How does Robert D. Reed survive as owner of a small publishing company for over 40 years and keep going?
“To make a better world one book at a time.” * Perhaps this motto and high ideal helps explain why Bob Reed, owner of Robert D. Reed Publishers, has managed to thrive in the challenging and highly competitive industry of book publishing. He chooses books that help, inspire, and empower people, and has nearly 1800 books to his credit after over 40 years of publishing. At 67, he is still going strong and has no plans of retiring.
THE PROCESS OF PUBLISHING A BOOK: Getting a book to the public begins with accepting a manuscript. After a contract is signed, work begins in earnest with jobs assigned at stages. Editing and proofreading begins; bar codes, ISBN numbers and Library of Congress Catalog Card numbers are assigned; and the book is designed and typeset while simultaneously the graphic artist designs a book cover and prepares promotional materials. The authors are involved throughout the process and are required to approve changes and design decisions before printing.
Materials are submitted to sales reps, advance review copies are sent out, and marketing postcards and news releases are printed. Each title is submitted to the distributor’s website, to Bowker’s Books in Print, and put on the publisher’s website, www.rdrpublishers.com. One exciting day the book is sent to the plate-maker, printer, and bindery, after which proofs are sent for approval before final printing and distribution.
More earnest marketing is set in motion. Bob is responsible for managing the inventory, shipping, accounting and collections, and paying of royalties. He continually coaches his authors on how to best market their book because the most successful authors are those that participate fully in the promotion of their own book(s).
WHY AUTHORS LOVE BOB: Spend just one day with this man and you’ll know. Call Robert D. Reed Publishers and your first surprise will be to hear him answer the phone. That is just the beginning of very personalized service by a man of integrity, honesty, and trust. Many writers left a large publishing house just for the great service he gets from Bob.
The emphasis throughout the production and marketing process is to make sure that the authors pass “the couch test.” This means that when they lie down on their couch, close their eyes, and think about their book, there is not one tiny element of their book that they wish were different. They feel totally confident and proud to promote their book. Bob also emphasizes that everyone has fun and even has a clause in the contract that says, “The author and publishers will work hard to have fun promoting the book and keep each other enthusiastic about marketing it. Suggestions and comments are to be exchanged on a friendly basis at all times.” Is it any wonder his authors love him?
No matter what problem the author might be having, Bob gives it his immediate attention. He is always available. Even when on vacation, he has his laptop and cell phone with him. He has made deals on words alone, dealing with the paperwork later, and on occasion has even sent out a book the very same day to a customer with the promise she will simultaneously put the check in the mail, trusting the money will show up. Once you get a contract with Bob, you can expect your book to be published in months, not the years that the big publishers require. He is a friend and coach to his authors, and all his vacations include dinners out with those in the area he’s traveled to.
HERE ARE SOME FACTS ABOUT THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY: There are only a handful of large publishers, a few hundred medium-sized ones, and over 80,000 small and self-publishers.* With 78% of new titles coming from all those small presses but almost 90% of sales controlled by the top 10 publishers, it takes creativity, commitment, and courage to thrive as Bob has. Add to this the dizzying array of steps involved in the publication of each book, the various challenges of the industry itself, and the decline of book sales in general, his success becomes even more inspiring.
One thing that is not a challenge is finding manuscripts. There are over six million of them making the rounds at any time, and 81% of the population feels they have a book inside them. Bob receives hundreds of them in a year’s time, but only finds about 25 that fit his criteria to be published.
MORE DOOM-AND-GLOOM FACTS: After all the work or publishing and marketing a book, one has to face the fact that 40% of all books manufactured never sell, and returns are a big problem. Rising costs for shipping, storage, fulfillment fees, and paper prices, along with high discounting and more middlemen, are on-going headaches. Competition with Amazon and an over-crowded market with a glut of new titles (170,000 to 200,000 every year) necessitate aggressive marketing strategy.
Once a book is on the market, who might buy it, or not? Women buy 68% of all books sold and people over 55 buy more than one-third of them. But sadly, 58% of all the adults in the US never read another book after high school, and even 42% of college graduates don’t crack a cover after graduation. The used-book market is expanding, cutting into revenue for both the author and publisher, and book sales are declining in general due to heavy media competition for leisure time. Independent bookstores are folding at a high rate, especially with online competition taking a greater share of the market.
LIFE IS A GAMBLE AND BOB KEEPS PLAYING THE ODDS: Though small publishers may not hold a large share of the market, they are not to be ignored. The big, mainstream publishing houses are always watching them, looking for good books to make their own. A movie may come out of a small publishing house just as well as a large one, and it is opportunities like that that keep Bob excited about his work. It’s not the money that makes his work “the juice of life.” It’s the unknown, exciting surprise that may be waiting around the corner, as well as all the wonderful, creative people he has met over the years through his work.
Bob loves his work and the freedom of being his own boss. He calls it “psychic income” – the ability to choose how he spends every minute of his day. He has no board of directors to report to and no corporate powers guiding his decisions. He may bear all the risks, but he also reaps all the rewards. He has to be creative and daring; and creativity, especially of a humorous nature, is his middle name. Working as a marketing consultant, he once nearly doubled the sales for a fragrance company by announcing their newest fragrance in a pizza box – “Get it while it’s hot.” They don’t call him “Idea Man” for nothing.
A MAN OF MANY CAUSES: Though Bob’s focus nowadays is publishing, he has had a full life involved with a wide variety of causes. Born in Pennsylvania, he spent his adult life in California prior to moving to Oregon five years ago. In California, he founded a public relations firm that represented and promoted socially and environmentally responsible causes and organizations. He co-founded CeaseFire, a grassroots organization that advocated for ending gun violence in our communities. He has lectured and given seminars on publishing and social issues, including effective ways to assist the homeless. Once he published the We Care Cookbook with the proceeds going to feed the hungry. Through this mission, along with the CARE FOUNDATION, millions of children were fed a meal, 300 meals for every book sold. Bob even produced a Japanese television show on world peace. What can’t this man do?
These days much of Bob’s philanthropy stays close to home. He generously supports all the fundraising auctions and benefits in his community of Bandon, Oregon, and has been known to give a kid selling cookies $20 for their cause without buying any cookies. He loves to travel with his wife Cleone and has close ties to his three children and six grandchildren. Bandon and nearby Coos Bay/North Bend are blessed with many small theaters and a variety of cultural and artistic events that enable Bob to thrive in this out-of-the-way little tourist town on the Pacific Coast.
WHAT DOES BOB LOOK FOR IN NEW AUTHORS: Having a platform is a necessity in today’s glutted marketplace. Bob appreciates authors who are passionate and driven to be out on the speaking/workshop circuit, have dynamic radio/television personalities with powerful catchy sound-bite messages, and are internet-savvy in marketing their message. And of course he wants books that embrace his mission: “To make this a better world one book at a time.”
HIS BOOKS AND PRODUCTS REFLECT HIS VALUES: There are close to 200 titles in Bob’s current online catalog, with categories including recent titles, business/financial, health, spiritual growth, psychology, self-help, for/about children, fiction, non-fiction, and of course, humor. See www.rdrpublishers.com.
QUANTITY DISCOUNTS: What many people probably don’t realize is that they can contact a publisher directly (at least this one!!) and order books at a quantity discount and get amazingly quick and friendly service. Bob can be reached by email at 4bobreed@msn.com and by phone at (541) 347-9882.
Kate Rakini & Cleone Lyvonne
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