Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who owns the rights to my ebook?
A: As the author you own the copyright. However, if we are acting as Publisher, we have the publishing rights until the contract is terminated.
Q: How long does the process take?
A: Typically within 2 working weeks. Publishing to the bookstores varies, as we do not have control over the time between submission and acceptance.
Q: Should I use DRM (Digital Rights Management)?
A: It’s your choice, but we recommend against choosing DRM. It alienates your customers and doesn’t stop someone intent on stealing your ebook by stripping the DRM from it.
Q: Do I need an ISBN? Do you sell ISBNs?
A: Possibly and no. Neither Amazon nor Barnes & Noble require one. If you plan on uploading directly to Apple—which isn’t for the faint of heart—you will need one.
If we are acting as your publisher, we will supply an ISBN.
Q: Can I remove my book from the bookstore(s)?
A: Yes, simply contact us and we will process your request.
Q: Do I need to protect my copyright?
A: We’re not qualified to give legal advice, but the answer is “it depends.” United States law is such that copyright automatically attaches itself to an author’s original works. Registering your copyright, however, gives you some advantages should you need to go after someone who’s swiped your work and passed it off as theirs.
Q: Do I need to have my cover art ready before you can start work?
A: Ideally yes, but we can start work creating the ePub without the cover image if necessary.
Q: How much will I receive for a book sale?
A: You will receive 80% of the net revenue from a book, i.e. 80% of the money we receive from the BookStore after taxes and transaction charges have been accounted for. The amount taken by the BookStore tends to vary from around 30% of the cover price to up to 50%.
For example, a book sold in France on the Apple iBook store for €9.99 will incur 3% VAT (Luxembourg VAT) leaving €9.69; of this Apple takes a further 30%, leaving €6.78 of which the US inland revenue takes 10%, which leaves €6.10, the author then receives 80% or €4.88
Note: Prices are in Euro's. You can directly convert these to your currency
(currently (2012) €1 = $1.3(USD) = £0.8)
Q: When will I receive the money generated from my book sales?
A: We aim to send you your money 90 days post sale. We do this to allow for refunds and order cancellations. If the total sales value is less than €100, we send the money annually.
Q:Can my e-book have colour?
You can, but you should be aware that they will display as black-and-white on many e-readers, such as the Kindle and the Sony Reader. This is because these e-readers use E Ink. The plus-side to E Ink is that it requires less power, greatly prolonging battery life. The downside is that — at least for now — it can only display black and white.
Q: What are your hours of operation?
A: 9 am to 6 pm (London/Lisbon time), Monday to Friday. Mail sent outside business hours may not receive a reply until the next business day.
A: As the author you own the copyright. However, if we are acting as Publisher, we have the publishing rights until the contract is terminated.
Q: How long does the process take?
A: Typically within 2 working weeks. Publishing to the bookstores varies, as we do not have control over the time between submission and acceptance.
Q: Should I use DRM (Digital Rights Management)?
A: It’s your choice, but we recommend against choosing DRM. It alienates your customers and doesn’t stop someone intent on stealing your ebook by stripping the DRM from it.
Q: Do I need an ISBN? Do you sell ISBNs?
A: Possibly and no. Neither Amazon nor Barnes & Noble require one. If you plan on uploading directly to Apple—which isn’t for the faint of heart—you will need one.
If we are acting as your publisher, we will supply an ISBN.
Q: Can I remove my book from the bookstore(s)?
A: Yes, simply contact us and we will process your request.
Q: Do I need to protect my copyright?
A: We’re not qualified to give legal advice, but the answer is “it depends.” United States law is such that copyright automatically attaches itself to an author’s original works. Registering your copyright, however, gives you some advantages should you need to go after someone who’s swiped your work and passed it off as theirs.
Q: Do I need to have my cover art ready before you can start work?
A: Ideally yes, but we can start work creating the ePub without the cover image if necessary.
Q: How much will I receive for a book sale?
A: You will receive 80% of the net revenue from a book, i.e. 80% of the money we receive from the BookStore after taxes and transaction charges have been accounted for. The amount taken by the BookStore tends to vary from around 30% of the cover price to up to 50%.
For example, a book sold in France on the Apple iBook store for €9.99 will incur 3% VAT (Luxembourg VAT) leaving €9.69; of this Apple takes a further 30%, leaving €6.78 of which the US inland revenue takes 10%, which leaves €6.10, the author then receives 80% or €4.88
Note: Prices are in Euro's. You can directly convert these to your currency
(currently (2012) €1 = $1.3(USD) = £0.8)
Q: When will I receive the money generated from my book sales?
A: We aim to send you your money 90 days post sale. We do this to allow for refunds and order cancellations. If the total sales value is less than €100, we send the money annually.
Q:Can my e-book have colour?
You can, but you should be aware that they will display as black-and-white on many e-readers, such as the Kindle and the Sony Reader. This is because these e-readers use E Ink. The plus-side to E Ink is that it requires less power, greatly prolonging battery life. The downside is that — at least for now — it can only display black and white.
Q: What are your hours of operation?
A: 9 am to 6 pm (London/Lisbon time), Monday to Friday. Mail sent outside business hours may not receive a reply until the next business day.