I listened to Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, in a teleseminar yesterday. The teleseminar was presented FREE for SPAWN members—just another benefit of joining SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). I’m sure that our members who listened in learned a great deal about the publishing industry—at least from Mark’s perspective and based on his research and experiences. Quite informative. Members of SPAWN can listen to the recording of the teleseminar at our website. We may also sell CDs of the teleseminars we present. Check back at our website for information about this. And, while you’re there, sign up for our FREE enewsletter.
http://www.spawn.org
As most of you know, the publishing industry is changing and it is innovative authors, cutting-edge publishers and creative book promoters who are facilitating so much of the change. It is also the small independent publisher of one or two books and the pay-to-publish author who are responsible for the changes. The excellent books being published and the awful, unedited, meaningless books are causing the changes in the industry. It’s the aggressive book promoter and the timid author who doesn’t know how to promote who are creating the statistics and blazing the trail to wherever the industry is headed.
One thing that Mark said yesterday really struck me and it is SO true. He said that authors must spend money on an editor. He said the same thing I often say, “The local college professor is not a book editor. You need a book editor to edit your book.” And he suggested what I know, as well—your project needs to go to the editor at least twice. Once the editor edits your book, you will be doing some rewrites here and there, you’ll be making changes—probably more than you realize. So it is absolutely crucial that you send that manuscript back to the editor for a final edit. He said that if you don’t have the money to hire a good book editor and to follow through with the editing work you need, you might as well not publish at all. If you do, you could be affecting the publishing industry in a negative way.
What are you doing this week to make a positive difference within the publishing industry? Are you making good choices with regard to your book? Are you striving to produce an excellent product or do you just want to get your book published without concern for the quality? Remember, you are affecting the publishing industry no matter your decision.
Contact me for a free editorial evaluation of your manuscript. PLFry620@yahoo.com. Learn more about me and my services here: http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html