Issue #433
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Writing a Pilates Book
Part 2
by Eme Cole
Hello again! I am happy to return this week with the completion of my previous article about writing a Pilates book. If you haven’t yet, please read part 1 first so that you have a sequential understanding of my suggestions. Now that we have covered the process of composing a book, it is time to discuss how to publish and market it.
My research has found there to be two great options for online independent publishing. I use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) by Amazon. It has a very user-friendly platform for uploading your book. It gives you options for paperback books, hardcover books, Kindle digital books, and audiobooks. Once you publish, you can view sales reports, the royalties are distributed directly to your bank account, and end-of-the-year tax information is calculated. It is also simple to edit and update your book, even after it is published. Regarding pricing and income, Amazon will list, print, and ship your books. Profit margin depends on book format, color versus black and white, and page length. For example, my most successful book: ‘Pilates Expanded Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair & Barrels Photo Encyclopedia’ is an 8.5×11” paperback book, has 362 color pages, and retails for $78. The print cost is $30 and my royalty income is $17. Amazon keeps the remainder. I can order as many author copies as I’d like to be delivered to me, to a bookstore, or to anyone else, at the $30 print cost. As another example, my newest book (debut fictional novel about a Pilates instructor who overcomes a mountain lion attack): ‘The Roaring’ is a 5×8” paperback book, has 208 black and white pages, and retails for $12. The print cost is $3.50 and my royalty income is $3.70. Hardcover books offer a smaller royalty as the print cost is higher. Kindle books offer a higher royalty as there is no print cost. Audiobooks offer a higher royalty, but you often have to split that royalty 50/50 with the actor whose vocals are used.
Eme Cole earned a BS in Kinesiology, an MS in Exercise Physiology, and received her comprehensive Pilates certification from The PhysicalMind Institute in 2002. She owned a Pilates studio in Chicago for 12 years, during which she self-published 7 ‘Pilates Expanded’ manuals on Amazon. After selling her studio she moved to Colorado, became a certified Emergency Medical Technician, and invented/patented the ‘Pilates Unfold,’ which is a reformer and tower unit that folds up to the wall like a Murphy Bed. Eme recently opened a Pilates studio in Snowmass Colorado, serves on the Aspen Writers Network steering committee, and just published her first novel: ‘The Roaring.’ She can be contacted at www.PilatesExpanded.com.