Some things are better said in a book.
Below are questions commonly asked by our clients and our attempt to successfully answer them. We have listed similar questions together, in hopes that this FAQ becomes more of a primer on publishing and less a collection of seemingly random queries. Please feel free to request that we answer your question on this page.
What are your guidelines for manuscript submission?
Can you do POD (print-on-demand) publishing?
What types of printing do you offer?
Do you only offer self-publishing contracts for authors?
What are your minimum and maximum print runs?
How quickly will I receive my books?
Do I retain all rights to my work when I self-publish with you?
Do I have control over the creative process of my book when I self-publish?
Do you accept all manuscripts that are submitted to you?
What is an ISBN and why do I need it for my book?
What is a Bookland EAN bar code?
Can I use a Universal Product Code (UPC) on my book?
What are your guidelines for manuscript submission?
Infusionmedia Publishing eagerly accepts a diverse assortment of manuscripts from first-time and established authors. We are interested in many types of writing: nonfiction, fiction, verse. We also accept manuscripts developed for businesses and other organizations for a specific marketing purpose. All material must be the author's own original work, or the author has permission from the copyright holder to publish the material.
Queries and submissions should be directed to:
Infusionmedia Publishing Inc.
140 North 8th Street
205 The Apothecary
Lincoln, NE 68508-1358
Email: submissions@infusionmediapublishing.com
Please include the following with your submission, as appropriate: synopsis, intended audience, your bio and publishing history, and at least the first three chapters, if not the entire manuscript. You may wish to discuss your project with us before sending your submission, as not every submission needs all of the above information. Emailed manuscripts should be sent to us in one complete attached file in Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format. Manuscripts sent by mail should have double-spaced text and one-inch margins.
Please do not send your original work as we cannot return manuscripts; instead, they are recycled. However, if you would like the copy of your manuscript returned, please include a prepaid envelope; make sure the envelope can handle the size of the manuscript.
Review of submissions can be accomplished quickly; our timeliness depends on the current volume of manuscripts to review. If you wish to contact us about your submission, please use the email address above.
Can you do POD (print-on-demand) publishing?
We provide our clients with a number of options for producing their books based on what is best for them. We currently offer POD at the request of the client. We are also able to offer the smaller print runs associated with POD using similar digital printing technology. We use digital, toner-based (versus ink-based) printing to print advance reading copies and uncorrected proofs. These are then often used in prepublication marketing, to solicit commentary on the book for marketing and back cover purposes, and for advance book reviews. We also use digital printing to offer short-run book printing of 500 copies or less. Because of the economies of scale, these types of digitally printed books have a higher cost-per-unit than books produced in larger runs on an ink-based offset press. However, since the small print runs are simply not economically feasible on an offset, digital toner printing is a good option to have.
What types of printing do you offer?
We offer our clients a broad range of printing options that are either toner- or ink-based, including print-on-demand (POD), short-run digital printing, and offset press printing for larger runs. Choosing the right type of printing for your book is based on a variety of factors, including print run, trim size, and budget, and we will help you make the right choice. Because of this range of printing options, we are also able to offer an extensive array of trim sizes, unmatched by many POD and subsidy publishers, from 4x6 to 9x12 and beyond.
Do you only offer self-publishing contracts for authors?
We primarily offer self-publishing contracts, though there is opportunity for a traditional, royalty-based contract in exceptional cases. Most of our titles are self-published; we are working to build our traditionally published title list.
What are your minimum and maximum print runs?
We generally print 500 to 1,000 copies of our titles in the first print run, though we have the flexibility to print from 200 to 500,000 copies of a book. In special cases, we can print less than 20 copies of a book, depending on printing and binding style.
How quickly will I receive my books?
Most printing requires 30–40 business days from the time the completed book files go to press, but in some cases, particularly for print-on-demand books, that time is reduced to 10–15 days.
Do I retain all rights to my work when I self-publish with you?
All rights remain with you, the writer, and you retain full ownership of your books when you self-publish with us. Unlike some POD and subsidy publishers, your rights are not held by Infusionmedia Publishing and we have no claim, exclusive or nonexclusive, on them for any period of time.
The same applies to custom books developed for businesses—all work done is the property of the business and it retains all rights.
On royalty-based publishing contracts, we include industry standards for reversion and termination of rights.
Do I have control over the creative process of my book when I publish with you?
You have control over all aspects of the publishing process when you self-publish or custom publish with Infusionmedia Publishing, from cover art to print style to font choice to pricing. Your approval is needed before we proceed on any action associated with your book. We provide you with good counsel based on our professional expertise, but in the end, it is your book.
Author input is equally important in our "traditional" publishing. As the author, we require your approval on copyedits to the manuscript, the jacket design, and the cover design prior to printing, following industry standard. Your conception of the book and its design is necessary to the creative process.
Do you accept all manuscripts that are submitted to you?
The short answer is "no." The long answer is below.
Our staff editor reviews all submissions to ensure the books we publish are works of quality, importance, and interest. We accept for submission many types of writing: nonfiction, fiction, verse (please see our Imprints page for specifics). We look for the following qualities:
We have additional criteria for scholarly writing, looking for works that provide one (or more) of the following:
An exception to the above review criteria are custom books developed for businesses and other organizations for a specific marketing purpose. We offer guidance on the material and editing, but these are marketing tools, not literature or scholarly work. Different rules apply.
Please see our guidelines for manuscript submission at the top of this page.
What is an ISBN and why do I need it for my book?
An International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, is a unique 10- or 13-digit number assigned to every printed book and book-related product, similar to a UPC (Universal Product Code, see below). This number identifies the title and publisher and is used in ordering and cataloging books throughout the publishing industry. Each ISBN is unique to one particular title or book-related product. If a title is available in hard cover, trade paperback, and as an e-book, it will have three unique ISBNs. ISBNs always appear on the copyright page, back cover (usually in conjunction with the Bookland EAN bar code—see below), and the dust jacket. The ISBN is a necessary requirement to sell your books through booksellers, wholesalers, and distributors. Larger retailers will not accept books without an ISBN and its corresponding Bookland EAN bar code.
Beginning January 1, 2007, all new ISBNs issued will be 13 digits long, replacing the 10 digit numbers currently provided by ISBN agencies. Primarily this is to provide more numbers for ISBN usage worldwide, but it will also conform the ISBN to the EAN global numbering system. An ISBN-10 is easily converted to the ISBN-13 format. ISBN numbers are sold in blocks of 10 (or more). As blocks of ISBN-13s built on the existing ISBN-10s are consumed, new blocks will use the prefix 979, instead of the current 978. Most publishers are being encouraged to use dual numbering, meaning that they furnish both the ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 to customers and suppliers, and are capable of accepting either version in communication. This approach allows each publisher to make the transition at its own pace, instead of forcing the industry to abruptly switch from its longstanding practice.
What is an ISSN?
An International Standard Serial Number is an 8-digit number used for the same purpose as an ISBN for periodicals, such as magazines, journals, and so on. All U.S. and foreign periodicals are assigned an ISSN.
What is a Bookland EAN bar code?
The Bookland EAN bar code is a book's ISBN number transferred into machine-readable form, like a UPC bar code on other consumer products. The bar code is encoded with information about the book, including title, publisher, and price. As with ISBNs themselves, most booksellers and retailers will not accept a book without a Bookland EAN bar code.
EAN stands for European Article Number, an international standard for applying unique numbers and bar codes to products. Every EAN begins with a 2 or 3 digit prefix that indicates the country of origin. Because the book industry produces so many books and other products, it has been designated as its own "country" and has been assigned its own EAN prefix: 978. The industry refers to 978 as Bookland, the imaginary country where all books come from. An EAN which begins with the 978 prefix is called a Bookland EAN and is used internationally on books and book-related products. (Note that the new prefix, 979, explained above under What is an ISBN and why do I need it for my book?, is also a Bookland prefix.)
Can I use a Universal Product Code (UPC) on my book?
You can, and for supermarkets, drug stores, department stores, and other such retailers, you must. Certain nonbook retailers sell books but are not properly set up to scan the Bookland EAN bar code. A publisher selling to a nonbook retailer may be asked to provide books marked with a UPC. There are firm guidelines on how this should be done according to the Book Industry Study Group. Only mass-market, rack-size paperback books should have the two different bar codes (UPC and ISBN EAN) printed on their covers. In such a case, the UPC should appear on the back cover and the Bookland EAN on the inside front cover.
In all other occurrences, books should be marked with only one of the two bar codes. There are a couple ways of accomplishing this. You may print two different runs of a book, one with the EAN on the back cover, the other with the UPC—but this is costly. The best way to handle this problem is to print one bar code on the back cover and then label over the printed bar code with its opposite bar code when necessary. Generally, most publishers would have the Bookland EAN bar code printed on the cover, and then have adhesive labels with the UPC bar code on them available for sales to nonbook retailers. Printing the two different bar codes on the cover of the book is confusing, unnecessary, and should be avoided whenever possible.