Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why get published with a Canadian publisher?
A: Canada is a country that promotes publishing as a cultural industry, and as a result is perhaps one of the best countries in the world to be a publisher and author. This proffers many advantages. For example, even though royalties are considered income (and you must declare them as such) publishers are not required to withhold or remit any income tax, and this includes authors from most other countries that have signed tax treaties with Canada regarding royalty income from publishing. This alone reduces significantly the administrative burden for both authors and publishers. Canadian authors also get preferential tax treatment for income derived from publishing (please consult your accountant or tax adviser for more information).
Q: But your books are printed in the United States?
A: Not always. We have the flexibility to use a wide variety of suppliers depending on the nature of your book and market conditions.
Q. Can I see a copy of your contract?
A: It is not our policy to provide our contract to authors until we have evaluated a prospectus and made a decision to publish. If we do, we will make a formal offer and provide our publishing agreement.
Q: Do you offer advances?
A: As a general rule, no. In fact we like to make the point to authors that advances are like 0% financing on cars. You are paying for that advance in the form of lower royalties, deferred future payments and a long list of chargebacks. Not paying out advances means we can offer royalties that are double or more the industry average, and can go as high as 50% in some cases.
Q: Can I use an alias or pen name?
A: An alias is traditionally used to protect the identity of an author when publishing controversial material or where it may adversely affect credibility. While we accept the use of pen names, you should have a very good reason as it will create problems promoting your book. Regardless, you must reveal your true identity to us for legal and tax purposes.
Q: Do I need an agent to be published by Acorda Press?
A: While we have no problems dealing with agents, don’t believe anyone that says they have privileged access to Acorda Press. We do not give any preference or priority to agent-prepared submissions.
Q: Will my book be available as an e-book? (Kindle, Nook, iPad, Sony Book Reader, etc.)
A: We love the idea of e-books, but we view this as primarily a market for low-cost impulse-buy titles that have a short shelf life. We are watching very closely how the e-book business evolves, and are prepared to jump in at a moment’s notice when we feel that our authors and readership will benefit.
Q: My book says it is out of stock on Amazon and other on-line booksellers.
A: Because we use a highly efficient (and environmentally friendly) print-on-demand business model for most of our titles, most orders through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other on-line booksellers can be fulfilled within 48 hours of ordering, so it does not make sense for them to keep any stock. If demand is high, we can manufacture traditionally and the distributor and on-line retailers will actually keep books in stock for next-day delivery, but we do not have any control over this.
Q: What is your position on Google Books and what are the copyright issues?
A: Google Books offers the same functionality as Search Inside on Amazon and other on-line booksellers. This is really no different than anyone browsing a book on a bookstore shelf or in a library. We see this as a way to augment book sales by allowing for book content to show up in search results, along with links to all of the major on-line booksellers. If the concern is about copyright, there is very little to be concerned about, as only a portion of the book is viewable, and copying and printing is disabled.
Our relationship with Google is really not any different than our arrangements with other wholesalers and retailers. It is entirely our responsibility to make your book available as widely (and as profitably) as possible.
Q: We have proof that our book has sold more than you reported.
A: There is an unscrupulous practice where unapproved proofs and individuals posing as reviewers are actually in the business of reselling books that they don’t pay for. This is something that is well known in the industry and we as publishers can’t do much about it except restrict the number of copies that don’t go through the normal distribution channel. All of our distribution sales are well documented and easy to verify.
Q: Why is my book not available in my local bookstore?
A: As with most specialty publishers, our books are rarely, if ever, stocked in retail bookstores. Since more than 65% of all book sales in North America are sold on line, we concentrate on making our titles available where the buyers are.
Q: My bookstore is willing to carry my book but they say they either can’t get my books or can’t deal with you directly.
A: Most bookstores will only carry titles under terms that are favorable to them, and when they can’t get it, they often make a lame excuse. We are willing to deal directly with bookstores when the order meets a minimum number of books. However we believe that our distributors are much more efficient and cost effective than we are at the order fulfillment business. We would rather stick to our core competency of book creation and merchandizing.
Q: How many free copies can I get?
A: We believe that the author should take some responsibility for their own promotional efforts. We grant a generous discount that covers our costs and provides an incentive to use promotional copies responsibly. In fact all of our authors order additional copies over and above the courtesy copies that are received as stipulated in our publishing agreement.
We like to point out that there is a lot of synergy between being an author and making appearances in professional events and this can drive not only book sales but appearance bookings. Our discount gives a lot of leeway to decide how much money changes hands depending on the venue.
We actually believe that giving out free copies can do more bad than good (see the question on reporting above), but a good discount usually makes everybody happy.
Q: Can you clarify copyright?
A: As publishers, we do not take over copyright of your work, and all copyright notices as they appear in the book, Library and Archives Canada Catalog, Books in Print directory and with the distributors always appear in the name of the author. You do not need to register your work in order to have copyright protection, but doing so can infer additional rights (punitive damages in an infringement lawsuit, over and above loss of income). Formal copyright registration is rarely required by courts of law in either Canada or the U.S. All that is needed is some kind of acceptable evidence that demonstrates the work was committed to paper on a given date. By default the publication date constitutes the official date of copyright in a court of law.
Since your work was probably committed to paper a long time before the publication date, you can still protect yourself without filing a formal copyright. Take your document and a self-addressed envelope (unsealed) to the post office, and have the clerk stamp your document at the same time as they cancel the postage. Only once it has been stamped do you seal the envelope. Then mail it to yourself and file the envelope away unopened. In the unlikely event you need to prove ownership in court, you can submit the unopened envelope as evidence of ownership as of the date of the mailing. (As public institutions, a post office cancellation stamp is valid documentary proof in Canada and the U.S.)
But always keep in mind that the rights are best served by those who are most capable of exploiting them profitably. Sometimes this is the author (or the agent), but most of the time it will be the publisher.