Help & FAQ

How is my book marketed?

Our aim is to make each title easily accessible and attractive to widest range of readers and book resellers. Some of the things we do include.

• Standard assignment of ISBN number and barcode. The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) makes each book accessible to booksellers all over the world and includes it in the Books In Print database.
• Direct internet links and listing with major booksellers including Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Books.com. The more exposure our books get the better chance they will be sold. Once interested, customers can choose to buy the book through their favorite bookseller or directly from our internet site.
• Author royalties among the highest in the publishing business. More profit makes it more attractive for authors to promote their own work.
• Author discounts. Many authors want to purchase copies of their work for friends and media review. By providing a 40% discount, more books make it to those interested where they will be read and discussed.
• Searchable web pages. Each book has its own internet page that is accessible to all the major search engines so anyone can find each book on the internet.
• Instant access to electronic version. Download the Acrobat PDF version for instant access and browsing. Not only can anyone read excerpts of each book, but they can also see the actual layout and graphics before they buy.

Books, like most products, usually require continuous promotion to generate sales. And since the author has final control over the distribution rights, most authors consider additional marketing to promote their book. Even the largest publishers value an author's ability to promote their work. There are many things an author can do to market his or her work. Generally, authors that have frequent opportunities to talk and network with others interested in their work will generate more book sales.

How much money will I make?

A lot has to do with the promotional efforts of the author, their reputation as an authority, and the level of demand for the information contained in the book. We publish some academic dissertations that only sell a few copies. Other titles have sold 1000++ copies. Initial sales usually depend on the author's network of friends and associates, but ultimate success is determined by the size of the market for the work, the book's unique contribution, the quality of the writing, layout of the book, and how much publicity it gets. Many of our books sell regularly each period and earn royalties for their authors. However, authors serious about selling their book should design a promotional campaign to reach interested readers.

What else can I do to market my book?

One of the most effective means of promotion is a media review. Begin by asking readers to post a review at Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. Send review copies to journals and newspapers that address an audience that would be interested in your work. Start small and work your way up to larger media venues using previous reviews to solicit ones from bigger establishments. Authors may also be interested in approaching a publicist or marketing consultant to help promote their work. Regardless of how the marketing is approached, every author will benefit by knowing how to promote their book. Several excellent guides are available including: How To Publish and Promote Online by M. J. Rose and Angela Adair-Hoy, A Simple Guide to Marketing Your Book by Mark Ortman, and 1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer.

Distribution

Our comprehensive system makes your book available through some of the biggest book selling channels on the globe. All our books are made available through major on-line booksellers including Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, plus available to order through thousands of neighborhood bookstores. Paperback editions are manufactured on-demand at facilities in both the United States and England for easy access to overseas markets. Ingram Book Company, Baker & Taylor, and Bertrams in the UK are among the largest book distributors in the world that handle our titles. In addition, readers worldwide can purchase either paper or eBook editions directly from the Universal Publishers web site for instant access to your work.

Is my work protected by copyright law?

Yes, all our publications are protected under copyright law. You may register your copyright with the US Copyright office; however, registration is not a condition of copyright protection. See link below for details www.copyright.gov

Formatting Details

Submitting in Acrobat PDF format exactly the way you want it to appear in print will speed the publication process by several weeks.

Book Interior

File Format & Specifiations
We prefer submissions in MS Word or Acrobat PDF format. Our standard trim size is 5.5" x 8.5" with 0.7" margins all around. Use 11 or 12 point type. Minimize the number of fonts used for best results.

Image Resolution
Books printed on-demand are printed at laser printer resolution. Color images will be transformed to grayscale. Try to keep the number of bit mapped images to a minimum. Use simple, clear, high contrast images for best results. Resolution should be at least 300 dpi at actual size. Print each page with a graphic on a laser printer to be sure that it is legible. Our process will not enhance your images. Don't expect photos to look any better in the final edition of your book than they do when printed on your laser printer.

Creating Acrobat PDF Files
Even if you format your manuscript according to our specification above, slight changes in pagination, fonts and symbols may occur when your work is prepared for publication. To minimize this, you can also submit your work as a postscript or Acrobat PDF file. Submitting as a PDF file speeds the publication process because it ensures that no formatting changes occur when the files are prepared for reproduction. If submitting in Acrobat PDF format be sure to select the "embed all fonts" option in Acrobat Distiller or PDF Writer properties. Please contact us if you have any questions about formatting your manuscript.

Book Cover
The book cover is printed in full color.

File Format & Specifiations
Download Cover Art Spec Sheet (16k PDF)
Leave space for the ISBN/price barcode on the back cover.

Image Resolution
You may submit cover graphics for your book and an author photo for the back cover in TIF format, 400 dpi at actual size. (Image files for printing need to be higher resolution than for those made for viewing on the internet.)

Authors planning to submit cover art should consider how it will look as a small internet thumbnail image. Is it still legible when reduced to 120 x 185 pixels?

Corrections
Only submit the final edition of your manuscript with the materials for publication. Be sure to have several people carefully proofread the entire manuscript. Once the ebook proof of manuscript is posted only one round of minor changes and corrections is expected. The manuscript may be returned to the author for editing if extensive changes are required. Once the ebook proof is approved for publication by the author any changes to the book are costly and time consuming.

Submitting Large Files
Computer files can be sent to us on CD-ROM, Zip Disk or preferably -- from our special upload site