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I really didn't intend to become a publishing company (... I wasn't looking for another job). Becoming Carico Press was just part of the maze of self-publishing. In very simple terms, one must become a publishing company to get an ISBN. The ISBN is that ten-digit number above the bar code on the back cover of every recently-published book. (*If you are really interested, more info on ISBNs is at the bottom of this article.) Becoming a publishing company is unbelievably easy! Simply select a company name, enter it on the ISBN Company's form, send in your $200 service-fee for your ISBN numbers, and you're in business as a publisher! The hardest part was selecting a name for my publishing company. One day I was writing books, the next day I was scrambling to find a name so I could order those numbers! After I understood how the ISBNs are used*, I decided I needed to find a name that would set my company apart from the other 58,000 American publishers, thereby making my books easier to find. I had a list of about twenty ideas, and after family input and then their vote, I ultimately selected "Carico Press" for the sole reason that there seemed to be no other publishing companies in America with the word "carico." (I guess it's kind of like "Farfigneugen" in the car industry . . . ) So what does "carico" mean? You tell me. I can tell you that we bought a new automatic washer in our apartment in Romania. That nice little under-counter washer was manufactured in Italy. One of the buttons that I must push is labeled "MEZZO" and "CARICO." Now I am a musician, and I know that mezzo means medium. But that left it wide open for carico's meaning -- fast, or slow? large or small? coloreds or whites? gentle or harsh? hot or cold? I did have a few printed instructions, but the page didn't even mention the buttons. So . . . I decided to put out a query to my E-mail friends back home in America. The answers to this E-query became like a 'funny' in Reader' Digest. The mystery unfolded:
So, one might understand after that little discourse why I chose the name, Carico Press, for my new publishing company that I didn't even know I needed. You will also notice that I am the president [and the vice-president, secretary, treasurer, historian, custodian, chief cook and bottle washer, and I'm also in charge of lattes and anything else it takes to run a company.] One last funny is that I found a website of a company back east which markets something called the "Carico Press" (a machine to smash used cardboard) - and when I E-greeted them and told them we shared the same name and stationery colors, I also asked why they called themselves Carico Press. Their answer: Carico means "transport" in Italian. Curious...what does that have to do with the button on my Romanian washer? If you're still with me, you can see that Carico Press is just Jean Conklin, dba (doing business as) Carico Press. The bottom line is that it sounds pretty, and it looks nice in print - in spite of the fact that I still don't really know what "carico" means! Not very profound is it? Hope I didn't pop your bubble! On the practical side, when I started getting really serious on these books, I investigated a number of different printing houses in the process of discovering just how I would choose to self-publish. (There are a bazillion options for authors.) I providentially found a company in Kansas which specializes in getting small authors' books in print. I figured I was in a little over my head on learning the entire industry just for one or two books, so I invested in her services to facilitate the process. (Take note: she was extremely competitive.) I actually did ALL the book composition and desktop publishing, and a good portion of both cover designs. Both volumes were camera-ready when I submitted them to the printer, so if there are mistakes, they are all my fault! The woman held my hand and instructed me along the way, helping me through the ISBN process and a zillion other mundane questions; and in the end, it was her responsibility to orchestrate and oversee the actual printing and then the distribution of for Carico Press. I am officially retired (though even I question that now), and I didn't like the idea of becoming married to a new job of shipping books. That is the part I am probably most pleased about, because whether I am here at my computer or sipping iced lattes on the Mediterranean (yeah, right...), I have the assurance that my books are being shipped in a timely and professional manner. So maybe my kids won't inherit a garage full of books after all! *The International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) are assigned by over 110 agencies for almost 150 countries. The United States has one distributor (yes...it's a monopoly). I like to think of the ISBN as a book's own "social security number", because every book's ISBN identifies one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition. It is the publisher's responsibility to assign individual numbers to his products. For your $200 processing fee, you get ten ISBNs, even though the self-publisher only probably need one (unless you are mad, like I think I was, and publish two books in 4 months!) If you are prolific, you can get an unlimited number of extra ISBNs within the first five years at no additional charge! (One might understand why it is pretty good business to sell ISBN's to self-publishers -- but it is NOT a wise idea to go this route.) It is the publisher's responsibility to register the Advance Book Information (ABI) form, which secures the book's listing in Books in Print. Books in Print is a reference tool listing books and book products published and distributed in the US by 58,000 publishers. Self-publishers who intend to market their books must have an ISBN and must register the book using the ABI. This is the heart of efficient marketing of products to booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors. Without an ISBN and an ABI, it is virtually guaranteed that your children will inherit a garage full of unsold books!
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Music in the Midst of Chaos
by Jean Conklin368 pages $16.95 |
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It Works, It Works, It Really Works!Life-Changing Truths Found Only in Christby Joey Duff and Jean Conklin168 pages $11.95 |
Order Now - Signed Books from the Authors ! |
