Re: 1st Author / Authorhouse
WOW! There was a great deal of specific information in those links, thanks for supplying them!
My book is targeted to a specific audience. 70% of K-12 schools in the US and Canada use a student database program called SASI ('sassy'), "School Administrator Student Information". This program, while functional, produces hideously ugly and inflexible reports. Report cards, schedules, rosters, progress reports etc. are printed in a Courier 10 font, field sizes for teachers' names and course titles are fixed and so long entries are truncated, etc.
Every SASI users conference I've been to has had people who have complained vociferously about the reports. Sometimes it's gotten ugly.
The parent company of SASI has offered a Report Writer module to address these issues but is asking $1,800. After our school spent well over $10,000 for the original software, I was incensed at being asked to spend more money to fix a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
Microsoft Access can easily produce school reports from SASI data, and my book teaches the Access 'newbie' exactly how to do that. I use a step-by-step approach and employ numerous screen-captures to guide the user, and include fully-functional MS Access databases.
I've been selling my book and database set in CD format for about two years at $99 a copy. I've sold 300 copies or so. This is how I've been able to afford Authorhouse. I also have some money left over for the next phase.
Recently I discovered a website that contained a list of all the K-12 school names and addresses in the US. I DO know that EVERY school in South Carolina is required to use SASIxp.
Fortunately I work in a school! We have a machine that will fold 81/2 x 11" paper, and a postage machine that will apply postage to envelopes. I've used students to help apply address labels and stuff envelopes, and we can usually do about 1000 envelopes in less than 1/2 an hour.
Once my book hits print, my plan is to have an attractive flyer printed up by Kinko's, and then mail them out to K-12 schools one state at a time.
The printed version of my book will sell for $29. World-wide, there are over 50,000 schools registered to use SASI.
Dare to dream! Selling one book at $29 to each of those schools, and settling for a 1/3 commission is still a nice chunk of change. Realistically though, if I sell a book to one out of every 10 schools I'd be happy.
Actually my primary goal is to provide a realistic alternative to my colleagues in education. I am SO ticked off that the SASI people are asking us to shell out extra cash for a problem that A) shouldn't exist and
B) they should have rectified for us, for free.
End of rant.
Thanks again for your feedback above!!
bk
