Thornton Publishing and Books To Believe In
website of publishing resources

Profitable Book Publishing

Publishing is the easiest milestone in a book's lifespan. Understand the 4 major possible ways to publish your book and the pros and cons of each. Learn how to hire literary agents, editors, graphic artists, web designers and get publisher's interested in your project!

The Basics of Profitable Publishing by EJ Thornton


Click here to read
the free online version of
Profitable Book Publishing



Free Publishing Resource:
Read EJ Thornton's column at
Denver Publishing Examiner.com

Thornton Publishing is a mid-range publishing house located in Colorado.

With imprints of Books To Believe In and Profitable Publishing, Thornton Publishing has been practicing its trademarked version of publishing called Partner Publishing™ since 2001, publishing over 200 books and selling thousands and thousands of these books. The owners are also authors having written over 20 titles between them and selling hundreds of thousands of copies of those books. Teaching a primary focus of partner publishing and a free class explaining partner publishing comparing it to the other methods of publishing can be found at: EJ Thornton's teaching website.

Books to Believe In created the Rocky Mountain Writer's Summit which is the premier author educational event in Colorado. This event brings in dozens of experts attracting hundreds of authors who want to learn how to get their book further down the publishing path.

Accelerated Book Marketing's Tip #52:

Basic Book Marketing Reminder:

When designing the author s page in the back of your book, use your name (or pen name) in the heading.

Your goal is to be read and remembered. About the Author is very forgettable, About EJ Thornton is the beginning of the effort to create name recognition!

Accelerated Book Marketing - the fastest way to get your book into your reader's hands

If you are not yet well-known and no one knows the title of your book - then your future customers aren't searching for you on the Internet. How do you get them to discover your book? It's easy. The concept is called Associative Marketing and publishers have been using it since time began to sell books.

Advanced Book Marketing by EJ Thornton

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read a selected chapter from
Accelerated Book Marketing




Free Publishing Resource:
Listen to the free class teaching
authors about Partner Publishing™.

Very Valuable Book Marketing Resources

Advanced Book Marketing - A publisher's secret for selling more books

EJ Thornton

EJ Thornton has published hundreds of books for over 100 authors and knows the ins-and-outs of the publishing and marketing business. Let her teach you the most effective tool on the book selling scene today - a little something she calls 'Associative Marketing'...

ISBN:0982083866

1001 Ways to
Market Your Book

John Kremer

A classic book marketing reference for the self-published author who need innovative ideas when it comes to book marketing both traditionally and in cyberspace.

ISBN:091241149X

A Simple Guide
to Marketing Your Book

Mark Ortman

What an author and publisher can do to sell more books is a complete source guide for marketing including information on distribution and creating a demand both in the brick and mortar bookstores and on the Internet.

ISBN:0963469940

The Frugal
Book Promoter

Carolyn Howard Johnson

We recommend this book despite its subtitle "How To Do What Your Publisher Won't" because it is terribly misleading. Any author should do everything in their power to promote their own work whether or not their publisher is taking an active role, it is the author's responsibility to market their book.

ISBN:193299310X

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More resources for publishing books

Before you can make your book a best-seller
It has to get published
These publishing books will show you the way!

The Basics of Profitable Publishing

EJ Thornton

Used as a text book for over a decade in publishing classes all over Colorado, Idaho & Nebraska. This book explains publishing terminology, publishing choices, what the author has to do whether they decide to self-publish or commercially publish their book.

ISBN:1932344500

Publishing Possibilities

Cheryl Pickett

If you're blanketed in confusion over possible publishing options, this book presents an overall explanation publishing choices and possibilites.

ISBN:0615260802

Putting Your Passion Into Print

Arielle Eckstut & David Sterry

Eckstut & Sterry interviewed publishing insiders " agents, editors, authors, & booksellers; real-life publishing success (and failure) stories; sample proposals, object lessons, queries, resources guide, etc.

ISBN:0761131221

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher

Peter Bowerman

How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living is not only the subtitle of this book, but something most authors dream of doing. Here is your roadmap! Write once & prosper...

ISBN:0967059860

Before they can become bestsellers
They have to get written...
Here's help!

So You Want To Write A Book

Othniel J. Seiden

Colorado's most prolific author shares his techniques for writing his books, fast, effectively and profitably. He shares his experience in both the commercial publishing world and the self-publishing world.

ISBN:098019413X

Interviews with your Favorite Romance Authors

Jude Willhoff

Willhoff interviewed 29 of the world's best-selling romance authors and they told herJude Willhoff how they achieved success. There was something very important they all shared, you'll need it to. Find out what it is...

ISBN:1932344713

On Writing

Stephen King

Two books in one, King first gives his autobiography where you can imagine where some of his characters came from. Then he teaches by gifting you with whole writer's "tool kit": reading lists, writing assignments, and valuable advice.

ISBN:0743455967

On Writing Well

William Knowlton Zinsser

The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction teaches a strong and clean writing style. If you are writing non-fiction, this is a must-read!

ISBN:0060891548

Style Guides and other resources authors need...

The Elements of Style

William Strunk & E.B. White

Strunk & White literally wrote the book on style. If you have grammatical questions about your manuscript, check here, before you pay an editor. It will be the best money you ever spent!

ISBN:0205632645

Chicago Manual of Style

University of Chicago Press Staff

Another style book - this one much more robust that Strunk & White's because it contains sample publishing contracts and dabbles in the intellectual property aspects of writing, publishing and selling books.

ISBN:0226104036

2010 Writer's Market Deluxe

Robert Lee Brewer

The Writer's Market will list all the publishers in North America along with their publishing guidelines, editor's names and contact information. It is a resource many authors use when choosing where to send their book query letters.

ISBN:1582975809

The Associated Press Stylebook 2009

Associated Press

Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law

ISBN:098019413X

Table of Contents of
The Basics of Profitable Publishing



  • Foreword

  • Your Book is Your Baby - Treat it like one

  • First Time Author's Curse

  • Publishing is the Easy Part

  • Publishing Basics

  • Your Copyright

  • Other's Copyrights

  • Creative Rights

  • ISBN

  • Title Considerations

  • Trademarks

  • Who's Who & What's What

  • The Publisher

  • The Author

  • The Graphic Designer

  • The Illustrator

  • The Distributors

  • The Editors

  • The Literary Agents

  • The Reviewers

  • The Sales Force

  • Types of Publishing

  • Elements of a Publishing Contract

  • Commercial Publishing

  • Self Publishing Large Quantities

  • Self Publishing Digital Press

  • Partner Publishing

  • Choosing a Publisher

  • How to choose your publisher

  • Query Letters

  • Rejection

  • Extra Genre Specific Issues

  • Children's Book Issues

  • Cookbook Issues

  • Non-Fiction Book Issues

  • It's Published... Now What?

  • Launch It

  • Promote It

  • Publicity vs. Advertising

  • How to Build a Press Kit

  • Marketing Firms

  • Book Signings

  • Internet

  • "Lover" age

  • Promotional Materials

  • Radio & Television

  • Speaking Engagements

  • Creative Ideas

  • Networking

  • Your Book Project is a Business - Treat it like one

  • First Things First

  • Profitability Plan

  • Pricing

  • The Natural Progression

  • Companion Products

  • Resources

  • Averages & Anecdotes

  • Conclusion


Read along with

The Basics of Profitable Publishing!

Today's selected chapter...

Publishing Basics

Creative Rights

Primary Rights: These are the editorial rights to your work. It is the right to be able to change your work. It is the right to sell your work. If you sell them to a publisher, you lose the control of these rights. This doesn't mean you lose all say, but you do give away final approval to someone else. They may still want you to work on the project and they may still value your input, but you will not have the ultimate say so. This is a very important item to have settled in your publishing contract.

If you pay someone to print or publish your work, you should still own your own rights, therefore you can still shop them around WHILE you are making money on your project. You still have complete creative control over your work.

Subsidiary/Secondary Rights: Even if you have sold Primary Rights, if you have not addressed subsidiary or secondary rights, you still own them. These include: Translation Rights, Audio Books, Dramatic Rights (film, TV), Multimedia rights (CD), Commercial rights (Toys, Games, T-shirts, mugs, etc).

Don't Let Your Book Die With You:

Your book's intellectual property (i.e. creative and subsidiary rights) are assets. The copyright will live 70 years after you do. Be sure you have assigned who your primary rights will fall to in the event of your death.

Be sure that your heirs know that you want to the book to remain in print, otherwise that decision will remain with them and you may not agree with what they decide.

The saddest thing I ever had to do in the publishing business was to take five books out of print because the author died and his estate went to his children. His children didn't want to "mess with the books", so they instructed me to take them out of print. His book's, his message and his dream died with him. If - god forbid - your family doesn't support you in this dream called your book - please find someone who does and will this intellectual property over to them so that your message can live on and your immortality, through literature, is guaranteed.