I got to visit a local writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 group yesterday. I always enjoy meeting writers and sharing what I know they need to know in order to realize their publishing dreams. I was a bit taken aback at the first question out of the gate. In fact, I hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even delivered my initial greeting when the only gentleman in the room asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How much do you make?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
I think that everyone feels somewhat uneasy with that question. If you earn very little, you hesitate sharing that information with others. If you make a LOT you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t particularly comfortable saying so. I can certainly see why someone with aspirations to succeed as a writer or author would want to know the possibilities. I simply told this gentleman that this would be revealed in my presentation. And I did reveal all that I was willing to reveal\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been supporting myself through my writing work, consultation work and book sales for the last 20 years. <\/p>\n
At one point in my talk, I was asked to get to the nitty gritty of publishing\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI guess folks got tired of hearing about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I was getting tired of talking about me. But most writers are interested in the beginnings and journeys of other writers, so I often include my story. <\/p>\n
When I got into the nitty gritty of publishing, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when the notebooks came out. Almost everyone wrote at a wild pace and the questions were flying from every corner.<\/p>\n
After two hours with these lovely writers, I was confident that they would make more informed decisions as they enter into the world of publishing\u00e2\u20ac\u201dat least they are aware of the necessity to study the publishing industry and write a book proposal. Several of them bought copies of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>, How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less <\/em>and Successful Writers Handbook<\/em>. So I know they have what they need in order to make the best decisions on behalf of their projects.<\/p>\n By the way, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book <\/em>has a new nickname. One of the writers dubbed it, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Big Yellow.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I like it. <\/p>\n When I visit writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 group meetings, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always a bit surprised to learn that most of the writers know nothing or very little about the publishing industry. All of the knowledge they carry with them is what they know from rumors and long-held beliefs. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re generally surprised at some of the hard truths I share with them and most of them are somewhat overwhelmed by the scope of the industry. Few of them are familiar with the process of publishing, their options, etc. These writers had not heard of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, PublishAmerica or iUniverse, so I know they haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even been seeking out publishing opportunities. If you type in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153publish,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153publishing,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d etc. in the Google prompt, your going to see these fee-based POD \u00e2\u20ac\u0153self-publishing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d services on the first page.<\/p>\n When someone has a manuscript ready, they want to publish NOW. Those without knowledge of the publishing industry will explore the first opportunities they discover\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthose that appear on page one of a Google search. The words, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We would love to publish your book,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are music to a hopeful author\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ears and most of them will stop right there, pay the fee and gleefully receive their published book within weeks. Most of these authors, when they finally learn more about the publishing industry and realize they had options, will regret having made a snap decision. They may have ultimately made the same decision, but they realize too late that they really should have done more research before making any decision.<\/p>\n This is the message I strive to share with my blog readers, with writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 groups, with conference attendees, through my articles and my books\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbefore you even start writing that book, study the publishing industry. And always, always write a complete book proposal. This is your business plan for your book.<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to hear from those of you who made snap decisions with regard to your manuscripts without studying the publishing industry first. I want to hear your story. I got to visit a local writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 group yesterday. I always enjoy meeting writers and sharing what I know they need to know in order to realize their publishing dreams. I was a bit taken aback at the first question out of the gate. In fact, I hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even delivered my initial greeting when the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nPLFry620@yahoo.com. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"