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Writing and publishing a book seem to be the things to do these days—in order to establish credibility, share your truths, make a statement or impress your friends. It looks rather easy to accomplish. After all, your real estate agent has done it, the mom down the street has done it and a couple of people you know at the gym have done it, too. Why can’t you produce the novel that’s in your head, the story of your childhood trauma, a book related to your line of work or a book of poetry?

All you have to do is write it and get someone to publish it. What’s so difficult about that?

But what do you know about publishing, really? If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, if you belong to SPAWN and you have been participating in our discussion group, reading our two monthly newsletters and pursuing some of the many resources we offer and if you have been reading the books that I and other professionals have produced on publishing, you may be prepared to produce a book. If you are uninformed, naive and closed-minded, however, you need to stop your forward motion on your book project and take time to become more informed.

Think about some of the other important things you’ve done in your lifetime. Did you establish a business, get married, have children, buy a home or choose your career on a whim or did you put some thought and study into these things before diving in? If you didn’t, how did it work for you?

Publishing is a seriously competitive business. Did you know that:

1: Over three-quarters of the books produced sell fewer than 100 copies total? (This could include those books by your neighbor, real estate agent and those people at the gym.)

2: There are three main publishing options and not every option is right for every author and every book.

3: There are more than the major publishers. There are hundreds of small to medium-size traditional royalty publishers eager for a good book project.

4: Self-publishing means to establish your own publishing company. If you pay a company to produce your book, this is considered pay-to-publish.

5: Each pay-to-publish company has their own contract and some of them are NOT in the author’s best interest. ALWAYS check the reputation of a pay-to-publish company before getting involved.

6: Writing the book and getting it published are easy compared to what comes next—book promotion. No matter what publishing option you choose, it is up to the author to promote his or her book.

7: Most of the books who fail in the marketplace come from pay-to-publish companies

For more about the world of publishing and book promotion, stay tuned to this blog. Also read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book—on sale now at: http://www.matilijapress.com

For more about SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) go to http://www.spawn.org

Contact me with your questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

Are you planning to seek agent representation for your book project? Are you sure that your book is of the quality and scope that would require an agent in order for you to get your foot in the door of a good publishing house?

If you’ve been studying my blog, articles and books, you know that not every publisher requires that authors come to them through an agent. In fact, some prefer working with unagented authors.

If your book is something that would interest a major publisher, however, you may want to start looking for an appropriate agent. And this could take time.

Beware, some opportunists who masquerade as agents, con unsuspecting authors out of hundreds or thousands of dollars. It would behoove you to thoroughly check out any agency you are considering before signing with them. It could take time to find the right agent. But it is important that you choose one who is legitimate, with whom you are compatible and who believes in your project. Locate agents through the following channels:

1: Access the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) database at http://www.aaronline.org All 382 literary agents on this list have gone through a stringent screening process. All come recommended. Before signing with an agent, make sure that he or she is a member of this organization.

2: Visit the Agent Research and Evaluation Company’s free access agent database at http://www.agentresearch.com They provide a new agent list for $75.00. For a $210 fee, they’ll offer a more detailed search involving five agents of your choice.

3: Find agents listed in Writer’s Digest’s Guide to Literary Agents. You’ll also find lists of literary agents in Writer’s Market, Literary Market Place and a database of US and UK literary agents at http://www.1000literaryagents.com

4: Consider an agent who is recommended by another author who has a book similar to yours.

5: Find agents listed in recently published books similar to yours. An author will often mention his agent on the acknowledgements page.

6: Attend writers’ conferences where agents are speaking and see if you can find a match.

7: Set up appointments with appropriate agents at writers’ conferences.

In tomorrow’s blog, we will discuss tips for choosing and working with an agent. In the meantime, for more information on writing, publishing (including publishers and agents), book promotion and more, go to http://www.matilijapress.com For editorial services: http://www.patriciafry.com

I am planning to teach one of my newest online courses for FREE starting in May. Which would you prefer: Build Your Author’s Platform or Memoir Writing. See the descriptions of these courses here: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm Leave your comment here or contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon among hopeful authors—maybe this describes you. He (or she) writes a book or is, perhaps, thinking about writing a book—desperately wants to. Occasionally, he attends a program where he hears authors speak and he picks up information about publishing. He buys books and joins groups and organizations related to writing and publishing. He contacts authors for consultations, attends writing classes at the local college and subscribes to newsletters for authors.

But years later, he is still unpublished. He hasn’t even written (or finished) his book.

I’ve met some of these authors. I have editing clients with wonderful stories that, after two, three—even ten years, have yet to see the light of day or be enjoyed by any readers except myself—the editor. I know potential authors who go through decades only talking about their desire to write or complete a book and publish it.

Sure, life sometimes gets in the way of our dreams. Our perceived passion must, on occasion, go on the backburner while we concentrate on survival. Some people purposely hold off pursuing publishing until their children are raised, they retire, etc. Some of them actually follow-through. But many others just continue dreaming.

They read publishing newsletters and maybe even review some of the relevant books they’ve purchased over the years. They show up at free author events. They attend book festivals and draw several published authors into long conversations about publishing. They read a lot of books like the one they want to produce. They visit authors’ blogs. They do all of the right things, but still aren’t motivated to jump in and participate.

To those of you who are experiencing what I call the hopeful author syndrome for more than a matter of months, consider taking an online course. Why? By participating in a book proposal course, where you are required to go through the motions of writing a book proposal for your dream book, you are apt to get off dead center and actually move forward with your project. By working on your author’s platform or working through the process of self-editing your manuscript, walking through the steps of writing your memoir, you are actually advancing toward your goal. Maybe you would like to self-publish your book, but don’t know how to proceed. A course on self-publishing could be the key to help you become published.

With this in mind, I invite you to check out my array of online courses for authors at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm
Working with me through one of my courses is like having a personal consultant at your side. Only it’s less expensive because you aren’t paying by the hour.

Let me know if you have questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

In the meantime, I have two brand new courses. I would like to offer one of them for a select group for free. If you were to choose one of my free courses, would it be my Memoir-Writing Course or my Establish Your Author’s Platform Course. View these two course descriptions here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_platform.htm>
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_memoirwriting.htm
Either leave your choice here as a comment or email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

This is the continuation of the 7 Common Mistakes Authors Make

4: Many authors don’t understand publishing terms. Authors will say to me, “I’m self-publishing with ABC Publishing Company.” What they are actually doing is going with a pay-to-publish company. What are your primary publishing options?

Royalty Publisher
A traditional royalty publisher puts up the money for the production of your book and pays you royalties on books sold. These publishers are generally very selective in the books they publish

Self-publishing
Self-publishing means that you establish a publishing company (get a fictitious business name, purchase your own block of ISBNs, etc.). You get your book ready for publication, you hire a printing company, you are responsible for distribution and shipping and you reap all of the profits.

Pay-to-Publish Company
You pay the company to produce your book. Most of these companies will accept any manuscript—they are not generally discriminating. They each enter the publishing arena with very different publishing contracts. It pays to do plenty of research so you know exactly what you’re signing.

5: Newby authors don’t generally solicit advice from professionals until it is too late. Do NOT sign a contract with any publisher or purveyor of publishing services without hiring a literary or intellectual properties attorney. This should go without saying, yet thousands of authors each year bypass this important step.

I also recommend that inexperienced authors talk to other authors who have used the services they are considering. Contact organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and ask questions. http://www.spawn.org

6: Uninformed authors blindly sign up for unnecessary services. Some pay-to-publish companies state that they will get your books into bookstore databases and provide a return policy on your books for a fee of around $700-$800. Or they will get your book in Amazon.

I have two things to say about that. First, you can get your books listed in bookstore databases nationwide for free. All you have to do is fill out an Advance Book Information (ABI) form. Your book will be listed in Books in Print (BIP). This is one database that bookstores use to order books. If a customer asks for your book and it is listed in Books in Print, the bookstore can order it for that customer. And the listing in BIP is free. You can also arrange for your book to be sold through Amazon.

Secondly, the return policy that some publishing services are selling their authors is, in my opinion, a huge waste of money. This policy is no more a guarantee that booksellers will carry your book than a nickel guarantees the purchase of a candy bar.

7: Authors neglect to hire an editor.
Many authors, by the time they complete their manuscripts and self-edit it, they are more than ready to get it published. Some of them don’t feel they have the money to spend on a professional editor. Some expect to get a good enough editing job through their pay-to-publish company. Still others believe that they don’t need to hire an editor because traditional publishers have editors on staff.

One of the biggest mistakes a hopeful author can make is neglecting to hire a professional editor before approaching publishers of any type. News flash: publishers want to see professionally edited manuscripts.

If you want to enter into the world of publishing, learn something about the business. Study your options and the ramifications of your choices. Define your responsibilities as a published author. You may still make a few mistakes along the way—we all do, but knowledge will definitely save you money and heartache.

Questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

It happens way too frequently. I’ll meet a disgruntled, disillusioned, almost bankrupt author who admits to making most of the mistakes listed below. He might have a wonderful book in hand, but little understanding of the publishing industry and even less marketing savvy. Typically, they learn too late that the time to ask questions and study options is BEFORE they begin to make publishing decisions.

First-time authors are eager to see their books in print. I know this. I’ve been there and I’ve made mistakes. As authors, we work long and hard on our projects. The last thing we want to deal with after finishing a manuscript is the learning curve. Rather than spend weeks, months or years searching for a publishing opportunity, we’d rather sign with the first “publisher” who extends a friendly hand.

I’m on a mission, folks—a mission to help hopeful authors become more well educated and informed about this industry so they will make more appropriate choices on behalf of their publishing projects.

Following are 7 mistakes that many new authors make—mistakes that can cost you large sums of money and dramatically diminish your opportunity for publishing success.

1: Inexperienced authors write a book as the first step. Why is this considered a mistake? If you aspire to have your book published and widely distributed, this may be the wrong approach. Whether you’re writing a how-to book, biography, self-help, romance novel, children’s story, mystery, memoir or dictionary, write a book proposal first.

In the process of writing a book proposal, you will:
• Learn if you have a viable book at all.
• Discover whether there is a market for this book.
• Determine your target audience.
• Ascertain the best way to promote your book.
• Be prepared to establish your platform.

Write a book proposal as a first step and you’re more apt to write the right book for the right audience. How better to snag a traditional royalty publisher than with a promising project?

2: Eager new authors often go with the first publishing opportunity they stumble across. You don’t make other business decisions this quickly. You research the possibilities and study your options. Many authors forget that publishing is a business. We get so attached to our projects and so eager to see our books in print that we act emotionally rather than logically.

Learn the difference between a traditional royalty publisher and a pay-to-publish company. You’ll find hundreds of traditional royalty publishers listed in Writer’s Market (available in the reference section of your library or for sale for about $30 in most bookstores. A new edition comes out each September).

Visit bookstores in search of books like yours. Find out who published these books and contact those publishers.

As an author, you have many options. Research them, understand them and scrutinize them in order to choose the one that is right for your project.

3: New authors believe that they don’t have a chance with a traditional royalty publisher. This is simply not true. If you have a viable project, you arm yourself with knowledge and you approach the publisher in a professional manner, you have a definite chance of landing a traditional royalty publisher.

Find publishers who produce books like yours. Study their Submission Guidelines. Follow these guidelines in approaching them with your project. If they request a query letter first, do NOT send your complete manuscript. If you don’t understand what goes into a query letter, study books and articles about writing a query letter.

There are hundreds of small to medium-sized publishers eager for good, marketable books. For example, everyone knows that poetry books are a hard sell. Yet, the 2010 edition of the Writer’s Market lists over 40 traditional royalty publishers who publish books of poetry. There are at least 125 publishers of mysteries and about the same number who produce historical novels. There are over 200 traditional royalty publishers that publish biographies and more than 175 who produce children’s books. Encouraging, isn’t it?

I’ll post the remaining four publishing mistakes in tomorrow’s blog. In the meantime, I hope you will take the time to digest the material here and please ask any questions you might have PLFry620@yahoo.com

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com