Writing and Publishing News

Here we go again! I’m getting more and more emails from brand new authors who have either already started making costly mistakes or who are on the verge of doing so.

Is it the economy that is prompting people to suddenly bring their writing to the forefront in an attempt to supplement their dwindling incomes? Or, with so many layoffs and business failures, are these people just now finding the time to write. Either way, many hopeful authors are debuting their magnificent manuscripts. And many of them are making some dreadful choices.

Unfortunately, some writer types are missing the publishing gene. They know how to write. They can complete a project. But they have no idea how to proceed beyond that. And, even though most writers must do some measure of research in order to produce a nonfiction or fiction book, they don’t seem to have the ability to appropriately research the publishing industry. They don’t know what their publishing options are, the possible consequences of their choices and their responsibilities as a published author.

This amazes me. As you know, I’ve been in this business for over 35 years. I’ve been trying to help hopeful and struggling authors through the necessary processes for about 20 years. During that time, I’ve seen hundreds of other seasoned authors (and some less so) jump on the bandwagon in an attempt to educate and inform new authors. There are many, many books for authors as well as newsletters, organizations, websites, courses, conferences, workshops and blogs. With just a little effort, a new author can learn the basics. Yet, I continue to find myself in the position of consoling damaged authors who have leapt eagerly into the clutches of less than scrupulous outfits.

Why do so many authors find themselves in bad situations? Here’s why: They leap before they look. They seek the easy way to success. They do a surface Internet search and believe the hype of the first companies to appear. They feel they did the hard work—the writing. Now they want to coast and rely on someone else to take it from here—to create a success from their amazing project.

Hey guys, you already know that writing is hard work. It can be grueling. But I’m here to tell you that experiencing success with your published book is 10 times or even 100 times harder. And success comes to those authors who are willing to learn, to work and to sacrifice.

What are the steps to successful publishing?

• Education. Study the publishing industry and keep studying.
• Participation. Be involved and savvy every step of the way.

Think about it, if you want to become a parent, would you start seeking services to help you feed the baby, cuddle her, bathe her, shop for the necessities and eventually discipline her? No. Parenting is a hands-on activity and you should look at publishing in the same way. Sure, you will seek out expert advice, but you, the parent, will apply it.

You, the author, must understand how the publishing industry works. You need to know your options and the possible consequences of your choices. And you must take responsibility for creating the measure of success you desire.

Success can be yours. There’s no doubt about it—of course, this hinges on your reasonable expectations based on the book you are producing.

I’m going to go out on a limb and offer the following warnings to new authors:

• Do NOT sign with the first publishing service that woos you. You need to know that there are right around 100 such services. Some are better (more author-friendly) than others. And, of course, there are other options for authors. You do not have to pay to have a good book produced.

• Do NOT hire a press release service—at least not without truly understanding what they offer and what your alternatives are. It has been my observation that the author is much more apt to have better results sending press releases than an impersonal service—especially if the author educates him/herself as to the process.

• Do NOT even consider signing with a distributor unless you understand your major role in marketing your own book.

• Do NOT sign any contract that you do not fully understand. Do not rely on the company representative to explain the contract. Get the assistance of a literary attorney. I’ve known several people recently who have been burned by the promises of personnel at such companies.

• Do NOT consider publishing your book until you have had it professionally edited and you’ve written a book proposal (a business plan for your book).

For emphasis on these points and in order to educate yourself with regard to the whole publishing industry, purchase my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. This is a book that you will want (need) to read from cover to cover and you will keep it close as a reference tool for years to come.

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

The cat book is finished. We finalized the cover design yesterday. You may have heard (read) me say that before. Well, sometimes it’s just hard to finish. The cover features the glamour photo of our cat, Winfield. Yesterday, we showed it to the photographer who shot this picture and she said, “Not sharp enough. Let me help you with that.” Wow! What a difference her expertise made.

Folks, don’t ever underestimate the expertise of a professional. You’ve heard me preach on this concept with regard to hiring an editor for your book manuscript and aptly educating yourself before diving into the publishing field. It’s true in every aspect of writing, publishing and beyond.

We are not experts in cover design or in PhotoShop. So we turned to someone who is and the results are breath-takingly amazing. I’ll let you know when the book is up on my website so you can see it. In fact, if any of you would like a sneak peek, send me your email address and I’ll attach the cover in a return email.

For all of you cat people, I’ve decided to establish a blog related to cats. Let me know if you’d like to be notified of the link. My webmaster is going through a particularly busy time both businesswise and personally, so I’m not sure when she’ll get to my projects (posting the book at my website and creating my new blog site), but I will sure let you know when everything is up and running.

In the meantime, I’m giving my computer (and my fingers) a rest, so I won’t be posting a new blog until Tuesday morning (the 13th).

I have decided to offer the new book, Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats, as an ebook and a print book. The print book is of the homemade variety. It will be comb-bound. I’m providing this option for those of you who don’t particularly like ebooks.

In fact, it would be interesting to know how you feel about ebooks. Do you like them? Do you purchase them? When you have a choice, do you prefer an ebook or a print book? When you purchase an ebook, how do you read it—on the computer screen, using a handheld device or do you print it out. I am of the latter variety. I actually avoid purchasing or inviting even free ebooks. And if it is one that I must have, I print it out to read. Send me your preferences with regard to ebooks (purchasing them and reading them) to PLFry620@yahoo.com.

The number of pages sometimes determines whether or not I will purchase or even accept a free ebook. I can tell you that Catscapades encompasses 80 pages. Do you have a limit as to the number of pages you will download?

I’d like to write an article on this topic. So send me your comments and preferences and let me know if you want me to quote you or if you prefer remaining anonymous. This might be a good opportunity to promote your book.

I toted a whole Trader Joe’s grocery bag full of packaged books to the post office yesterday. Boy have we received a lot of book orders during the past few weeks. I’m schlepping back and forth to the post office daily. And I’m lovin’ it, don’t you know? An author does not complain about trips to the post office with books in tow.

So don’t worry about inconveniencing me by making me go to the post office. Go ahead and order the books you want from my website. I’m probably headed in that direction, anyway. It’s no trouble to add one more package to my daily shipment. Check out my array of books at http://www.matilijapress.com

I told you in yesterday’s blog that I would continue the theme in today’s entry.

Here are the stories of two authors. Which one most closely describes you?

Author #1:
He decides to write a book about how to live a better, more carefree life without alcohol, drugs and other self-medication. He holes up in his home office every chance he gets and works on his book. After 18 months, he steps outside his writing room, groggy from the constant work, trying to adjust his eyes to the light and announces, “I’ve written a book. Now I’m going to get it published!”

Immediately, he goes online and does a Google search using the keyword, “Publisher.” The results are mind boggling. He starts visiting publisher websites. He becomes even more confused. “These publishers seem to want me to pay to have my book published? That isn’t what I expected,” he whines. Then he starts looking for the publishers he’s familiar with: Simon and Schuster publishes a lot of the books he reads. He finds their website.

“What’s a query letter,” he wonders, “and a book proposal?” “Marketing plan—what do they mean by that?” “Heck, what’s this about an agent?”

Our Author #1 keeps searching for other authors, for writers’ groups, for random publishers he can contact to ask if they will look at his manuscript. He is really shooting in the dark at this point—frustrated and impatient. He is at high, high risk of making some very poor decisions.

Author #2
She decides to write a book based on her expertise as a child-guidance counselor for a major agency. But first, she studies the competition. She wants to know what books are out there similar to the one she has in mind and what concept hasn’t been addressed—what is needed in the marketplace.

Aha! She discovers a need and decides to fill it with her book. But first, she takes time to learn something about the publishing industry. She joins a publishing organization and reads everything they produce. She gets some good leads on books she should read before getting involved in the publishing field. She attends a local writers’ group when the speaker topic relates to publishing and she asks a lot of questions.

She does a study to determine which publishers might be interested in the book she will propose. She keeps the list of publishers and their submission guidelines on file.

In the meantime, she writes a complete book proposal. This helps her to refine the focus for her book. In fact, based on the research she does in order to write the book proposal, she actually changes her focus a little. Then she begins the writing.

This author is writing a book in her field of expertise, so she has a platform. But she adds to it by writing and submitting articles to appropriate (meaning related) magazines and by getting personally involved in appropriate websites.

While the book is with an editor, she starts sending out query letters or the book proposal to appropriate publishers (depending on what their submission guidelines require).

Who has the best chance of succeeding as a published author? Which of these authors reflects your approach to getting published?

If you hope to succeed and you need more information, resources and guidance, please order my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. Nearly 1,000 hopeful authors have used this book as their reference guide to writing, publishing and selling their books.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html