What is it that makes people -- even non-readers -- want to put pen to paper?
Perhaps it's the desire for fame and fortune, the need to earn the respect of others, or maybe it's just the wish to leave some mark on the future, a permanent record of a life lived.
Whatever the reason, for those who actually complete a manuscript, the odds of seeing it published by a reputable firm are slim.
For the estimated 2 million manuscripts currently completed, there are only 64,000 publishers of record, and only a fraction of those are actively seeking new manuscripts.
So what are the millions of hopeful authors to do?
Well, the first step would be to ensure their manuscripts are the best they can be. This can be done by re-writing, editing, proofreading by an outside firm or even by a well-read and literate friend.
Even then, most of those two million books stand no chance of being accepted by a traditional publisher. Those authors that do make the cut are not necessarily the best writers, but rather are those who can sell themselves and their stories most convincingly.
Some authors, after rejections from the trade, will find themselves victims of vanity publishers, who take advantage of the hopes and aspirations of writers to extract an exorbitant fee to 'publish' their book.
Luckier will be the writers who publish through firms like iUniverse and Lulu, for although their books will likely never see wide distribution, at least their losses will be minimal.
And finally there are the select few who decide to become publishers themselves, even if it is only to self-publish their own book.
These publishers will find great obstacles, and a great deal of work in this route, but the challenge and reward of having one's success or failure entirely in one's own hands is a powerful feeling.
Whether they choose to publish electronically, or use short run printing service like Lightning Print, or even to go full boar with a print run of 1,000 or more, their success depends on how well they sell themselves and their story to others.
And so, if you are about to embark on a new manuscript, educate yourself thoroughly about the industry, its scams, and potential pitfalls. And more importantly, learn to market yourself well, for this, more than any other skill, is the determining factor in your success or failure.
1. Commercial Book Publishing
2. Self Publishing
3. Subsidy Publishing
4. Ebook Publishing
1. Commercial Book Publishing - This is the main way that authors have been getting published and can be very challenging. While there are thousands of publishing houses, today there are more writers than ever before.
A publishing house is a business and like all businesses they have a goal to create profits in an efficient manner. It is unlikely that you will be able to make contact with a publishing house if you don't have a good literary agent.
Surveys show that only 1 out 400 applicants are accepted by literary agents for representation. The majority of literary agents prefer to take on clients that have previously been published.
To get published with a publishing house will take a combination of talent, timing and luck. You can be an very talented writer and have a wonderful book but if the publishing house just finished publishing a book that is similar to yours you may not be accepted - or if this is a "red hot market" then you may be lucky.
For these reasons it is important to do research and see what are the trends and what people are buying. An excellent resource for this type of information is Amazon's Bestseller section.
2. Self Publishing - Where in the past commercial publishing was the only option, today you can "self-publish" your book. Self publishing is when you take on all of the jobs that are needed to create, print and distribute your book.
Some of the services required are:
*Editing - This is very important for most types of books
*Proof Pages - Preparing the pages and page order
*Artwork - You'll need both Front and Back covers plus the internal artwork which is any images or clip-art that appears within the text
*Printing - You will need to turn your electronic files into hard/soft cover books. There are 3 options for printing: get a small amount printed, get a large amount printed or use a print-on-demand service
*Distribution - How will you distribute the books? You can contact retailers and online distributors yourself or utilize a professional service
The first step is to decide which tasks you will do and which tasks you will hire someone else to do. Today, thanks to the internet, there is lots of free information available on each step of the publishing process.
3. Subsidy Publishing - In this case, the author pays a printing company to produce the book and then earns royalties from the sales of the book (usually a percentage). Sometimes this is confused with self publishing. With self publishing the author pays all the expenses and in turn receives 100% of the proceeds.
Another name for this is "Vanity Publishing Houses" which sometimes can have bad reputations. They will often claim that they can sell the book and then after paying for everything the writer is left without any real distribution and stuck with a bunch of books.
4. Ebook Publishing - This is a new approach that is gaining a lot of popularity. It is very easy to take a digital file and turn it into and ebook to sell online. A good way to do this is by having a personal website or blog and putting up articles and content to attract visitors and get publicity.
Alternatively, you can order an ISBN online and then companies like Amazon and Mobipocket will sell your ebook through their distribution network and you earn royalties from each sale.
Thanks to the internet there has never been a better time for an author to get published. Some people feel that because there is so much information online that traditional books will become obsolete.
I feel that while this may be true in some categories, for the most part it is the opposite - all of the free information creates a hunger for more!
When radio first arrived, the music industry was scared that they wouldn't sell as many albums and then they started selling much more than ever before. It's similar to how in a grocery store you are offered free samples, if it tastes good than you are more likely to buy.
I recommend spending a good amount of time doing research until you discover which is the best way for you to publish your book. I highly recommend utilizing the internet to share with others and grow your readership.
Both John Neyman, Jr. & Jason Storm are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
John Neyman, Jr. has sinced written about articles on various topics from Anger Control, Fitness and Public Speaking. Dr. John E. Neyman, Jr.is a Pastor, AuthorInternet Marketing Coach and Relationship Coach. You may visit Dr. John's website at Or e-mail himat drjohnneyman@. John Neyman, Jr.'s top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Jason Storm has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family, Health and Vegetarian Diet. Jason Storm is a contributor to the online resource center for authors: blog, and runs the search engine optimization consulting business. Jason Storm's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.