How to Extend your Victorian Terraced House

[Green and Teggin]

I am a local architect and I am in the middle of compiling a book of ideas for extending a Victorian terraced house. This book will consist of various case studies of different kinds/sizes of Victorian terraced house, showing different plan options (annotated) for each floor with photos or 3D sketches showing how these ideas would look.

I have had publishing offers from the RIBA (10% of book sales, they pay for all production and distribution) and Artifice (33% of book sales, but I pay 50% of publishing and distribution costs, which I think will amount to holf of around ?40,000 for 1000 copies). Neither seems that attractive. I am therefore turning to you to ask your advice. Should I go with one of the offers or do I risk it and self publish? One of the big questions is how many copies do I think will sell. There currently isn't anything else like it on the market.

What do you think? Do you think it will sell? Would you buy it?

Thanks for any advice.

[Townleygreen]

I'd post this in the Lounge as well, you'll increase your potential audience massively

[Green and Teggin]

Thanks Townleygreen, I will.

[adamc79]

I think it's a great idea. No idea about the maths or the merits of (self)publishing I'm afraid, but I would have bought a copy before I extended my Victorian terrace. Very happy for you to PM me if you want another case study.

[swquiz]

Based on what I know about the two companies, I would say RIBA is a better proposition.

I think your idea is suited to self-publishing since you have a very specific target audience, but I guess as an architect you'd want to do it in a relatively high-spec way, which could end up being costly for you.

I'd buy it if I could afford to think about extending my house!

[Ole]

I've worked in publishing. Most publishing houses offer 10-15% royalty for professional books such as yours. 40,000k for self-publishing for only 1,000 copies is far too much and if somebody is quoting you that they are making a massive profit. If you do self- publish you'd pay about ?10,000 for a freelancer and then depending on how many copies anything from ?5 per copy (litho printing) to ?50 copy (laser printing). If you have a RIBA offer go for that because they will also promote it whereas if you self publish, even if you self publish practically for free, that's where you will stumble. RIBA would get you into specialist and museum shops which no way you'd be able to if you self publish. I think your book is s great idea and likely do unexpectedly well. Try see if RIBA will go to 20% royalty to try to settle at 15%

[alex_b]

I'd go with RIBA the promotion and brand association seems well worth it. I'd also consider why you're producing the book: money, publicity for your business or professional standing? It would seem that being published by RIBA would achieve the second two elements far better than self publishing. I don't know enough about the economics of publishing to know which would be best for you financially.

[Green and Teggin]

Thanks for all your feedback. I haven't actually had a quote for self publishing. The ?40,000 is what Artifice say it will cost to publish. They ask me to pay half of this and then I get a third of all royalties, they keep a third and a third goes to the distributers. I think I am veering towards the RIBA, as you all seem to suggest. I may kick myself if it turns out to be a best seller.

[Ole]

Green and Teggin Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for all your feedback. I haven't actually

> had a quote for self publishing. The ?40,000 is

> what Artifice say it will cost to publish. They

> ask me to pay half of this and then I get a third

> of all royalties, they keep a third and a third

> goes to the distributers. I think I am veering

> towards the RIBA, as you all seem to suggest. I

> may kick myself if it turns out to be a best

> seller.

Best-sellers happen because of the amount of money thrown at the publicity. It doesn't matter how good your book is if nobody knows about it, and to publicise a book costs a lot of money. If you think that you would be missing out, ask Artifice how and where they will promote your book and what does their 'distribution' entails, and ask RIBA the same question and then see who is going to reach the people who are more likely to want to read your book. Also ask yourself who is your book aimed at and who is going to reach those people best - Artifice or RIBA?

[Green and Teggin]

Hi all

In case you are interested, I went with the RIBA deal in the end and the book was published last month. It's available on Amazon and at the RIBA bookshop, where it it discounted until this evening.

[hpsaucey]

Green and Teggin Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi all

>

> In case you are interested, I went with the RIBA

> deal in the end and the book was published last

> month. It's available on Amazon and at the RIBA

> bookshop, where it it discounted until this

> evening.

Congratulations.

What's the title??

HP

[Green and Teggin]

Thanks. It's actually just called - How to Extend your Victorian Terraced House. It looks like it's still on sale in the RIBA bookshop -

https://www.architecture.com/riba-books/search.html?searchterm=how%20to%20extend%20your%20victorian%20terraced%20house