April 24, 2012

On-demand magazine publishing, simple & cheap

A one-off magazine produced by the American Red Cross International showcasing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

DIY publishing for your nonprofit: How to make it happen

This is the second of a two-part series. Also see:

• Part 1: 6 business reasons for nonprofits to publish a magazine

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, educators, Web publishers.

Yesterday we invited you to think about whether a print magazine might make sense for your nonprofit or social enterprise — and we use a broad definition of magazines here to include a print newsletter, whitepaper, special report, annual report, event keepsake or a catalog of fundraising merchandise and so on.

Now that you’re sold on the idea, or are at least considering it, how do you make it happen?

The first thing you need to consider is how much time, money and effort you have available to take on the project. Do you already have people who can write, design, produce and perform other required tasks? Or do you want to offload some of the work to a contractor or publishing firm?

On Nature, from Ontario Nature, is produced as both a print and digital magazine.

In the past, only large organizations with large audiences and budgets could produce a quality publication. But print-on-demand technology gives organizations of any size the ability to produce print publications in whatever numbers they need in a cost-effective way. Whether it’s a regular magazine, a one-time publication or any other printed product, the possibilities are only beginning to be explored in the social good sector.

To get the work done, you’ll likely want to consider on-demand technologies using a combination of staffers, freelancers or agencies (yep, like Socialbrite). And that’s what we’ll cover for the bulk of this article.

Another way to go is to find a custom publishing company to take care of everything for you, for a price. Custom publishing companies handle everything — even billing, if your magazine charges a subscription. A good place to look for these companies is the website of the Custom Content Council, a group of companies offering publishing services to commercial and nonprofit organizations. You can also do an online search for custom publishing companies and compare offerings. Many companies offer nonprofit discounts, such as Dazzle Printing, which offers a 10 percent discount and free proofreading to all nonprofits.

Choosing to self publish: The DIY option

Self publishing allows anyone to have a magazine without an established third-party publisher. (And by the way, there may be occasions when you want to self-publish a short book.) It’s become easy to publish a magazine using vendors, including MagCloud, FeedBrewer, Issuu, Calameo, Mstand and Scribd. Let’s summarize what they have to offer.

MagCloud

MagCloud handles the printing, distribution and shipping of your content. They enable you to publish a beautiful magazine-format publication in print or as a digital version. For print, they can produce runs as small as one and as large as 3,000. Continue reading →

April 23, 2012

6 business reasons for nonprofits to publish a magazine

Print magazines from the nonprofits Black Women in Sport Foundation and Livestrong.

Consider using print on demand to reach new supporters or constituents

This is the first of a two-part series. Coming Tuesday:

• Part 2: On-demand magazine publishing, simple & cheap

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, educators, Web publishers.

By Lindsay Oberst
Socialbrite staff

For all nonprofits, digital should be the top priority for communications and public outreach. But new technologies now give you more options for reaching existing and potential supporters. One of those options may surprise you: a print-on-demand magazine.

Mid-size and large nonprofits routinely produce monthly or quarterly print magazines as part of their mission. Consider Livestrong Quarterly, which debuted in 2009 and is powered by HP MagCloud technology (more on that tomorrow), as well as such nonprofit stalwarts as Consumer Reports, National Geographic, Smithsonian and AARP Magazine, which boasts the third largest circulation of any magazine in the world. Smaller nonprofits have also joined the fun: There’s Kaleidoscope magazine, published by United Disability Services, Natural Transitions Magazine, published by Natural Transitions, and BWSF Magazine, recently launched by The Black Women in Sport Foundation (download their inaugural issue as a PDF).

Now, we’re not suggesting that you begin publishing a monthly magazine to add to your nonprofit’s plate (although if you do, please let us know!). But let’s get creative for a second. For the first time, you can now print an on-demand, high-quality, full-color magazine to tell your organization’s story, whether it’s tied to a fundraising event, direct mail appeals, an annual report, the opening of a new store (think Goodwill or Salvation Army) — the possibilities are almost limitless. The evidence suggests that most people want to experience both print and digital communications. Give them want they want, and they’ll be more likely to support and follow your cause.

“Today it’s all about using the right mix of communications channels to reach the right people.”
— Kivi Leroux Miller, nonprofit consultant

Kivi Leroux Miller, nonprofit communications consultant and author of The Nonprofit Marketing Guide, believes nonprofits should still use print. “Today it’s all about using the right mix of communications channels to reach the right people,” she told me via email. “I don’t believe in any of this ‘print is dead’ or ‘email is dead’ nonsense. What’s ‘dead’ is thinking you can use just one form of communication and expect your messages to get through.”

According to multiple surveys and market research, the tactile sensation of holding a magazine or any paper product and being able to touch and smell its pages is something most people still value — even digital natives and tech geeks. Different media work in different circumstances. While millions of Americans now read on smartphones and tablets when they’re on the go, many prefer print when reading at home.

Another good thing about printed products is that they provide a much-needed break from the fast-paced onslaught of tweets, emails, ads and IMs. When someone reads your print magazine, they’ll be less likely to get distracted and more likely to absorb your message, update or fundraising appeal — and to take action.

The evidence points to print remaining an important part of the culture for some time: Handmade and printed zines are making a comeback. A new print magazine about social media was named one of the top magazine launches of 2011. Even Hacker Monthly, a curated, best-of-the-Internet print publication, is making a profit. (Check out PrintIsBig for tips on why print still matters, how it is green and why it still drives commerce.)

6 good reasons for nonprofits to publish a magazine

If you’re considering publishing a magazine for your nonprofit or social enterprise, it doesn’t need to be in print form, of course. Current and developing technologies make digital magazines — say, for the iPad — accessible and enjoyable, especially with the increasing numbers of people with tablets. But you’re no longer restricted to one or the other. Publish your magazine online — and in print. Then promote it using social media.

Publishing a magazine isn’t something you want to enter into without a plan that covers such topics as who’ll write the content? Who’ll take the photos? Who’ll design the look? (Often, a combination of staffers and contractors.) And most importantly, who are you trying to reach, why, and how?

Here are six business goals and organizational missions that a magazine can help advance. See if some of these make sense for your organization.

1To get new members and keep current donors. Having something tangible (and well-produced) could be impressive to people considering whether they want to join or support your organization. People you meet will be more likely to remember your nonprofit with a publication than if you simply give them a business card.

2To increase donations. “The majority of individual donor fundraising is still done via print,” Leroux Miller says. Even though many online fundraising tools exist, calls to action in print are still driving people to give money. Recent research shows that online works for attracting donors, but it is not as successful at keeping them. For example, many donors acquired through the Internet are switching to giving through direct mail. Continue reading →

April 27, 2010

Self-publishing: Tell your story in print

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Lulu, Author Solutions, CreateSpace, Blurb make publishing your book a breeze

Target audience: Nonprofits, NGOs, educators, small businesses, journalists, photographers

By Kim Bale
Socialbrite staff

Updated Sept. 20, 2010, with new stats and services

With more people turning to ebooks or digital readers like the Kindle or iPad rather than turning the pages of a softcover, the publishing industry is evolving quickly. In 2008, for the first time in history, more books were self-published in the United States than were published the traditional way. According to Bowker, the agency responsible for assigning ISBNs, 288,355 traditional book titles were published last year, down a smidge from the year before. By constrast, 764,448 self-published “on demand” titles were produced last year, a dizzying 181 percent increase from the prior year.

Clearly, authors have found alternate ways to get their books on the shelf.

Inexpensive online print-on-demand services now allow anyone from nonprofit organizations to photographers to publish a story book, flip book, photo album or other publication — without the hassle of finding an agent or publisher. Sometimes, you can even make money at it. While in a traditional paperback publishing deal the author keeps just 8 to 9 percent of royalties, under most self-publishing agreements authors keep 70 to 80 percent of their profits.

Compose your work, upload the files, set the price, and you can have your masterpiece printed and mailed to you, or make it available online for sale to the general public. Print On Demand websites like Lulu, Author Solutions, CreateSpace (formerly BookSurge) and others make it easy and relatively affordable to guide your book from conception to printing, with new services available to boost your marketing efforts.

Whether you’re a nonprofit, NGO, educator or small businesses, your organization likely has a good story that can be told, accompanied by photos, between the covers of a hardover or softcover book. If it sells well, it could even bring you a modest revenue stream. But think of this chiefly as a polished way to promote your organization’s brand or your own personal brand.

Self-publishing might seem like a daunting task, though the tools are more accessible than ever. Most companies request you upload your work via Word document or PDF, and they offer a variety of services to help you add images and fine-tune your book for the printing press.

Tips for the first-time self-published author

Here are our tips to help take the worry out of self-publishing:

Do your research. You’ve written your book, now who’s going to read it? Whether you’re composing a detailed history of your organization or giving advice on how to grow a start-up, it’s important to understand your audience. If you know exactly who will be reading your copy, you have an advantage. Find out what it is they need to know, and tell it in a compelling, engaging way. If you’re aiming for your book to hit the best-seller list, it’s not a bad idea to read up on your peers and competitors already in the marketplace. Too many books of the same topic in the same space could mean overcrowding – find a unique angle and stay ahead of the pack.
Choose a service. Now that you’ve identified your audience, a host of POD (print on demand) companies are waiting to help you publish. Each company has its own set of services to offer, so shop around and choose one that fits your needs:

Lulu offers four publishing packages ranging in price from $369 to $1,369. Lulu walks you through an a la carte process step by step and connects you with designers, editors and marketing professionals — at no charge — if desired. Or you can opt to choose the binding, create your own cover and simply pay for the costs of printing and number of copies, whether you’re printing for an audience of one or 1,000. At Lulu and similar sites, each time a purchase is made, a printer at a printing facility makes an individual copy that is shipped to the buyer, usually in 24 hours or less. No money changes hands until a book is published, authors set the prices for books, and the royalty rate excluding production costs is 80 percent, meaning you get to keep the bulk of the income from sales.

"Escape" by CNN on Blurb

Author Solutions is the parent company for well-known brands like AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford, Wordclay and Xlibris. Each brand offers slightly different services such as extensive professional consultations, competitive publishing packages and marketing materials designed to generate buzz about your title. Author Solutions gives authors access to editorial services, illustrations, book and cover design, publicity, promotion, distribution, online sales and bookstore sales. Over the past 13 years, more than 85,000 authors have self-published almost 120,000 titles through Author Solutions, making them a leader in the industry. In many cases, authors pay an up-front fee of $300 to $1,600, book prices are set by the services, and royalties range from 10 to 25 percent, meaning you get only a small slice of any income generated — for example, $2.04 on the sale of a $15.95 book.

HP BookPrep enables publishers to digitize any existing book and turn it into a virtual asset that can be sold over the Internet and printed on demand. Head to HP BookPrep.

Blurb lets you create professional-looking photo books, text books, cookbooks and “blog books” for a low price, starting at $12.95 per copy (softcover, minimum 10 copies). Head to Blurb.com.
Scribd allows authors to upload documents to their library of e-books for free, lets authors set the price of their e-books and retain 80 percent of royalties from sales. Head to Scribd.com.

Better-Beginnings

PayDotCom is an ebook provider that relies on affiliate marketing. It’s free to sign up and members can sell one product at no charge, with additional listings costing $29 and commissions split 50-50 between vendors and affiliates. Head to PayDotCom.
Amazon’s CreateSpace offers packages starting at $299 and provides you with the benefit of being listed in their highly trafficked marketplace. You can upload your completed PDF file for immediate release or use their professional services to fine-tune your copy and ready it for publication. CreateSpace will assign your book an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and you will become part of a growing community of talented authors looking to swap stories and share tips and advice. To list your book with Amazon, you must go through the Amazon Advantage page to register; it cost $30 per year to join the program.

Smaller publishing houses: You can find a number of other publishing houses online or in your community. For example, Rexi Media, a start-up that helps managers enhance their public presence, self-published the book Better Beginnings (200 pages) through the Ohio-based POD service 48HrBooks and sells it online for $19.95. Café Press (which caters to shorter articles and stories) and ColorCentric and Llumina Press are three more micro-publishers; you can find an extensive list of print-on-demand publishers at Bookmarket.com. This option requires more market research and knowledge of how the design, publishing and distribution industries work, though it can be rewarding knowing you’ve published a book unlike most others in the marketplace.

Register your book. You’ll want to register your book for free at the Bowkers mega-directory Books in Print. This is the master list of all books available anywhere, which bookstores and libraries use.
Calculate your costs. Your expenses will vary based on which services you’ve rendered and can range from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars. Once you’ve chosen your publishing company and a package that fits your needs, tally up the costs and make sure you’re getting sufficient bang for your buck. Printing more copies will give you the benefit of bulk rates, and with the right marketing tactics, it could pay off for when you hold an event with lots of foot traffic.
Find distribution channels. Now that you have your book, you’ll want to find venues for people to find it. One good choice is IndieReader, a site where readers can find original self-published titles.
Don’t forget marketing! Publishing your book is half the battle, so pay attention to distributing and marketing your finished product. If you’re personally handing it out to your colleagues and friends, marketing labor and costs will be low. If you’re trying to reach the masses, however, it’s important to obtain adequate publicity through marketing and advertising. Each self-publisher has professionals that will help you get an ISBN, list your book on various websites and push it to desired bookstores.

The self-publishing movement has just begun to take off, so identify your most valuable content and decide how you can package it in a way that highlights your organization’s accomplishments and appeals to existing and potential supporters.

Have you self-published a book? What was the experience like? Please share what you learned.

• Publish a successful ebook: 7 e-publishing services (Socialbrite)

• 6 business reasons for nonprofits to publish a magazine (Socialbrite)

• Self-Publishing at the Commonwealth Club of California (TheBookDesigner.com)

• Self-publishing Boot Camp

• Self-Publishing, Author Services Open Floodgates for Writers (PBS.org Media Shift)

• Blurb for Good: Make a Book, Make a Difference (GOOD blog)