You have a book idea. It hounds you day and night. You discuss it with people and they think it is a valid concept. Maybe you ought to start writing it. People need the information you have and the perspective you can offer. “Yes!” you decide. “I will write it.”
You put everything you have into writing this book. It’s darn hard work—harder than you thought it would be. But you feel an obligation to your audience. You definitely have something they need and you must get it to them.
Finally the manuscript is completed. You are thrilled. You feel that awesome sense of accomplishment. You’re almost to the finish line with your dream. Now it’s just a simple matter of getting it published.
Things bog down a little now. You had no idea how confusing this phase of producing a book would be. There are so many options. And you are more eager than ever to get your book into the hands of those who need it. So you just close your eyes and point. Now you’ve chosen a publisher. It costs you some money and the rules of the publishing game are different than you expected. But, hey, you are going to be a published author and your book will be available to people who can definitely use it.
Fast forward six months. You are bordering on depression. You are a published author, but things aren’t going as you dreamed they would. People are not scrambling to buy your book. In fact you haven’t sold enough copies to pay off your publishing debt. You have tried to do a little promotion, but you are pretty much at a loss as to how to reach your audience. Being a published author is a lot different than you thought it would be. You’ve had a few book signings locally, but hardly anyone showed up. You announced your book in your club newsletter and at a friend’s website, but that didn’t spur any sales. Your “publisher” said he would put your book on amazon.com and get it into bookstores, but that hasn’t happened. You wonder, “What now?”
And you set out to seek answers and camaraderie from other authors and publishing professionals. You learn fairly quickly that you made some mistakes—the first one being that you entered a major business with little or no knowledge of the industry. What were you thinking?
Sure there are people out there who can help you to repair your mistakes. I’ve written a book for this purpose. Check out The Author’s Repair Kit here: http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html
You can start over by studying the publishing industry and writing a book proposal. You may or may not realize that you’ve written the wrong book for the wrong audience. Perhaps it is a bulldozer book—a book designed to change minds. Perhaps you should have your manuscript evaluated by a good editor to make sure the writing is clear and your book well-organized. And, while you’re at it, you’ll want to more clearly outline a marketing plan. Who is your true audience, why would they care about your book, what would entice them to buy it, where will you find these customers and what is the best way to approach them?
You wish you’d thought of these things before writing the book.
I can almost see some of you nodding your heads and hear you murmuring, “I resemble her remarks. I jumped into publishing with both feet before actually realizing what I was doing.”
If you are just starting out with your dream of becoming a published author, let this blog post interrupt that dream long enough to help you more successfully pursue it.
The publishing dream in America is not dead. It’s still possible to experience success as a published author. But the path may be much different than you envision and it may be necessary for you to change some of your preconceived ideas about your dream project.
All I’m asking of you today is that, before you start writing that book—definitely before you pursue a publishing contract—study the publishing industry. This means subscribe to industry and organization newsletters AND READ THEM, read books by the professionals—Patricia Fry, Dan Poynter, Brian Jud, John Kremer, Penny Sansevieri and others. Attend writers/publishing conferences and writers’ group meetings. I highly recommend my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
Write a book proposal. And then run it by a professional. Most authors write weak proposals. Someone with experience can help you to write one that is more meaningful, which will point you in a more realistic direction.
Have a marketing plan in place before launching a book.
This whole publishing arena can be confusing. But if you take it one step at a time—choosing the right steps—you are more likely to succeed as a published author.
Visit my websites for lots more information:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com