How many of you were so eager to publish your magnificent works that you went with the first publishing option that presented itself? How many of you did a “test” product—self-published your book just to see how it would fare in the marketplace?
I see many hands in the air—mine included. There was minimal research involved with my first publishing venture. I contacted a publisher of books in this topic and genre and off I went. Thankfully, it was a credible traditional publisher with offices in New York and London. Oh, to have the good old days of publishing back. At least I chose well, but there weren’t nearly as many publishers to choose from and not nearly as many questionable opportunists.
Recently, I did a test run on the Catscapades book. I produced Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats as an ebook and even printed out a few and comb bound them at home for those who wanted something to hold and read. I’ve since produced Catscapades, True Cat Tales in print through my publishing company, Matilija Press and am now in the process of promoting it for real. What a job!!!!
I know many authors who jumped at the chance to be published through pay-to-publish companies only to soon (or sometimes later) decide that they didn’t like the situation. It wasn’t what they expected. They weren’t getting the support they hoped to get. Some of them felt duped. Many of these authors decided to start looking around at the publishing industry and learn a little about how it works and they began to regret their initial, emotional decisions.
Does this describe any of you?
Authors often come to me as an individual or as the executive director of SPAWN for help getting out of their current pay-to-publish contract and finding a traditional publisher. But most are still not prepared to do what it takes. Plus, they don’t have the money left to spend on an editor (which most need, despite the editing work they paid for through their company) or to take the enormous amount of time needed to study the industry and research their options.
If your hand didn’t go up when I asked the initial questions this morning, there may be hope for you and your project. If you are new to publishing, learn from our mistakes and our successes. Read the book I wrote specifically for you, for example: The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. See link below. Do your homework. Study the publishing industry. Gain a good understanding of your publishing options and how to choose the best one for you and for your project. Define your responsibilities as a published author. They are all-encompassing, so you must be prepared.
I sometimes use the retail business scenario when teaching how to approach authorship. I say, “You wouldn’t start a business downtown without knowing something about that field, your customers and your competitors.” Recently, it occurred to me, as I watched another small local business close their doors, that some would-be businessmen and women follow the same pattern as do many authors today. They want what they want and they want it now. They don’t take time to do any research. They just dive in to become the owner of a fabulous pizza place, coffee house or art gallery. All they know is that they want to share their pizza with the world, they want to work in a coffee house atmosphere or they love art. It isn’t enough folks.
A love for writing and your interpretation of a great book won’t lead to riches and fame. It takes so much more. And the time to do what it takes—study the publishing industry, learn your options, understand your responsibilities as a published author and all that goes between the lines you’re reading, is BEFORE you ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It won’t tell you exactly what to do—this is not a cookie cutter book. It will help you to find your right way to publish based on knowledge.