I often have new writers ask me what they can do to get published.
I'm going to share my recommendations with you.
Whether it's a children's book, an international thriller, a cook book or a history of your family - you can find a way to get it published.
There are 3 main options: 1) Traditional - The usual way to get published is to find an agent who will pitch your book to the large publishing houses.
You can also send it to smaller publishing houses yourself.
There is a standard format for query letters (the introduction letters that tell about your book) and manuscripts.
I highly recommend that you get a copy of the most recent Writer's Market.
A new one comes out every year and it is a must-have for writers.
It not only has contact information for agents and publishers, but it also has standard format details about query letters and manuscripts as well as details about the submission process.
It can help you choose the right market depending on whether it's a children's book, adult fiction, or a non-fiction book.
Pros - Publishing houses will give you an advance and will take care of the details.
(You will still be responsible for some of the marketing.
) Cons - This can take a long time and you have limited control over the final product.
2) Do it yourself - You can decide to publish it yourself.
You're responsible for all the editing and book cover design.
You find a printer, order a bunch of books, store them in your garage and handle the sales.
Pros - You don't have to wait to find a publisher and you keep all the profits.
Cons - You either have to be able to do everything yourself or find reliable and knowledgeable people to help you with every step of the process.
This can be expensive.
In addition, you are responsible for all marketing, delivery, and sales.
Most bookstores will not buy your book because they don't want to deal with individual publishers and most book distributors will not handle your book for the same reason.
3) Use a Print on Demand company (POD) - This is a different way to publish a book yourself.
The POD companies print each copy of the book when you actually order it.
That way you don't end up with a garage full of books.
Pro - Low initial cost.
Cons - The quality can be an issue.
Also, traditional booksellers won't buy POD books.
I have tried all these methods and even though I said I never would, I am now using a POD company that I think is great.
It's called Createspace and it's a subsidiary of Amazon.
com.
Not only are they easy to work with, there were no initial fees other than paying for a copy of the sample book.
There were no set-up fees because I already had the book prepared for printing.
If I had needed editing, typesetting, cover design or other services, I could get them done (for a fee) through Booksurge, another Amazon.
com related company.
I also appreciate the fact that they handle all the orders and track them for me.
They put up an e-store that I link to my website and put my book for sale directly on Amazon.
They've made it easy and convenient for me to publish my books.
Sure, I still need to do my own marketing but at least I don't have to worry about the publishing part.
This can be a great option if you just want to have a small number of books available.
For example, if you've written a history of your family, you may only want enough for your family and friends.
There are many other POD companies with different offerings and different price structures so be sure to check them out to see what works best for you.
These options have positives and negatives.
You need to decide what is most important to you before you decide which to choose.
The good news is that you can do it.
So whether you've written a children's book that you hope will make you the next J.
K.
Rowling or a memoir for your immediate family, you can find a way to get published.
This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource information below accompanies it.
I'm going to share my recommendations with you.
Whether it's a children's book, an international thriller, a cook book or a history of your family - you can find a way to get it published.
There are 3 main options: 1) Traditional - The usual way to get published is to find an agent who will pitch your book to the large publishing houses.
You can also send it to smaller publishing houses yourself.
There is a standard format for query letters (the introduction letters that tell about your book) and manuscripts.
I highly recommend that you get a copy of the most recent Writer's Market.
A new one comes out every year and it is a must-have for writers.
It not only has contact information for agents and publishers, but it also has standard format details about query letters and manuscripts as well as details about the submission process.
It can help you choose the right market depending on whether it's a children's book, adult fiction, or a non-fiction book.
Pros - Publishing houses will give you an advance and will take care of the details.
(You will still be responsible for some of the marketing.
) Cons - This can take a long time and you have limited control over the final product.
2) Do it yourself - You can decide to publish it yourself.
You're responsible for all the editing and book cover design.
You find a printer, order a bunch of books, store them in your garage and handle the sales.
Pros - You don't have to wait to find a publisher and you keep all the profits.
Cons - You either have to be able to do everything yourself or find reliable and knowledgeable people to help you with every step of the process.
This can be expensive.
In addition, you are responsible for all marketing, delivery, and sales.
Most bookstores will not buy your book because they don't want to deal with individual publishers and most book distributors will not handle your book for the same reason.
3) Use a Print on Demand company (POD) - This is a different way to publish a book yourself.
The POD companies print each copy of the book when you actually order it.
That way you don't end up with a garage full of books.
Pro - Low initial cost.
Cons - The quality can be an issue.
Also, traditional booksellers won't buy POD books.
I have tried all these methods and even though I said I never would, I am now using a POD company that I think is great.
It's called Createspace and it's a subsidiary of Amazon.
com.
Not only are they easy to work with, there were no initial fees other than paying for a copy of the sample book.
There were no set-up fees because I already had the book prepared for printing.
If I had needed editing, typesetting, cover design or other services, I could get them done (for a fee) through Booksurge, another Amazon.
com related company.
I also appreciate the fact that they handle all the orders and track them for me.
They put up an e-store that I link to my website and put my book for sale directly on Amazon.
They've made it easy and convenient for me to publish my books.
Sure, I still need to do my own marketing but at least I don't have to worry about the publishing part.
This can be a great option if you just want to have a small number of books available.
For example, if you've written a history of your family, you may only want enough for your family and friends.
There are many other POD companies with different offerings and different price structures so be sure to check them out to see what works best for you.
These options have positives and negatives.
You need to decide what is most important to you before you decide which to choose.
The good news is that you can do it.
So whether you've written a children's book that you hope will make you the next J.
K.
Rowling or a memoir for your immediate family, you can find a way to get published.
This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource information below accompanies it.
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