MANKATO - Malcolm Carter couldn't wallpaper his office with publisher rejection letters like some authors. A lot of companies didn't even bother to respond to his inquiries.

And it's not like he and his wife, Michelle, didn't do their research. The Carters of Mankato had their manuscript of what would become "$7 an hour ain't no job: The Second Emancipation of the Black Race," which Malcolm Carter wrote and his wife edited. They knew their audience: the national low-income population, with a focus on black Americans. Both also had experience in business and marketing and knew how to push their product.

They researched publishers that specialized in business publications and other areas pertaining to their book's subject, which provides tips for breaking out of poverty and gaining control of finances. They also pitched specific angles, gave statistics about personal finances, discussed the uniqueness and importance of the book's subject matter, and offered ideas on marketing strategies.

But 18 months ago, after more than a year of continuous rejection, the Carters gave up on royalty publishers.

"I expected it to be really competitive because of the nature of the book industry right now. But I expected somebody to eventually pick it up," Malcolm Carter said. "What we've learned over time is if you are not already a household name or a celebrity, or you don't know somebody in the business, it's next to impossible to get published."

The Carters share their story with tens of thousands of authors nationwide every year. As the number of book writers increases - and the royalty publishers continue to narrow the market, focusing on books with potential for best-seller status - the number of rejections, or no responses at all, grows exponentially.

That's why many authors, including the Carters, opt to self-publish their books, a means of publication that has exploded in recent years. Now there are various ways to turn manuscripts into books, each with its benefits and drawbacks, on the authors' own terms and, unfortunately, on their dime.

Area authors who have traveled different paths of self-publishing have learned a great deal in their experiences side-stepping traditional publishers. Here are a few of their lessons.

From writer to teacher

Mankato genealogist and historian Julie Schrader didn't even attempt to query royalty publishers in 2001 when she completed her first book, "History of the Red Jacket Valley."

She knew her book had a narrow local audience and no national appeal. So self-publishing was Schrader's first and only thought.

"I realized this is very local. Nobody else is going to be interested," she said. "(But) I did feel there was a lot of interest in the area. I wasn't looking to make money."

Schrader decided to take a small self-publishing route, writing the book for herself - guided by her interest in preserving local history - and market it locally. With little experience in publishing, she researched and wrote the book, asked her son to do the editing, and hired Corporate Graphics Commercial in Mankato to lay out the book according to Schrader's specific designs.

She ordered 3,000 copies during its first printing to sell locally.

At first, getting rid of them all seemed daunting. Marketing, she said, was her biggest challenge

"That, I guess, was a bigger part of this than I realized going into it," Schrader said.

But Schrader pierced the local market. She held a book-signing at the Blue Earth County Library to get the word out, and The Free Press did a feature article about "Red Jacket Valley."

She got into Mankato's Barnes & Noble Booksellers and consignment shops. Because of the book's historical significance, the Blue Earth County Historical Society also helped push the book.

Following the book's release, Schrader went on to self-publish her most popular book, "Maud Hart Lovelace's Deep Valley: A Guidebook of Mankato Places in the Betsy-Tacy Series." The book received national recognition because of the broad appeal of the "Betsy-Tacy" children's books. And Schrader got her books into Partners Book Distributing Inc.

"(I learned) to keep working at it until you find the way to do it. Self-publishing isn't something to shy away from. But it's a lot of work," she said.

Schrader took what she learned and started her own home-based company, Minnesota Heritage Publishing, which assists area self-published authors with the process. As a publishing consultant, Schrader advises authors on everything from writing to layout to marketing, and she sells the books on her Web site, www.mnheritage.com.

Just do it

If you want to write a book, write a book. That's always been Eagan author Ross Bernstein's philosophy, and the Fairmont native has more than 30 books to show for it, mostly coffee table sports books.

Thirteen years ago Bernstein didn't attempt to go to a mainstream publisher for his first book, "Gopher Hockey by the Hockey Gopher," a satirical memoir from his perspective as the Gophers' mascot. He knew his book had a regional appeal and he wanted it published for a local market.

He also had experience marketing and knew he could push the book himself. So, self-publishing seemed like the best way to go.

"A (royalty publisher) didn't even occur to me. Because I really had no business writing a book," Bernstein said. "And now I've written 30 books," some of which were published through royalty publishers.

As Bernstein wrote more and more books, and was successful in his constant inquiries to newspapers, television stations and other media outlets, his name became better known in the book industry. Bernstein works with about five mainstream publishers, including Triumph Publishing out of Chicago, but continues to self-publish as well.

If Bernstein publishes his own books, his creative integrity remains intact. Also, many mainstream publishers are difficult to work with and give authors very little of the profits, he said.

"It's their nickel and they're going to say what stays and what goes," he said.

Still, Bernstein said, if an author, especially a first-time author, has the opportunity to publish with a big-name royalty company, he or she should pursue it. Royalty publishers handle everything involved in the publishing process for the author.

"A lot of people just don't know how to (self-publish)," he said. "Having a (royalty) publisher, they're going to hold your hand and walk you through the process. You write it, they edit it and re-edit it, publish, print and distribute it. All you have to do is show up."

But if a book doesn't have a broad market appeal, an author can achieve success by self-publishing, Bernstein said. All a person needs is $5,000 to $10,000, a good story to tell, a good editor and marketing sense.

"Then you're on your own," he said.

A costly endeavor

After the Carters found a print-on-demand company, Express Media in Nashville, Tenn., they were pleased to find out they could print copies of their book for just a few dollars apiece

But that just gets you boxes of books to give away as Christmas presents. What the couple hadn't figured, Malcolm Carter said, was how much money and time they'd have to invest in promotion.

"That's your biggest expense. Promotion of your book can cost $5,000 to $10,000," he said.

"You can send out 1,000 copies just getting your original reviews."

But marketing is an important part of the self-publishing process, he said. The Carters called bookstores of all sizes, mailed copies of the book to various media sources nationwide, got the book onto Amazon.com, and held public events such as lectures on the local level.

"Right now, as far as marketing goes, the money's going out steadily and the return on it is not coming back the same," he said. "We actually spend $800 to $900 a month to keep (the book) in front of people."

If Carter publishes a second book, he said, he'll probably hire a public relations firm to do the marketing for him.

The major advantage of self-publishing his book, Carter said, is no one restricted him on what to write. The message he wanted to publish remained intact, which is the most important aspect of writing a book, he said.

"The best thing is our ideas were put forth."

He only hopes more people will get to read them.

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Alternatives to main stream publishers

By Amanda Dyslin - Free Press Staff Writer<

If Harper-Collins turns you down, followed by every other royalty publisher big and small, you can always do it yourself. But first, it's important to know what options exist.

What is self-publishing?Self-publishing means authors are in charge ofeverything involved with their books, including writing, editing, designing, producing, funding and marketing. Typically, the author writes a manuscript, hires an editor to go over the book, and designs the book layout and cover using publishing software or hires a printing company to do so. The author then pays to print copies of the book through a printing company.
Benefits: The author has complete control over the book and keeps all profits from the sales.
Drawbacks: All costs are out of pocket, meaning several hundred to thousands of dollars. And if the author is lacking marketing skills, he or she can end up with boxes of books in the garage. Also, a stigma still exists in the world of book sales and marketing. Because anyone can print any book about anything, media outlets, booksellers and even readers are wary of considering self-published books.

What is royalty publishing? A royalty "mainstream" publisher - such as McGraw-Hill, Random House and Simon & Schuster - handles the entire process for an author. An author whose manuscript is accepted by a royalty publisher signs over most or all rights to the book. The company edits, possibly rewrites, designs and produces the book. Publishing companies may pay the author an advance fee for the book and the author receives a small percentage of the profit of each book that sells.
Benefits: All costs are paid by the publisher, meaning no financial risk. Mainstream publishers also have strong relationships with marketers, distributors, bookstores and various other sales outlets, which means maximum national exposure for the book.
Drawbacks:The author has very little control over the outcome of his or her book. The title and content may change. And if the book doesn't sell well in its first printing, the company may choose to cut its losses and not push to market the book further, which results in a new home in the dark corner of the book store. Also, the publishing process can take years if the publisher sits on the book, allowing it to gather dust in the warehouse if the company thinks there is no current market.

What is a vanity press? An abundance of vanity presses have popped up in recent years as royalty publishers have narrowed the scope of books they are interested in. Vanity presses are companies that aid authors by printing their books. Some vanity presses reject manuscripts, but generally, few are turned away. The press acts as a traditional publisher, except the company charges an upfront fee, usually several hundred to thousands of dollars, and the author pays an additional fee for each copy printed.
Benefits: Like self-publishing, the author has complete editorial control.
Drawbacks:Vanity presses are costly and the same stigma exists as with self-publishing. The author must also distribute and market the book.

What is print-on-demand? Print-on-demand is the latest craze in self-publishing, making it easy and cost-effective for anyone to publish a book. The same process applies as with self-publishing. The difference is in the printing of the book. One book at a time may be printed through print-on-demand services with such companies as Xerox and Kodak for the same price as printing a hundred books with traditional printers. Also, the digital printing technology allows a complete book to be printed and bound in minutes.
Benefits: The author has complete editorial control. The process is fast, simple and cost-effective. While most print-on-demand companies ask for an upfront fee for digital masters, editing and formatting services, it is usually much less than traditional printing methods.
Drawbacks: The book may appear amateurishly formatted and designed, and fees can run high depending on the company. Also some fee-based print-on-demand companies may control rights and receive royalties from the books sold on top of the upfront fee, so authors should be cautious about which company they choose.

What is author services? Author services is another branch of print-on-demand, but with perks. An author services company works with the author and ensures the book is exactly what the author wants, acting as a buffer between the print-on-demand company. The author gets some of the benefits of a traditional publisher - assistance in designing the cover, writing and editing - while staying in control of the book. After the book is printed, the company offers marketing plans, which usually includes shelf space in a bookstore associated with the company.
Benefits: Authors receive assistance with their books from start to finish, including marketing, the most important element. They stay in control of the book's content, appearance and number of copies printed, as well as where the book will be sold.
Drawbacks: Many companies offer these services at a high price. Turning your manuscript into a book, from the upfront fee to each fee paid for every service the company offers, can cost many thousands of dollars. These companies also rarely can provide national exposure.

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Self-publishing marketing tips from the authors

Take a look at your market. Who will buy your book? Does it have a broad or narrow theme? How much can you spend?

There are numerous questions to consider when self-publishing your book. Here are a few tips from experienced self-published authors.
Julie Schrader
* Seek advice from someone with experience.
* Do your research - know your audience and find out what marketing options you have.
Ross Bernstein
* Look at other books like yours. What makes your special? Push that angle.
* Speak with booksellers directly and ask questions.

Make yourself known.
* Print a small number of copies initially to lower cost. You can always print more later.
* Hire a marketing firm if you're inexperienced. Their effort and attention will pay off.
* Get as much press as possible and have a genuinely good product to push to them.
* Send out review copies everywhere, including a story pitch tailored to the coverage area of the mediasource, and follow-up with phone calls.
* Do as many book-signings as possible.
Malcolm Carter
* Write for content and to get your message across. If you're genuine, people will respond.
* Assess your finances. Know what kind of book you can afford to publish.
* Give yourself six months from the time of printing to mass mail review copies to media sources. Reviews are key to getting the word out.
* Research book distributors and try to contract with a distributor to get your book into stores.
* Do not cut corners on marketing. If affordable, contract with a marketing agency for your book.
* Find self-published authors and pick their brains about the process.
* Research the Internet. There are thousands of pages pertaining to self-publishing.
* Get your book on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, which accept most published books.