Publishing?

Question

Im in england, i am writing a book and was wondering how to go about getting it published and sold and that sort of stuff, and would this cost much to do. Please help.

Answer 1

There are two routes: Self-publishing and real publishing. And the decision to make is: do you care whether you're rated as a real author, or do you just want to see your words in print.

Self-publishing can now be done by places such as lulu.com which does have the advantage of being free, they take their cut from any that are sold. And it's pretty easy to use.

The problem with self-publishing (or vanity publishing) is that nobody checks to ensure what your work has any value, whether it's spelt correctly, got good grammar, is *legal* (libel is a potential risk) and so on.

If your work is fiction then self-publishing is the worst option. If you look at Lulu.com you can see that almost every story has 5 stars (the maximum). And they've sold between 3-5 copies ie. the authors family and friends.

There are some occasions when self-publishing makes sense, for example I have a friend who is a sculptor, she was always being asked about sculpting so wrote a book and now sells it to anyone who asks.

Then there's the other route. You write a book, you make it as good as you possibly can, you send it to dozens of literary agents then, if it is any good, they will take you on as a client.

It is very rare for any literary agent to take on someone with "potential" they want to see a finished book, and if they think changes are needed they are unlikely to take you on.

Once you have an agent then they try to sell your book to a publisher. If they don't think they can sell your book, again, they won't take you on in the first place. You have to have an agent if you want to write anything except SF and Fantasy -- in those genres you can approach publishers directly. However there are a lot more agents than publishers, plus you can send to lots of agents at once, but only one publisher at a time (and they can take months to reply).

You can get a list of literary agents from various books: Writers & Artists Yearbook or Writers Handbook in the UK, otherwise you can just do a web search for "literary agents" and you'll get websites with listings.

Things to watch out for: If an agent charges an up-front fee, forget it. Real agents make their money out of your book sales, they don't charge up-front fees. For example, PublishAmerica is a con, they will take your money and tell you you're a genius. The New York Literary Agency is another con. See these websites:

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/p...
http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.h...
http://www.writerstoyou.com/books/readon...

You must present yourself as professional, if you don't you will get rejected before they even read one word of your work. Does that sound harsh? It is. Agents and publishers receive 100s of 1000s of manuscripts every year, they have to cut that number down as much as possible. They do this by rejecting everything that does not conform to professional standards and their submission standards.

Sorry if this sounds negative but this is the truth of life in the publishing world. It is vicious and cut-throat and you need nerves of steel, as well as talent, to make it.

Another friend spent over 10-12 years trying to get published, he saved 300 of his most interesting rejection letters, he wrote 20 books in that time. But now he has four titles published and another three in the pipeline.

So that answers most of your question, it shouldn't cost you anything except printing copies of the first few chapters and postage. (Although it can mount up.)

Good luck.


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Answer 2

Hold on. If you're going to publish your book, do not pay anyone to do it. You publish if what you do is worth the time and effort and resources of a publishing house. While you can self-publish, you will pay too much, gain few readers, and you may get taken advantage of by wretched people who pander to your ego.

Start small by seeking out magazines and journals that publish chapters of novels or short stories. Then, once you've got a serious manuscript together, see if you can win some first novel competitions. There are many first book contests out there that are judged by guest writers, and you'll find that process to be much more rewarding than self-publishing.

Answer 3

D:
There are many publishers out there and believe me, it is hard to find one. I spent two years and many, many manuscripts sent with only three replies to the negative. One took three years to reply? Just type in (Canadian) USA or English Literary Agency's and try some of these. If your work is excepted there are no charges to you. They will give you upfront $ and a percentage on books sold. Usually about 15%. Best selling authors can demand much, more. Good luck.
I went the self publish route. Very hard row to hoe. It worked for me only because I am retired and had time to do many book signings.
I write this mainly to warn you about the bad guys out there trying to take your money for nothing. Check (Warnings &Cautions for Writers) May save you some headaches.
Wayne Russell, The Vagabond Writer

Answer 4

The phrase "vanity" publishing is old hat.
Print on Demand publishing offers a faster solution cos instead of having to get a long print run to make the book low cost, they can just print as orders come in.
Problem with Lulu is shipping costs & no help uploading manuscript - tricky if you have pictures etc.
Problem with agents is, same as traditional publishers, they are bombarded, snobbish, slow, & they specialise so it could transpire "your book does not suit our list."
Groan - sick of hearing that phrase yet?
Diggory Press offer a really fast, low cost service, with free shipping - they are in south west UK.
If you have a bit more dosh to invest, you could try emailing@ [e-mail]. If he agrees to do your book, he will offer you a one-to-one service & he wont let you down.
Those are the only 2 companies I have found worth their salt.
Good luck!

Answer 5

Buy a copy of 'The writer's and artist's yearbook 2007' it gives you all the info you need in this dept. you can get it from Borders for £14.99 and i have to say is the best buy i've ever made regarding my writing. one word of advice-do not pay for publishing out of your own pocket,if your writing is good enough the publishers will pay for it!Don't get ripped off by the companies that let you self publish-they aren't interested in whether you have any talent & will print whatever is submitted for a price.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

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Answer 8

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