How to Get Your Book Published

Congratulations! It has taken a lot of time, effort and concentration to bring your book to this point.

Writing was the easy part! The next stage will take as much - if not more - concentration, discipline and "stickability." There are thousands of manuscripts in cupboards around the world that did not reach the production stage and get successfully get published.

First things first

a. Proofreading. Has your manuscript been proofread and thoroughly checked for spelling and grammatical errors? Is your content logical and reasonable ? Is your manuscript easy to read and understand?

b. Acknowledgments. Have your quotations been acknowledged? Check the front pages of Bible translations for information about acknowledging scripture or visit the publishers via the Internet.

c. Accuracy. Are your facts accurate? e.g. "During the time of St Jerome in AD 275, everyone believed in the laying on of hands by the Bishop or the elders for the baptism of Holy Spirit.." (Did "everyone" really believe that?)

d. Editing. Finding a professional editor to give your book a good polish is the next stage in producing a book that will be salable. Submit your completed manuscript to your copy editor on a rewritable CD or memory stick so they may make changes directly onto the disk and return it to you. If the corrections are made on a hard copy with ink, that leaves room for additional errors when updating your manuscript.

Choosing a Publishing Route

Basically you have four choices - self-publishing, print-on-demand publishing, finding a formal publisher or using a literary agent.

1. SELF-PUBLISHING

Self-publishing is when the author bypasses all the intermediaries, deals directly with the editor, cover artist, book designer and printer, and then handles the marketing and distribution.

If you self-publish you take a greater risk, but you also get to press sooner, keep control of your book, and make more money. You are required to invest time and money, but the rewards are greater.

Famous authors who self-published their books before finding Publishers include John Grisham, D.H. Lawrence, Edgar Allan Poe, George Barnard Shaw, Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, and Virginia Woolf. You will not be the first.. or the last!

Should you choose the self-publishing route, you need to make decisions about the following.

The size of your book (physical size and number of pages).
The cover design. (Use a good artist.)
Additional pages - e.g. Dedication, Foreword, Introduction, Prologue (if appropriate), Acknowledgments, Advertisements, Copyright notice, Autobiographical sketch, and legal Disclaimer.
Copyright notice. "Copyright is a right granted to creators under law. Copyright in all artistic works is established from the moment of creation - the only qualification required is that the work must be original."
Layout and typesetting. (Use a professional typesetter).
Obtaining ISBN and bar code.
Selecting a good professional printer and requesting quotes on an initial print run.
Marketing of the finished product. (Where, when and how.)

2. PRINT-ON-DEMAND PUBLISHING

Search Google for Print-On-Demand Publishers. These are companies that prepare your book for printing using special technology.

Print-On-Demand publishing is one of the easiest ways to get your book published on the Internet. There are a number of good companies offering this service. They work with you and turn your manuscript into a beautiful physical book. You pay the costs up-front, which are far less expensive than normal printing and, because they are not investing money in your project, they will print anything you have to offer (within reason, of course).

The difference between P.O.D. and regular publishers is that they do not actually print your book. They simply prepare it for printing. Technology has advanced to such a degree that they are able to print one complete book at a time, as needed. The quality is excellent.

Some examples of Print-On-Demand Publishers are createspace.com, booksurge.com and authorhouse.com.

3. FORMAL PUBLISHER

Finding a Publisher is not easy. Publishing is a business and the expected financial return is the bottom line for Publishers. Publishers carry all costs and authors usually receive royalties of around 10% of net receipts (i.e. what the publisher receives for books sold.)

It is estimated that publishers receive about two million book-length manuscripts every year, so unsolicited manuscripts have little or no chance of being well received. It is, therefore, important to do extensive research in order to find a publisher who is interested in your type of manuscript. It is highly recommended that aspiring writers purchase the "Writers' & Artists" Yearbook" for information on publishers and their submission requirements.

4. LITERARY AGENTS

Literary Agents are specialists who work for both the writer and the publisher. They assist writers to find interested publishers. They also protect publishers from being overwhelmed by unsuitable manuscripts, which is why many overseas publishers only accept work submitted by Literary Agents.

There are two types of Literary Agents. Some simply evaluate your book and return unsuitable work. Others offer editorial services and assist to bring books with potential to their final stage. You may expect to pay around 15% of your royalties for their services, plus administration costs.

Should you choose to use a Literary Agent, send a synopsis, your manuscript and a brief history of your background and achievements in writing. The Agent will evaluate your book and either accept it for submission to a publisher, suggest re-writes, or reject it. If accepted, it is usual to sign an agent/writer contract.

IMPORTANCE OF CONTRACTS

Whatever your choice of publishing route, make sure you have a valid, legal, written contract covering all details, financial and otherwise.

Val Waldeck
http://valwaldeck.com - reaching our generation one book at a time Visit my website for a *free* copy of my special ebook, "When The Storms Come"

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