Writing and Publishing News from

March 29, 2012

Become the CEO of Your Book Project

Filed under: Authorship,Publishing — Patricia @ 4:23 am

I had a great day at the local library yesterday talking to a group of 20 hopeful authors about publishing. I couldn’t believe how fast the 90 minutes went by. I didn’t even take my planned break.

My focus was the importance of approaching publishing as the seriously competitive business that it is. And this is a hard pill to swallow for most writers who want to publish their memoir, their children’s book, their novel or even the how-to or self-help book they’ve been working on. I explained to them that publishing is not an extension of your writing. And that publishing cannot be approached using the same skills and mindset as one uses during the writing process.

I stressed that education is key. It is vital that you go into publishing with some knowledge of how the industry works and that you understand your responsibilities as a published author.

There are two basic ways you can enter into the publishing realm. You can ease in with your project, taking the first opportunity that comes your way to produce the book and then meekly wait for the success you desire.

Or you can take charge—become the CEO of your project. Learn as much as you can about how the industry works, so you can make educated decisions. Be proactive on behalf of your book.

Publishing is a business and your book is a product. The minute you decide you want to publish the book you’ve been writing for one, five or even twenty-five years, you should shed your creative skin and become an executive in charge of your project.

Think, what would the CEO of a company do when he or she has a new product to produce and market? They would find out as much as they could about the industry, make educated (instead of emotional) decisions on behalf of the product and devise a solid marketing plan.

Yes, the author is in charge of marketing, too. Authorship is a huge role to take on when you consider that you must be the creator/designer, the production manager, the research manager and the marketing manager. Does it sound rather intimidating? Does it sound like publishing is way different from writing? It absolutely is. Are you up for the experience or are you still in denial about what it actually takes in order to succeed as a published author? Do you still live in the fantasy world that says, “My book is different. I know people will buy it. All I have to do is somehow get it published.”

Sure, you’ll make a few sales, if your book is at all decent. But even the most well-written book in the most popular genre or topic will stagnate without a marketing plan.

How do you define success, anyway? Are you in touch with exactly what you want to accomplish with your book?

There’s not much to think about when you are in your writing room enjoying the process of writing a book. That is, unless you are already planning to publish your book and offer it to the masses. Then, you should be writing explicitly for your audience. But that’s another blog post.

Start the process of studying the publishing industry by reading my book: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. http://www.matilijapress.com.

It’s also at Amazon.com, Allworthpress.com, BarnesandNobel.com and other online and downtown bookstores.

March 24, 2012

Presentation Help, Warnings and Accolades

Filed under: Announcements,Public Speaking,Publishing — Patricia @ 4:48 am

This weekend, after having finished editing a 400-page manuscript, I am preparing for a series of five presentations next week at the Ojai Wordfest. Busy, busy.

I’ve mentioned the Wordfest before. This is the second year they’ve held it here in Ojai and it is an interesting concept which pretty much involves the whole town. Various merchants agree to have an author read or speak to customers at set times throughout the week. There will also be speakers/readers at the library, in private homes and other venues throughout the community. It’s a lot of fun and it’s well attended. To learn more about the event, go to http://www.ojaiwordfest.wordpress.com You’ll find a calendar of events there.

Speech Preparation How-To
Two of my adult grandsons were over for dinner the other night. One of them asked me how I prepare for a speech. I thought some of you might be interested in my response, as well.

I write my speech and then I go over it many times, tweaking as I go. When I am satisfied, I condense it to notes and begin practicing it while I walk each day. I might memorize (or loosely memorize) the first line and the last line. Other than that, the speech may take on a different flavor each time I practice it. This means I am also free to go with my intuition upon meeting my audience and gearing my talk to their specific needs.

I know my material, so my main concern, when formulating a presentation, is organization. I want to share the information and anecdotes in an organized manner, so that the material flows—much the same as you would do when writing a book or an article.

If I need to memorize a speech, which I may do for a much longer presentation, I do all of my rehearsing while out walking. Has anyone else discovered the benefits of rehearsing speeches while walking? What works for you?

Grandparent Scam
By the way, all of you grandparents out there: Are you aware of the grandparent telephone scam being perpetuated against grandparents, lately? I have received one of the calls, as has my mother and my daughter’s father-in-law. The caller pretends to be your grandson or daughter who is stranded in a foreign country and in need of money. They say, “I can’t call my parents, they don’t know I’m here, so can you send me some money so I can come home?”

Don’t fall for this scam. As I understand it some do. My mother was the first one I know to get the call and she handled herself and the criminal on the other end of the phone quite well. I got it next and, recognized the scam for what it was because of my mother’s experience—but also because my grandsons would never talk to me the way this young man spoke to me.

Protect yourself from telephone scammers just like you do Internet scammers.

New Unsolicited Review for Publish Your Book!
Hey check this out: I got an Amazon review from someone I don’t know and she doesn’t know me. Don’t you love when that happens? Here’s the review:

“I really appreciate this book. I wish that I had known about it before I started my own publishing journey. It is packed full of things every beginning author needs to know to be successful. It talks about mistakes beginning authors make, some of which I made, also things like how to pick a publisher, self-publishing, writing a book proposal, and even some marketing basics with lots of tips and ideas. She includes the addresses of many helpful websites and even has a chapter on bookkeeping for authors. I recommend this book for any beginning author and anyone who wants to know more about the book publishing industry.”

If you haven’t ordered your copy of Publish Your Book, why not visit Amazon.com this weekend and place an order. If you are thinking about writing a book, you’re involved in the process of writing or publishing a book, you will not be disappointed in my book. Let it be your guiding light that helps you make better decisions on behalf of your project.
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

March 23, 2012

How Many Times Should You Self-Edit Your Manuscript?

Filed under: Editing,Publishing — Patricia @ 4:34 am

Do you ever wonder why you need to go over a manuscript so many times before it is right? I think it is because, as humans, we’re only capable of holding so much in our minds at any one time. Especially when you’re not trained to do so, you have difficulty noticing all of the mistakes/errors/problems in a manuscript all at one time.

You’ve probably noticed that every time you read through your manuscript, you find new errors. You wonder, “How is it that I didn’t notice the missing quotation mark in that bit of dialog or that ‘there’ was wrongly spelled ‘their’ or that I typed ‘abandon’ instead of ‘abandoned’ in the preface?”

Why don’t you catch all of the errors the first time around? I think that editing-proofing is similar to cleaning house. The messier it is, the more times you’ll have to go through it. The first time through, you might remove the bulk of the clutter. Once that’s out of the way, you can more easily see areas of dirt and disarray that need your attention. And after you do your second thorough, soap-and-water cleaning, if you use your keen senses, you’ll find even more dirt, dust and even clutter hidden in the crevices.

So it is with the editing process. After you go over your manuscript time and time again, you’ll continue to find things you’ll want to (or need to) change. It seems never-ending. And if you can’t settle on the name for your character, his background, the order of the events, or you are confused about how to use the apostrophe, how to represent numbers, etc., it will be never-ending.

I suggest that, once you are satisfied with your story or your nonfiction manuscript, continue to read it—using a fine-tooth comb—searching for every minute discrepancy, error, misplaced comma, etc. many times. Go through that manuscript until you can do so without seeing more than say five new problems. THEN turn it over to a qualified book editor. (You may be surprised at the additional problems he or she finds.)

As an author, I go through my manuscripts numerous, numerous times. As an editor, I like to go through my clients’ manuscripts twice. The first time, I catch the majority of the errors. This is also my opportunity to become familiar with the story or the material. But I like to take a second trip through in order to make sure what I decided late in the manuscript is applied to the first part of it. Once I know the story or the material, I can more accurately repair discrepancies-inconsistencies and poor writing habits that some authors tend to have. And, typically, I will find small errors I missed the first time around.

Some people say, “Why don’t you just read the manuscript one time and then do your editing?” I have tried that and I find that I cannot read a book that needs editing without editing it. In fact, I’ve been known to discard a published book that is poorly edited. The mistakes are so distracting to me that I cannot stick with the storyline. I assume that many readers have the same problem. Readers of any caliber do not appreciate—in fact, resent being subjected to—published books that are not properly edited.

How many times do you proof or self-edit your manuscripts before turning them out or turning them over to your editor? If you are working on a book, make sure that you are putting aside money for an editor. Don’t shortchange your chances for success (and don’t shortchange your readers) by not investing in an editor for your book. Of course, the more successfully you can fine-tune your manuscript, the less time an editor will have to spend with it.

I offer an online course on self-editing. Check it out here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_self-editing.htm

If you are new to publishing, you really do need to understand the industry, your options, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibility as a published author. Read my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author (Allworth Press). Available at the publisher’s website, my website, Amazon.com, most bookstores and other online stores.

Note: Part of your responsibility as a published author is to present the best product you can to your audience. And this means producing a properly-edited book.

March 22, 2012

Is Your Great Book Idea Really a Great Book Idea?

Filed under: Authorship,Publishing — Patricia @ 3:24 am

So you have an idea and you want to write about it. Most of us immediately think, “book” when the light bulb goes off above our heads.

“Gosh, that would make a great book!” or “I’d like to write a book on that topic or concept.”

Sometimes, however, your idea isn’t worthy of an entire book on the subject. That’s why I advise writers to consider writing an article, instead. If it is a worthwhile topic, the writing is good and the audience is eager to get this information, you should be able to sell the article to a high-paying magazine market. If not, perhaps it isn’t a great idea, after all.

Sometimes articles evolve into books. I’ve had this happen a couple of times. After seeing the response to my article on long-distance grandparenting, I wrote a book on the topic. Likewise, there was an interest in my articles on youth mentoring, which encouraged me to reproduce them in book form.

Some of my book publishing/promotion articles also evolved into full-blown books. In fact, article-writing is a good way to test your potential book ideas.

Another option, especially if you want to distribute the material you’ve written on a particular topic, is the booklet. Professionals and experts often produce booklets to test a concept or to bring attention to their work or business, for example.

If you think you have a great idea for a book, here’s what I suggest:
• Write an outline in order to determine just how substantial this book might be.

• Consider writing an article for an appropriate publication to see what the level of interest is in this concept.

• Test the idea by producing a booklet to give away or sell at your website or hand out at trade shows, conferences, etc.

What can you expect from the process of testing the market? You might find that you have a strong niche market for a full-blown book on the subject. The feedback you receive might prompt you to alter your original idea to suit a larger or more targeted audience. You may discover that this isn’t such a good idea, after all and you’ll save yourself money and time.

Have you ever done a test market on a book idea? How did you proceed with that? How did it go? What did you learn from the process? Leave your comments here.

If you are determined to produce a book, be sure to educate yourself first about the vast and fiercely competitive publishing industry. Read Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

It’s also at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and others. And it is on Kindle and Nook.

March 15, 2012

Are You Writing for the Right Reasons?

Filed under: Publishing,Writing — Patricia @ 3:50 am

Most activities are purpose-based. There’s a reason why you make a doctor’s appointment, take a friend to lunch, apply for a job at a particular company, take a class, study, exercise, get married… You don’t travel without a reason. You go someplace to relax, to see the sights, to visit someone or for business.

And there is a reason why you write. In fact, your writing or publishing success depends on that deep down personal purpose.

Let’s examine your purpose and determine how it computes into your ultimate success.

1: You write to become somebody. Fame has long been the incentive for some would-be writers, musicians and actors. From afar, the attention, the recognition, the constant kudos seem oh so delicious. You dream of being in the limelight. And it happens. You’ve seen it happen and it could happen for you. However, the odds against it are so huge that it is practically a non issue.

But, as a published author, you can feel like somebody among your family and friends. I’m kind of a celebrity in my community because of my local history books. You could become well-known in your area of expertise. I’m also known within the writing/publishing community because I do so much writing within the industry and because of my affiliation with SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network).

If extreme publishing fame is your goal, however, I’d suggest that you pursue a less competitive field.

2: You’re motivated by money. There’s money to be made as a writer—I’ve been supporting myself through writing for many, many years. And some freelance writers and authors are earning six figure incomes. But I doubt that any of them are in this business purely for the money. With very few exceptions, it takes a lot of promotion, persistence and patience to get anywhere in this business. And a love for writing is a major prerequisite.

I’ve actually seen people try to enter into this field without the talent or the love for writing. Sure you can make money as a writer, but it is not as easy and straightforward as most think. You don’t just sit down and write a wonderful book and become wealthy. It’s often a matter of writing what’s needed, rewriting, meeting deadlines, withstanding rejection and promotion, promotion, promotion.

3: You have something to say. I think that most writers have this in common. And most of us start out by sharing our thoughts and expressing ourselves. While there certainly are some writers who continue to make a good living through opinion columns, for example, this is not a very realistic goal for most. You will succeed in this business only if you are willing to branch out and expand your writing repertoire.

4: You want to change hearts and minds. More people than ever before are writing about their experiences. They want to share, to be validated, to help ease their own personal pain through writing. They want to touch people—to help them–to make them laugh or cry. And most of these people are one-time authors. They write that one book and they are done. Some writers, however, continue writing on their original theme of losing a child, being cured of a disease, overcoming an addiction and so forth. They build a website, launch a newsletter and write articles for magazines, thus building a career as a writer.

5: You want to see your words in print. While this is part of the thrill of writing for most writers, it isn’t a strong enough motivation to stand alone.

6: You write as a teaching tool. Countless people become writers in order to teach their craft or their business. By writing books and/or articles, you can position yourself as an expert in your field. This is certainly a valid reason to become a writer. I know educators, therapists, psychologists, artists and others who have produced books to use in their workshops and classrooms. Some of them continue teaching through magazine articles.

7: You are attracted to what you perceive as the writer’s lifestyle. I’ve been writing for publication for nearly 40 years and I don’t think I have a lifestyle much different than I would had I gone to work for a large corporation all those many years ago. Actually, I might be retired now and traveling on a large pension. Any lifestyle is whatever you make it. No matter what work you do, you should also be doing the things you love. For me, writing is my love—my passion. I’ve been fortunate enough to find a way to earn a living through my writing. My lifestyle consists of time writing, of course. But much of my time consists of self-promotion, facing rejection, rewriting, pounding the pavement (so to speak) for assignments and freelance work and so forth.

That’s why it is so important for writers to create a balance in their life—by staying involved in family, staying fit, eating right, getting plenty of sleep and continuing to pursue those things outside of writing that you enjoy—gardening, crafts, art, travel, friends and a spiritual perspective, for example.

8: You can’t not write. Those who seem to find their place in the world of writing are those with a passion for the process. Their passion motivates them in establishing a writing lifestyle; that is, if they can direct that passion realistically.

The thing is, if you love writing and you really want to see your work in print, go for it. But enter into this extremely competitive field with a sense of reality. Publishing success is relative. Attaining the highest level of success is a real crap shoot. There are no guarantees. But I would venture to say that those of you who put in the time and work studying, learning and promoting yourself AND who are willing to be flexible and adaptable, have the greatest chance of grabbing that brass ring.

While I urge you to look toward all possibilities—even fame and fortune, I also want you to be realistic. Write for the right reasons, reach for the top and be prepared for anything.

If you are ready to write a book, find a publisher for your manuscript, write a book proposal, promote your finished book or you just want to know more about the publishing industry, order my book today: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

March 11, 2012

Success in Writing/Publishing Takes Time, Thought, Understanding, Action

Filed under: Authorship,Publishing,Writing — Patricia @ 4:36 am

Yesterday we talked about competition—how much there is of it in the world of writing and publishing. I maintain that competition certainly can spoil your dream if you let it. How can you succeed as a freelance writer or author when the field is so saturated—there are so many other people vying for attention and sales? Here are the basics.

• Study the publishing industry (or the world of freelance writing). Know something about the industry before you jump in. Read books on the subject (there are recommendations below), attend writers’ conferences, join writers’ groups and publishers’ organizations and participate, sign up for online and real-time classes, subscribe to good writing and publishing magazines and newsletters and READ THEM.

Only a small percentage of you will pay attention to this blog. The rest of you will give freelance writing or authorship a lick and a promise without paying any attention to the experts in the field. And you will most likely fail. Millions of people, each year, do.

If you are serious about succeeding, consider the suggestions above. And let us know how it works out for you? I love good success stories.

Recommended books: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. This is your primer designed to prepare you in every way for a more successful publishing venture. At Amazon.com in print and kindle and at http://www.matilijapress.com

A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles (if you are serious about getting involved in article-writing). http://www.matilijapress.com

See my array of online courses at: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

February 28, 2012

How to Write a More Successful Book, Part 2

Filed under: Authorship,Publishing — Patricia @ 5:25 am

As most of you know, I’ve been writing for publication for nearly forty years. I have 35 published books to my credit. So I hope you hear me when I advise the following:

Before you write a word—or, perhaps, while you are outlining or conducting research for your book:

Study the publishing industry. How? Read my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. What can this book do for you and your project? It can put you within the 21 percent of authors who produce successful books. No kidding, folks. Nearly 80 percent of all books fail and one major, major reason is the fact that the author entered into the fiercely competitive publishing arena without enough knowledge about the publishing industry, their options, the possible consequences of their choices and knowledge of their responsibility as a published author. PUBLISHING IS A BUSINESS. And authors, in order to succeed, MUST approach it as such.

The second thing I want you to do is the write a book proposal and this is true whether you plan to write a book of fiction, a collection of your poetry, a children’s book or a nonfiction book. You will learn volumes about your project and whether it is actually a good idea through the process of writing a book proposal. Many an author has, at some point, discovered that they are writing or have written the wrong book for the wrong audience. If this is the case with your book, you want to know BEFORE it is published.

What does this mean? That the book idea should be scratched? Not necessarily. Maybe it just need to be tweaked. A reality check before your book is a book can save you tons of money and tons of heartache.

One more thing I’d like to recommend. Start now setting aside money for an editor. A good book editor could cost you anywhere from $800 to $3,000—depending on the condition, size and complexity of your manuscript. Work this into your plan. You will have a much more successful publishing experience if you do.

I’ve known authors to skip this step—to just bring out their book as soon as they could without that extra set of professional eyes—some of them knowing that their book had numerous errors. They figured they would make some money on the book and THEN hire an editor for the reprint.

Guess what? These authors never get to the place where they can afford to do a reprint. These authors are among the nearly 80 percent who fail in the marketplace. A few people might buy their book, but they won’t recommend it. Reviewers either won’t review it or they give it an honest (and brutal) review. Booksellers aren’t interested in it.

So, before we get too far into March, let’s get your book project up and running. What are you going to do first?

• Evaluate your reason for writing this book and the book’s purpose.
• Study the publishing industry. Consider reading Publish Your Book by Patricia Fry.
• Write a book proposal.

Order Publish Your Book at Amazon.com or here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

February 27, 2012

How to Write a More Successful Book in This Highly Competitive Publishing Arena

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 6:24 am

We’re nearly two months into the New Year. Remember those resolutions or promises you made January 1? How are you doing toward those goals? Have you started that book? Have you resumed work on a book project that you set aside months or years ago? Or are you still just thinking about it?

Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by the task at hand. That’s why you made it a resolution or a plan for the New Year. You thought that if you promised yourself you would do it, you would find a way. But you still have to take that first step.

Stop looking at the project as a whole. Once you are sure this is what you want to do—that this is a good idea, break it down into manageable tasks. How do you know it is a good idea? Ask yourself the following questions:

1: Why do I want to write this book? Is your reason valid or frivolous? Frivolous reasons might be, “To get rich.” Or “To show so and so that I can do it.” Or “To change the thinking of all Americans.” Or “To tell my story, which will make me feel better.” Valid reason might be, “Because I believe I have something of value to offer a segment of people.” Or “I am passionate about this book, have thought it through and know it is a worthwhile project.” Make sure your reason for writing this book is valid.

2: What is the purpose of my proposed book? If it is to inform, entertain, educate and/or potentially help a niche group of people, it is probably a valid project. If it is to make you look good or to further your career, think again. Sure, you might gain added credibility in your field as a result of writing this book. And you might get an invitation to speak at a noted conference or convention as the author of this book. But these purposes should be secondary to your main purpose for producing this book—which should be to give something of value to a segment of people—your potential readers.

3: Who is the audience for this book? Be realistic here—determine who will actually want to read this book, not who should read it. Understand that to say, “This book is for everyone—everyone will be interested in reading it,” is unrealistic.

Once you have established the validity of your book project or you have changed the focus of your book to more closely fit in with what your proposed audience wants, what’s next? What is your next step?

1: Outline all of the tasks involved with writing this book—the research, the interviews, writing. Add in the following:

• Study the publishing industry.
• Write a book proposal.

2: Draw up a schedule for accomplishing these items. If you work better under pressure, lay it on yourself—make the schedule tight and make a strong commitment. If you are trying to fit this project into an already busy schedule, give yourself more time to complete each phase of the project. You may have to reevaluate your progress from time to time and readjust your schedule. This is not failure—this is reality and you need a good dose of reality in order to complete your project.

Note: In order to devote time to your book project, you may be required to eliminate things from your schedule, like TV-watching, clubbing, obsessing with your fitness routine, etc.

I’m going to leave you with these thoughts and assignments today. Tomorrow, I will be back with more concrete tasks and the reasons behind them. You won’t want to miss the second part of this important blog post. In fact, I advise printing this out and studying it so you will be more well-prepared for tomorrow’s valuable message.

To be continued February 28, 2012

February 24, 2012

Networking Brings Many Gifts for Authors & Writers

Filed under: Authorship,Publishing — Patricia @ 6:31 am

Do you belong to an organization of writers and/or authors? Do you attend meetings in your area? Some of you know that SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writes Network) started out as a face-to-face networking organization with chapters in three counties. The Internet brought us all home and made it possible for us to connect with thousands more people throughout the world. The good thing about this is that we are helping more people to make better decisions on behalf of their writing/publishing projects. The downside is the fact that we are no longer experiencing that personal connection—well, not in the face-to-face, handshaking, back-patting, hugging sort of way.

That’s why I always look forward to traveling around and meeting writers in person at writers’ conferences, local writers’ group meetings and book festivals.

You all know that I finished writing my latest book—on public speaking and communication for authors. As soon as I did, my world became flooded with editing jobs and speaking invitations. Here at SPAWN, we’re gearing up for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April. And I am spending every spare moment, these days, in promotion mode with my latest book, “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” So there continues to be a lot on my plate. It’s all good.

Especially good news is that my promotional efforts and those of the publisher’s publicist seem to be paying off. The book ranking is UP at amazon.com. Thanks to all of you who are ordering it. I am thrilled—not so much because I want to sell books, but because I want you to learn some of the ins and outs of publishing before getting involved. And this is one of the best books around for the new and struggling author. Thanks for buying it. You’ll be awfully glad you did.

You should also be out mingling with other writers and authors, joining online writers’ support groups, participating in lists and forums, visiting blog sites like this one, attending live author book signings at some of the fascinating places where they are occurring these days, attending writers conferences and book festivals (If you have a book—you should be selling it. If not, get to know some of the authors who have their books for sale.)

Through networking, you will learn who the good guys in publishing are, which pay-to-publish companies to stay away from, where to send your magnificent science fiction story for publication, who is a good editor for your manuscript, where to get your brochures printed, where to find a good book coach, which writers/authors publications are most worthwhile and so much more.

Read books like mine, of course, but also subscribe to all of the right magazines and newsletters. Contact me for a list, if you aren’t sure which publications to choose. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Where are you in the process of writing or publishing a book? Would you like a free manuscript evaluation? Contact me here or at the email address above. Visit my websites
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Visit SPAWN http://www.spawn.org

February 23, 2012

Amazing Resource for Struggling Authors

Filed under: Book Promotion,Publishing — Patricia @ 6:03 am

I now have a pdf file of my latest book—Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. I will send that file of this most valuable book to anyone who is willing to write a review for Amazon.com. PLFry620@yahoo.com

What’s in it for you? Free access to a book that could change your life—that is if you hope to write a more relevant book and become a more successful author. If you know nothing about the publishing process or the business of publishing, this book is your education. And it is vital education. Do you know, for example, that nearly 80 percent of books fail in the marketplace? That is, they sell 100 or fewer copies total.

Why? Because the competition is fierce for authors. And because these authors did not bother to learn enough about the publishing industry to know that it is up to them to promote their own books. This is true whether they go with a pay-to-publish company, self-publish (establish their own publishing company) or land a traditional publisher. The author is responsible for promoting his or her book. Do you know how to do that? Of course, you don’t—if you’ve had no previous experience within this realm.

Are you, like so many other newby authors, planning to sell your book through bookstores? Or do you plan to have simple website designed where you will sell your book? Great! This is a good start. But the big picture in authorship and book promotion is much larger and more complex than this. And it is the author’s job to learn and understand the complexities. The truth is, there is MUCH more to promoting a book in this publishing climate and, if you don’t know what it takes and if you’re not willing to educate yourself, you will fail.

The other point many new authors miss is the fact that authors and their books are not part of a cookie-cutter process. Each author and every book is different/unique and they each require a different approach. Publish Your Book, for example, gives a lesson in publishing options and even helps authors to determine, through a process of elimination, which publishing option is best for his or her project. If finding a publisher or agent is foremost on your agenda right now, you really must read chapters 1 through 3 and 8, 9 and 11. So many authors “settle” or take the easy way out—and believe me, there are many easy ways these days for authors—and MOST authors miss out on the success they could have experienced because of poor choices.

If you are stymied as to how to write that book proposal that most publishers want to see, read chapters 4-7. You’ll get a lot out of the real examples we’ve used in this section.

If you are already promoting a book, you’ll be most interested in studying chapters 12 through 14.

Read what the experts and other authors are saying about this book at the book’s Amazon.com page. And then ask me for a pdf copy of it—but only if you agree to write a review of the book once you’ve finished reading it. PLF620@yahoo.com

If you want a hardcopy of Publish Your Book, you can order it at Amazon.com.

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