FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Click on a link to jump to a specific answer — or scroll down this page to read all of them.
The very frequently asked ones have a red asterisk*.
1. Where are the details and costs of your services?
2. Is editing required in order for my book to be published?
*3. What royalty will I get?
4. Describe American Legacy Books. When was it established?
5. My book is already published. Will you help me to distribute it?
6. Should I use publicity first and then add marketing at a later time?
*7. How will I know when my books are sold? How will I get paid?
8. Do you accept every book and manuscript?
9. Am I required to use all of your services if I want only one?
10. Will I be able to publish my book using my own publishing company's name?
*11. Do I have to sign a contract or "rights" agreement?
12. How do I start?
1. Where are the details and costs of your services?
There are green buttons at the top and at the bottom of each page. Each has the name of one of our services. Click on each button to read the details and costs of that service.
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2. Is editing required in order for my book to be published?
You do not need to use editing even if we say that you need it. We will advise you, but you make the decisions. If you wish, your book can be published exactly as it is.
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*3. What royalty will I get?
Some publishers will allow you to choose a range from 10% to 20% of your retail price (the selling price of your book to your customers) for your royalty. In our system, you receive 20% to 60% of the retail price.
When any bookstore in America sells your book, they receive the standard bookstore discount of 40%. When we sell to those outlets, they get 40% and we get 15%. So, on those sales, you get 45%. When we sell to individuals online or at book conventions, we receive 40% and you get 60%. (Of course, you can sell to individuals and get 100%.)
Each wholesaler and distributor receives a discount of 55%. Why? They get that large discount because each sells to hundreds of bookstores on a regular basis. They give a 40% discount of the retail price to their bookstores and keep 15% (which totals their 55% discount). You want to give this huge discount to them because they buy a minimum of 100 books (to thousands) at one time.
Also see Question #7 for payments.
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4. Describe American Legacy Books. When was it established?
As far as we know, we are the only fee-based book publisher specializing in services for independent authors that has FULL FEATURES in every area of the book industry. Some companies will edit, design, and/or print your book. Others will put your book on a list so that many thousands of stores can find it. That's good. We do that, too, but that's not enough.
We have professionals who specialize in every service, such as professional book editors, graphic designers, printing experts, book publicists, marketing experts for book distribution, and a fulfillment staff for order-taking, sales processing, and related support services.
For example, not only can we list your book's information for over 28,000 outlet buyers to review, but we can directly contact purchasing agents and speak to them on a one-on-one basis about your book. Our marketing department has been doing this since 1994.
Also, we have developed very good relationships with key media contacts who do interviews for national and international television and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and online broadcasts. We will find out which ones are interested in the subject matter of your book. This work is done by our publicity department.
All of our services require fees before the services begin. They are not deducted from your sales.
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5. My book is already published. Will you help me to distribute it?
We will distribute any book that we judge to be acceptable regardless of who published it. Distribution is part of our marketing services.
Submit your book for a free evaluation or submit your book to start services now.
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6. Should I use publicity first and then add marketing at a later time?
You can use them separately and get great benefits. They are better when used together.
Publicity focuses on making your book known to the American general public through television, radio, newspapers, magazines, online sources, and book industry reviewers. Marketing (distribution) focuses on making your book known to bookstores, libraries, wholesalers, other distributors, schools/universities, government agencies, and other booksellers.
Publicity and marketing services are most effective if they are used at the same time because the overlapping helps both. For instance, your marketing expert will be presenting your book to purchasing agents who work for bookstores. The agents really want authors to have publicity because it makes the books more likely to sell faster.
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*7. How will I know when my books are sold? How will I get paid?
You receive 20% to 60% of the retail price of all sales. (See Question #3 above.)
• REPORTS: If you use any of our publication services, our marketing services, and/or our order-taking services, you will know your exact sales through our reports that are emailed either quarterly (every three months) or monthly. You will receive a quarterly report if your percentages total less than $250 per month. If they consistently total $250 or more per month, you will receive a monthly report. Each report details the quantity of your books that were sold to individuals, to booksellers, and to wholesalers/distributors during each reporting period.
• PAYMENTS: Payments will be made into your free PayPal account. PayPal deposits them directly into any United States' bank where you have an account. (We will show you how to set up a special PayPal account through us at no charge.)
Authors who do not reside in the United States are paid by business check with the required federal taxes deducted.
Payments are based on the total amounts collected for your book sales during the reporting period. Payment is made for the reporting period when that minimum is reached. Consistent payments to authors earning $250 or more per month will be upgraded from quarterly payments to monthly payments.
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8. Do you accept every book and manuscript?
We do not accept every submission. If the manuscript or book is seriously XXX-rated, racist, or contains content that we judge to be offensive, we will not approve it.
However, we are very lenient. Submissions can be very sexually explicit or even violent within currently accepted standards, such as those used by the movie industry. We do not have to agree with the contents in order to publish your book or provide other services.
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9. Am I required to use all of your services if I want only one?
You may use only one service or any combination of our services. You are in complete control.
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10. Will I be able to publish my book using my own publishing company's name?
There are advantages in being published under one of American Legacy Books' imprints, but you have the freedom to create your own imprint.
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*11. Do I have to sign a contract or some type of agreement?
We don't limit your rights in any way. You are not required to sign a royalty agreement that limits you to only 10% to 20% of your own book. There are no length-of-time commitments. Come and go as you please. There are no contracts that confine your decisions for your book's future.
We don't require you to click on online "CLICK-HERE-TO-AGREE" buttons that confirm your agreement to a legal document that takes away bits and pieces of what should remain yours.
We provide the security of working with professionals in every area of the book industry while you retain full control as the author!
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12. How do I start?
Please click here to learn how to start.
Please check this page frequently. Our responses are updated in order to remain current.
