Writing and Publishing News from

Well, it’s the last day of the year. Tomorrow begins a new year and a new decade. Are you satisfied with your writing/publishing/book promotion accomplishments to this point? Are you excited about your writing/publishing/book promotion goals for 2011?

Are you aware of the steps you can take in order to change your bad “luck” in publishing and start on a new, more successful path? If you have been unable to sell your manuscript, or sell as many copies of your book as you’d like, here are some things that WILL help in the New Year.

• Study the publishing industry so you have a better idea about the business of publishing, your options, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author. And keep studying it so you are constantly on top of your game.

• Write a book proposal. No matter where you are in the process of your project, a book proposal can assist you in so many ways. How?

1: You’ll find out whether you have a valid book at all.

2: You’ll discover who your audience is and where they are.

3: You’ll learn what it takes to reach this audience.

4: You’ll get a handle on what you can bring to the table—your platform.

5: You’ll be guided to create a marketing plan for your project.

6: You’ll have a greater understanding of what it will take to promote your particular book.

New authors tend to look outside for advice and input related to their book projects. Seeking out the assistance of professionals is a good idea—it is part of how you study the publishing industry. However, you have even more power to determine the potential for your specific project than practically anyone else if you would only follow these two steps all the way through to completion.

I would like to hear from those of you who have learned the value in this recommendation. Details, please.

For Those of You Who Need Guidance
I’m currently teaching an online book proposal course. We have completed the first in a series of eight lessons. It would be easy to catch up and continue the course along with us. And what better time to fully prepare yourself for publishing success than as the New Year dawns? Check out the course and sign up: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

Sign up at the site: it is $200 for the course. And you get plenty of one-on-one attention.
http://www.matilijapress.com

http://www.patriciafry.com

We talk about the publishing industry being highly competitive. There are a couple of reasons why we use that term and they might not be what you think.

Definitions of “competition” include “opposition,” “rivalry,” “contest,” “war.” And this isn’t exactly the tone I intend portraying to new authors. I don’t actually see authors fighting with one another for a chance to succeed. In my mind, it isn’t a matter of authors dueling it out in order to become the winner.

I use the term “competition” inferring that an author who doesn’t educate him/herself, who doesn’t enter publishing armed with knowledge and a valid project won’t make it—won’t have a chance at success—won’t be able to compete. Sure, there may only be room for a couple of titles on your book’s topic on Random House’s list in 2011 and you may be vying for a contract against several other authors. In this case, you are competing for a publishing contract. And your book may have to compete with other books for space in bookstores. And there may be competition involved where readers/consumers are concerned—which book will they buy on this subject, yours or the other guy’s?

But when I talk about competition in publishing, I am trying to get you to realize how important it is that you take steps to put yourself in the running. There are beyond numerous opportunities for authors. Every book written in 2011 has a chance to be published. And every one of them could become a success. But they won’t. Most will not. And it has more to do with whether the book meets a standard, not whether it is better than the others. It has to do with whether the author is savvy, not whether he is more savvy than others.

In my mind, competition, for authors, is about meeting publishing standards. What does this entail?

• Understanding the industry and what consumers want.

• Producing a valid product at the right time.

• Being knowledgeable about the market for your book and being willing to take responsibility for promoting it.

Competition in publishing doesn’t necessarily mean being better than others. It means being the best that you can be and producing a book that best fills a particular need or niche.

Now that the pressure is off and you don’t have to go out and try to do better than someone else, here’s a thought: Forget about competing with others and focus on how you can best yourself. Here are two tips for doing just that: Educate yourself about the publishing industry and the process of publishing and, in order to evaluate your book project and prepare for presenting it to the world, write a book proposal.

I have two spots left in my free online book proposal course. It starts December 27, 2010. Learn about the course here:

http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm And then contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com

I’ve talked some recently about landing a publisher for a previously published book. Today, I’d like to discuss when you should start approaching publishers with your book.

Some of my clients self-publish their books expressly in order to eventually pique a traditional publisher’s interest. They want to spend some time proving the value of their book and then find a publisher to take it over. Others, like me, simply produce a book and promote it for a few (or several) years. Then decide to seek out a traditional publisher for the second-printing or revision. Why? In my case, I thought I had gone just about as far as I could with the book on my own and wanted the credibility, connections, etc. that a traditional publisher could bring to the table.

So when is the right time to start approaching publishers with an already published book? I’d say after you’ve definitely found your niche audience and proven that your book will sell to them. After you have received numerous good reviews. After you’ve developed a wide following at your social network and blog sites. After you’ve sold a reasonably high number of books—and this would be based on the type of book it is.

For example, experts say that a nonfiction book can be considered successful if it sells 7,500 copies and a successful novel might sell as many as 5,000. These sales figures would surely impress most publishers.

However, if your book is a niche book with a smaller target audience, these figures won’t apply. In this case, a small publisher of craft books might be highly interested in your book featuring macramé for autistic children even though you’ve sold only 500 copies on your own. A publisher of Western fiction might want to add your book to their list even after you’ve sold just 1,000 copies in a year, if they see that you are actively promoting it.

One of the biggest mistakes we make as authors is trying to second-guess publishers. And sometimes we do this based on what others tell us about publishers in general. Have you ever heard, for example, “Publishers won’t accept books by first-time authors,” “Once you’ve self-published, forget about ever landing a publisher,” and other such remarks? Don’t let these broad statements, usually by authors with little experience, rule your publishing decisions.

Here are the steps that I recommend to successful publishing:

• Study the publishing industry.
• Come up with an excellent idea.
• Write a book proposal to test the idea.
• Write a good book.
• Hire an experienced book editor.
• Study your publishing options and choose wisely.
• Promote, promote, promote.

Please learn more about me and my work here:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Yesterday, I wrote about one of the major prepublication book review journals. I thought that you might like additional information about these important review journals.

The reason you want to have a good review in one of these journals is so that your book will be noticed by librarians and booksellers who will decide to buy it in bulk. But these journals can review only a limited number of books per year, so there is not a whole lot of opportunity unless you have the prestige of a well-known publisher on your team.

If you are an independent publisher or you are having your book produced by a pay-to-publish service, submit your book to the editors weeks prior to publication in case it has some quality or worth they are seeking. But don’t hinge your future on getting a review. The major review journals receive anywhere from 100 to 300 galleys per day and they can only publish a fraction of reviews.

Prepublication book reviewers require that publishers send bound galley copies of their books anywhere from two to three months prior to publication. And they are generally fussy about the type of books they receive. Here are links to the submission guidelines for three of the major prepublication reviewers:

Booklist: http://www.booklistonline.com/generalinfo.aspx?ed=65

ForeWord Reviews : http://www.forewordreviews.com/get-reviewed/submission-guidelines

Kirkus Reviews: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/about (Click on Submission Guidelines)

Kirkus Reviews offers their Kirkus Discoveries program where you can pay to have your book reviewed.

ForeWord Reviews has a program whereby they will review books online for $99. They will let you know if your book is eligible for this. They also offer ad space in their magazine for $275 to $1165.

I’d like to hear from authors who have had their self-published or pay-to-publish books reviewed in any of these prepublication journals. I know of one self-published book in the science category that received a great review which generated quite a few sales. I know of other self-published books that were ultimately picked up by traditional publishers and landed reviews in Publishers Weekly and other prepublication review journals. It can happen. Did it happen to you?

Leave a comment here or email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Visit my websites: http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Yesterday, we talked about landing a publisher for a self-published book. I explained that it does happen, but only if the author has done his homework. To start with, it has to be a well-written book with a large audience. The author must offer up proof that the book is a viable product—that it has done well in the marketplace. But how do you approach a publisher?

First, you need to research publishers in your genre/topic. Locate publishers through publisher directories such as the Writer’s Market. Here’s an online directory you might check out, as well: http://www.publishersglobal.com. Also research publishers by locating books similar to yours online and/or in bookstores. Who published those books? Contact some of those publishers.

Check each publisher’s submission guidelines. Generally, however, you will send a query letter introducing your project. Tell the publisher when you first produced this book and let him know that you are interested in turning it over to a traditional publisher at this time. Give sales figures and offer to send a copy of the book. Publishers are always interested in sales figures.

If your book is accepted, be prepared to do a rewrite, to have your cover and title changed. A publisher might ask for minimal changes or he may require a major revision.

Do you have a book that you think might do better under the control of a publisher? Have you gone just about as far as you can promoting it alone? If it is a promising book with a wide audience base and if you have done relatively well selling it yourself, perhaps it’s time to start approaching publishers with it.

It’s sometimes a tough decision to make. Your profit per book will diminish considerably. However, in partnership with a publisher, you might sell more books, thus rake in more money. If your profit is $5.00 per self-published book and you’re selling 300 per year, that’s $1,500 per year. Your royalty percentage with a publisher might only compute to $1.50 per book. But if you’re selling 2,000 copies per year, your earnings will be $3,000.

I’d like to hear from those of you who have landed a publisher for a self-published or pay-to-published book. Of if you’ve attempted to find a publisher for a book that was doing well and it didn’t happen—contact me. Let’s see if we can figure out why.

Check out my books and services:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Are you planning to self-publish—establish your own publishing company? I’m revising and updating my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I’ll be offering it as an ebook once the work is completed (probably around March of 2011).

In the process of revising it, I came across my thirty-three point list of activities involved with self-publishing a book, which also includes a time-line for self-publishing. Have you ever wondered what to do in what order when it comes to setting up a company and producing a book? Does it all seem totally overwhelming? Stop the struggle. Order my book today. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.htmnl

And the timeline isn’t the only aspect of this 340-page book that you’ll find helpful. I also include a whole section on how to determine the best publishing option for your project.

Are you unsure about the pros and cons of the various publishing options? This book is designed to clarify this and make it much easier for you to select the option that is best for you and for your particular book.

After reading the first sixty pages, or so, you will have a greater understanding of the publishing industry. This is so important to anyone who is entering this highly competitive business.

This book will also guide you in writing a book proposal, self-editing your book, creating a marketing plan and so much more.

The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Take a look at the book. Read the description. Email me if you have questions: PLFry620@yahoo.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I’d like to poll my blog followers. I know there are a lot of you based on the analytics. I’d like to know what your interests are. As you know, I earned my living writing articles for magazines for many years. I am also an author, workshop leader, speaker, consultant and editor. I can write on aspects of all of these topics. If I know where you are, what you need, what you are looking for by way of information, resources, etc., I can more readily accommodate you through this blog.

Leave your comments here or email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

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