how does one get a book published without going broke?

Question

i have checked into selfpublishing and it doesn't seem like the way to go.

Answer 1

The only money you should be spending is on the following:
Paper
Printer ink and/or pens/pencils
Envelopes
Stamps/postage

Optional but not mandatory:
Current edition of Writer's Market (Or check it out at your library)
Membership into various writing organizations
Writers' conferences

After that, writing is free. Totally and completely free. You submit to agents; you submit to publishers. You write your heart out if it's your passion.

You do not expect to live off the proceeds of your writing because out of the thousands upon thousands of writers in the world, only a handful become the Stephen Kings, the Nora Roberts, the James Patterson and the J.K. Rowlings who not only earn a living, but become RICH.

Most writers write because they are passionately compelled to write. Getting paid for it is a bonus. And most writers have a day job that pays the bills.

Self-publishing will cost you money and get you printed books but won't establish any writing credentials.

Think about all this. Best of luck.

Edited to add:
DO NOT SUBMIT TO PUBLISH AMERICA. Please check the Preditors and Editors link below to check for complaints against any and all editors, agents, publishers and other industry professionals before you submit work to them. Publish America has an abominable reputation for ripping off clients.

Here's just one small part of the complaints against them:
Concerning PublishAmerica, the BBB of Greater Maryland, Inc. has declared as of 2/20/05 that, "Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to a pattern of complaints. Complaints generally allege lack of promotion of authors' books and inaccurate record keeping with respect to books sold and commissions due. The company has responded to most complaints but has not responded to others. The number of complaints increased during 2004."

Answer 2

Self publishing is incredibly expensive. First, you must pay to have your book edited. Expect to pay between 2.50 to 4.00 per page based on 250 words per page. Then you have to pay for publishing. After that, you are on your own to promote and sell your book. Self publishers will give you NO help whatsoever. Self promotion is a full time job - you will work your tail off just to get a couple bookstores to shelve your book. You will never make enough money selling the books to recoup your losses - well very very rarely.

The only way to go is to try to reach either agents or small publishers. Agents are the only way to get through to major publishing houses - they will not deal with you directly as they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or queries. But you can contact small publishers directly. The problem is many agents and small publishers are rip-offs. Buy yourself a copy of Writers Market 2007. Learn how to write a great query letter.

Then before you send anything to anyone - check with Preditors and Editors online site and Absolute Write Water Cooler's Bewares and Background Checks and make sure the person you are querying is legit and there are no complaints outstanding against them. Both sites are a wealth of info when it comes to finding out who is a scam and who is legit.

Lastly, this question is asked at least 50 times a day, read through the Resolved Questions for tons of other information. Pax - C.

Answer 3

Submit you manuscript to as many publishing houses as possible. Be prepared for many rejections. But don't give up. If your book is any good at all, someone will eventually publish it for you. Self-publishing is only worth it if you are prepared to flog the book yourself at flea markets, etc. I have a friend who does that and all his spare time is takeen up selling his book.

Answer 4

That's because you haven't given it much thought. Honestly, self-publishing isn't as bad as many people paint it to be. How *evil* it is compared to other methods--such as vanity press. (I'm sure people have told you: "Try lulu.com! You'll like it!")

I'm going in that route because it is what I believe in. I'm putting time, money, and effort into making my books the best they can be--as opposed to going the 'cheap and inexpensive' route.

Most writers balk at that. They don't want to do things the hard way anymore. To them, the easier, the *better*. And 9 times out of 10, it doesn't always work out the way they liked it to.

Traditional publishing isn't any cheaper--with sending out queries, submissions, and all that stuff. Even with the internet--over time--it can be just as expensive to do; if you want to be published that way.

I spent hundreds if not a couple thousand dollars just submitting my work alone. And that by itself, is as much money I'm already spending on artwork, editing, and book covers for my books.

And I won't be done just yet either. I still have lots of ground to cover.

But if you don't like hard work, just want to be in a rush to put your name on your book--and don't care how it turns out (just so you can get 'published'), then by all means...

Go vanity press. Publish America, Infinity Press, lulu.com, Trafford, AuthorHouse, IUniverse...there are so many out there who are more than willing to publish whatever it is that you want--with no costs to you--financially.

Answer 5

Try lulu.com