Yesterday, we talked about some of the P’s of authorship. We covered Planning and Preparation. One astute author suggested that I add “Product.” Yes, you should have a viable product (a book for which there is an audience). And this takes us back to planning and preparation. The results of your book proposal should reveal whether or not you have a worthwhile product in the book that you plan.
Today, we’re adding a few more P words.
Proofing/Editing
Once you’ve completed your manuscript, you’ll become involved in self-editing. Proof and edit as thoroughly as you possibly can.
• Check for inconsistencies and repeated material and words.
• Make sure your spacing and punctuation is correct.
• Examine your manuscript for muddy writing and run-on sentences.
• Eliminate those sneaky mistakes that aren’t picked up by spellcheck.
• Correct any misuse of apostrophes or words.
Once you have done your self-editing, hire an experienced book editor for your final edit. Yes, this is necessary and the expense must be factored in. Hiring a good editor is an investment in your publishing success. Repeat—hire an experienced book editor.
Plan to pay an editor from $800 to $3,000 (or more). This depends on the size and scope of your manuscript as well as the condition of it (how much work it needs).
Publish
You now have a choice to make—you have options. Will you try to land a traditional royalty publisher for your piece of fine work? Will you go with a pay-to-publish company? Or will you self-publish (establish your own publishing company)?
People ask me, which is the best publishing option? My response is, “It depends on you and it depends on the project.” Your job is to study the publishing industry so that you understand all of your options and the possible consequences of your choices. My book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, provides a good start in that direction. If you are considering a pay-to-publish company, also read Mark Levine’s The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, wherein he rates and ranks several of these companies and scrutinizes their contracts for you.
Publishing is not free. If you land a traditional royalty publisher, you may not be required to put any money up, but you’ll receive only five to fifteen percent of the selling price of the books and this doesn’t typically add up to much.
If you go with a pay-to-publish outfit, you could end up with as much as $10,000 out of pocket. And in many cases, you still have to purchase your books. Read and understand any contract before signing.
If you self-publish, you could spend anywhere from $1,000 (for a few copies produced at a business center) to $10,000 or more. My first self-published book cost me $25,000 to produce in 1983.
Both the pay-to-publish option and self-publishing require that you hire a page layout and cover design experts, unless you can do this work yourself. Here, you could spend another $3,000.
I’ll share my last P word in tomorrow’s blog post.
Today, I’m part of a panel at the Ojai Writer’s Conference in Ojai California. I look forward to sharing with and learning from authors at this event.
In the meantime, do consider the all important P’s when you are dreaming about or writing your next book or considering your publishing options.
Planning
Preparation
Proofing
Publishing
Promotion
Also use Patience. I’ve known authors to rush their projects and ultimately produce books that were not quite ready—it lacked editing, they didn’t wait for final expert critique, they went with the first publishing service that came along without appropriate and thorough scrutiny. And continually look at your book as a Product rather than simply your creation.
Learn more about Patricia Fry, her services and her books:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com