BACK COVER | INSIDE
by Barbara Florio Graham
Published in 2001
76 pages
8.5" x7"
Contact

Date of birth?
Dec. 23, 1934.

How do you decide the price of your books?
Pricing books takes careful calculation. You have to balance what you feel is a good "price point" for buyers against the actual costs of production. If your book is one with a limited audience or will be out of date in a year or so, chances are you won't recoup your costs with subsequent printings, so the initial price has to be high enough to cover costs plus a small profit. "Musings/Mewsings," however, has a huge potential audience, since the humor is suitable for all ages and cats are now outnumber dogs as pets.

I noted prices of other humor books of similar size ("Musings/Mewsings" is 80 pages), and priced accordingly, adding "extra value" in the laminated full-color covers and removable centerfold poster.

What goes into choosing a cover? Back cover blurb?
I had a concept for the cover of this book which I then presented to my designer, who refined it beautifully. I wanted to reflect the "back-to-back" aspect of the book, since "Musings" is written by me and "Mewsings" by my cat. So Simon Teakettle's black cat image is superimposed on butterflies on the front cover, and the back cover has a butterfly superimposed on cats.

There is no back cover blurb, and instead of using the inside covers for this purpose, I used the back of the title page to introduce both Simon Teakettle and myself, as well as to provide credit info, ISBN number, etc.

What's your editing/refining process?
I've had a great deal of experience as a writer and editor, but I still used a friend who is a professional editor to obtain a more objective opinion on what should and should not be included (this was tricky because the two sides of the book had to balance), as well as for her ideas on spacing, page design, etc. We met regularly, and went over her initial proofs both separately and together several times.

What was your print run and how much did it cost? How did you raise the money to publish?
My initial print run was 1000, as that was the most economical number, with no further price break for a larger quantity. The cost of printing, including laminated covers, 500 matching greeting cards and 8000 laminated bookmarks, was just over $5,500. Editing and design costs, plus postage for the initial distribution to 100 contacts, brought the total to about $7,500.

What have you done to promote it?
I took a creative and unconventional approach to promotion and distribution. Bypassing the big chain stores and distributors, I enlisted relatives, friends and colleagues across Canada and the U.S. to approach independent bookstores, distribute bookmarks, and show the book to friends.

Using my background and expertise in publicity (my second book, the next edition of which will be published in 2003, is "Five Fast Steps to Low-cost Publicity"), I invited local friends and media to a book launch where I promised that Simon Teakettle would appear. I then followed that up with media releases, selected "exclusive" tidbits to media personalities, Valentines to media (photocopies of Simon's centerfold poster with heart stickers added), as well as personal appearances to writers' groups, schools, and independent book stores.

How can people get your book now?
Copies of "Musings/Mewsings" can be ordered by mail directly from me, by sending a check (U.S. or Canadian dollars) to B.F. Graham, 200 Charles, Gatineau, QC J8P 3X4, CANADA. Single copies (which include the removable centerfold poster and two bookmarks) cost $15. Two copies to the same address: $25., and further reductions on larger orders. Right now I'm offering a holiday special. For an additional $2, I'll gift wrap the book(s), add a cat-themed gift tag and include a "Musings/Mewsings" card with holiday greetings (please specify Christmas or Season's Greetings).

What will you do differently next time, if anything?
This book just won a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers' Association, and has been featured on Canada's Animal Planet TV show, so I'm not sure I'd change a thing!