I heard once, something like one in a million people that wanna be professional sports players make it...so i was wondering if it was that hard to make it as an author?
2006-07-30 11:25:37 · 13 answers · asked by katie 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Yes -- way too much competition in this field --
2006-07-30 11:29:32 · answer #1 · answered by littlethimble2003 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on how well you wrote the book, and how well you researched your market. If you send a fantasy book to a nonfiction publisher, it won't be published no matter how good the writing is. I'd recommend looking at Writer's Market for publishers and advice. But really, it all comes down to the writing. And the effort. You have to put the book out there. And remember, just because a book is published, doesn't mean you can make a living off writing. It is very hard to do that. I've only heard of two authors who are currently doing that: Stephen King and J.K. Rowling.
2006-07-30 20:00:49 · answer #2 · answered by graciegirl@sbcglobal.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Richard Adams' manuscript for Watership Down was rejected over 20 times by publishers and agents before a small publisher accepted it. Some of the things said to Adams about how it would never be a success would have been very discouraging to most people. But he kept it up.
Millions of books sold, a movie, and a TV series later... Adams gets LOTS of fan mail.
2006-07-30 18:42:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can publish your book yourself as an e-book. You might have to go through an established company in order to insure that you collect a payment from everyone who downloads it, though (for a commission from the e-publisher).
Getting a paper book published through traditional means, I have been told, is tough because of the high initial expense a publisher has to pay to set up the printing press, buy the paper, bind and deliver the books, etc. More risk involved, so traditional publishers are more cautious.
2006-07-30 18:31:52 · answer #4 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work for a major publisher. We receive unsolicited manuscripts all the time and publish less than 1 percent of those. The bulk of books are from authors we seek out or have published before; we buy out contracts from other publishers on occasion.
2006-07-30 18:49:34 · answer #5 · answered by SurferRose 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
About one billion-to-one against. Now, I'm referring to established, "named" publishers. I'm sure maybe some "no-name newbie" in the business might take it, and some of the individuals who do "publishing" on the internet might do it, and might be thankful for the business. I speak from a small amount of experience in having watched a woman try to get her small book of daily reflections published, which she eventually did, and an old German Jewish man try to get his story of his survival in the Holocaust published, which, after many, many years MAY have been published. The sad story to this man is just the horrific hell he had to live through to have a real and ultra-important story to tell, which he did in such magnificent detail that it would depress the hell out of you to have to return to read it but too strong a story not to return to read, and the publishers wanted to argue point after point about what to include or not, and the poor man, but very strong man would NOT let the publishers delete one word of it because the story was so horrific that all the pieces had to be told to make the story properly interwoven. I knew the man, and I was blessed enough to read one of the looseleaf manuscript originals before it got published, if it got published. It may have been published in German since he couldn't get anyone here to publish it. And I believe I still have that original looseleaf manuscript in it's original box here in my office at my home. I wish the world could read the manuscript that I have, and "feel" the story as it shows in his typing on his old typewriter, without being between covers of a book some publisher covered it with, or "commercialized" it with. Oh, but, I've gotten off your question. I'm sorry. I just got caught up in this wonderful old man's story. My very limited experience doesn't offer much hope, but then, I'm not really experienced, so, take it for what it's worth. I wish you the best, and God Bless you.
2006-07-30 18:44:05 · answer #6 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be careful as some publishers might not give you a fair deal and they make most of the money. I don't think it's that hard though. Self publishing and promoting is the best but a book making machine thing is expencive.
2006-07-30 18:30:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Real hard Honey. I've been writing for years. Fiction, which is hard, you have to start in the minors like any other field and work your way up. Even if you get published in magazines it's still hard to break down that Publishing House door. Lot of hard work ahead of you. Glad to have another colleague.
2006-07-30 18:30:53 · answer #8 · answered by obitdude2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First you have to write a book, then you take it to the publishers, and if they like what you have written, then you will get it published. The other way is to publish it yourself.
2006-07-30 18:30:58 · answer #9 · answered by malroymck 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the odds of you, to actually finishing writing it, are a heck of a lot less than the chances of getting it published.
2006-07-30 18:40:07 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it's good, better chances of getting it published.
Though there are some really crappy books out there that have been published... I don't know what's up with that.
2006-07-30 18:28:57 · answer #11 · answered by PixelWire 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋