1. I have submitted my manuscript to several publishers, and was very disappointed to receive rejection letters from all of them. My friends tell me to consider self-publishing. How do I go about it?
Cheer up! Get your mind off the rejections - listen to a CD, water your cacti or make a fruit punch. Your friends may be right; self-publishing is a viable alternative. However, first make sure that you have the necessary financial resources. Prices can range from S$4,000 to S$8,000 depending on the number of copies, number of pages and format of the book. Distribution is usually charged separately. Think about how you want to distribute your book; are you going to sell it to your friends and relatives, or do you want to sell it through the bookshops? Other things you have to consider are the number of copies you want to print and the format of the book. You can then approach a self-publisher and discuss in detail how the book will be produced and how much they charge. The Word Press believes in giving non-obligatory quotations and can even provide sample layouts to allow you a better idea of how your book will turn out.

2. I am writing a novel, but am not quite sure how many words it should be. How do I count the number of words?
There is no fixed length for a novel, but in order for it to qualify as a novel and not a short story, 50,000 to 90,000 words is reasonable. You can use the "word count" feature on your computer (available in most wordprocessing software such as Microsoft Word) to help you along.

3. I've recently completed a 200-page self-improvement book and sent it to a publisher. Unfortunately, he rejected it, but offered to publish it under my own name for S$10,000. Am I being overcharged?
A conventional publisher has higher overhead costs than a self-publisher, and will have to charge higher fees. A specialised self-publisher, however, will be able to offer you a package deal which is considerably lower than S$10,000. Bear in mind that you will be able to retrieve these initial costs once your books start selling. Instead of the 10% royalty you receive from a conventional publisher, you will earn ALL the profit on every book sold. I would recommend that you give us more details about your manuscript - genre, book extent (size and estimated number of pages), number of copies to print... and we can give you a quotation.

4. What would a distributor do for me? I'm just afraid that after the books have been printed and my full payment made , they merely put them in the warehouse and let them die of natural death .
Before we even deliver the books over to a distributor, you would have signed an AGREEMENT, bounded by law, for him to distribute your books. It would be in his own interest to sell off every copy of your book.
1) He makes money only when you do. Why? Simply because he makes a commission from sales
2) His warehouse could use the extra space. He would rather clear his warehouse for new books anytime. So, he would see to it that books are sold at an alarming rate.   Land space is very expensive locally, he knows that too.
3) He has a reputation to upkeep to. He is only as good as the number of books he sold at book fairs, seminas and trade fairs.
Its a win- win situation here.
You win, he win
U sell, he sells,
U make $, he makes $.

5. I , the author , have the responsibility of delivering something of publishable standard to you first ... is that right?
We are the publishers and editors at The Word Press share that responsibility. That is also our job.
It would not do for you to run around in circles. If this is your first full length work, you could get lost without guidance.
You might need us to guide you through.
However, to do it on your own is going to be very, very tedious.
Thats why, for our initial reading, we would edit the manuscript twice and then write down suggestions for you to improve it.That's the way we go about it. Otherwise, you could be running around in circles with multiple rewrites leading to nowhere.
We have worked with new authors a lot of times.
Trust us.

6. How long does it take for me to see my manuscript go into print?
Unlike conventional publishers which could take up to a year or two to publish your work, we limit our production schedule to two months (maximum), excluding time spent to print. (Roughly taking up a fortnight), depending on their timeline.
As we choose our projects very strictly, we aim to publish only works of standard and calibre. And we assign individual editors to work on them, giving full attention to details. Thus, our works are edited most efficiently.

7. To provide more authenticity to my story, I intend to include the original map of Singapore Harbour dated circa 1826. Is it copyrighted?
The copyright for the material is only good for 100 years. Thereafter, it's free for all.
We can help you clear the copyright, if needed. Otherwise, we might do a map specially for it, based on the old copy. Of course, any cost for work that we commission out to the illustrators and artists, will be borne by us. Also, the application for the ISBN number will also be taken care of by us. So, you need not lose sleep over these minor but nevertheless pressing matters.

8. It seems like Singapore is too small a market to achieve reasonable figures ... I do hope my novel can reach even further.
It is quite untrue. Firstly, it depends on the subject matter and also, more importantly, the quality of the work. That is why we encourage writers to get out there to promote the book, in schools or community clubs, to reach out to a wider audience.
Also, our distributors will do the ground work for you, providing the overseas network, helping you to sell your books abroad.
All you really need to look forward to is to wait for the regular sales report that the distributor would provide. You could better keep track of your booksales that way.
Our distributors have an overseas network as well. For example, for the recent book, Parting - From Country to City, we had him distribute it to across the Causeway. This is due to the subject matter, the setting of the book - Malaya. Thus, selling the books in Malaysia and Singapore would be most relevant.
The distributors that we work with are well represented at many book fairs (the two local ones during the school holidays) , regional book and trade fairs, shows and seminars too.
We have put up our website and have also received overseas orders time and again. We help you to handle these direct sales, so you don't even have to worry about currency conversion, handling fees and postage. All you really should do, is plan your time for the seminars, talks and readings.

9. What are the usual sales enjoyed by your average author ?
Our books do enjoy brisk sales. The libraries would get two copies from you, but they normally stock at least five copies of any local title. Thereafter, they have always requested to buy more copies, directly through the authors, distributors or this website.
Libraries (As at 2005)
* 1 National Library
* 3 Regional Libraries
* 18 Community Libraries (9 located in shopping malls)
* 18 Community Children's Libraries (CCLs)
Our authors have continually enquired about the rates of reprint. This means that, their books are running out of stock, and there is going to be a new imprint. For the second time around, it would definitely cost a lot cheaper since the major cost of colour separation would have been done previously.
Authors who have done their second book or reprinted with us include Dilip Mukherjea, of Braindancing, Ho MengJang of Sweet Pleasure (Pals Like Us) and K K Cheong (Tiger Club). We have gotten so many great responses for their books, through emails, phone calls and even word-of-mouth.
Also, our authors have been kept busy with their new writing projects even when their first book is out. This is most reflective of their brilliant sales figures and of course, literary success.

10. How do I write to an author?
You should email to the author through us. Enter the "Author's Name" under the heading or subject when you e-mail us.
Unfortunately, we cannot give out authors' e-mail or postal addresses.