publishing questions
I received this email today. I thought the questions (and the answers!) were good enough to warrant public consumption, so here they are:
I've never used ISBN's, ISMN's, ICBM's, TGIF's, or MSNBC's. Hal Leonard uses them for their organization, but I don't write nearly enough music to need a numbering system -- the titles seem to keep 'em separate enough for me!
Ewww... tough one. I will say this: distribution is not going to help you early on. You stand to make a LOT more money by handling your own distribution for as long as you can stand it. It's not the distributor that kills your profit, it's the retailers that use them. Retailers will take 50% of the sale! So after printing, shipping, and the (hopefully) modest distribution costs, you're not making much on a set-per-set basis... you stand to make ALOT more by selling fewer, but keeping more of the sale... at least until your reputation as a composer starts selling the music by itself.
Yes, I bind my own music. I don't sell enough sets to warrant a print run with a printing company just yet... I begged, borrowed, and stole binding resources for several years until I got hold of a GREAT deal on a binding machine (thanks again, Eric!). I do know of two places in the Chicago area... Let me know if you want that contact info...
The publishing dream doesn't necessarily come together fast -- it takes patience and perseverance. My first Midwest Convention, I stood outside the UNLV booth with a portable CD player and a set of headphones, politely asking people who wandered by if they'd like to hear some new music. For every 5 people I asked, one would listen. I probably played my music for a hundred people in those 3 days. I sold ONE score that year. It starts out small, but every new opportunity buds from the last opportunity. Get your stuff out there so people can check it out. The best thing is for people to HEAR it -- get it performed as much as possible, and if possible, get it recorded. It doesn't have to be a perfect recording, just good enough that people can tell what the music is about. Build a website -- it doesn't have to be fancy, just easy to use and easy to get information. And you can never have too many friends -- meeting people and people meeting you is one of the best things you can do to promote your music. And you don't have to come off like a used car salesman to promote yourself. Just be honest, energized, and sincere -- what works in good music works in good personal communication too.
Hope that helps!
Jim
The only other thing I didn't mention in that email is that every small step in the right direction counts -- it's still progress, no matter how small. One of my favorite quotes is "Don't ever say 'I could have done that', because you didn't."
I've decided to start my own publishing company, and I was wondering if I could run a few questions by you:
1) Do either of you use ISBN's or ISMN's? Are they necessary or reccomended?
I've never used ISBN's, ISMN's, ICBM's, TGIF's, or MSNBC's. Hal Leonard uses them for their organization, but I don't write nearly enough music to need a numbering system -- the titles seem to keep 'em separate enough for me!
2) How would you reccomend finding distributors?
Ewww... tough one. I will say this: distribution is not going to help you early on. You stand to make a LOT more money by handling your own distribution for as long as you can stand it. It's not the distributor that kills your profit, it's the retailers that use them. Retailers will take 50% of the sale! So after printing, shipping, and the (hopefully) modest distribution costs, you're not making much on a set-per-set basis... you stand to make ALOT more by selling fewer, but keeping more of the sale... at least until your reputation as a composer starts selling the music by itself.
3) Do you bind your own music? Do you reccomend any store/company that binds 11 x 17, or do you do it yourself?
Yes, I bind my own music. I don't sell enough sets to warrant a print run with a printing company just yet... I begged, borrowed, and stole binding resources for several years until I got hold of a GREAT deal on a binding machine (thanks again, Eric!). I do know of two places in the Chicago area... Let me know if you want that contact info...
4) Any other important info?
The publishing dream doesn't necessarily come together fast -- it takes patience and perseverance. My first Midwest Convention, I stood outside the UNLV booth with a portable CD player and a set of headphones, politely asking people who wandered by if they'd like to hear some new music. For every 5 people I asked, one would listen. I probably played my music for a hundred people in those 3 days. I sold ONE score that year. It starts out small, but every new opportunity buds from the last opportunity. Get your stuff out there so people can check it out. The best thing is for people to HEAR it -- get it performed as much as possible, and if possible, get it recorded. It doesn't have to be a perfect recording, just good enough that people can tell what the music is about. Build a website -- it doesn't have to be fancy, just easy to use and easy to get information. And you can never have too many friends -- meeting people and people meeting you is one of the best things you can do to promote your music. And you don't have to come off like a used car salesman to promote yourself. Just be honest, energized, and sincere -- what works in good music works in good personal communication too.
Hope that helps!
Jim
The only other thing I didn't mention in that email is that every small step in the right direction counts -- it's still progress, no matter how small. One of my favorite quotes is "Don't ever say 'I could have done that', because you didn't."
1 Comments:
You're a smart little poptart, Jim!
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