Publishing Choices For Writers - Traditional Publishing, Part One

In another article in this series, I discussed the evolution of publishing and how the opportunities have exploded for authors to have their works published. In this article, I will discuss the original form of publishing, commonly called traditional publishing, what it is, and why an author may or may not want to go the traditional publishing route to get their work published.

It used to be the choices for authors were easy. The only way you could get your book published was to have a publishing company offer you a contract. With this traditional method, in return for providing editing, proofing, design and printing as well as guidance and experience at no cost to the author, an author gives away any rights and control of their book to the publisher. The publisher makes their own decisions as to editing and cover choices, often times effecting changes that the author may not agree with. While an author may have some input, the final decision is up to the publisher which often causes friction between publisher and author.

An example of such a conflict, and one that has played out over the past several years with many different authors, has involved cover choices. In each situation, the author's story involved a person of color. However, the cover the publisher chose showed a person of Caucasian decent.

While the author argued that it was necessary to be true to the story, the publisher looked to the bottom line, believing that Caucasians would not buy a book with a person of color on its cover. Because the author gave up their rights to the book, the publisher had the final say. [But the times may be changing. Just this past year, a publisher received enough backlash from the general public about their misrepresented character on the cover, that they withdrew the book and re-published it with a new, correctly characterized cover].

In exchange for giving up all rights to their book, the publishing company pays an author an advance against future royalties that may or may not be earned back by the sale of the book. This advance can be anywhere from a few hundred to millions of dollars if you are already a best selling author. While smaller presses are more likely to give new writers a chance, that chance would be reflected in a smaller advance offered to an author. But no matter how large or small the advance, this advance is not "free" money to the author, as the publishing company deducts future royalties out of the advance until the publisher has recouped its investment.

With traditional publishers, the publishing company is betting the book will sell, at a minimum, enough copies to cover the advance, so the size of the advance is based upon the number of books the publisher thinks it can sell to cover its costs. If a book does not sell, the publisher would be out the advance they paid the author and they will not get their costs covered. If the book does sell, the publisher's costs are covered, their advance is paid off and future sales bring in money not only for the publisher but for the author as they begin to get ongoing royalties. However, these royalties are only a very small percentage from the sale of each book, usually on average of around seven percent. Therefore, for an author to actually make money from their book, there has to be a large number of book sales.

In the second part of this article on traditional publishing, I will discuss the games publishers play and the pros and cons of choosing to go with a traditional publisher.

Candace C. Davenport is a retired attorney and published author whose love of writing led to co-founding a small independent publishing company, Our Little Books. Our Little Books ( http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ) is dedicated to publishing inspirational, educational and fun little books for pocket or purse. Candace encourages all people to find their inner muse and become published authors with their own little book, either for pleasure or for their business. Sign up for a free report on how Becoming a Published Author Will Improve Your Credibility and Make You an Expert in Your Field at http://www.ourlittlebooks.com/free-report/. Enjoy!

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Should You Publish Your Own Book?

Many people write novels and memoirs. Many professionals write books to enhance their professional reputations. Should they consider self publishing? Book publishing print on demand makes self publishing easier and cheaper, but potential authors may have some questions.

Q. Should I publish my book through an established publisher?

If you can, sure. You'll probably need an agent who expects a piece of your advance and royalties. If there's not much chance of a lot of sales, there's not much chance of finding an agent. Your royalties are going to be maybe 5% to 10% of what the publisher receives. That means your book will need to sell a large number of copies to make it worth the time of any agent to pitch it for you.

If you can get a conventional publisher, the publisher will handle editing, proofreading, cover design, layouts, indexing, ISBNs, Library of Congress numbers, and the multitude of details that separate professional book publishing from amateur. If you are published by an established publisher, you get credibility. All those are worth a lot. But you will still need to promote the book yourself.

Q. Isn't publishing a book a long, expensive process?

Through a traditional publisher, yes. Of course, a lot of the time and money is to insure quality and to launch the book into bookstores.

If you expect to self publish, do a full launch, and compete in bookstores, yes, it is a long and arduous process. Do not try to compete in bookstores without first reading Dan Poynter's "The Self Publishing Manual."

Quality can be expensive. With a traditional publisher, you pay for it by low royalties. With self publishing, you pay for it directly up front.

Getting a book you can sell online, at personal appearances, and in your office need not be long and expensive. If you just want to give the book away to family and friends, it can be quick and inexpensive. It is only a little more involved than duplicating pages and having them bound at an insta print shop, but you get an elegant book.

With print on demand, you can buy even a single copy at a modest price. I published a 108 page US Trade perfectly bound paperback and printed off a single copy that cost me $10.65 total, shipping included. In even slightly larger quantities, they cost less apiece: You save on both printing and shipping.

Q. Aren't print on demand books of poor quality?

No. Many publishers now use print on demand technology. The quality can be every bit as good as you get from a conventional printer. The one I ordered was excellent.

Q. How much money can I expect to earn?

For most books by most new authors, not very much, no matter how you publish it. Self publishing and selling personally and online, you can keep more than half the price. Selling through bookstores you would get much less than half the price. You're responsible for promoting the book in either case.

If you are an independent professional, the real benefit of publishing a book is in building a reputation among clients as an expert in your field. Clients will seek you out. Publishing with a major publisher is better for your reputation, but a small publisher is better than no publisher--unless you are in an academic field. If you self publish, buy your own ISBN and name your small press something different from your name or the name of your book.

For those who are asking, How do you publish your own book? Thomas Christopher created the CD, Get Your Book Out!. The CD has videos to show you how to self publish Book publishing is now quick, cheap, and easy.

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The Top Options For Book Publishing

"John, what is the best way to get my book published?" After years of experience in the publishing industry, this is a question that I am often asked by new authors. At one time, many believed that there was only one viable option for publishing your book, and that was to approach the large publishing houses. Fortunately, the publishing landscape has changed over the past few years, and this assumption is no longer true. In fact, there are now many viable ways to get your book published, and we'll look at just a few of them here.

Mainstream Publishers

Mainstream publishing houses are some of the oldest means of getting the book you are writing published and out into the public eye. However, for the majority of writers this is a long drawn out process that may take years if you are even accepted under the wing of a large publishing house. There are specific guidelines you must follow to even be considered, and you will require the assistance of a literary agent before a mainstream publishing house will ever review your book proposal.

Keep in mind that many of the big publishers receive hundreds of submissions each day, and that only a tiny percentage of those will ever be published. The deck is stacked against you if you go this route.

Small Independent Publishers

Small independent publishers are increasing in numbers daily. They generally specialize in printing books that fit into one type of genre or another. Generally, they have access to a full distribution of channels which can help put your book right up there in the book stores with the hard-hitters of the mainstream publishing houses. There is no need to hire a literary agent since you are able to send your proposal to the acquisitions editor of a small independent publishing house.

Self Publishing

Self publishing offers you more freedom with your creativity and writing talents. Nearly ninety percent of all the books published today are self-published books. You can easily and quickly publish your own book, thereby saving time, money and the efforts of attracting the attention of mainstream publishers. Self publishing offers you the means of sidestepping many overwhelming barriers to becoming noticed by the big publishers. While it is true that you will have to take ownership for marketing and promoting your book, this would be the case even if you were published by one of the big houses, as they are not going to invest much in promoting an unknown author. And that is one of the key reasons why I believe self-publishing has become so attractive.

One ironic benefit of self publishing is that if you are able to make your book a hit, it is then much more feasible to attract the attention of some of the larger publishing houses. You see, once your book sells through your own efforts you become much less of a risk to the publishing house, and thus a much more attractive option to them. The great thing about the large publishers is their immense distribution power, and THAT can mean a big boost in your book sales.

When you choose to self publish you have greater control of your book and its contents. You choose what stays and what goes, you get to decide what your book cover looks like, and what your back cover blurb says. You are also in control of marketing and promoting your book. So when asking yourself, "How will I get my book published?" self publishing is in my opinion #1 among your options, and definitely something that you should consider.

John Harricharan is an International Best-Selling Author with nearly 40 years of experience in book publishing.

John's latest creation, Authors University, teaches current and aspiring authors the latest methods for writing, publishing, and promoting their books. Check out his recent post Get My Book Published at AuthorsUniversity.com.

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Not a Famous Author? Get Published Anyway!

Are you a writer that have been seduced into believing that if your book is published through one of the many traditional publishers out there, you have finally made it?

1. Look to the Internet and Get Published

It appears that a seemingly arbitrary rejection system within traditional publishing companies has helped to fuel an exodus of authors and writers, some good and some not so good, to the Internet. The Internet is currently operating as a tool for unknown and not so famous writers and authors to publish their work.
The web is turning into such a market that it offers access to all types of writing communities and connections. It's estimated that in the future, almost everyone will either be using, or will have used the Internet at some point in their life. The Internet is connecting virtual, social and physical communities on a global basis.

2. Take alook at this scenario:

"With a Traditional Publisher, an editor picks up manuscript A and decides he likes it. Then he starts on submission B and decides he likes it better. When he reads the third one on the pile, C, he's even more excited and thinks it's even better than B. Which means that he must think C is better than A, right? Well, maybe. But since they're all different, there might be different qualities at work, which means B is better than A, and C better than B, but only in some ways. If the editor's boss then says they can only afford to publish two books that month, do you think that means he will pick B and C, since he's decided they are 'better'? Not a bit of it.



It depends on what every other Editor is doing, and what every other publisher on the block is doing too, come to that. So, A might get published after all. C might get put off, (you remember, the 'best' book), and might not even make it onto the list next month either. That's the way Traditional Publishing works. It's unpredictable. Plus, just to make things more 'human' and even less logical, it also depends what day of the week it is; whether a pay rise is in the offing; and what the Editor had for lunch. That's the way it is in those offices." This is one writer's point of view. Mike Scantleburg, has described a scenario that could be very amusing if it didn't ring somewhat true.

These points are presented not to knock traditional publishers; it's good work if you can get it. In reality, there are not many, if any, writers that would turn down a book deal with an advance. If a scene like the above is even remotely true, it helps to explain why regular, ordinary people can get rejection letter, after rejection letter, after rejection letter.

3. Print on Demand (POD)

What's becoming popular is print on demand (POD) services that are offered online. The popularity of print on demand sites like Lulu, Outskirts Press, Amazon's Booksurge and others allow every writer to publish their work. Some of these services allow the author and others to buy one copy at a time. Cost of publishing, ease of publishing and the speed that books are available, are some of the most important deciding factors of print on demand services. Be sure to keep in mind that one of the most important features to look for when you self publish or use a print on demand service is that you, the writer, retain the rights to your book.

4. Self Publishing Success

Getting published is easily than most know, especially if you're not banking on going the traditional route. Mapping out some good points here are worth taking a look at:

Today, in more cases than not, the Internet is being looked upon by more and more writers and authors as the first choice to get their work to the reader, not the last.
Traditional publishing proponents state untruths such as self published books lack quality. There are quite a number of good self-published books. In the 1980's, ''The One Minute Manager'' was self published. The authors Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson wanted to get their book to the public fast; and they also wanted to control the price of the book. They decided self-publishing was the way to go. The book became so popular that a traditional publisher, William Morrow & Company contacted the writers and agreed to publish the book through their company.
It appears that it is almost impossible to get a traditional publisher to accept new writers (unless you are already famous). This is flashing a bright green light to writers and authors alike to look into self publishing and print on demand services. These choices allow a writer decide how much time he or she will spend pursuing traditional publishers. The writer understands that they not only have the option of publishing through traditional publishers, but they can also publish their work through the Internet.

Currently, the self publishing and print on demand route to get a book published is growing at phenomenal speeds Writers and authors are creating a new path directly to the web where they are getting published in very large numbers.

Carol Wilson has been writing for over 10 years. Carol's three books include His World, Whistler's Gift and Permission to Motivate Yourself. For more tips and information on blogging and writing go to http://www.fiveminutevacation.com and bloggingeatingwriting.wordpress.com.

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Should You Wait For a Traditional Publisher Or Self-Publish?

If you can't find a publisher for your book, don't feel bad--it's very hard to get published by a major house unless you're famous. However, don't give up. If you have a message that will inspire, make your readers smile, or teach them a truth that can change their lives, then by all means, self-publish. If you're willing to promote it, you may just find a publisher for it later on.

Two of my books were traditionally published and two were self-published. There are advantages and disadvantages to both so you may just find that self-publishing is the route best suited for your story.

My journey into the book publishing world started in the mid 90s, when I decided to write a memoir about caring for a profoundly handicapped child. I called it, "A Time to Weep; A Time to Laugh." After receiving a round of rejection slips with responses like, "We already did a story like that"; We don't do personal experience stories" and even, "Our editor died," I decided to publish it myself.

I had my manuscript professionally edited and typeset. Sweltering in my garage during a particularly hot summer in Maryland, I attached the pages together with an old comb binding machine and made a hundred copies.

At first I felt embarrassed promoting a book to the news media that had been rejected by publishers...until the day I received my first letter from a reader: "Dear Lisa Saunders, I recently read an article...about your daughter Elizabeth. I just had to buy your book...I've had a hard time with accepting [my daughter's disabilities]...Thank you for writing your book. It helped a lot." Her letter meant the world to me. My story did have a purpose.

Then, unbelievably, a publisher contacted me. The editor said, "I am attracted to your book, not only because it's a good story that fits into our market, but because you have already laid the foundation for a good promotional campaign." I signed my first contract with a publisher. I gave up the right to sell my self-published version (which hurt when I received an order for a hundred copies from a hospital) and spent an entire summer rewriting the manuscript according to the editor's specifications. But moments before the book went to press, the publisher downsized. My editor was let go...and so was my book.

Although I was able to keep the small advance, I felt utterly defeated and shelved the manuscript. I just didn't have it in me to pursue another publisher or to self-publish it again.

I moved on. Besides, memories of my great-grandfather's bed clanging back and forth in his bedroom on railroad-like tracks, my aunt making me use the outhouse, and the terror of riding my ornery pony, blossomed into the children's novel, "Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator." While the Sentinel newspaper in Maryland serialized "Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator," I searched for a publisher. Another set of rejection slips convinced me to try getting an agent instead. Even getting one of those was difficult, but I finally did and signed a one-year contract with her.

But she was unable to sell the story to a publisher within the year so I decided to self-publish again. This time I had a printer bind it to look like a real paperback book (called perfect bound) and I sold it to local school children, horse enthusiasts, and New York and Iowa featured it as part of their state-wide 4-H program called, "Horse Book in a Bucket."

I have since been traditionally published. My first book to find a publisher, "Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife," published by Heritage Books, was a result of me finding three-years of Civil War love letters between my great-great grandparents in my mother's attic. And the next book to find a publisher, "Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus)" published by Unlimited Publishing LLC, was my updated story about my disabled daughter Elizabeth, but this time, I wrote it about her life in relation to a homeless, old dog who found his way to her couch.

Although being published by someone else gives you some credibility with certain media, most readers don't care. Unless you are fortunate enough to get published by a major house that will spend a lot of time and money promoting your book (which is unlikely unless you are famous), I think it is better to be self-published because you can do what you want, when you want, and without asking permission.

With all the authors out there willing to share their experiences, there is no need to feel alone on your journey to getting published.

Good luck!

Lisa Saunders, Suffern, New York
Web site: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com
Blog:"How to Get Thin and Famous (or at least published!): http://howtogetthinandfamous.blogspot.com/

Lisa is a full-time writer for the State University of New York at Rockland and a member of its Speakers Bureau. She is the author of the books, "Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus)"; "Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife"; "Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator" and free e-book, "How to Get Published."

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Ready to Publish That Book?

Do you believe your book deserves a wide audience and has it got what it takes to enthrall good agents and publishers alike? If so, then jump onto the book publishing rollercoaster, wait for the setbacks to begin and for those proverbial pigs to fly...eventually!

Not that any self-respecting writer should ever be put down or discouraged in their quest to reach the major bookstores, but awareness is key to getting over the tough times ahead. Even the esteemed J K Rawling got way more than her fair share of rejection before finally being accepted by Bloomsbury years after her first manuscript. She muses, "I covered the first three chapters in a nice plastic folder and set them off to an agent, who returned them so fast they must have been sent back the same day they arrived."

Step 1 - Perfect your manuscript

Make sure your manuscript is immaculate, double spaced and with at least a two-inch margin on either side. Use a familiar font such as Ariel, Times New Roman or Verdana, size twelve. In order to even get an initial scan by a junior editor, your text must be premium class, with no spelling or grammar mistakes, so be sure to proof read and, if need be, ask a trusted pair of fresh eyes to scrutinise it even before your initial letter leaves you. In the case of a novel, your letter also needs to be fresh, feature completely original characters and a story that flows seamlessly.

Only if the first few pages, along with your synopsis and covering letter are noteworthy and relevant to the publisher's needs will your manuscript be moved by the junior editor onto a very small pile that awaits the opinion of a senior member of the editing staff. But be aware that for every hundred manuscripts received, only one or two might be deemed worthy of moving to this pile.

Step 2 - Research your agents/publishers

As in all professions, there are rogues and pros. out there and, after so much hard work, it would be shameful to fall victim to the wrong sort of agents or publishers.

So how do you know if they're good or bad? Normally it's easy to tell:

You should NEVER ever pay an agent or a publisher up-front, whether under the guise of cover art, advertising or other fees of any kind. Once they accept your work, all reputable publishers will offer first-time authors an advance and pay you a percentage of each copy sold. Agents will charge a fee (approx. 15%) in relation to the copies sold.
A Google search on the name of the enterprise plus scam or vanity will identify the ones that are looking to take advantage of new or would-be writers.
Beware of so-called agents offering editing or 'book-doctoring' services at a price, reminding you of how life will change once the publisher finally accepts your novel. A common scam involves the 'book doctor', or the agent himself, earning an illegitimate income and wasting your time for 'polishing' your text. Fictitious submissions are then made and you're notified months later that your manuscript unfortunately won't sell in the current market. Remember that from the start you should only submit polished, finished work to agents, so 'book-doctors' aren't necessary.
Good agents and publishers don't need to advertise, proving themselves instead through their client lists. Google their authors' names to gauge how successful they are and how many books they have published. Beware of special adverts and offers as they are likely to be from the agents you don't need.
Before submitting your work, ask:

Does the publisher accept unsolicited manuscripts? If not, it's a waste of time sending yours to them, as they'll be paying someone to open it, then pack it up again and send it right back to you.
What type of manuscripts does the publisher or agent deal in? If you've written a romantic novel but the publisher backs medical books, then don't bother sending them your manuscript.
How does your publisher or agent wish to receive initial correspondence? How long, or rather short, should your synopsis be? Do they really want some or all of your manuscript sent to them at the cover letter stage - as this may vary, what exactly do they want you to send and when?
Bear in mind that all publishing houses, even the big ones, are sometimes interested in a certain amount of work from new writers. They all need to replace those authors lost to other publishers or those who simply stop writing, so don't despair, lady luck might just be with you on the right day!

Step 3 - Find a good agent

There are more agents out there than publishers but in such a competitive and rigid market, agents also need to be picky and selective about who they choose to represent and recommend to publishers. Market instability or other factors might make many agents reluctant to take on new writers, no matter how well you may write. However, if you feel you must have an agent, then you must sell both your manuscript and yourself to the agent. You'll need to impress the agent as much as the publisher.

Good agents save you a lot of time and heartache, acting as your face to the publishers. They know the publishing houses and what book genres they buy, while using their inside knowledge and contacts to get your manuscript seen in the right place at the right time. Agents should be up on current publishing trends and buying tendencies, meaning your manuscript will be sent to a particular publisher if it is buying at the time.

Step 4 - Write your cover letter and synopsis

The cover (query) letter should be a short, simple, single page introducing you and your book, as these days agents and publishers won't have time or patience to read through much more than than this. Your letter needs to catch their attention while respecting a standard, no-nonsense format:

Start with Dear (name of editor/agent, correctly spelt) or Dear Editor (if you don't have a contact name).

Include a heading - the title of your book.

Used blocked paragraphs, not indented ones, with one line space between them.

Open with a sentence explaining why you are approaching them and make them aware that you know something about their professional achievements as well as the books they publish.

You'll need three main paragraphs: the hook, the mini-synopsis and your brief biography.

The Hook - basically one sentence to illicit intrigue about your book, for example:The Da Vinci Code - "A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ." Then, still writing in the third person, smoothly incorporate the word count and genre at the end of this paragraph's text.
The Mini-synopsis - this is a second paragraph you use to describe your book, expanding on the hook and giving basic, enticing information on the main characters and conflicts involved within.
The brief biography - keep it brief and relevant to writing or the book you have written. If you can boast of any other writing achievements, mention them, even if they're simply a regular blog or article submission you write. If you cannot, don't apologise for not having other books to your name, simply state this is your first book - by this stage in the letter, if your synopsis has impressed the editor enough, then you'll be half way to sending on your manuscript anyway. If you have less to say about yourself, then there remains more space in your synopsis for a few more words to attract the reader!
Close your letter with thanks for their time and consideration. Don't forget to include a stamp addressed envelope if you're sending your letter in the post and give them your email address and phone number.

When and if you finally get a request from a publisher to see your manuscript, make sure you mark the envelope "Requested material", so that it doesn't get buried or possibly lost in their backlog of unsolicited mail.

Step 5 - Never give up!

Think of all those best-selling authors out there who, like you, fought, waited, waited and waited to be noticed for the value of their work. Keep on approaching agents or publishers in a steady, professional manner and ignore all those inevitable rejections - one fabulous day you will be jumping for joy!

Self-publishing

If that joyous day never comes or you're tired of waiting for it, then perhaps self-publishing is the next way forward for you. You take on the costs of the publication and cover all marketing and distribution, and you get all the proceeds from sales.

This method can help you enter the published world, allowing you to demonstrate the fruits of your work and cite sales statistics, albeit invariably lower figures than if you had published with a traditional publisher, but they will reflect the overall popularity of your book. Bear in mind that as a new, self-published author, your book will not have the benefit of selling in the major book stores. If you still decide to take this option, you'd be well advised to pay a professional editor for an evaluation or even a complete edit before going to print - a small investment compared with that of the print run itself.

Based on the Rock of Gibraltar, Tina suppies freelance copywriting and content writing services to a worldwide market via the internet. Over the past nine years, she has produced top-class copy on a diverse range of subjects - from online gaming to international property investment, from insurance and pension services to lifestyle in Andalucia, and from editiorial copy to TV scripts - you name it, she'll have your work properly researched, written and delivered, ready to meet your deadlines. Find out more and read her website blog.

http://www.thewebwriter.co.uk

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Publishing Choices For Writers - Traditional Publishing, Part Two

In Part One of the discussion on traditional publishing, I discussed the give and take of traditional publishing. The publisher gives the author an advance and takes from the author the rights to basically do what they want with the book. The game then for the publisher is to chose a quality book that it believes is marketable, will be popular and sell many copies. This is why a traditional publisher is so choosy in what manuscripts they accept (usually from one to three percent of all submitted manuscripts) and why it is a good idea for an author to have an agent who knows the publishing ropes, and who can work on an author's behalf.

Generally, to have a chance at being picked up by a traditional publisher, an author needs an agent. Publishers receive numerous unsolicited manuscripts all the time. Many unsolicited manuscripts are not ready for publishing or are not marketable in their current state so they are not considered at all. While generally editors will look at all these manuscripts and actually read a few, the chances of being "discovered" among all the unsolicited manuscripts are slim to none. However, an agent has the experience to know what can be a successful manuscript and will personally submit a work to any number of publishers in hopes of receiving an initial positive response.

In order to obtain an agent and subsequently a publisher, an author will have to put together an all-embracing book proposal. This can be very time consuming and expensive if the author hires someone else to do it for them, and not necessarily successful if an writer decides to do it themselves. Then, assuming the author hires an agent, and the agent gets a publishing company to go forward with the manuscript, the agent negotiates a publishing contract. Chances are, most authors will not get a huge advance on their first book as the publishing company wants to see how successful a new writer can be. There are always exceptions, but for the average author, it is best not to plan on making a living on their first book! However, an author with a publishing contract will not have to come up with any money to get their book published.

If an author is published by a traditional publishing company, they will automatically have credibility as an expert with the prestige that goes along with that. The publisher will help with marketing and distribution of the book, providing some publicity support. They will get the book into stores. Sometimes the company will even set up opportunities for the author for speaking engagements and book signings. However, unless the author is very well known, this media exposure may only last for a couple of months. Even with a traditional publisher, for an author to prove their worth by sales (which will translate to bigger advances for a second book), they must be willing to put in time, effort and money to promote their own book in addition to any efforts by the publisher.

In the other articles in this publishing choices for writers series, I will discuss the more recent choices of publishing, including all the available options under the self-publishing umbrella, that an author now has to get their book published.

Candace C. Davenport is a retired attorney and published author whose love of writing led to co-founding a small independent publishing company, Our Little Books. Our Little Books ( http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ) is dedicated to publishing inspirational, educational and fun little books for pocket or purse. Candace encourages all people to find their inner muse and become published authors with their own little book, either for pleasure or for their business. Sign up for a free report on how Becoming a Published Author Will Improve Your Credibility and Make You an Expert in Your Field at http://www.ourlittlebooks.com/free-report/. Enjoy!

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