Writing and Publishing News from

Excerpted from my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.

(By the way, I’m offering a free copy of this book to the first 5 people in the US who contact me and who will read the book and write a review for the book’s Amazon.com page.) Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com. Put “Book Review” in the subject line.

What is a reasonable time to wait for a publisher to comment on your manuscript? My rule of thumb for a requested manuscript is two to four weeks past the projected response time for that particular publisher. Most publishers state in their submission guidelines when you can expect a response to a query, a book proposal and a manuscript. FYI, the average response time for a query letter is one to two months; for a proposal, it’s around two months and three months for a manuscript. Unless otherwise stated by the publisher, use these standards.

Sometimes, after a reasonable waiting period, you’ll contact the publisher with a tracer letter (letter of inquiry) only to learn that he has misplaced your submission or he claims he did not receive it. Don’t throw yourself in front of a bus. Sometimes perceived disasters such as this can work in your favor. Think about it, suddenly your project becomes a priority for that publisher. Re-submit it at his request and he will go out of his way to look at it this time.

A publisher might admit that he received your package, but he just hasn’t had time to review it. There’s still hope. Or he will tell you that it is being circulated among his editorial staff. This is a good thing. Publishers at most larger houses will distribute what they view as more promising proposals or manuscripts among the editorial staff and, sometimes, the marketing team. This can take time. Try not to get impatient with publishers who don’t respond within minutes of receiving your manuscript. When a publisher responds promptly, it is often with a rejection.

Authorship is not for the weak, desperate or faint of heart. There is nothing glamorous about rejection. There is nothing nurturing in negligence and abuse. If you’re in this business long enough, you will experience all of the above and it ain’t a pretty sight.

If you think that writing is a lonely activity, just wait until you enter into the competitive field of publishing. You’ll be ignored, shined on, dissed, talked down to and even treated rudely. You’ll sometimes feel like a second-class citizen. To get along, an author must be humble, patient, persistent and always professional.

Order this book at Amazon.com or http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

This week, we’ve been talking about the five P’s of successful authorship. Today I’m going to give you the last one. You may ask, “Which ones are most important?”

The answer, of course, is all of them. One is no more important than the other and all of them must be addressed during your writing and publishing journey if you are to succeed with your project.

To recap, we discussed:
Planning
Preparation
Proofing
Publishing

Today’s let’s concentrate on Promotion.

Don’t even consider producing a book for publication if you do not have the money, time, experience, interest, enthusiasm for and/or knowledge about book promotion.

In order to sell copies of your book, you must turn practically all of your attention to promoting it. This means identifying your audience, locating them and finding ways to effectively approach them with information that will entice them to purchase your book.

There are numerous ways to approach book promotion and, in my articles, courses, workshops and books, I outline various activities for each type of promoter—the bold and the bashful. Do not expect to sell books without promoting them. Your book will not sell itself. (Don’t laugh. I’ve met authors who believe that their books will do just that.)

One of the things you will learn from studying the publishing industry is that the competition for books is fierce. You may have already noticed that everyone is writing a book. Did you know that nearly eighty percent of all published books sell fewer than 100 copies? (You may have noticed that this statistic has gone up in the last several years.) And lack of promotion is only one reason why so many books fail. What are the other reasons?

• Lack of appropriate planning.
• Improper preparation.
• Inadequate proofing/editing.
• Ineffective publishing methods.
• Lackadaisical promotion.

Put your P’s in a row before you even put your pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and you will have a much greater chance for publishing success.

To properly do your planning, adequately prepare, effectively proof, successfully publish and participate in the most difficult and time-consuming aspect of publishing—promotion—be sure to read my latest books: Order your copies of Publish Your Book and Promote Your Book today at Amazon or at my website: http://www.matilijapress.com

This week we’ve been covering the 5 Ps of publishing. So far, we’ve discussed Preparation, Planning and Proofing.

You now have a choice to make—you have options. Will you try to land a traditional royalty publisher for your piece of fine work? Will you go with a pay-to-publish company? Or will you self-publish (establish your own publishing company)?

People ask me, which is the best publishing option? My response is, “It depends on you and it depends on the project.” Your job is to study the publishing industry so that you understand all of your options and the possible consequences of your choices. My book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author, provides a good start in that direction. If you are considering a pay-to-publish company, also read Mark Levine’s The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, wherein he rates and ranks 48 of these companies and scrutinizes their contracts for you.

Publishing is not free. If you land a traditional royalty publisher, you may not be required to put any money up, but you’ll receive only five to fifteen percent of the selling price of the books and this doesn’t typically add up to much.

If you go with a pay-to-publish outfit, you could end up with anywhere from $500 to $10,000 out of pocket. And in many cases, you still have to purchase your books. Read and understand any contract before signing.

If you self-publish (establish your own publishing company), you could spend anywhere from $1,000 (for a few copies produced at a business center) to $10,000 or more. My first self-published book cost me $25,000 to produce in 1983.

Am I suggesting that you give up on your publishing project? Not at all. I just want you to think hard about it before investing a lot of time, energy and money. As I suggest to my clients, before publishing consider your reasons for wanting to produce this book—are they valid or frivolous? And determine your book’s purpose. If you are still confident in your commitment to your project and it appears to be a viable product in this highly competitive publishing climate, then take the next step and publish. But we aren’t finished yet. There is one more P to consider.

Have you noticed that each P seems to indicate a greater commitment to your project? Yes, that’s pretty much the nature and the process of publishing. If you still aren’t convinced or if you don’t know much about the publishing industry and your responsibilities within it, please read the book I wrote for you: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Authors. It’s at Amazon and it’s here:
http://www.matilijapress.com

Yesterday, we talked about the fact that you have publishing options and we covered traditional publishing. Today, we’ll discuss reasons why you might consider the self-publishing or the pay-to-publish options.
You may be a candidate for self-publishing (establishing your own publishing company) if:
• Your book is designed to fill a niche—your audience is clearly defined.
• You are in a hurry to bring your book out.
• The book would do better if hand-sold through personal appearances, your website and/or through specialty stores.
• You want to run the show rather than sell out to a publisher.
• You write a complete book proposal—your business plan for your book.
• You understand your responsibilities as a publisher and author.
• You are willing to take on the full responsibility of book promotion.
• You have a platform: your way of attracting readers—your connections.

Consider a pay-to-publish service if:
• You do not have a business head or any desire to run your own company.
• You want only a few copies of your book printed so you can give them to friends and sell them to a few colleagues and acquaintances.
• You want to bring out a book within weeks instead of months.
• You have studied the concept of pay-to-publish services: you’ve read and understand the contract. You have no concerns or questions.
• You have a platform: your way of attracting readers—your connections.
• You are willing to do whatever promotion is necessary to meet your sales goals.

As I said yesterday, when it comes to publishing a book, there are no maps to follow. There are no one-size-fits-all charted courses for authors. But there are books to help you make the best decisions you can on behalf of your project. I recommend that you check out books by the experts: Dan Poynter, Patricia Fry and Marilyn Ross (Self-Publishing), Brian Jud, Patricia Fry and John Kremer (Book Marketing), Mark Levine and Dehanna Bailee (pay-to-publish companies), Jeff Herman and Patricia Fry (Book Proposals)

If you only purchase one book this year, make it Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. This book covers everything you need to know in order to become a more successful author. Available at amazon.com and at the website below:

http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html