Customer Reviews

How To Start And Run A Small Book Publishing Company: A Small Business Guide To Self-Publishing And Independent Publishing

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Peter Hupalo's book was very highly recommended on Amazon.com so I was quite excited to see what information it could give me about starting my own publishing business. I knew that I was going to be disappointed when I saw the book and realized how cheaply the book was designed. While I know that it is important to cut costs in production, I felt that the author was lying when he said that it is easy for an author to learn to design a cover by himself and still look professional. Who is he trying to kid? The book is obviously self-published and designed. The author uses shameless self-promotion by repeatedly mentioning other books that he has written that could help the reader with other aspects of running a small business so that he can milk you for more money instead of giving you a few tips in this publication. I also thought that the title was misleading because it is really geared towards self-publishers - not a publishing company. I don't mean to say that the book is completely useless, as there was some decent information inside, as well as some suggestions as to printers and designers who don't mind working with smaller companies. However, as a whole I was pretty disappointed because there is little or no practical application for most of the topics that are covered in the book. For sections on inventory accounting, profitable book pricing, etc. the author spends a great amount of time running through math problems to show the reader all of this gobbledegook that doesn't make sense because you don't run your own publishing business and are not really sure of what the heck he is talking about! Other sections like cover design & book layout are obvious - make your book look good so it will sell. Duh. How do you make it look good, what are some things that have sold really well in the past? Anyway, it is a good introduction to publishing in general, but I was left with a lot more questions after the book than I had before!

When I initially saw this title and the positive reviews, I decided to purchase it to see if it had any more information to add to what I read in The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom & Marilyn Ross. ...

I was disappointed with the first part of the book, which seemed to be nothing but promotions of other books. And while he does discourage direct mail advertising, he does so for pages! He seems to find it necessary to explain ad nauseam why direct mail advertising is wrong. Other topics are covered in such a way that he ends up referring you to another book for more information.

There are a few areas that he does go in-depth about, such as the matter of bookkeeping and accounting, but at times he goes into too much technical detail - possibly even more than most budding publishers would ever have to encounter. And when it comes to the issue of printing he has a tendency to over-promote POD publishers, especially since his book is printed through a POD publisher (which tends to be more expensive that other books of its type and size).

About the only useful information that I was able to glean from the book were web sites where I could find additional information as needed. But this isn't enough to justify an overpriced book that is more hype than substance.

There are plenty of books on the technical aspects of producing most publications, but few on how to run them as a business. This is definitely an exception. It includes some information on producing the book itself but mostly it is about the business: how many copies to print, the true cost of inventory, the print-on-demand services, marketing, discount schedules, pricing, cashflow, and, a point well worth making again and again, how to avoid the danger that "success can kill you". At first I thought much of the advice on business structure, taxes and sales tax, would apply only in the USA, but Peter talks in broad outlines and his warnings on differences between states are equally appropriate to countries, with the general advice applicable anywhere in the world.

How To Start & Run a Small Book Publishing Company: A Small Business Guide To Self-Publishing And Independent Publishing by author, publisher, and book reviewer Peter I. Hupalo is a highly practical, useful and "user friendly" guide written especially for authors who are considering private publishing as an alternative to being published by an established press, as well as those who are considering launching their own independent publishing businesses for producing their own works and/or those of others. Individual chapters address a range of relevant issues ranging from the determination of how many copies of a book to print, to successful and unsuccessful marketing techniques (direct mail is strongly discouraged due to its expensive nature and low likelihood of turning a profit), to pricing the book for maximum commercial return, to itemizing deductible costs, inventory accounting, book production, record keeping, and much, much more. A first-rate primer and a "must-read" for anyone seriously thinking of entering the exciting and often competitive world of independent publishing, How To Start & Run A Small Book Publishing Company is a welcome and recommended addition to any personal reading list or professional "do-it-yourself" instructional reference shelf.

The greatest measure of the value of any information is it's practical application in the real world. "How To Start & Run a Small Publishing Company" is very useful and practical in all aspects. And I think it can save countless hours of wasted effort and tens of thousands of dollars for a beginner self-publisher.

There are some special points in this book about US taxes and business structure, which is not very useful for a foreign reader. But the end chapter "The Holy Grail Of Publishing" about the valuation of a copyright and intellectual property - is just perfect. I never read something similar. The chapter "Just-In-Time Inventory: How Many Copies Should You Print" is also very interesting and substantial. It gives Mr. Hupalo as an author of two other perfect books "Thinking Like an Entrepreneur" and "Becoming An Investor".

As a writer I'm trying to decide whether I want to self-publish or go through the more traditional publishing channels. Mr. Hupalo book has answered the myriad of questions I had, and given me specific detailed recommendations how to proceed with my manuscript. If I do choose to self-publish or to start and run my own publishing company, I know this book will become my constant companion. And I hope, someday this book will be my stimulus to become a publisher.

The Russians proverb says: "Not Gods who bum clay". In other words, it is within powers of average man.

Peter Hupalo starts off with a caveat; he suggests caution. Starting at the beginning, he asks you to determine if and why you want to be a book publisher.

He is down to earth and up to date. For example, on Page 37, he (rightly) recommends against direct mail advertising for books.

Hupalo is strong in finance and marketing and he applies sage advice to books.

I love his statement on page 77:
"With the book industry, the entire industry squeaks.
That's probably because it's a very old industry."
With advice from Peter Hupalo, some of us will break the bonds of tradition and make book publishing more profitable.

He covers inventory, accounting, sales taxes, deductions, business structures, record keeping, typesetting, printing and more.

This book is about the nuts and bolts of setting up and running a book publishing business.

As an author, publisher and advisor to the book publishing industry, I recommend this book.

Dan Poynter, ParaPublishing.com

This book is an introductory guide for newbies in publishing. Being a small and easy to read paperback, it's a good starting point for anyone who never read about publishing before and wasn't involved into the publishing or self-publishing business.

The book covers two major areas. The first area is publishing in general (how to produce a book and get it selling), including self-publishing. The second area is business aspects of running a small book publishing company, including accounting principles, sales tax issues, business structure, and so on. Being the author of the business titles: "Thinking Like an Entrepreneur" and "Becoming an Investor", Peter I. Hupalo couldn't resist from exposing basic entrepreneurship principles in this book.

To the date of publication, the book was is very timely: it gave valuable and up-to-date information on prices and conditions on various services related to book publishing: offset printing, Print-On-Demand, book storage in climate-controlled warehouses, retail distribution channels, sales through amazon.com, and so on. This information helps to the reader to make the right choice. Moreover, there is a special, deep chapter "How Many Copies You Should Print".

The author also gives valuable experience of being a member of various publishing-related Internet discussion lists. At the time of publication, publishing-related discussion lists were not known to be mentioned in other publishing and self-publishing titles.

While this book is concise and is not tedious, there is never enough. Consider getting more information and valuable references from "Complete Guide to Self Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote, and Sell Your Own Book" by Tom Ross and Marilyn Ross.

I liked this book. It was full of practical information that can help someone publish a book and set up his own publishing business. The book covers a lot of ground - it includes details on how to print a book, how to price it, how to get it reviewed and how to market it. It even has sections on inventory, taxes ahd dealing with distributors.