Writing and Publishing News

Excerpted from Patricia Fry’s book, Publish Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

Once you have found several appropriate publishers, visit their websites for more specific information. Print out a copy of their submission guidelines (or “editorial guidelines” or “writers/authors guidelines”). Sometimes the guidelines are difficult to find. If you don’t see a link button to the submission guidelines, click on “About Us” or “Contact Us.” If you don’t see the guidelines on either of these pages, look for a new link on that page. Sometimes there will be more link options available to the left or across the top of that page. No luck? Go back to the home page and search links within links. Put your cursor on the available link buttons and see if a menu appears. Read the selections on the menus.  Also check the links that sometimes appear at the bottom of the home page.

If you cannot locate the guidelines at all, email the editor and ask for a copy. Or send a letter of request for submission guidelines in the mail along with a self-addressed-stamped envelope (SASE). That is, an envelope with your name and full address as well as enough postage for the return trip.

Before you can attract a publisher’s attention, you should know what he or she requires. You have a better chance of being noticed when you send the publisher exactly what he wants in the manner he wishes to receive it. In today’s highly competitive publishing industry, it is not easy to stand out from the crowd. One way to do it is to follow policy. Each publisher sets his or her own policy and standards. While some are certainly lax, others want authors to jump through hoops. If it is important to you and your project that you land a publishing contract, you must conform.

Often a client, a SPAWN member or an author I meet at a conference will contact me and ask, “How do I find a publisher?” or “Which publishing option should I choose?” or “I have someone interested in publishing my book, but what about my first choice of publishers—the one who’s still reviewing my proposal? Should I keep waiting for his response or should I accept the new publisher’s offer?”

These authors are usually frazzled and bedazzled about the big, wide world of publishing. Most are not prepared or equipped to make these executive decisions.

Yes, I said executive decisions. While writing is a craft, publishing is a business—a hugely competitive business with many options, hundreds of possible contracts and many hundreds of newcomers trying to break in as publishers, booksellers, editors, book shepherds and so forth.
It truly is a jungle out there with giant tangles of vines creating opportunities and roadblocks; great breaks and obstacles. It’s all rather confusing.

This is why I strongly recommend that if you have decided to write a book, whether a novel, a memoir, a business book or a how-to or self-help book for publication, consider yourself the CEO of your book from the moment of conception. I mean, as soon as you decide to write that book!

What would a CEO of a company do differently than what most authors do? Well, most authors follow this path: They spend weeks or months writing the book, then they emerge from their writing room into the bright sunlight and start seeking publication. Once they run headlong into the reality of publishing, they might sit back and hold back in hopes that someone will do something to make sure his book gets published. Or the author might blindly embrace the first offer to publish his book.

No, this is not how a sharp CEO would behave. He would do his homework even before he launches a project. He would study everything he could get his hands on within his industry, listen to the professionals, ask questions, evaluate the responses and, when it came time to launch his project, he would do so with the knowledge and resources he needs in place.

If you want to become an author and sell a few books and you don’t care how much it costs, then you can do what approximately 78 percent of authors do and dive into the industry blindly and let the tide take you where it will. You’ll live your dream of seeing your book published.

But if you want to experience a level of success as an author—you want to sell more than a few copies of your book—you want to make a difference—you want to establish yourself within the publishing community, then you have some work to do. You need to take your job as CEO of your book seriously. How?

Learn about the industry you are eager to enter. Become educated as to how the industry operates. What are your options? What are the possible consequences of your choices? What are your responsibilities as a published author?

Take charge. If you don’t, you will likely make some expensive decisions that lead you away from your goals.

Study the publishing industry. Find out how you can best navigate the industry on behalf of your particular, unique project. Start by reading “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” It’s at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio and at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order it here: http://www.matilijapress.com

If you have a published book and are struggling, like so many authors, to promote it, read, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.”

Not only are these books designed to educate, they are brimming with resources to further your education.

Sign up here for my bi-monthly enewsletter: http://www.patriciafry.com Also be sure to download your FREE copy of “50 Ways to Establish Your Author Platform.”

Are you trying to land a contract with a traditional publisher? Or do you plan to do so once your book is a book? In the meantime, how much do you know about the publishing industry and what to expect?

Authors Have Unreasonable Expectations
Unfortunately, too many hopeful authors expect to receive at least some sort of feedback, if not a wonderful contract tied up in a pretty red bow, within the first few months (even weeks) of approaching a few publishers. When the publisher doesn’t respond to their query, book proposal or even the complete manuscript within what they consider a reasonable period of time, they get impatient. They either:

• Give up and pursue another avenue of publication.
• Start calling or emailing the publisher.
• Issue complaints about the publisher at their writers’ forums.
• Ask other publishers or their mentors how to get the publisher’s attention.

And these are good ways to ruin your chances of that publishing contract. So what’s an eager author to do?

Authors Need a Reality Check
What many first-time authors don’t understand is that it can take publishers a long time to respond to your proposal or manuscript. This is the norm in the world of publishing.

Authors, please study books and newsletters for authors—publications that help authors to understand the publishing industry and how to navigate within it. Read books such as my “Publish Your Book” for a reality check about the publishing industry. The number one thing most first-time authors need to know is that it isn’t all about the author. It isn’t even about your marvelous book. It’s about the publisher’s bottom line.

It’s also about competition—fierce competition for authors. The author is just one of hundreds of authors being considered by just about any publisher they approach.

What’s an Author to Do?
Authors, who are bent on landing a publishing contract, need to develop a thick skin and a huge measure of patience. Here’s a general scenario for the new author—the steps he or she should take when pursuing publishers:

1: Research publishers and note those that publish books in your book’s category/topic.

2: Study each publishers’ Submission Guidelines (usually posted at their website.) If you have trouble finding the publisher’s submission guidelines, contact me—I can help with that.

3: Follow the submission guidelines when submitting your material—does the publisher want to see a query letter first, a book proposal, only portions of a book proposal or the entire manuscript? Does he want to receive it via email as an attachment, in the body of an email or via regular mail? If you don’t know how to write an intriguing query letter or appropriate book proposal, contact someone who can help you with it.

4: Take note of the typical waiting period as noted on the Submission Guidelines. Some publishers say to wait anywhere from 2 to 4 months for a response to the query letter or book proposal. They may post a waiting time of 8 months or more for a manuscript. Yes, your project can be held up and halted for a very long time. Or not. Some publishers respond almost immediately. But don’t expect a quick turnaround in all situations—in fact, publishers are notoriously slow to respond. Some never respond.

5: Do not call, text or email the publisher asking about your project until a few weeks after the expected waiting period.

What if You Don’t Like the Publisher’s Response?
Let’s talk about what happens when the publisher does respond. You may eventually receive a letter, email or phone call requesting additional information. Or you might get a rejection letter. The one I hate most is the generic one saying, “This is not quite right for us.” Or “This does not fit our list.”

What does that mean? The publisher thought it was right when he requested it based on your representative query letter. He thought it might fit when he took a look at your book proposal, which probably included sample chapters. How is it that, all of a sudden, it isn’t at all what they want or what they typically publish?

Is the Alternative Worth the Cost?
If you want to feel like a non-person, start approaching traditional publishers with your manuscript. No wonder so many authors sign with self-publishing companies—in this environment, they are welcomed with open arms (as long as the pocketbook is also wide open). The acquisitions editor has nothing but praise for your project. (It’s likely he didn’t even take a look at it. He doesn’t care if the book is good or not—if it will sell or not—his money comes from the set-up fee and any add-ons you might sign up for, editing, marketing.) But at least you feel good about yourself and your project while you’re handing over money to these outfits. You can finally—after many months/years writing your book—call yourself a published author—but at what cost?

Publishing is NOT an Extension of Your Writing
Of course, this doesn’t describe all traditional publishers and self-publishing services. But there’s a lot of truth in these scenarios for many. And if you can shift from the creative mode of a writer and start thinking like a businessman/woman, you’ll understand what I’m trying to tell you. Publishing is nothing like writing. Writing is a craft and publishing is a business—a fiercely competitive business, and you must go into it using a business head, not a writer’s heart.

New Publishing/Marketing Newsletter
For more information, perspective and resources related to the publishing industry and book promotion, sign up for my new bi-monthly enewsletter. The next jam-packed issue will come out in October. http://www.patriciafry.com Email me for a copy of issue number one (August edition). plfry620@yahoo.com