As promised, today I will provide you with a list of books I recommend that you read at various stages of your writing and publishing journey.
Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author by Patricia Fry (Allworth Press, 2012). This is the book you should be reading before you decide whether or not publishing is for you. You will learn volumes about how to prepare for a successful publishing experience. You will find out what to expect throughout the process and be better equipped and educated to navigate the industry. You’ll discover through this book that there are options for authors and I even provide you with an exercise to help you determine which is the best publishing option for you and your project. Remember, publishing is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. I believe that the author who takes the time to study and understand more about the publishing industry has a greater chance of succeeding with his/her book.
If you want to self-publish—that is, establish your own publishing company—Publish Your Book features a time-line guiding you through the process. If you prefer going with a traditional royalty publisher, you will learn exactly how to choose, approach and work with the right one as well as with an appropriate agent.
And Publish Your Book covers how to write a book proposal, what to expect after you complete your book—in other words, the whole world of book promotion—and the book is laced with advice and guidance from about two-dozen other experts and professionals.
The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter (Para Publishing) has also evolved into a more well-rounded guide for authors and it goes into detail on many subjects authors typically question along their path to publication.
If you are definitely considering a pay-to-publish company (also widely known as self-publishing companies), Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing should be required reading. Levine rates and ranks several of these companies and exposes and explains their contracts. Don’t sign with one of these companies without reading both Publish Your Book AND The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
You can get The Fine Print of Self-Publishing FREE as an ebook when you join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). http://www.spawn.org (More about this and other author organizations later in the week.)
So today, make plans to order Publish Your Book and (if you are considering self-publishing companies), The Fine Print of Self-Publishing. Order them as soon as possible and read them before moving forward with your publishing project. The thing is, there is no way to succeed in this business without having some understanding of it going in. Publishing is a business and your book is a product. No matter which publishing option you choose or what kind of book you are producing, you should consider yourself the CEO of your book from start to finish. Statistics tell a grim story. Did you know that nearly 78 percent of authors sell fewer than 100 copies of their books total? Can’t you just imagine that the difference between this nearly 78 percent and the other 22 percent (those author who experience some success) is that the smaller percentage came into the business with some knowledge, education, information, resources and definitely more savvy than those who failed.
Order these books at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. As I said, you can get The Fine Print of Self-Publishing FREE when you join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). Annual membership is $65/year. http://www.spawn.org
You can also get Publish Your Book at my website: http://www.matilijapress.com
Tomorrow, we discuss newsletters and magazines for authors.