Writing and Publishing News

The promotion is starting for the new book—Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. The publisher (Allworth Press) has assigned me a publicist to do a blast of publicity—send out review copies, get some good promotional stuff at Amazon (like the testimonials from the back cover), arrange for some interviews for me and so forth. The publicist will contact key individuals, bloggers, newsletter editors about the book launch and solicit articles/announcements. He will also, most likely, get this book on Kindle. The last book they published for me—Promote Your Book—(Allworth Press, 2011) is on Kindle and from what I can tell when I check sales at Amazon’s Author Central, the Kindle version is selling well along with the print.

Book publishing is an interesting experience. I’ve been a published author since 1978. I began producing books through Matilija Press in 1983. I have 35 books to my credit now. And I can tell you that, while there are some basic elements to publishing (most importantly the author must be proactive in promoting his or her book), each publishing experience is different.

So when you go to someone who has had experience within the publishing realm for advice or guidance, this person can do only so much for you. You must realize that you are responsible for carving your path into the publishing jungle. You need to know the basics, which is what I present in my new book, Publish Your Book. You need to understand the publishing industry, which I explain in my book. You need to educate yourself—I show you how in my book. But know that your journey may be a very different one from others you meet.

Someone might tell you there are no publishers for books like yours and you might locate and land a publisher. People will tell you that publishers do nothing to promote your book. Then you might have a publisher who does a little more promotion than most. You may be told that books like yours are easy to promote. But you still have to promote if you expect to sell copies of your book. You may be told that pay-to-publish is the way to go and then find out the hard way that this was a bad decision for you and your book.

Publish Your Book is designed to give you the education you need in order to more successfully navigate the hugely competitive publishing world. Publishing is not something to be taken lightly—to just dabble in, if you desire success. It is a serious business. In order to be success as a published author, you really must take it seriously and learn the ropes before getting involved. Then, apply only those things that relate to you and your project. The problem many authors have is that they want things to happen fast. They want what they want now and without hassle. So they make snap decisions without knowing all of their options and the possible ramifications of their choices.

Don’t be one of these authors. Read Publish Your Book (the updated revision of “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (2007).

For those of you who don’t know my work, I’m known as someone who can write in a friendly, clear manner so that anyone can understand it. Even though I portray the publishing realm as complex, my book, Publish Your Book, does not come across that way. I have a knack for taking the serious stuff and writing it so you can understand it, thus more successfully deal with it.

And in this edition, I’ve included numerous examples for you coming from other nonfiction and fiction authors and children’s book authors.

Order your copy today at amazon.com or here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

I’ve been telling you about my new book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author at
http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

You might legitimately ask, “What’s in it for me?” Let me give you an idea:

• A study of your publishing options whether you write fiction, nonfiction or children’s books (traditional publishing, self-publishing and the pay-to-publish option).

• Help determining which publishing option is right for you.

• Tips for working with a publisher and an agent.

• Sample query letters and book proposals for both fiction and nonfiction books.

• An introduction to self-editing

• Dozens of book promotion ideas with tips and techniques for all authors.

• Over two dozen anecdotes and examples from other fiction and nonfiction authors showing how they handled various writing, publishing and book promotion situations.

• Recommended reading after each chapter in case you want more information on a topic—pay-to-publish companies, for example, publishing law, book promotion, etc.

This book is your guide to publishing success. The time to purchase it is as soon as you start thinking about writing a book. A successful publishing experience begins with a viable product (a well-written and expertly edited book that has a strong general or niche audience). Publish Your Book coaches you in writing the right book for the right audience. If you are in the process of writing a book, you can use this book to make sure you are on the right track with your project and to guide you in making better decisions on behalf of your book once you enter into the daunting publishing realm. If you have already published your book and you are struggling to make sales, Publish Your Book will offer the insight and ideas you need to bump your sales up to speed. A lagging book is often the result of an uninformed author.

The most important thing you need when you decide to enter into the world of publishing is information and education. This book (a result of my nearly 40 years navigating the industry and a plethora of research) is designed to provide you with the education you need.

http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html Also available at amazon.com