Publishing Comparison

Features	Self-Publishing	Union Square Publishing	Traditional Publishing
Strategic Planning	Author makes all decisions or outsources additional support	Authors become part of our Algorithms for Success trademarked Ecosystem which establishs the best future for the author and title	Publisher takes over and makes all decisions
Relationship	Authors are a customer	Authors are a valuable partner and an important member of the publishing team	Authors are sometimes treated as a partner
Rights	Author maintains ownership and control of Intellectual Property rights	Author maintains ownership and control of Intellectual Property rights	Publisher maintains the Intellectual Property rights
Design	Authors assume all cost associated with design	Our design team creates a custom front and back cover and interior for each book	Books are given a custom designed interior and cover
Editing	Authors assume all cost associated with editing	Authors provide a fully edited and proofread manuscript that is analyzed and edited internally to ensure quality. However, we have editors and ghost writers available to help as needed	Publisher takes over editing and final manuscript content and quality
Printing	Authors assume all cost associated with printing.	Printing costs covered	Printing costs covered
Publishing Costs	A’La carte costs for each service	Offers various publishing cost packages	No Publishing Fee charged
Timing	Books are brought to market usually in 3-6 months or sooner	Books are brought to market usually in 3-6 months or sooner	Books are brought to market usually in 18-24 months
Purchase Requirement	Author is expected to purchase copies to sell to the general public	No minimum purchasing requirements	Major houses require authors to purchase 5,000+ copies upon its release, usually at a 50-60% discount off retail
Bookstore Distribution	No Bookstore distribution and limited online availability	Full Bookstore Distribution both online and off	Full Bookstore Distribution both online and off
Author Book Discounts	20%-65% off retail price depending on format and quantities purchased	Author may purchase books at print cost plus a percentage with volume and quantity discounts	Typically 50% of retail price and typically limited to a certain amount
Royalties	20% to 100% of net sales, but typically a $10,000-$15,000 cost	20-30% Royalty across the board of Net sales, Paid quarterly	Average of 4% to 15% Royalty, depending on mode of sale and is typically based on Net sales, paid twice a year
Advances	No advances paid	Small advances paid	Average advance of $1,500
Return Rate	Typically sold on a non-returnable basis and are not available in bookstores	Average of less than 25% bookstore return rates which are then restocked for resale, offered to the authors.	Average of 45+% bookstore return rates which are usually shredded for the tax benefit
Public Relations Support	No PR support is provided	Marketing team advises on publicity and marketing strategies	Unless author is one of the top 6%, no PR Support is offered
Marketing	No Marketing plan or budget is offered	Co-operative advertising may be made available on a per book basis	Unless author is one of the top 6%, no Marketing Budget is offered
Continuing Education	Typically no or expensive continuing education	Partnership with Algorithims for Success Ecosystem to help with the business behind the book.	No Continuing Education