Getting Published: Publishing Tips and Advice

It appears that today everyone is a writer, and we all have the same dream. We all hope to someday be published. So as writers, where do we get started?

I suggest joining writing groups first and start seeking feedback that can help your career as a writer. It is most likely that your closest friends and family are telling you that your writing is the greatest thing since Steven King’s, and maybe it is, but it doesn't hurt to get some feedback from your fellow writers.

Once you are ready to take that plunge into the deep oceans of writing to see your work published for the first time, the best places to start are magazines and e-zines looking for calls for submission. For example, there are over 150 publishers listed on the Today's Woman Writing Community website, all looking for stories and poetry.

You are going to want to purchase a copy of Writer's Market that is published annually. This is an essential book for writers who are interested in publishing their work. You are also going to want to research your market. You are going to want to see just what kind of stories the magazine publishers are seeking. Each publisher will have specific guidelines to follow.

Offer your short stories for publication in their magazines, and be sure to list your other published work if any, and thank the editor for considering your work. If you are hoping to see your book published, some publishers will want you to send them your entire manuscript, while others may only want a query letter outlining your book proposal. Some may wish to see a few chapters from the book. If you're sending a full manuscript or sample chapters, always include an S.A.S.E. (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) bearing sufficient postage with your submission. Present a cover letter that is professional. I suggest doing a Google search for query letter to give you some examples. If you are submitting by email, make sure that you follow the guidelines on the publisher’s website.

Stories posted on websites - are they personal or published?

In some cases, magazines will consider a story posted on your website or in an open community to be published. Therefore, they will not be able to claim first rights to it and most magazines, newspapers, etc. will not accept it as a submission. This will differ from publisher to publisher, and it is a very gray area. I suggest if you are submitting work that has already appeared on the web for publication, mention in the cover letter the forums or site where the story has been posted and let the editor make an informed decision.

Simultaneous Submissions?

There is a great debate in the writing community regarding simultaneous submissions. I have had a few interesting discussions myself. Some feel that it is the only way to get published quickly; others feel that it could lead to a bad reputation for you as a writer. This is due to the fact that publisher one will invest time in to reading your manuscript, only to find later it has been accepted by another publisher. I do encourage writers who wish to use simultaneous submission to advise the editors of it in their query letters.

Look over the contract:

Many first-time writers are so excited to just be published that they sign their name on anything without fully reading the contract. I can honestly say this is one mistake that I have made. Without carefully reading over the contract, you could sign yourself into a contract where for the next seven years you are bound to it and your publisher is reaping the rewards. Do not get trapped into this loop hole. Make sure you do an in-depth check into the background of any publisher. Once you send off your manuscript, now the fun comes. You sit and wait.

How long does it take?

It could take from 8 to 10 weeks to 8 to 10 months. Don't be discouraged by rejections; every writer gets rejected. Even Steven King was rejected. One published author says every story, on average, must be submitted to 100 markets before it is accepted.

You are going to want to know about rights, like first serial rights, etc. On Today's Woman under ‘writing lessons,’ there are some great articles that cover rights. Please be sure to check them out.

Getting published isn't easy. The editors get thousands of unsolicited Manuscripts a year. Don't give up. Start at the bottom and work up. I know some very talented writers who still aren't published. They've been trying for years. Writing is all about creating a name for yourself and that takes time.

If you are really eager about having your book published, you may wish to consider self-publishing or POD (print on demand) publishing. If you are considering this, I suggest developing a budget for publishing and advertising costs. You are going to want to shop around and look at the different prices of POD publishers or printing companies.

How to Self-Publish Easier, Faster Than Ever Before

Technology has advanced in the publishing world. I love it! I have been greatly helped to realize my publishing dreams. I think it's wonderful that aspiring authors have a greater range of choice. Now you may choose to pursue traditional publishing or quantum leap into self-publishing. Perhaps some would never have the opportunity to see their work in professional print without the arrival of publish on demand or POD Publishing. Print-on-demand means exactly what it implies: the company print books as they are ordered. They use modern technology to store and print your book in electronic form, removing the need for a warehouse and large print runs.

In my opinion, POD publishing does not take the place of its proud elder brother "Traditional Publishing." As with anything, there are pros and cons of each method. With that said, I won't attempt to convince you whether POD publishing is a good choice for you. There are lots of good reports out there on that subject.

Back in 2002 when I chose to self-publish my first book, I compiled a report comparing the top 3 companies. It helped me make my decision. I have revised that report for you and offer it fr~ee at the end of this article. If you have decided to publish POD, here are five of those ten top things to consider and compare.

1. Cover? Covers sell books! Of course it's not the only selling aspect of your book but it is one of the most important. One shot at a good first impression to capture the interest of your potential reader is all you get.

Author's Note: Look at their covers in on-line bookstores - back in 2002 I liked what several companies offered but their existing author book covers looked like crayon drawings. Most companies have since improved but I still think it's one of the main points to consider. You are looking for bookstore quality or trade quality.

2. Contract? - Most Publish-On-Demand or print when ordered companies are not considered publishing houses but publishing service companies. Therefore, you should expect a non-exclusive contract period.

3. Setup Fee? If you are like most self-publishers you are budget conscious of the initial setup fee of your book. The basic package of the 4 leading companies I researched average about $500. For my first self-published project, I let the other options determine my decision more since my 3 contenders' basic package was about the same.

4. Distribution? - Make sure they list their books in the leading wholesaler database as a part of the package or at least have an add-on option to list in & distribute through the two leading book wholesalers in the United States: Ingram and Baker & Taylor.

5. Royalty payments? - You may be wondering like an author friend of mine asked, "Shouldn't royalty be the first thing I should ask about?" Not necessarily, the traditional publishing company industry standard is 5-8% quarterly or bi-annually. The industry average for POD companies is about 15-20% at the time of this writing. Even so, tt's good to know when to expect your royalty and how much. Most pay quarterly or monthly.

6. Book Price? Find out if they are pricing their books at a competitive market price. It will probably hurt your sales if your book is priced too high above its competitors.

7. Author Support? Know what kind of support the company you contract with will provide. One on One support, representative assigned, phone support, email support are among the options. Find out so you can know what to expect. Make sure you are comfortable with what they propose to provide if you have any problems in the publishing process.

8. Proof Ready? Although most POD companies provide proof way ahead of traditional publishing standard of 1-2 years, its still good to know.

9. Books Returnable & Discounted to Bookstores? Do you plan to sell many books in the bookstore? Books aren't automatically stocked on the precious shelves of bookstores, you know. You should know upfront, if you publish POD publishing more than likely your books are unreturnable.

Author's Note: Though that is rapidly changing - there are still lots of companies that still go by this policy in their contract.
Why is this important? Bookstores expect full trade discount and anticipate buying books on a returnable basis. This includes museums, gift shops, libraries, schools, etc.

10. Author Purchase Discount? This is important for your marketing campaign. Yes, you do have to market your book. With any self-publishing project, all marketing is considered your responsibility. Even with the econimies of traditional publishers you only get a portion of your publiscist attention (may be assigned to 10-100 authors) for about 30-90 days.

Author's Note: Let's assume you are an excited author that just finished your book-your labor of love, decided to self-publish, saved $2500 but feel daunted about all the things you have to learn about to self-publish. Things you must do like hire a cover designer, book editor, someone to professionally layout your book, hire printer, purchse barcodes & isbn number, etc. We haven't even gotten to the work of marketing. Why not consider a POD publisher who handles all of those stages and steps for you? You are only left with investing in your book at the lowest price possible to re-sell to your readers at whatever price the market will bear.

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. It helped me make an informed choice when I knew nothing about the industry of publishing. Here's to the success of your book publishing dreams!

Publishing Scams: Six Red Flags That Scream "Rip Off"

It's heartbreaking. You go to a local fair and there at the author's table is a row of smiling hopefuls, eager to sell their books. A few are beautiful books, either self-published or produced by traditional publishers. But so many are poorly written, poorly produced, with amateurish covers and cheap bindings. The author's smiles are wearing thin as they realize that the world isn't flocking to buy their books, and they're just beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with this picture.

Score another for the vanity presses. The poor authors, with no knowledge of the business end of publishing, have been snookered out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars and now have cases of unmarketable books serving as very expensive doorstops.

In these days of POD (publish-on-demand) technology, the vanity presses may promise to ship the books when they are ordered, which at least relieves the author of having to warehouse the books. But the vanities still charge large amounts of money and the author is still left with an empty bank account and shattered dreams.

Or worse. Some scammers take money from hopeful authors and deliver nothing at all.

The good news is that with a little knowledge, it isn't too hard to spot a scam. Here are some obvious red flags to look for:

Red Flag #1: "We'll publish your book for ONLY $595!"

Remember this one rule above all: legitimate publishers pay YOU for the rights to publish your book. You should never have to pay anyone to publish your work unless you choose to self-publish.

To get a book published, you have to write the very best book you can. You must study the market, and use a current market guide to select the most appropriate publisher. You submit your manuscript using a standard manuscript format, which is described in most good books on writing and publishing. While you wait for a reply, you go to work on your next project. If a publisher is interested, an editor will contact you and make an offer. The publisher will pay you an advance against royalties, and once the advance is earned back, you will earn royalties on further sales. You or your agent may also sell other subsidiary rights, such as foreign translation rights or movie rights. Chances are high, however, that your manuscript will be rejected. If that happens you select the next publisher on your list and send the manuscript there, then go back to work on your next project.

If you want to self-publish, the best way to go about it is to create your own small publishing company. You give your company a name, you choose a good printing service, you buy the ISBN number and file for copyright. If you pay for "publishing," but the book bears the imprint of another publisher, that company is a vanity publisher. A good printing service will encourage you to use your own imprint. You have a much better chance of getting a distributor to carry your books if you use your own imprint. Most distributors steer clear of vanity publishers.

If you want only a few copies, such as a memoir meant only for family, look for a good book binding service.

Red Flag #2: "Authors wanted by major publisher!"

No legitimate publisher ever has to advertise for authors. All major publishers have gigantic slush piles stacked high with far more manuscripts than they will ever be able to use, most of which are of poor quality. If you see an ad in the back of a magazine that offers to "publish" your book, or suggests that they "need" authors, chances are high that it is a vanity press.

Red Flag #3: "We know the secret for instant success!"

There is no "instant success" in the publishing world. Most famous authors worked hard for years to become an "overnight success." Sometimes a lucky break will propel a new author to the top of the bestseller list, but remember, their story is just one out of millions. Most authors never get that kind of fame. If the opening page of the site talks about how your book could be a best-seller, be cautious. Real publishers don't make those kinds of promises, because they know the reality of the publishing business.

Red Flag #4: "Traditional publishing is dead/a rip-off/not worth your time."

A publishing company that disparages traditional publishing is almost certainly either a vanity publisher or an outright scam. What they are disparaging are long-established honest businesses that carefully select the manuscripts that are most likely to sell and pay the authors for the rights to publish these works.

Red Flag #5: "We'll list your books on Amazon.com!"

Getting your book listed on Amazon.com is as easy as going online and filling out a form. Anyone can do it. And a listing on Amazon isn't a guaranteed path to success. Even in this day and age of online commerce, something less than 10% of all books sold are sold online. The vast majority of books are sold through bricks-and-mortar bookstores. While you may possibly be able to talk your local bookstores into carrying your self-published book, the only way to get it into bookstores across the nation is by getting a distributor to carry it. That can be expensive (which is one reason that the vanities don't bother with distribution), and distributors won't touch vanity books (which is the other reason). Distributors and bookstores also don't like POD (publish on demand) books, because they can't be returned if they don't sell. Booksellers, unlike most businesses, expect to be able to return or destroy unsold books and get their money back. It sounds crazy to other businesses, but that's how it is. If the publisher can't offer distribution services to get your book into bookstores, it's not a publisher that will serve you well.

Get a Copyright First... Right? 5 Big Myths About Getting Published

Writers -- you expect them to be the most literate, informed people on the planet. Yet editors are continually astonished by how little new writers bother to learn about the publishing industry before they send their work out. Writing is an art and a craft, but publishing is a business, and publishers expect writers to approach them in a professional, business-like manner. This means that writers must know the rules of the road before they begin. Let's start with some of the common myths that one finds floating around that have the potential of crippling your writing career before it even begins.

No. And here's why not.

Reason #1: If you are submitting to real editors at real publishing houses as you should be (not vanity presses or so-called "subsidy" presses), your manuscript will be just one of thousands of hopefuls in a staggeringly-high slush pile. Ahead of your manuscript in the line are manuscripts that were pre-screened and submitted by agents (who also have staggeringly-high slush piles in their own offices). If an editor has that kind of overabundance of material on hand, what incentive is there to steal?

"But," you protest, "what if the editor decides to publish my work under the name of a famous author so the publisher can make a lot of money?"

Think -- would that famous author really sit still for that? Of course not! Famous Author's lawyers would be all over any editor who tried to pass of someone else's work as that of Famous Author's. Nor is Famous Author likely to form a conspiracy with an editor to steal someone's work and publish it under Famous Author's name. There are too many things that can go wrong, too many careers at risk. Possibly, maybe, under certain phases of the moon and alignments of the planets, this might happen in the music industry. Maybe. If you're submitting songs, get educated about the music industry and how copyrights work. If you're submitting novels and nonfiction, don't sweat it.

Reason #2: So you go ahead and shell out 20 bucks or so to get that copyright. You submit your manuscript. Editor takes a look at your manuscript. First impression: "Hmm. This author copyrighted the work. Doesn't trust me to know not to steal manuscripts. Pah! Amateur!" The reading starts off with a bad impression, and goes downhill from there.

Reason #3: It's 20 rejections later, and you're still shopping your manuscript around. Editor number 21 picks it up and sees the copyright date from ten or so years ago. "Man, this has been out for a long time. Must be a real loser." Again, the reading starts off with a bad impression, and back comes the manuscript with rejection number 21.

How to Publish a Book: Key Differences Between Publishing and Self Publishing

For many authors just starting out, it can be a confusing and overwhelming decision whether to self publish a book or to seek out a traditional publishing house. It is important to know that the decision you make can have a huge impact on the success, or the failure, of your book.
There are many factors to consider, and the right decision is going to be different for every author and for every book.

Here are just a few key factors and publishing tips excerpted from Idea to Book to Success to help you make the decision of exactly how to publish a book:

Time:

When seeking a traditional publishing house to publish your book, you will soon discover that the book will be published according to the publisher's timeline. Publishing houses have a set production mandate and books are scheduled for publication far in advance. Often, books are signed on for publication one to three years before they are actually published.

When you self publish, the only timeline restricting the publication of your book is your own. You can take years to publish a book if you so choose. Or, if you work incredibly hard, you can have your book out on the market within months. You can take as much or as little time as you want or need to publish your book.

Control:

If you sign your book on with a publishing house, you must understand that it is now the publisher's book. As a new author you will likely be conceding to the wishes of the publisher when it comes to book title, design and cover. Also be aware that the responsibility of promoting and marketing the book will fall on your shoulders as well once the publisher has finished an initial, brief promotional push.

When you self publish a book, YOU are the publisher. This means you are solely responsible for coordinating the entire production of the book. You must find an editor, a designer, a distributor, a publicist, etc. When you self publish, you are forming your own publishing house and you are now in the business of publishing. You maintain all control and you publish the book the way you want to publish it.

Profit:

A publishing house signs books under the agreement of payment by advance and royalties. You will be paid a small sum of money up front as an advance on sales, and subsequently you will receive royalties once sales grow over and above your advance. Royalties are usually very small for new authors and are often as low as 5% of selling price.

Profit is definitely the biggest argument in favor of self publishing. If you self publish, the profits from your book sales are 100% yours. If you are willing to work hard to market and promote your book, you will reap the benefits of the sales. If you research carefully, plan properly and execute the right marketing strategy, there is no limit to the profit you can earn from your book sales.

As with any other business, you must properly research and plan to fully understand how to publish a book in order to be successful. If you publish the right way, the potential for success and profit is infinite.