Book Publishing
So you're a writer! Welcome to the club.
As an aspiring or emerging writer, whatever your genre of penship, you undoubtedly have a host of questions about how best to get your work recognized. In particular I will focus on self-publishing.
As a new writer there are many challenges to gaining recognition for your writing. As with actors, the biggest challenge for writers is getting "discovered" by the large publishing companies. It is extremely difficult to get noticed by major publishers until you have first established credibility and acclaim through other publishing means.
Without sounding pessimistic the reality in the publishing world is that there are a limited number of book publishers and an enormous number of writers and writers wannabe. Getting noticed by the big publishers takes well-above average writing skills, persistence, patience and a lot of upfront legwork (and luck) before there is any potential for association with a large book publishing company.
Of course one option for achieving hard copy publishing is to pay for publishing services. This option can cost the author a substantial amount of money up front, often in the order of $10,000 or more, for a limited number of copies. Then there is the extraordinary task of marketing the book, which for the inexperienced is in itself a monumental undertaking.
Many companies at the retail book store level will not even look at putting your book on their limited shelf space unless it has been published through a recognized publisher.
A recent innovation to the world of book publishing is online self-publishing or publish-on-demand. Here is the opportunity to get a hard copy book published, usually without upfront expense, and ready for distribution to individual buyers within days of purchase through online order and purchase.
Self-publishing on the internet takes quite a bit of work on the part of the author as the creation of the book is done completely by the author. This includes book size and cover design setup, uploading saved document files to the online publishing software, copy editing and proof reading, and final publishing.
Although this all sounds highly technical and complicated, given the tutorials and standardized templates and associated software offered by POD companies it is a relatively easy process to undertake. When I first used this type of publishing service I learned a few things by trial and error, including reading carefully and fully the instructions that are provided before completing each step of the book creation process.
I would strongly recommend preparing all of the content for your book in advance and saved (for backup and easy copy/paste online). Map out on paper the order of presentation, content, chapter titles etc. so that your final product looks as professional and cohesive as possible.
There are numerous publish-on-demand companies on the internet today. Each publisher offers somewhat different services, cover templates etc. and author royalty/publishing fee criteria. It is best to research each publisher's website in advance to determine which arrangement is best suited to the author.
The whole premise of self-publishing is that it gives a new and as yet unrecognized author the opportunity to get their writing published at their own time of choosing as opposed to achieving the possible recognition and contract offers from a large publisher somewhere down the road, if at all.
Self-publishing is strictly the vehicle of online creation of the book. This type of publishing option does not include any form of promotion for the book. Some POD companies offer a level of marketing for a prescribed fee. Most POD companies online include helpful FAQ pages or marketing tutorials that provide suggestions or guideance on how best to approach the book marketing process.
There is of course the option of hiring an agent to handle the marketing of your book. This may or may not produce the desired results and can of itself be very costly for an new writer.
If nothing else the self-publishing method gives the new book writer the opportunity and rewarding experience to have their tireless writing efforts materialize in hard copy. This is a wonderful experience that all aspiring writers should consider - and there is usually no cost until you (or your family and friends!) want to purchase a copy.
Having your very own book proudly displayed on your desk or mantle at home is a very special experience and can also be a constant reminder or motivator to keep writing and follow the dream that one day a publisher may want to put your work out there for the masses.
One such self-publishing company online is Lulu.com and can be found at http://www.lulu.com . As suggested earlier here take the time to research what the various online POD companies offer before you start to prepare your book. The process costs nothing in most cases so set aside unnecessary apprehensions about the end result. You can take as long as you want, change and edit pages as you go, and otherwise perfect your book until you are satisfied with the final product before you hit the publish button.
Because of the many templates for cover design and online text editing features included with such POD companies online you will achieve surprisingly professional looking results. Always keep in mind that the book creation phase is the first and easiest step in the publishing process. Of course the success of your book in large part depends on the quality of your content.
The greatest challenge by far in book self-publishing is the advertising/marketing of your work. Remember to always stay within your own budget and enjoy the experience without any false expectations. Follow the guidelines or recommendations provided by these online publishers (and other sources) and do not rely exclusively on online marketing.
Check out your local daily or weekly newpapers, online and hard copy magazines/ezines, online directories and any other source of advertising that you can find, and afford. Be persistent. Publishing is not a one-shot deal. It takes the dedication of time, talent, exposure and a devoted reading audience that wants to buy your work.
First and foremost, write for the love of writing and with luck the fruits of your labours will come along as a bonus.
Don MacIver
copyright 2005 at A Poet's View Blog
As an aspiring or emerging writer, whatever your genre of penship, you undoubtedly have a host of questions about how best to get your work recognized. In particular I will focus on self-publishing.
As a new writer there are many challenges to gaining recognition for your writing. As with actors, the biggest challenge for writers is getting "discovered" by the large publishing companies. It is extremely difficult to get noticed by major publishers until you have first established credibility and acclaim through other publishing means.
Without sounding pessimistic the reality in the publishing world is that there are a limited number of book publishers and an enormous number of writers and writers wannabe. Getting noticed by the big publishers takes well-above average writing skills, persistence, patience and a lot of upfront legwork (and luck) before there is any potential for association with a large book publishing company.
Of course one option for achieving hard copy publishing is to pay for publishing services. This option can cost the author a substantial amount of money up front, often in the order of $10,000 or more, for a limited number of copies. Then there is the extraordinary task of marketing the book, which for the inexperienced is in itself a monumental undertaking.
Many companies at the retail book store level will not even look at putting your book on their limited shelf space unless it has been published through a recognized publisher.
A recent innovation to the world of book publishing is online self-publishing or publish-on-demand. Here is the opportunity to get a hard copy book published, usually without upfront expense, and ready for distribution to individual buyers within days of purchase through online order and purchase.
Self-publishing on the internet takes quite a bit of work on the part of the author as the creation of the book is done completely by the author. This includes book size and cover design setup, uploading saved document files to the online publishing software, copy editing and proof reading, and final publishing.
Although this all sounds highly technical and complicated, given the tutorials and standardized templates and associated software offered by POD companies it is a relatively easy process to undertake. When I first used this type of publishing service I learned a few things by trial and error, including reading carefully and fully the instructions that are provided before completing each step of the book creation process.
I would strongly recommend preparing all of the content for your book in advance and saved (for backup and easy copy/paste online). Map out on paper the order of presentation, content, chapter titles etc. so that your final product looks as professional and cohesive as possible.
There are numerous publish-on-demand companies on the internet today. Each publisher offers somewhat different services, cover templates etc. and author royalty/publishing fee criteria. It is best to research each publisher's website in advance to determine which arrangement is best suited to the author.
The whole premise of self-publishing is that it gives a new and as yet unrecognized author the opportunity to get their writing published at their own time of choosing as opposed to achieving the possible recognition and contract offers from a large publisher somewhere down the road, if at all.
Self-publishing is strictly the vehicle of online creation of the book. This type of publishing option does not include any form of promotion for the book. Some POD companies offer a level of marketing for a prescribed fee. Most POD companies online include helpful FAQ pages or marketing tutorials that provide suggestions or guideance on how best to approach the book marketing process.
There is of course the option of hiring an agent to handle the marketing of your book. This may or may not produce the desired results and can of itself be very costly for an new writer.
If nothing else the self-publishing method gives the new book writer the opportunity and rewarding experience to have their tireless writing efforts materialize in hard copy. This is a wonderful experience that all aspiring writers should consider - and there is usually no cost until you (or your family and friends!) want to purchase a copy.
Having your very own book proudly displayed on your desk or mantle at home is a very special experience and can also be a constant reminder or motivator to keep writing and follow the dream that one day a publisher may want to put your work out there for the masses.
One such self-publishing company online is Lulu.com and can be found at http://www.lulu.com . As suggested earlier here take the time to research what the various online POD companies offer before you start to prepare your book. The process costs nothing in most cases so set aside unnecessary apprehensions about the end result. You can take as long as you want, change and edit pages as you go, and otherwise perfect your book until you are satisfied with the final product before you hit the publish button.
Because of the many templates for cover design and online text editing features included with such POD companies online you will achieve surprisingly professional looking results. Always keep in mind that the book creation phase is the first and easiest step in the publishing process. Of course the success of your book in large part depends on the quality of your content.
The greatest challenge by far in book self-publishing is the advertising/marketing of your work. Remember to always stay within your own budget and enjoy the experience without any false expectations. Follow the guidelines or recommendations provided by these online publishers (and other sources) and do not rely exclusively on online marketing.
Check out your local daily or weekly newpapers, online and hard copy magazines/ezines, online directories and any other source of advertising that you can find, and afford. Be persistent. Publishing is not a one-shot deal. It takes the dedication of time, talent, exposure and a devoted reading audience that wants to buy your work.
First and foremost, write for the love of writing and with luck the fruits of your labours will come along as a bonus.
Don MacIver
copyright 2005 at A Poet's View Blog
posted by Don MacIver at
1:17 p.m.
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