The Tragic Truth By Jeremy Braun

In our many years in the book publishing and distribution industry, we have heard from countless authors who have come to us after printing or publishing their book with someone else to say,"If I only knew what you really do for authors...I wouldn’t have gone in the direction I did!”

In any industry, the transaction of a product or service into the consumer’s hands spells success.  Whether it’s a physical good, a service, a message, or all three,
DISTRIBUTION is the key! 

The tragic truth in the publishing industry today, is that thousands of authors are being lead astray every year because they buy into a publishing relationship from a well intentioned company that has no distribution.
Through technology, the cost of most goods in the marketplace make up the smallest percentage, only 10-25%, of what the consumer actually pays in the end…the rest of the cost is tied up in distribution.  In the past century we have figured out how to drastically reduce the cost of making almost anything.  As these cost saving processes have evolved, manufacturers are rarely capable of achieving huge decreases in production costs, they are now looking for savings of fractions of pennies.   However,   because the process of distribution holds 75% to 90% of the costs, the opportunity (for those who value it) lies here. 

Word Alive Press has all of the many, many elements of the distribution process already in place for authors!

One definition of distribution is, “the marketing, (an accumulation of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer) or merchandising of something”.   If 75-90% of the success of your venture lies in distribution, are you valuing this important step and what that means to the outcome of your project? 

So… just what are “the accumulation of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer?”

• Marketing and Sales Relationships - with buyers, ministries, denominations and media.
• Customer service staff and data maintenance for major retailers such as Chapters/Indigo and Amazon.
• Accounting personnel to look after billing.
• Warehouse and warehousing staff to pick, pack and ship your orders.

 These important functions culminate into a better opportunity to accomplish your goals!  If you have a vision for your project, don’t settle for anything less than all the services listed above.

Assume for a moment that you’ve talked with three companies that you are convinced would give you a comparable finished product.  Pause for a minute and consider asking the following questions: 
Do these companies provide:

• Ways to market my book such as, retail and direct marketing campaigns, fliers, mailings, emarketing campaigns, etc.
• Media relationships that will help promote my book.
•  A quality sales force with the capacity and interest in selling my book. A company who has a personal relationships with book buyers.
• A customer service team to inform and service customers and maintain accounts.
• A warehouse to pick, pack and ship goods.
• A web developer to help me harness the influence of the world wide web.

There is no question that in today’s market place all of the pieces need to be in place in order to help ensure the greatest success for your book product. Word Alive Press has over 22 years of experience in distributing books into the Canadian market and we know how our book buyers think. We know how the market operates. We know what a great marketing plan can do to help you accomplish your goals and we know that without distribution your basement may be full of books for a long, long time.

In using the latest technology we help our authors in the area of small print runs or when the need is greater, our off-set press can provide for printing needs on a larger scale. Our graphic designer has worked in the U.S and Canadian publishing industry for more than 15 years and provides the highest quality and most markable options in cover design, custom made for each one of our authors. Word Alive Press has left no stone unturned when it comes to the book publishing process.

If you have written a book or are still in the process, please call us today and we’d be happy to answer any questions you have...even the tough ones!  Avoid Publishing’s Tragic Truth, demand more!