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Contact: Linden Gross
linden@lindengross.com

Empowering – and Publishing – the Writer in All of Us

It seems as if almost everyone wants to write a book at some time in their life. Fewer and fewer, however, are getting published. Those who do manage to find an agent – and then a publishing house – are in for a rude awakening. As soon as they adjust to the fact that they have just handed over all editorial control, they find that these days over-worked editors have limited time to actually edit. The average publicity push lasts just two weeks and consists of little more than sending out a news release to various media markets. Imagine walking into a bank and saying, “I want a loan for this great new product that I’m going to promote for 14 days and then put on the shelf.” You’d get laughed right out the door.

Author, editor and writing coach Linden Gross experienced firsthand the letdown inherent in so much of traditional publishing. When the Bend, Oregon resident wrote the first book ever published about the stalking of ordinary people, Warner Books placed it in the True Crime section of the bookstore, even though that would be the last place a stalking victim – or a professional dealing with the escalating crime – would seek information. And though 1.4 million Americans are victimized by stalking every year, the publisher managed to sell a mere 15,000 copies of the mass-market paperback. Though she had assembled (at her own expense) the media kits the publishing company sent out, in hindsight she realizes she should have assumed total responsibility for the rest of the marketing as well.

These days, the publishers’ buzz word is platform, which means that writers have to bring a built-in audience to the table. So in addition to writing, today’s author now has to handle the editing, marketing and selling of his or her own book, all  in exchange for a pitifully small advance and the promise equally small royalties. Gross found herself recommending self-publishing to the writers she was coaching. If they were going to do all the work anyway, why not reap all the profits?

Not surprisingly, self-publishing (also known as print-on-demand or POD) has become one of the hottest trends and fastest-growing segments of the publishing industry. According to Publishers Weekly, “POD titles have contributed to a 28% increase in the number of books published between 2000 and 2004 (from 140,000 to 180,000 titles).” Still, publishing one’s own work can be a daunting proposition, with thousands of dollars required to print and store a minimum number of books (usually a thousand or more). When Gross learned about Instabook, a patented print-on-demand publishing system invented by Florida printer/author Victor Celorio, she knew she had the answer.  With Instabook, writers can see their book in print for just a few hundred dollars.

To bring publishing back to the people, Gross launched Incubation Press in October of 2006. For $250, a writer receives ten beautiful copies of his or her pre-formatted book (more if it’s over 300 pages). The paperbacks are produced with quality paper and cover stock on a Kyocera Mita FS-9120 DN monochrome laser printer for text, a Kyocera Mita FS-C5030N for color pages (including children’s and photography books), and an Epson Stylus Photo R1800 inkjet printer for covers. Books are bound and trimmed by hand. Each subsequent printing of ten copies costs $100, with volume discounts available. (Extra charges will be incurred for different formats, glossy covers, extra graphics, color, or texts longer than 75,000 words.) 

Incubation Press also offers:

• Editorial services – including manuscript evaluation, writing coaching, editing, copy editing, research, transcription
• Graphics services – including formatting, Photoshop, book and website design
• Administrative services – including proofs, copyright registration and ISBN numbers
• Marketing services – including cover copy, media releases, collateral material
• Personalized journals with your favorite photo on the cover
• Handmade blank art books
• Unique, single-themed encyclopedias on the topic of your choice
• Classics in the public domain – personalized and printed for less than bookstore prices

Incubation Press allows the writer to remain in control throughout the entire process. As opposed to vanity presses that charge enormous sums for a myriad of services (none of which are optional) and hundreds of copies, with Incubation Press writers pay for only those services they want. And they can order as few as ten copies at a time.

That saves time, money and hassle. Giving a speech halfway across the country? Incubation Press will print up however many copies you need and drop-ship them for you. Don’t want to wait over a year for a traditional publisher – or months for larger, mass-production self-publishing operations – to get your book into print? Incubation Press can deliver in just a matter of weeks.

Whether you have that children’s book, memoir, family history, or collection of poems or recipes you’ve always wanted to publish, that manuscript you’ve been keeping in a desk drawer or the one you’re currently slaving over, Incubation Press offers affordability, convenience, speed, and personalized attention.