they can, and of = course, they have the right to do so as a private company (though they= may be violating a few Federal laws in the process), boot your titles= off their site. No explanation, no reason...just das boot! While we might agree that far right, or hate sponsored, or violent ove= rthrow of the government materials might be distasteful... very distas= teful even... who made Amazon the arbiter of these decisions? And if t= hey don't like YOUR politics... count on being removed. Here is a rece= nt article explaining: http://link.rm0004.net/go/R0WNvkhCWo66KgeJIaKwJQ2/ http://link.rm0004.= net/go/R0WNvkhCWo66KgeJIaKwJQ2/ But here are two kickers to this. One, the First Amendment permits the= publication of these materials, and if I am a pro abortionist and Ama= zon is a pro lifer, my books will get booted despite the law. And Two,= what makes their position right? Pressure groups? Being PC? Remember, when it comes to banning books, the slope isn't just slipper= y, it is iced over. We don't like hate books and the alt right offers = hate so let's take them away too. Then we have pressure that the Antif= a is just as much haters as the alt right, so take them too. Ahhhh, le= t's now leave ourselves only books in the middle. And of course, pro l= ife people want pro abortion books deleted as they are promoting murde= r. And pro abortionists scream censorship. The alt right and Antifa al= so start screaming censorship. And they are ALL right! Watch this and we're done with this for now: Alabama and the other pro= life legislative states decide by government vote to ban all books in= their state that refer positively to pro abortion. Yes, it is well wi= thin their rights. The books promote murder. The Alabama government no= tifies Amazon that no book on this subject may even be ADVERTISED in A= labama unless they want to be heavily fined. SO Amazon stops advertisi= ng ALL books pro abortion anywhere to avoid the fines. Voila... their = own policies have now hamstrung them. No, I don't think that this scenario is far off reality. If a group of= supposedly adult beings can do what is being done in 8 or 9 states ri= ght now, it is no stretch at all to ban books not to their liking. Mos= tly the Southern states have been banning books of one kind or another= for decades. The publishing industry has a whole week in the fall dev= oted to banned books. You would be surprised, disappointed, and ashame= d at what some adult minds think can be censored. I AM PROMOTING OUR EDITING AND PROOFING SERVICES I have sent out a few emails advertising our editing and proofing serv= ices. The response has been very satisfying. Our charges are at the lo= wer end of the scale for extremely professional services, personal/hum= an reading services (many use software and say humans are reading and = editing the books... too many errors do not get caught that way), and = prompt meeting of deadlines. Our charges are simple. Three cents per word for copy editing AND proo= freading. Yes, for BOTH services combined. Normally you will find this= rate, more likely closer to four or five cents a word, if you find it= at all, for just the editing services, and proofing is an extra two c= ents a word. You can pay as much as six to seven cents a word for the = same service we provide for three cents a word! So, if you have projects to get done, this is the time to get them don= e, professionally, quickly, efficiently, and right! Not to mention ine= xpensively! Ghostwriting services also available and quoted project by project. Re= cently and currently, we are working on ghostwriting in Wellness, New = Age, Motivation, University Textbooks, and True Crime. Contact me directly=C2=A0 mailto:mfoner@nplconsult.com =C2=A0 for deta= ils. CAVING INTO AUTHOR DEMANDS, YET ONE MORE PUBLISHER DEATH WISH I am hearing it more and more... prospective authors are making more d= emands, more royalties, more marketing budget, and more control, and a= re threatening to self publish as an alternative. What should I do? Since caving in is yet another death wish, you must remember three thi= ngs in order to keep your wits about you and remain successful and in = charge of your own business. Thing Number One: Your publishing company is YOURS! It belongs to you = and to no one else. You make the decisions and you are stuck with the = results of your decisions. Permitting anyone, and that includes prospe= ctive authors, the wing ding Authors Guild, some flake city agent, or = unreasonable distributor, to tell you what to do... well, my advice is= to turn over the keys and start driving for Uber. Thing Number Two: Unless the prospective author is J.K. Rowling and sh= e is about to bring you Harry Potter II - Volumes 8 through 15... what= the hell do you care if you lose some unknown author on whom you were= going to risk $20,000 or $30,000 to see if you can sell her/his produ= ct? I know my partner will object to this line, but I have heard it in= the industry now for over 40 years, and it is still applicable, even = in PC times: Just like women and buses, another author and "great book" will be alo= ng in fifteen minutes. (Boos, catcalls, and boycotts here=C2=A0 XXX . And then remember this = is MY newsletter. When YOU write a newsletter, you can decide what to = say in it.) Really, is that author really, really worth all the grief? And realize= , if you cave into the initial grief, you are gonna get it in spades b= efore it is over. Count on it, and I can personally guarantee it from = personal 40+ years of experience. Either you are in control or you hav= e lost control. You decide. Thing Number Three: If you have a Strategic Plan and follow it... this= is not even a discussion for you. So why let this crap upset you when= you can eliminate 90-95% of it with a Strategic Plan? These decisions= made themselves early in the Plan and don't need your attention any l= onger. Permit me to repeat some of the conversations I used to have with auth= ors and their representatives on this subject... very condensed. For p= ublishers who have been doing this for more than a week... likely you = will enjoy this one. Author, calling me:=C2=A0 Mr. Foner, I gave your contract to the Autho= rs Guild and they say it requires some changes to be acceptable. Me: That's odd. I know I sent out our standard agreement, and that agr= eement is acceptable to me. Author: Well, they are saying changes are needed to make it acceptable= to me. Me: And what do you say? Author: I agree with them. Me: Well then, simply send back our form and decline our offer. Author: Well, I was hoping to negotiate the points the Guild's attorne= ys believe aren't fair. Me: Fair to whom? I am putting up $30,000 to $40,000 to invest in your= book. I believe the terms in the agreement are fair to me, and since = it is my money, I am the one who needs to have a fair agreement. Author: Maybe I should just send you the changes. Me: Maybe you shouldn't bother. I have already seen the Authors Guild = changes to many of my offers. The changes are the same since my agreem= ent is the same. I am simply not interested. Author: But you are interested in publishing my book. Me: I am, but under the terms I have sent you. The agreement only need= s to be fair to the person who is risking all the money, time, energy,= skills, staff, creativity, and marketing expertise. If you aren't hap= py, then find another publisher. Two days later, call from Authors Guild: Hello, this is Ms. Jones, att= orney for the Authors Guild. I want to discuss your agreement with Ms.= Author. She indicated you were not willing to discuss the necessary c= hanges to make the agreement acceptable to her. Me: No, I am not. She is correct. Attorney: I don't understand. The agreement is not fair on its face an= d should be changed to be fair. Me: Ms Jones, the agreement is quite fair on its face. Maybe it doesn'= t tilt 100% in favor of your author, but I am not in business to make = your author happy in this way. I am in business to sell lots and lots = of books and send out huge royalty checks, which, in turn will make yo= ur author happy. If she wants to publish with us, these are the terms.= There is no gun to her head. She is free to publish with anyone she w= ants. As I told her politely, we are investing not only a large sum of= money in her success, but also time, energy, skills, staff time, crea= tivity, and marketing expertise. We have to be very careful where we m= ake these investments and they have to be made without restrictions or= strings. I have built the premier company in the field, so I must be = doing something right. Assuming that, why would I take all these risks= and allow the author, who has none of the expertise necessary to do t= his job, to dictate anything to me? I shouldn't and I don't. Thank you= for your time. And that is that. You are either in control or you aren't. And if you are so concerned about an author self publishing... then yo= u are probably in the wrong business. Publishing is the odd industry w= here product comparison, or competition, is virtually non existent. An= d thus, your marketing skills are far more critical than your pricing = skills. Truly, let them go. They will be a pain in the ass otherwise. But if they stay, they will learn quickly to be appreciative, be humbl= e, and not give you grief. And THAT is an author I can work with. PUBLISHERS AVAILABLE FOR ACQUISITION I sent out a separate newsletter a few weeks ago about the companies I= have available for acquisition. If you missed it or want to see it ag= ain, email me=C2=A0=C2=A0 mailto:mfoner@nplconsult.com =C2=A0 and I wi= ll be happy to send a copy over. Do keep in mind, we have a group of magazines if you want to or are in= the magazine biz... all selling at or below full value and all very i= nteresting. Subjects include horses, men's feminism movement, Christia= n interests, and possibly one more to be determined later this month. I also have books of course, from a single gorgeous coffee table title= about Apple products, to a small series for elementary readers, to an= unusual map company, to the premier reference book series in the art = world. Just let me know. AND... if you are thinking about selling your company... NOW IS THE TI= ME. The closer we get to 2020, the worse, I believe, it will get for p= ublishing sales. We can talk about it but based on the current level o= f sales... now IS the time! Contact me=C2=A0 mailto:mfoner@nplconsult.com =C2=A0 and I will send y= ou a brief Questionnaire. Complete it and I will give you, no charge, = no obligation, a 'ballpark' valuation of your company in the current m= arketplace. Then, if you want, we go from there. Thanks for reading. Copyright Martin Foner, 2019. CAN SPAM Legal Information: There should be an unsubscribe button somewhere at the footer of this = email, but if there is not, simply email me directly at=C2=A0 mailto:m= foner@nplconsult.com , and I will have you removed from future emailin= gs. If you don't unsubscribe, we will consider you as approving us to cont= inue to send you newsletters and related publishing information. If yo= u do not approve, you need to unsubscribe. NPL Publishing Consultants, a division of Professional Publishers Grou= p Corporation, Post Office Box 1010, Ventura CA 93002. http://link.rm0004.net/go/R0WNvkmP6aSkqkICFlaxSw2/ mailto:martin@ppgcpublishers.com This email is being sent to Lojban@lojban.org. Use this link to be deleted or to update your email address http://link.rm0004.net/subscription/?t=3DR0WNvlDG4oc8h2QGYJzS3A2 This message was sent by NPL PUBLISHING CONSULTANTS, a Division of Pro= fessional Publishers Group Corporation | POST OFFICE BOX 1010 | VENT= URA, CA 93002 --=-MCmRKcUHEeChR5GzRXZ0WA== Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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3D""

Martin Foner’s Publishing Newslett= er

Volume 24, Number 9

Keeping Publishers in Business Since 1995

 

If You Are a Publisher… and You Sti= ll Support This President…

Then You Must Be a Business Masochist with= a Death Wish

 

Hello, Everyone= …

Well, it is pre= tty damn amazing we are still here, and all in one piece.

Here are this i= ssue’s articles…

·      &nb= sp; As the header says, i= f you are a publisher and still support this President, then you truly= have a death wish for your business. And since his supporters will ru= n through burning buildings for him, don’t expect him to wise up= , or give a damn about anyone else other than himself, any time soon.<= /span>

I will show you THREE ways he is rip= ping you off and costing you BIG money.

 

·      &nb= sp; Piracy, ebook sharing= , Kindle questionable reporting, fear of Amazon…

This was a tea= ser of an article I didn’t have room for in the last issue. Need= I repeat this…

Amazon is NOT your friend. They will= rip off your products if they can.

If you put all you= r publishing eggs in this basket, you have a death wish.

Because, if they d= on’t like you, you’re out. Period. End of sentence.=

 

·      &nb= sp; We have had a nice re= sponse to our editing and proofreading services so far and have finish= ed several projects already. We have also just signed our first two gh= ostwriting agreements, if that is a service you are considering for yo= urself or a recalcitrant author.

If you have an editing or proofing p= roject, or now, a ghostwriting project, that needs to be done professi= onally and promptly and cost effectively, contact us at mfoner@nplconsult.com .=

 

·      &nb= sp; I am hearing it more = and more… prospective authors are making more demands, more roy= alties, more marketing budget, and more control, and are threatening t= o self publish as an alternative. What should I do?

Since caving in is yet another death= wish, you must remember three things in order to keep your wits about= you and remain successful and in charge of your own business.<= /strong>

 

·      &nb= sp; And, as usual, a brief list of the companie= s we are representing for acquisition.

Now, let’= s try really, really hard not to self-destruct… and read the ne= wsletter. Enjoy, but learn!

 

If You Are a Publisher… and You Sti= ll Support This President…

Then You Must Be a Business Masochist with= a Death Wish

 

As the header s= ays, if you are a publisher and still support this President, then you= truly have a death wish for your business. And since his supporters w= ill run through burning buildings for him, don’t expect him to w= ise up, or give a damn about anyone else other than himself, any time = soon.

I will show you THREE ways he is ripp= ing you off and costing you BIG money.

1. The largest = and most immediate issue you face now as a publisher is his idiotic id= eas about trade wars. He has a Napoleon complex and YOU are going to p= ay for his ego and ignorance of how things work.

As I am sure yo= u already know, the next round of tariffs being imposed on American co= mpanies is on book pub= lishing. So, any books you print or that go through China on = their way to you, will now cost you 25% more.

Yes, the math i= s just that simple.

And if you buy = his ignorant, lying bullshit that the Chinese government is paying tho= se tariffs… then I suggest you send the invoice from the Custom= s Department to the government of China for payment and see how quickl= y you get your books.

YOU are going to pay those tariffs ou= t of your own checkbook. Period. End of discussion. Ask anyone familia= r with tariffs and they will tell you the truth.

So, if you have= a printing bill from a Chinese printer for $10,000… when the b= ooks arrive in Los Angeles port, or NYC port, or wherever they land in= the U.S., you will be advised not only to pay the freight bill and ot= her miscellaneous charges, but you will be handed an invoice from Cust= oms for a tariff bill of $2,500.

This President = didn’t ask you if you wanted to play in his sandbox… you = just got screwed.

2. The next lar= gest issue is one you are just a victim of and have no direct push or = pull involved. Still… more tariffs.

Farmers have be= en taking this tariff issue in the wallet since last year. Thousands o= f small farmers have filed bankruptcy thanks to the misguided idiocy o= f this Administration… and not too publicly discussed, hundreds= of farmers have committed suicide as their only way out of their fina= ncial problems.

But, the Presid= ent understands their plight. He is trying to get a bill passed to rei= mburse them for their losses, in essence, by offering $12 Billion in g= rants to cover roughly $50 Billion in losses so far. I don’t get= the math either. Too little too late for some… insufficient fo= r others. So, why do it?

Aha! Farmers ha= ve overwhelmingly voted for him, so in some vain attempt to “kee= p his base”, he is taking money from other areas of the budget, = for other areas where spending is already set, from other programs of = the government, and giving it to “his base” to keep them m= ollified.

And if this tar= iff thing continues, he will have to reimburse closer to $50 Billion t= o have any impact at all… just in 2019.

So, how does th= is impact you as a publisher?

YOUR taxes are covering this shortfal= l in the budget. His supporters get relief, and YOU, Mr & Ms Publi= sher, get royally screwed. What about YO= UR tariff bills? If you print even $100,000 in China, your tariff will= be $25,000 this year alone.

And no, you won= ’t hear one word about being reimbursed. Why? Because publishers= are not on his list of “his base voters”.

(In fact, if he= gets reelected, he has other plans for publishers altogether.)=

So, your taxes will go up to support = his need to keep his base taken care of.

3. The third &l= dquo;grab” has already taken place. The amazing, wonderful, grea= test ever tax cut of his… great for the 1%, and if you are the = 1%, then ignore this issue. But if you aren’t, just assume the t= ax cut is already cutting you and will continue to cut you… in = fact, he is even pushing for MORE tax cuts, meaning you will be cut even worse, if = he succeeds.

SO, there it is= … three reasons why you, as a publisher, need to make a decisio= n. Either continue to support this person and keep getting screwed unt= il you are put out of business… or start looking out for yourse= lf and your company. It is a very simple decision to make. And if you = choose to continue to support the current situation, expect to continu= e to get what you have been getting… screwed!

One last thing&= hellip; this is NOT a political thing. IT IS A FACTUAL, FINANCIAL THING. Money is b= eing removed or about to be removed from your pocket as a publisher. T= hat is ALL I = care about here. If you want to talk politics, save your breath. I am = not interested in conspiracy theories, investigations, or anything els= e. Just stated facts <= /strong>and the twisting, ignoring, and implementing of them.

 

Amazon is N= OT your friend. They will happily rip off your products if they can.  If you put all your pub= lishing eggs is this basket, you, too, have a death wish.  Because, if they don’t like y= ou, you’re out. Period. End of sentence.

 

I bet you find = it hard to believe that Amazon is not your friend. I mean they help gr= ow your company. They are fair with your company… and offer you= r titles at prices you approve… and don’t make any demand= s of you… They respect your copyrights and ownership rights and= do not interfere with the subject matter of your titles or products.<= /span>

BULLSHIT!

Amazon will sli= t your throat figuratively if they can make money doing it.

Read this artic= le first, from INC Magazine, a respected source for business informati= on and then I have a story about my own client for whom I can verify A= LL the details going back YEARS.

https://www.inc.com/magazine/201904/jeff-be= rcovici/amazon-fake-copycat-knockoff-products-small-business.html?utm_= source=3Dincthismorning

Notice two issu= es in that article…Amazon does NOT protect the legitimate vendo= r from counterfeit products being sold on their site despite their pro= testations to the contrary. And, Amazon will happily knock off your pr= oduct themselves if they see enough business doing it. Welcome to the = ‘do no harm’ economy.

Now, on the poi= nt of protecting you if you have copyright to a book and someone else = is selling it on Amazon… IN SIMPLE ENGLISH YOU MIGHT THINK YOU HAVE RIGHTS, BUT WHAT = YOU HAVE WITH AMAZON IS A HUGE HEADACHE AND LIKELY A COMPLETE LOSS.

My client is in= the map business. Some famous and some unusual maps for which he owns= both copyrights and marketing rights, and some where his rights are l= imited to sales of the maps in North America. It is bad enough after <= strong style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">OVER A DECADE = that he cannot get Amazon to clear off other illegal sellers of his co= pyrighted products… but he can’t even get Amazon to stop = European sellers from selling into North America, violating his rights= .

He is what even= he refers to as a small player. He is working with much larger player= s with similar issues whose losses are running into the six figures pe= r year thanks to Amazon’s ignorance, profit motives, illegal act= ions, or whatever you want to call them.

It is so much e= asier to tell the legitimate copyright holder to go screw himself than= it is to try to delete twenty other vendors. In one correspondence, A= mazon even told him that they are prepared to spend millions of dollar= s in legal fees if my client decided to sue them, as he threatened.

 

(Sidebar&hellip= ; I am listening carefully to the result of these map companies and th= eir possible class action efforts. If they can move forward, then I ca= n announce that if you have a similar issue you can join in.

I am also worki= ng my tail off on a program of “ABA”… Anyone But Am= azon… what I call a program to create a smaller book only compe= titor to Amazon. Yes, I know I am swimming deeply upstream, but if I c= an get even 500 to 1,000 publishers to join… there are millions= of potential customers who would LOVE to deal with Anyone But Amazon,= if the pricing and service are identical, or better!)

 

And what about = this issue of putting all your eggs in the Amazon basket? Well, if it = turns out Amazon doesn’t agree with your politics, or your posit= ions, or your solutions to social issues… they can, and of cour= se, they have the right to do so as a private company (though they may= be violating a few Federal laws in the process), boot your titles off= their site. No explanation, no reason…just das boot!

While we might = agree that far right, or hate sponsored, or violent overthrow of the g= overnment materials might be distasteful… very distasteful even= … who made Amazon the arbiter of these decisions? And if they d= on’t like YOUR politics… count on being removed. Here is = a recent article explaining:

https://truthout.org/articles/after-= activist-pressure-amazon-purges-dozens-of-far-right-books/

But here are tw= o kickers to this. One, the First Amendment permits the publication of= these materials, and if I am a pro abortionist and Amazon is a pro li= fer, my books will get booted despite the law. And Two, what makes the= ir position right? Pressure groups? Being PC?

Remember, when = it comes to banning books, the slope isn’t just slippery, it is = iced over. We don’t like hate books and the alt right offers hat= e so let’s take them away too. Then we have pressure that the An= tifa is just as much haters as the alt right, so take them too. Ahhhh,= let’s now leave ourselves only books in the middle. And of cour= se, pro life people want pro abortion books deleted as they are promot= ing murder. And pro abortionists scream censorship. The alt right and = Antifa also start screaming censorship. And they are ALL right!=

Watch this and = we’re done with this for now: Alabama and the other pro life leg= islative states decide by government vote to ban all books in their st= ate that refer positively to pro abortion. Yes, it is well within thei= r rights. The books promote murder. The Alabama government notifies Am= azon that no book on this subject may even be ADVERTISED in Alabama un= less they want to be heavily fined. SO Amazon stops advertising ALL bo= oks pro abortion anywhere to avoid the fines. Voila… their own = policies have now hamstrung them.

No, I don&rsquo= ;t think that this scenario is far off reality. If a group of supposed= ly adult beings can do what is being done in 8 or 9 states right now, = it is no stretch at all to ban books not to their liking. Mostly the S= outhern states have been banning books of one kind or another for deca= des. The publishing industry has a whole week in the fall devoted to b= anned books. You would be surprised, disappointed, and ashamed at what= some adult minds think can be censored.

 

I AM PROMOTING OUR EDITING AND PROOFING SERV= ICES

 

I have sent out a few emails = advertising our editing and proofing services. The response has been v= ery satisfying. Our charges are at the lower end of the scale for extr= emely professional services, personal/human reading services (many use= software and say humans are reading and editing the books… too= many errors do not get caught that way), and prompt meeting of deadli= nes.

Our charges are simple. Three= cents per word for copy editing AND proofreading. Yes, for BOTH servi= ces combined. Normally you will find this rate, more likely closer to = four or five cents a word, if you find it at all, for just the editing= services, and proofing is an extra two cents a word. You can pay as m= uch as six to seven cents a word for the same service we provide for t= hree cents a word!

So, if you have projects to g= et done, this is the time to get them done, professionally, quickly, e= fficiently, and right! Not to mention inexpensively!

Ghostwriting services also av= ailable and quoted project by project. Recently and currently, we are = working on ghostwriting in Wellness, New Age, Motivation, University T= extbooks, and True Crime.

Contact me directly  mfoner@nplconsult.com  for details.

 

CA= VING INTO AUTHOR DEMANDS, YET ONE MORE PUBLISHER DEATH WISH

 

I am hearing it= more and more… prospective authors are making more demands, mo= re royalties, more marketing budget, and more control, and are threate= ning to self publish as an alternative. What should I do?

Since caving in is yet another death = wish, you must remember three things in order to keep your wits about = you and remain successful and in charge of your own business.

Thing Number One: Your publishing company is YOURS! It belongs to you and to = no one else. You make the decisions and you are stuck with the results= of your decisions. Permitting anyone, and that includes prospective a= uthors, the wing ding Authors Guild, some flake city agent, or unreaso= nable distributor, to tell you what to do… well, my advice is t= o turn over the keys and start driving for Uber.

Thing Number Two: Unless the prospective author is J.K. Rowling and she is ab= out to bring you Harry Potter II – Volumes 8 through 15… = what the hell do you care if you lose some unknown author on whom you = were going to risk $20,000 or $30,000 to see if you can sell her/his p= roduct? I know my partner will object to this line, but I have heard i= t in the industry now for over 40 years, and it is still applicable, e= ven in PC times:

Just like women= and buses, another author and “great book” will be along = in fifteen minutes.

(Boos, catcalls= , and boycotts here  XX= X . And then remember this is MY newsletter. When YOU write a newslett= er, you can decide what to say in it.)

Really, is that= author really, really worth all the grief? And realize, if you cave i= nto the initial grief, you are gonna get it in spades before it is ove= r. Count on it, and I can personally guarantee it from personal 40+ ye= ars of experience. Either you are in control or you have lost control.= You decide.

Thing Number Three: If you have a Strategic Plan and follow it… this i= s not even a discussion for you. So why let this crap upset you when y= ou can eliminate 90-95% of it with a Strategic Plan? These decisions m= ade themselves early in the Plan and don’t need your attention a= ny longer.

 

Permit me to re= peat some of the conversations I used to have with authors and their r= epresentatives on this subject… very condensed. For publishers = who have been doing this for more than a week… likely you will = enjoy this one.

Author, calling= me:  Mr. Foner, I gave= your contract to the Authors Guild and they say it requires some chan= ges to be acceptable.

Me: That’= s odd. I know I sent out our standard agreement, and that agreement is= acceptable to me.

Author: Well, t= hey are saying changes are needed to make it acceptable to me.<= /p>

Me: And what do= you say?

Author: I agree= with them.

Me: Well then, = simply send back our form and decline our offer.

Author: Well, I= was hoping to negotiate the points the Guild’s attorneys believ= e aren’t fair.

Me: Fair to who= m? I am putting up $30,000 to $40,000 to invest in your book. I believ= e the terms in the agreement are fair to me, and since it is my money,= I am the one who needs to have a fair agreement.

Author: Maybe I= should just send you the changes.

Me: Maybe you s= houldn’t bother. I have already seen the Authors Guild changes t= o many of my offers. The changes are the same since my agreement is th= e same. I am simply not interested.

Author: But you= are interested in publishing my book.

Me: I am, but u= nder the terms I have sent you. The agreement only needs to be fair to= the person who is risking all the money, time, energy, skills, staff,= creativity, and marketing expertise. If you aren’t happy, then = find another publisher.

Two days later,= call from Authors Guild: Hello, this is Ms. Jones, attorney for the A= uthors Guild. I want to discuss your agreement with Ms. Author. She in= dicated you were not willing to discuss the necessary changes to make = the agreement acceptable to her.

Me: No, I am no= t. She is correct.

Attorney: I don= ’t understand. The agreement is not fair on its face and should = be changed to be fair.

Me: Ms Jones, t= he agreement is quite fair on its face. Maybe it doesn’t tilt 10= 0% in favor of your author, but I am not in business to make your auth= or happy in this way. I am in business to sell lots and lots of books = and send out huge royalty checks, which, in turn will make your author= happy. If she wants to publish with us, these are the terms. There is= no gun to her head. She is free to publish with anyone she wants. As = I told her politely, we are investing not only a large sum of money in= her success, but also time, energy, skills, staff time, creativity, a= nd marketing expertise. We have to be very careful where we make these= investments and they have to be made without restrictions or strings.= I have built the premier company in the field, so I must be doing som= ething right. Assuming that, why would I take all these risks and allo= w the author, who has=20 none of the expertise necessary to do this job, to dictate anything to= me? I shouldn’t and I don’t. Thank you for your time.

 

And that is tha= t. You are either in control or you aren’t.

And if you are = so concerned about an author self publishing… then you are prob= ably in the wrong business. Publishing is the odd industry where produ= ct comparison, or competition, is virtually non existent. And thus, yo= ur marketing skills are far more critical than your pricing skills.

Truly, let them= go. They will be a pain in the ass otherwise.

But if they sta= y, they will learn quickly to be appreciative, be humble, and not give= you grief. And THAT is an author I can work with.

 

PUBLISHERS AVAILABLE FOR ACQUISITION<= /strong>

 

I sent out a separate newslet= ter a few weeks ago about the companies I have available for acquisiti= on. If you missed it or want to see it again, email me   mfoner@nplconsult.com  and I will be happy to send a copy over.

Do keep in mind, we have a gr= oup of magazines if you want to or are in the magazine biz… all= selling at or below full value and all very interesting. Subjects inc= lude horses, men’s feminism movement, Christian interests, and p= ossibly one more to be determined later this month.

I also have books of course, = from a single gorgeous coffee table title about Apple products, to a s= mall series for elementary readers, to an unusual map company, to the = premier reference book series in the art world.

Just let me know.

AND… if you are thinki= ng about selling your company… NOW IS THE TIME. The closer we get to 2020, t= he worse, I believe, it will get for publishing sales. We can talk abo= ut it but based on the current level of sales… now IS the time!=

Contact me  mfoner@nplconsult.com  and I will send you a brief Questionnaire. Complete= it and I will give you, no charge, no obligation, a ‘ballpark&r= squo; valuation of your company in the current marketplace. Then, if y= ou want, we go from there.

 

Thanks for read= ing.

© Martin F= oner, 2019.

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