Dandelion Digital Distribution

Dandelion Digital for your book project

Dandelion Digital enables authors to self-publish their books, from manuscript to finished copies on sale in the shops.

You are the publisher, so you're in charge. We will never ask you to sign away your rights or give away your copyright.

We provide all the services necessary to publish a book in print, ebook or audiobook. You can choose to use as many or as few services as you need. You only pay for what you use.

Menu of services:

Design and Production

1. Editing, to polish up the text and prepare it for typesetting
2. Proof-reading to eliminate those little mistakes and slips-of-the-pen.
3. Design and typesetting to transform it from a manuscript document to the pages of a book or an ebook
4. Cover design — so your book stands out in a commercial world
5. An ISBN to make your book available to order from all good bookshops

Sales and Distribution

1. Metadata — we help you create the blurb and descriptions that will sell your book to potential customers. We generate an ONIX feed to deliver that information to retailers.
2. Pricing — we can advise you on using prices to maximise sales
3. Distribution — getting the book on sale all over the world
4. Marketing — telling readers it's there, DIY or with a bespoke campaign
5. Dedicated author website — tell your readers about you, sell your books online with affiliate links, and write your own blog.

If you are already a publisher and would like to do more with your books in ebook or audiobook format, talk to us about Dandelion Digital's sales and distribution agency.

Things to consider when deciding to publish a book:

The questions — click on the links

1. Who is your book for?
2. How will you publicise it?
3. How long is it your book?
4. The format: printed book, ebook or both?
5. Will the book make money?

The detail

1. Who is your book for? People have many reasons for publishing a book. Knowing who your book is for, will help you decide on the best approach for your book. The nature of your audience will determine which is the best approach for your book.

• Friends and family - do you have a story you need to share with your children or keep for the future? A personal and informal look works well for a book like this eg MY HAND IN HIS by Joy Devis.
• Your business contacts - is your book useful for your clients or customers? do you have speaking engagements where you can sell copies, or give it a plug? If so, it has to look authoritative and contemporary. eg FAST COACHING by Nick Drake Knight.
• The general public - does your book have a wide appeal, so that anyone interested in the subject could enjoy it? A book for commercial circulation needs to have a very professional and commercial look that will stand out from the competition eg INTERLOPER by Kim Erin Cowley.
• A niche interest group - are there people passionate about your subject who would buy a book on it from you? - are you an expert, or a well known name in the field? eg THE BOOK OF TRUTH by Maria Divine Mercy.

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2. How will you publicise your book? For the book to be a success, people need to hear about it, not just from you but from other people too.
• Do you have lots of followers on social media, who might buy the book? Many authors use Facebook, Twitter and blogging to expand their audience, and tell people about their books.
• Joy Devis put information about her book, MY HAND IN HIS, in her Christmas cards, so her family and friends could order it in their local bookshop. Even if your book only has a limited audience, its details can be circulated around the bookshops so readers can go into any shop and order it.
• Do you know people who would review the book online and recommend it? These can be friends and contacts, or impartial professional reviewers.
• Do you have plenty of contacts you can tell, or invite to a reading?
• Where can you publicise the book, where interested people will see it? Sometimes local adverts and flyers will help
• An event to launch the book can boost initial sales. A book reading or signing session for potential readers and reviewers is often popular. This is especially suitable for paperbacks and hardbacks but can also work for ebooks, with a little thought.
• Books do not sell themselves, and the more marketing you can do, the more successful the book will be.
• We can help by building a marketing campaign tailored to your book and your budget.

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3. How long is your book?
• The longer it is, the more expensive it will be at every stage of its life — editing, typesetting, printing etc.
• Shorter books are more affordable to produce, and therefore can be competitively priced in the shops.

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4. The format: printed book, ebook or both? Books sell best when readers have a choice.
• Just ebook? This is the cheapest and easiest option, and many books are published only as ebooks. Dandelion Digital's core business is creating and distributing ebooks to retailers like Amazon, Kobo and Apple iBooks and more.
• Print too — it's easier to catch the attention of readers and reviewers with a paperback or hardback, and some readers just love the smell of a new book. If you plan to sell your book yourself, you're going to need copies. Print-on-demand means you can order just the number you need, without having to invest in hundreds of copies up-front, or find somewhere to store them. Print on demand books are available to order in bookshops.
• If your book has a wide enough appeal, and our sales reps love it, we can get it on the shelves in bookshops. We can arrange large or small print runs for you, at competitive prices.
• What about an Audiobook? Audiobooks have never been more popular, and many books are published simultaneously in audio alongside print and ebook. This gives the reader another format to choose from and boosts sales.
• Dandelion Digital works with experienced but affordable studio partners to facilitate high quality recordings. You can see your audiobook on sale in online retailers and in libraries, via the Dandelion Digital distribution agency.



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5. Will the book make money?
• If you can convince several hundred people to buy a copy of your book, then you will make a profit. How successful your book is will depend partly on the subject matter, but mostly on how well you publicise it.
• If you publish several books, and promote them well, and develop a following, then you should see a good income from sales.
• Publishing is a competitive business, and very few authors make a living solely from their writing. If making money is your reason for doing it, then perhaps think again!

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We are always excited to hear about new book projects. We would be delighted to talk to you the options, do give us a call.