Most writers and authors know something about research—we all have to do it in the course of writing a nonfiction article, book, novel and even, sometimes a poem. But how many of you use—I mean really use—the great reference books you buy to help you write better or navigate the publishing industry?
You order the book and are excited when you receive it. You sit down and scan the book. You may study the parts of it that apply to your situation at the moment or you read the entire book. But then it goes on the shelf with your other reference books, never to be opened again.
I know that some of you do this, because many of you who have purchased my book will come to me with questions that are clearly answered in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
Someone will email me and ask, “What’s the difference between self-publishing and getting the book printed myself?†I’ll answer them, of course, but also refer to Chapters 2, 3 and 10.
I was asked recently, “How can I make sure to have a successful book signing†I referred this client to pages 223-238.
When a customer asks, “What’s a press release—how do I write one?†I refer them to the samples on pages 251-253 of the 2007 edition of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
Someone contacted me this week with questions about distributors and wholesalers (Chapter 11). She wanted to know which distributors to contact. I suggested that she search the directories listed in the Resource Section—page 308.
And you can’t even imagine how often I am asked, “How do I find an agent for my book?†I’ll tell them to go to the Association of Author’s Agents website and peruse the directory there: http://www.aar-online.org (Page 302—in the Resources Section in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, as well as 135 in the text of the book.)
Learn how to choose a title for your fiction (Pages 69-70), understand genres (27-28), build promotion into your fiction (57) and write a book proposal for fiction (61-62).
If you own The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (or any other good reference book) and you have a question related to the book subject, open the book, scan the Index (the last pages in the book—they’re alphabetical), find a reference to the topic and the page number and then go to that page. If you still have questions, contact me.
One customer contacted me several months ago with a question. He wanted to send his completed manuscript to a publisher and asked me if it was okay. I asked if he had checked the publisher’s Submission Guidelines. He said, “Yes, they suggest sending a book proposal, but I don’t have a book proposal, can I just send the manuscript?†I explained the importance of complying with publisher guidelines. He wrote back and said, “But I don’t want to take the time to write the proposal now—if this publisher turns me down, then maybe I’ll write a proposal, but I want to know if you think it’s okay to send the complete manuscript?†I told him again that it is risky and I would not recommend it—that he might mess up his chances of a contract by neglecting to comply with the publisher’s guidelines. He wrote back again with the same question reframed. He didn’t want my honest answer. He wanted me to tell him what he wanted to hear. He wanted permission to send the complete manuscript.
I told him that it was ultimately up to him, but that I did not think he was making a good business decision. I recommended that he read Chapter Four in my book along with pages 138-140 to be reminded about the importance of complying with publisher guidelines.
Don’t let your reference books collect dust while you struggle to understand and navigate the publishing industry. If you own The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and you have a writing, publishing or book marketing question, the answer is most likely right there at your fingertips.
If you don’t have a copy, yet, order yours at: http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html And be sure to order The Author’s Workbook, too.