You probably get tired of hearing (reading) me harp about publishing being a business that should be taken seriously—that new authors have a responsibility to approach publishing with knowledge and awareness. Yet, every week I hear/read about another author who has crashed the publishing party with little or no understanding of how it all works.
These authors don’t know anything about the industry. They are so ignorant about publishing options that they literally fall into the arms of the first person who offers to publish their book no matter the conditions. And they are totally oblivious to their responsibilities as a published author—to what comes after publishing.
This is a three strike situation if I’ve ever seen one and, believe me, I’ve observed many, many authors going down for the count, along with their beloved book projects. It’s sad and so downright unnecessary.
Anyone can publish a book today. That’s what makes publishing such a desirable activity for so many. Everyone wants to be published—to have their words, story, rant, opinion go down in history—to, perhaps, make a difference. But not everyone is cut out to be a published author of some merit.
I talked to someone just last week who said, “My book is finished. I’m ready to publish. Only I don’t know a thing about how to promote it.” If he would listen to me, I would tell him, “Buddy, it is time to shut down the book factory and start focusing on what comes after the publishing process.” In fact, he should have launched a study of the publishing industry, including the huge task of bookpromotion, before getting involved.
How many of you took the time to study the publishing industry before producing a book? How many of you are in the process of learning about publishing now in anticipation of becoming a published author? Have any of you changed your minds about publishing after learning something about the industry and your responsibilities as a published author? We would like to hear your stories.
If you visit this blog site often, attend my presentations, read my books/articles, take my courses, etc., you know that I am a strong proponent of writing a book proposal before writing the book. This is important for several reasons—two main ones are:
• Through the process of writing a book proposal, you have the opportunity to learn more about how the world of publishing works, what it takes to get involved and what is expected of you if you hope to succeed to any degree.
• By developing a full-blown book proposal, you will discover whether or not your book idea is a good idea—a viable project. If you determine it is not, you still have the option of revising it to make it more salable.
Why would anyone short change themselves or purposely sabotage even a small measure of
success by ignoring the recommendations of professionals? The challenge for professionals, however, is to first locate hopeful authors and start educating them before they make expensive and heart-breaking mistakes.
When a would-be author hides out in his/her writing room for months working on a book, only to emerge in order to find a publisher, there’s little hope of educating him. He’s on a mission and he doesn’t want to be distracted. Unfortunately, this author will probably follow along after thousands of others who have avoided asking directions. They will find a publisher. But, without knowledge and information, most of these authors find themselves in way over their heads in territory and with stipulations they never ever expected and often can’t deal with.
Authors, if you believe in your book project, give it and yourself a chance to succeed.
• Study the publishing industry.
• Know what your options are.
• Understand the possible ramifications of the various choices.
• Educate yourself as to your responsibilities as a published author.
I pat you on the back for your decision to read this blog post today. Now go forth and read books by myself, Patricia Fry (I recommend “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book”), Brian Jud, Dan Poynter, Penny Sansevieri and others.
Learn more about publishing, writing a book proposal, book promotion and more at:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com
Hi Carrie,
Yes, there is much to learn and I honor you for seeking out blog posts and articles to help with this process. I wrote my book, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book,” with you in mind. It is the only book I know of that actually helps new authors to understand the publishing industry. The first 60 pages are designed for this exact purpose. I would recommend ordering it http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Or order it through Amazon.com. This book also covers every publishing option and goes into agents, how to work with them, how to locate the right one, etc.
I would write a book proposal asap. This will give you more insight and direction than you can imagine. This is also covered in the book I suggest. And I teach an online course that walks you through the book proposal process. http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm.
Let me know if you have any specific questions I might assist with. PLFry620@yahoo.com. And good luck with your project.
Patricia
Hello again, Carrie. Yes, book proposals are for nonfiction, but many publishers of fiction are now asking for book proposals. The fiction book proposal will look different than the nonfiction book proposal. But the publisher still wants to know what the book is about (Synopsis), your writing background (About the Author), who your audience is (what segment of society is going to read this book), your platform (your following-your way of attracting your audience) and how you plan to promote this book.
Patricia