As traditional publishers’ close door, co-operative ones open

Established business authors with book sales of over 100,000 are now being turned away by traditional publishing houses as they batten down the commissioning hatches further, with some even having their contracts rescinded, according to leading co-operative publisher Ecademy Press.

A recent statement by Ecademy Press reveals that at the end of last year, five published business authors, all with several books in print and three with sales in excess of 100,000 copies, approached them after having their new book ideas turned down by their traditional publisher. One author revealed that they had been offered a publishing contract but that it had then been rescinded.

Subsequently, all five authors will now be publishing via Ecademy Press and launching their books in the first half of 2009. Ecademy Press co-founder Mindy Gibbins-Klein believes that whilst the halt on commissioning by the big publishers may seem like bad news for authors, it is in fact a blessing in disguise as the benefits of co-operative publishing far outweigh those offered by traditional publishers.

“Traditional publishers are becoming much more risk-averse than ever and some like Houghton Mifflin have stopped commissioning completely. This is all great news for authors who want to see their books out quickly, make more money, keep their rights and control the entire process”, explains Gibbins-Klein, also known as The Book Midwife, who has personally helped over 100 business authors to write and publish their books.

Ecademy Press has published a number of best-selling business titles including BusinessWise, Bruce King’s How To Double Your Sales In Six Weeks and Simon Zutshi’s Property Magic, which still remains a top property title on Amazon.

“Cooperative publishers like Ecademy Press really are saving the day for these highly talented authors of excellent, quality business and personal development books that otherwise would not be published”, says Gibbins-Klein.

For more information please visit http://www.ecademy-press.com <http://www.ecademy-press.com&gt;

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Notes to Editor

Industry Facts: In December, Random House announced a major  reorganisation aimed at cutting costs, Simon & Schuster cut 35 jobs and  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced they were not acquiring new manuscripts at present.

About Ecademy Press: Best described as a co-operative publisher, Ecademy Press offers an affordable, high quality publishing solution for authors without the pressures and often long development times associated with mainstream publishing contracts. Mainstream publishers often focus on publishing celebrities and established authors and provide very few opportunities for new authors.

Ecademy Press was created by journalist and editor Andy Coote and executive communications strategist Mindy Gibbins-Klein a.k.a The Book Midwife. Both established writers and published authors, they wanted to make book publishing more accessible to new authors and to simplify the often fraught process of self publishing by taking on the technical aspects of publication.
All their books are digitally printed on demand, ensuring that a single book can be printed to order in a high quality edition at a very economical cost. They are all available to order via the Ecademy Press website as well as on Amazon and other reputable online outlets, or can be ordered from any good bookstore.

Publishing a book with Ecademy Press is extremely cost effective, with packages starting from as little as £1,000 GBP.
For more information visit http://www.ecademy-press.com <http://www.ecademy-press.com>  or for press enquiries please contact Jenna Gould on 01603 283 503 or email jenna@mediajems.co.uk.

Consultants advised to raise their literary game whilst market is down

As the city reports further job cuts, business experts at publisher Ecademy Press are advising consultants to radically up their game whilst the market is down in order to secure a winning position as experts in their field, before an influx of new consultants enter the market.

With reported job losses from the city set to reach 20,000 during this year and next, many of those facing unemployment will have a considerable set of skills and competencies with strong credentials to match, a combination which set them up well for a new career in consultancy, says Ecademy Press founder and business expert Andy Coote.

Coote predicts that the number of consultants is likely to soar in 2009, something which could be problematic for established consultants who risk getting lost in the haze of new entrants unless they act now to reinforce their positioning and credibility in the marketplace.

“Consultants across all sectors should be working now to build on their reputation and create a loyal customer base who trust them and will stick with them as the marketplace expands. We have found that many consultants have been able to achieve this differentiation through simple but effective marketing techniques, such as publishing a book”, explains Coote, an established business editor and author who co-founded Ecademy Press with executive communications strategist, speaker and author Mindy Gibbins-Klein a.k.a The Book Midwife.

 “Publishing a business book is an extremely cost effective route to market and encourages potential clients to literally try before they buy, getting a taster of your expertise without having to commit upfront to much larger consultancy budget”, explains Coote.

“Businesses simply wont risk spending their money on a product or services that they don’t fully trust” Coote says. “Being a published author provides a higher level of credibility, with clients more prepared to believe that consultants must know their subject if they have published a book on it.”

And whilst some consultants may be concerned with selling themselves out of potential consultancy work, Coote argues that publishing a book will actually improve their chances of securing higher paid contracts.

“If potential customers buy your book and like what they read, the hard sell has been done.” adds Coote. “Your book becomes a very potent reminder of what you can do for them. It only takes a few of your readers to come back to buy your services for you to start achieving a return on your investment.”

Ecademy Press offers an affordable, high quality publishing solution for business authors without the pressures and often long development times associated with mainstream publishing contracts. As a result, Ecademy Press business books can reach the market in as little as 12 weeks from initial manuscript. For further information please visit: http://www.ecademy-press.com/author.htm

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From zero to business hero with Publisher’s twelve week book challenge

Co-operative publishing house Ecademy Press has set business owners across the globe the challenge to get their book from manuscript to reality in just twelve weeks and for less than the price of a typical full page advert. With businesses continuing to feel the impact of the credit crunch, “many will have overlooked the positive impact that being a published author can have on their long term credibility and ability to gain valuable market share”, suggests Andy Coote, co-founder of Ecademy Press.

According to Coote, many businesses will now be revising their marketing and communications strategy in order to survive the downturned economy, with a large number looking to increase their advertising spend in order to raise brand awareness as others fall by the wayside.

However, this may not be the only way to achieve success in the long term and Coote believes that their valuable marketing budget could be put to much better use through writing and publishing a book, which could be in print within the same time frame as placing an advert in a magazine.

“Many publications have extremely long lead times and so businesses may have to wait several months before they see any return on their advertising expenditure. When you consider that you can publish a book in the same time frame and for a similar price, it is astounding that more businesses aren’t turning their efforts to getting their message out to their audience through publishing a good and credible book”, explains Coote, who founded Ecademy Press with internationally acclaimed ‘Book Midwife’ Mindy Gibbins-Klein.

“Being the author of a business book gives you credibility in your field, whether you are the CEO of a large multinational company or a self employed consultant. It can be used as a promotional giveaway at exhibitions or sold to attendees at a business seminar and you can be sure that it will be kept for longer than an issue of a magazine which carries the single advert you just paid thousands for”, adds Coote.

There are many other positive aspects to directing the marketing budget into publishing a book, including the fact the Print on Demand publishing reduces waste as books are printed exactly in line with demand.

“Many of our authors have been astounded at how fast, simple and cost effective it is to get their book into print – and on to online sites like Amazon. And the great thing about a book is that business owners, consultants and specialists across all sectors can create a lasting legacy that will help them carry their business and their brand not just through this turbulent time but for many years to come”, adds Coote.

Ecademy Press are currently welcoming submissions for business related books from all industry sectors. For more information on how to submit your idea or manuscript and for pricing please visit www.ecademy-press.com

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Press Enquiries:

Please contact Jenna Gould 01603 283 503 or email jenna@mediajems.co.uk