Writing and Publishing News

One of the most difficult parts of publishing is the decision-making process. Should you self-publish (establish your own publishing company), go with a pay-to-publish company or hold out for a traditional royalty publisher?

Should you follow your editor’s or potential publisher’s advice to do a rewrite, give your book a different slant, add (or remove) chapters, build in a stronger how-to aspect, tone down the dialect, insert expert quotes, etc.?

Perhaps you should just write the book the way you want and produce an ebook. Maybe traditional publishing isn’t for you, after all.

How do you make the right decision about your book project? Well, you’ve heard this before: Study the publishing industry. I wonder how many people actually follow this advice. They hear it from every expert and professional and even some newby authors. But do they—do you—actually follow through in any way that is meaningful—so that you actually gain an understanding of the industry and your potential role within it?

Anyone can sit down, write a series of paragraphs and call it a book manuscript. You don’t have to take classes and study in order to produce a manuscript. You don’t even have to study to publish that book. But if you want to produce a book that is coherent, useful, well-organized and at least relatively error-free, you are probably going to need to work hard, study and practice, practice, practice.

Likewise, anyone can publish a book. But many authors are stumped as to which option to choose. How does one decide? Do you go with the sure thing—the pay-to-publish company whose representative is so nice and friendly and seems to love your story? Do you jump through the hoops outlined by the editors at the specialty publishing company who wants your book, but only after a rewrite? Or do you take charge and self-publish?

These can be hard decisions for someone who doesn’t yet understand the publishing industry, all of the options available and his/her responsibilities as a published author.

The author must also know something about his genre/field, writing skill level, expectations, platform, audience and his down deep reasons for wanting this book published.

Publishing, you see, is not simply a means through which to have your self-expressions acknowledged and, perhaps, accepted. Publishing is more than an avenue of influence or a way to massage one’s ego. Publishing is a business and your book is a product. No matter how you publish, as the author, you are the marketing agent for your product. And this is the long and the short of it.

In order to make better decisions on behalf of your book project, study the publishing industry before ever sitting down to write that book. Start by reading the book I wrote expressly for you! Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. This book actually has exercises and provides prompts to help you make these tough decisions.

If you have started writing your book, you have finished it, you are trying to find a publisher or you are trying to promote this book, it is never too late to read Publish Your Book.

http://www.matilijapress.com
It’s also at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.

If you’re like many authors, you give your project 100 percent during the writing phase. You eat, sleep and drink your manuscript. You spend hours each week writing, researching and studying. When you finish it, you breathe a sigh of relief.

You send it to the first pay-to-publish company you connect with and go back to your life. I mean, there are things you’ve neglected these past months while working on the book. It’s about time you gave your garden some attention, not to mention your house and your family. And what about you? You need some pampering after what you’ve been through. Writing a book is an intense, time-consuming, sometimes overwhelming task. Now, after months or even years, you are free to do some reading or even take a trip.

But what about your book? Aren’t you going to complete your commitment to your project? Don’t you know there is much more to do? Or did you write this book just for family and friends?

If you expect to sell copies outside of your circle of friends, it’s going to take a whole lot more of your time. Maybe you haven’t heard, writing is the easy part of authorship. If you hope to sell copies of your book, you need to scrape up all of the time, energy and creativity that you can muster. How long will you have to promote your book? Only for as long as you want it to sell. Yes, publishing can be a long-term commitment.

It takes more than writing the book of your dreams. Here’s my formula for successful authorship:

• Study the publishing industry so you know exactly what to expect, what your publishing options are, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author.

• Write a book proposal whether you are writing fiction, a children’s book or a nonfiction book. A book proposal is a business plan for your book. It will help you determine if you actually have a viable book at all—a book with a purpose. You’ll discover if you have an audience and who it is, what the competition for your book is and what you will need to do in order to promote it.

• Establish and continue building on your platform. This is your following (how well-known are you in your field?) and your way of reaching your particular audience. It’s also your skills, knowledge and expertise within the realm of your topic of genre.

Build on your platform by doing the following:

• Submit articles or stories to the publications that your audience reads, so they will become familiar with your work.
• Create a website. Don’t rely on your publisher to do that for you. Create your own website and make it easy for people to locate and connect with you.
• Establish a blog site and posting regularly.
• Continue adding to your email addressbook. An email list of several hundred or more readers is gold to an author.

For a nonfiction book, I advise some authors to design a workshop even before the book is a book and start presenting it locally. You’ll get a clear idea of what works and what doesn’t with your audience. And you’ll get tons of feedback that will help you in writing the book.

For more detailed information on all of these points and guidance through the extremely competitive and difficult publishing and book promotion processes, order my latest book today: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Available at Amazon.com and most other online bookstores as well as most downtown bookstores. Or order it from my website: http://www.matilijapress.com

I meet a lot of authors in all stages of publishing every year. Some of them are actually writing every chance they get, have saved up some money to hire an editor once they’ve done their best self-editing work, have studied the publishing industry and have adopted a business mindset. Others, not so much.

What are some of the things you can be doing NOW to give your book project the best chance possible?

• Study the publishing industry. Read books on the topic. Subscribe to appropriate publications (and read them), attend writing conferences and lectures. Learn enough about the process of publishing, your publishing options and your responsibilities as a published author as you can before getting involved.

• Write a book proposal. Not only will you have what you need to approach the publisher of your choice, you will learn what you need to know about your book, the market for your book, your audience and how to promote to them. You’ll discover whether your book is such a good idea after all.

• Build your platform. This is your following, your connections… Who is interested in reading a book you wrote on this topic or in this genre? Who can help you to get the word out? How large is your emailing list? How widespread are you known in this field or genre? What can you do to gain additional credibility and reputation?

• Establish a creative and hard-hitting promotional plan. Where will you find members of your audience? How can you best reach them? What do they read? What events do they attend? Where do they hang out online?

• Approach your audience before your book is a book. For a nonfiction book on a teachable topic, start presenting workshops before finishing the book to test the content, the concept, the presentation. Pay attention to the feedback you receive, the questions students ask, etc. They can help you assemble the book they need or want.

• Hone your public speaking skills. Join a storytelling group and/or a Toastmasters Club.

• Take a crash course on Internet marketing for authors.

Start today by reading my latest book: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. This book is also for the new, clueless, hopeful, in denial, ego-driven and over-eager author. http:www.matilijapress.com

Also available at amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other online and downtown bookstores.

I’d love to hear from you where you have purchased or where you have seen this book for sale. PLFry620@yahoo.com

How does one establish credibility as an expert? One way is to write a book. If it is a viable product and useful to a segment of readers, this is one good way to position yourself as an expert in your area of interest, industry or field. But you have to somehow reach your audience to let them know about your book.

One way is to write articles for magazines. If you are an author who is promoting a book or if you are writing a nonfiction book, you should be getting your name in front of your audience through your industry magazines, ezines and newsletters. Whether you want to be known in the area of kite-making, dog grooming, coupon-shopping, public speaking, business management, feral cat rescue, dressmaking, quilting, woodworking, writing, cooking, dieting, art, horseback riding, etc., start NOW submitting useful articles to publications in your field or area of expertise. This is how you get word out about your book. This is how you build credibility as an expert. This is how you establish a following—your customer base.

Start with the magazines and ezines you currently subscribe to or are familiar with. Study Writer’s Market for listings of additional magazines. Of course, do Internet searches to locate others. Look at listings under consumer magazines as well as trade magazines.

Build a useful website. On that note, let me invite you to my websites this week. These might be good examples for you on many levels. We’ve done some updates and revisions throughout, including revising and updating the Resource List.

If you haven’t checked out the Resource List at the Matilija Press website and, if you are seeking experts in the field, a publicist, warning sites, conferences, book reviewers, newspaper databases, legal help, books on various publishing topics, publishing statistics, grammar help, editors, etc., visit http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/resources.html

I also offer around 200 articles on writing and publishing at this site. And then there is this blog, which archives over 1,400 posts on the topics that interest you related to writing, publishing.

You’ll also find my articles in the following magazines and newsletters fairly regularly:
Publishing Basics
Book Promotion Newsletter
Book Marketing Matters
Freelance Writers Report
Perspiring Writer (archives)
Writer’s Journal (archives)

And occasionally in:
SLO Night Writers
Working Writer Newsletter
Writing for Dollars
Writing World
Vision Newsletter
Writer’s Magazette
New Writer’s Magazine
OC Writer
Pen Wheels
IBPA Independent Newsletter
Inkspotter, News
Cisco Writer’s Club Newsletter
Advanced Christian Writer
Arizona Authors Literary Magazine

Learn more about book promotion in my two latest books: Publish Your Book and Promote Your Book. Both available at Amazon and most other online and downtown bookstores. You can also order them from my website or the publisher’s website. Publisher is Allworth Press.
http://www.matilijapress.com

Visit the Patricia Fry website for information about me and my services. http://www.patriciafry.com