Writing and Publishing News

Just a quick reminder that I will be teaching an 8-week online Self-Publishing course starting February 6, 2007. Whether you are considering self-publishing or just want to become more well-educated and well-informed about the whole publishing scene, this course is for you.

Learn more at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm.

Or contact me at plfry620@yahoo.com.

I spoke to the San Luis Obispo (CA) NightWriters earlier this week—what a delight. I love visiting writers’ groups. I always learn so much.

You might say, “But, aren’t you the teacher? They’re the ones who are supposed to learn.” I trust that all 30 members and guests took home with them numerous tidbits of information, some resources they can use and even a new way of looking at the world of writing and publishing. But I, too, picked up some new information and several ideas for future articles, talks and maybe even books.

I’ve learned over the years that every experience provides an educational opportunity for everyone involved. Ten years ago, SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) had three chapters in three different counties and each chapter met once a month. I attended all of the meetings for nearly five years (around 180 meetings) and I came away with something of value from each and every meeting. All of these years later, I continue to learn and gather resources from seasoned as well as newby writers at every writers’ group meeting, conference, book festival and online forum that I visit.

Not everyone can say this and do you know why? Some writers are unable to recognize useful information and accept new ideas if it doesn’t fit nicely within their self-imposed comfort zone. These people attend writers/authors events focused on one thing. It may be, “I want someone to recommend a publisher and guarantee that he will publish my book.” Or “I want to hear the easy version of how to get published.” Or “I need someone to tell me how to sell 100,000 copies of my book this year.” These authors bring their own agendas which have nothing to do with being open, seeking out wisdom or learning the reality of publishing. It has to do with ego and well-developed unrealistic expectations: These writers want to experience instant success without taking the time to learn the process. These are the same people who would cheat on tests because they believe it is more important to pass than to learn.

I have to say that most of the authors and hopeful authors I meet every year are humble and eager to learn everything they need to know in order to succeed in the publishing world. Those others come in four categories. See if you recognize someone you know here or, horror of horrors, yourself.

• The Unconventional Author. He has many preconceived ideas about the publishing industry and the process of publishing a book. And he will attempt to bypass the conventional procedure because HIS book is different. HIS book is special and so is he. He doesn’t need to study the publishing industry, become aware of his publishing choices or understand his responsibility as a published author. All he wants is for someone to tell him he’s on the right track and introduce him to the acquisitions editor at a major publishing house.

You’ll notice this gentleman asking the same questions at every event he attends in hopes of one day finally getting the answers he desires.

I met this author stereotype at a book festival a few years ago. He wanted those of us who were womaning the SPAWN booth to tell him how to land a publisher for his novel. I spent some time with him—offering up some suggestions. And he said, “Oh, I’ve had publishers express an interest in my manuscript, but they want me to cut it in half. Several large publishers tell me that they won’t publish manuscripts this long by new authors. But I refuse to cut the story. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!! So how can I find a publisher?”

Can you believe this? Here’s a guy who wants to be published, but not badly enough to actually do what is necessary to get published. He is certainly an unconventional author.

• The Author in Denial. She has a well-developed mindset about the publishing options and opportunities that should be available to her. When she hears something that goes against her belief system, she covers her ears, closes her eyes and chants, “La La La La.” She shows up at writing/publishing-related events and she says she wants to learn. But even her body language counters this claim. She sits near the exit, her body actually leaning in that direction. This author is, in essence and in truth, facing away from reality.

• The Conference Groupie/Information Junky. She attends every conference and buys writing/publishing books by the carload. But she can’t seem to get it together. Every year, she comes up with different questions for the many presenters and workshop leaders she encounters, but she never acts on any of the responses. She has several book manuscripts, but has yet to complete any of them. She continually coerces other writers and editors into reading her work and then she spends months and sometimes years making the changes they suggest. When she finishes with the manuscript, she hands it to another editor and repeats the process.

Is it lack of confidence that keeps her from finalizing her works? Or does she simply love the process and the attention?

• The Rigid Author. His mantra is, “Tell me it ain’t so.” This man wants to change minds with his book. He has his mind made up about the way he’ll write this book. He refuses to write a book proposal. He knows who his target audience is and he is hell bent on ramming his beliefs down their throats—“for their own good.” After doing it his way, he wonders why he can’t sell his book. Now he’s attending publishing and marketing workshops and conferences. He’s joining writers groups and publishing organizations. Now he understands that he may have made some mistakes. Will he go out on a limb and rectify them or will he bow out of the publishing field quietly and quickly? Most Rigid Authors follow the latter route.

I met a woman recently who asked me a question and when I attempted to respond, she said, “Oh, I know that. I have all of the books at home.” But I have to wonder, has she read them? Has she really taken the information to heart (and head)?

It certainly isn’t necessary that we each follow the same model. We should explore and experiment. But, in order to achieve a measure of success as a published author, we must do our part. And a good way to start is to consider the reality of the established process.

If you need information, facts, resources and lessons to guide you through the writing and publishing process, read, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
And check out the articles and resource pages at my site. I’ve added a bunch of new ones for your information and enjoyment. http://www.matilijapress.com

Patricia Fry will teach an 8-week online “Self-publishing Workshop” starting February 6, 2007. $160. Sign up now at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Questions? plfry620@yahoo.com

Is this the year that you’ll finally hold your finished book in your hands? What steps are you taking toward this goal?

For many, the hardest part of the publishing process is finding a publisher. If publishing is in your thoughts this year, you are probably asking:

* How do I go about finding a publisher?
* How do I approach a publisher?
* Do I need an agent?
* How many rejections are enough?
* At what point should I consider self-publishing?

If you haven’t had any of these questions rolling around in your mind, you aren’t ready to publish your book. The rest of you are probably eagerly awaiting my responses to one or more of these questions. If you’ve already read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, you are way ahead of the game. But don’t leave the blog, yet. There’s always more to learn.

1: How does one find an appropriate publisher? Note: The word appropriate, in this sentence, is important because publishers are not one-size-fits-all propositions, these days. Most of them specialize. It’s necessary that you can identify the genre of your book before you start a publisher search. Pages 24-28 in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, will help you to determine the genre of your book.

A: Find the appropriate publisher for your genre and your topic listed in Writer’s Market (available in the reference section of most libraries and in most bookstores for around $30). Or use their database at http://www.writersmarket.com for a nominal fee. There are also other publisher reference guides you can use.

B: Visit your nearest mega bookstore. Look at books similar to yours and note the authors of those books. Locate contact information and submission guidelines for those publishers (tips for doing this in Q #2).

C: Do a Google search to find publishers in your genre.

2: Approach the publisher in the way he or she requires. First, always request (or locate online) their submission guidelines. Study them. Make sure that your project fits this publisher’s requirements. Submit the materials that particular publisher asks for and in the way that he requests it. Address your query letter or book proposal cover letter to the appropriate individual (by name).

Likewise, if the publisher accepts only manuscripts of 80,000 words, don’t send him a 20,000 word novella or a 150,000 word book. If he requires a book proposal first, don’t send the complete manuscript.

3: Do you need an agent? It depends. While some publishers require that you approach them only through an agent, others prefer working directly with an author. Finding an agent can be as daunting and frustrating as finding a publisher. And landing an agent does not mean that you will automatically get published.

Note: Choose an agent appropriate for your particular book who is a member of Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR). http://www.aar-online.org

4: If you get rejected—and you probably will—then you have a decision to make. The thing that most authors don’t realize is that there are hundreds of publishers out there—large, medium and small. Writer’s Market lists over 150 publishers of educational material, for example. There are at least 60 publishers for creative nonfiction. Do you write mysteries? In Writer’s Market you’ll find over 100 publishers of mysteries seeking good books. And there are around 100 publishers for juvenile books. Writer’s Market has an extensive list of publishers, but this volume does not include all of them.

Rejection is pretty much inevitable. As you may know if you’ve been studying the publishing industry, some best selling books were rejected numbers of times before they were either accepted or the author self-published and brought them to notice. There’s one thing for sure, if you give up after 3 or 103 rejections, the book will never be published.

A general rule of thumb for many is that if a book is rejected across the board by, say 10 or more appropriate publishers, maybe you need to take another look at your book. Perhaps the focus isn’t quite right. Maybe it needs editing. Did any of the publishers critique the book—give you advice or suggestions? If so, this could be a sign that it has promise. Most publishes will reject a bad idea or a poorly written book with no comment.

So how many rejections is enough? You could land a contract the first time out or it may take 120 rejections before the time is right, the circumstance is right and the right publisher comes along. Or you might decide to bypass the traditional royalty publisher all together and self-publish. If this is your decision, be prepared to promote hard and hardy to make your book a success. Better yet, be sure that your book is truly a good idea and not just wishful thinking.

Throughout my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, you’ll read stories about authors who pushed ahead with their books and paid to have them published only to learn later that their manuscripts weren’t ready for publication. They just hadn’t taken enough time to truly understand something about the publishing industry and their responsibilities within this competitive field. Most hurry-up authors neglect to even consider their target audience—the audience who would truly want to read this book. Many don’t take into consideration the competition for their book.

Those of you who are in a hurry to complete your book and get it on the market, I urge you to slow down. Mistakes are made when you are in a hurry. Stop for a minute and read my article, Hurry Up and Fail. http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/publish_hurryfail.htm

5: When should one consider self-publishing? For some, self-publishing is the answer. Don’t waste your time seeking out a traditional royalty publisher. An example would be a local history book, a memoir about someone who isn’t known. For others, self-publishing is never the right answer. How’s that for confusing the issue?

Truly, if you have a great idea, you present it in a timely manner, it is an extremely well-written book, there is an audience who is hungry for this book and you have the time, ideas, money, energy and willingness for promoting this book, then go ahead and consider self-publishing.

For the rest of you, once you have exhausted all avenues to getting your book published, you have examined your book to make sure it is a viable product, you’ve written a complete book proposal and have honestly responded to all parts of it, then self-publishing may be for you.

I generally suggest self-publishing (establishing your own publishing company) rather than going with a POD publishing service. But if you want to go that route, please, please, please, study your options. In his new book, The Fine Print of Self-publishing, Mark Levine compares many of these companies to make it easy to choose the one that’s right for you.

Again, don’t be in so much of a hurry to publish that you start making costly mistakes.

And before you even enter into the publishing field with your amazing book, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.

Order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html