How To Get A Book Published

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moderntimes
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Re: How To Get A Book Published

Post by moderntimes »

Absolutely essential that your book be edited and/or proofread. The objective of course is to actually SELL your book to a publisher and then it will all be done professionally and you don't pay a red cent. But even if you're self-publishing, find a way to get the book proofread.

I've got a pal who's just starting out with novels, and he's darn good. But he needs an edit. I took just one chapter and carefully proofed it and I found dozens of mistakes, all mechanical, none of them "optional" -- actual errors. He wanted to pay me to edit the whole book but I deferred, that I was busy (and I am). But just one example -- find someone to proofread or edit your book, gang.
"Ineluctable modality of the visible..."
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blissthebook
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Post by blissthebook »

torchwilde wrote:Self Publishing has been increasing over the last few years. I can see why. When you send out your query letter, and samples when asked and then receive a letter that gives no details above, sorry not interested at this time it becomes very frustrating. But you have to have a strategy for marketing your book. If you are going to go this route you have to be the one to light the fire, talk to the library about accepting your book as a donation, and possible connections through social networking. The truth is that there are so many books out there, it is hard to have anyone notice yours.

I believe this is a very true statement. The only person that will make your book a success is yourself. In this day of technology social networking is great! create different things like youtube, twitter, instagram, facebook etc.
Also learn how to seo your work, so that when people search for key terms your book will populate at the top. We as authors have to think outside of the box and get with the times or you will end up as a dinosaur in this world. Does anyone else feel this way like I do?
AWJO1991
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Post by AWJO1991 »

blissthebook wrote:
torchwilde wrote:Self Publishing has been increasing over the last few years. I can see why. When you send out your query letter, and samples when asked and then receive a letter that gives no details above, sorry not interested at this time it becomes very frustrating. But you have to have a strategy for marketing your book. If you are going to go this route you have to be the one to light the fire, talk to the library about accepting your book as a donation, and possible connections through social networking. The truth is that there are so many books out there, it is hard to have anyone notice yours.
learn how to seo your work
This is VERY important. I didn't know much about SEO until I started freelance writing a couple of month ago. It's a must, and it's not that hard to learn and do. You just have to think about what people are most likely to type in a search engine
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Post by pretzelsnow »

blissthebook wrote:
torchwilde wrote:Self Publishing has been increasing over the last few years. I can see why. When you send out your query letter, and samples when asked and then receive a letter that gives no details above, sorry not interested at this time it becomes very frustrating. But you have to have a strategy for marketing your book. If you are going to go this route you have to be the one to light the fire, talk to the library about accepting your book as a donation, and possible connections through social networking. The truth is that there are so many books out there, it is hard to have anyone notice yours.

I believe this is a very true statement. The only person that will make your book a success is yourself. In this day of technology social networking is great! create different things like youtube, twitter, instagram, facebook etc.
Also learn how to seo your work, so that when people search for key terms your book will populate at the top. We as authors have to think outside of the box and get with the times or you will end up as a dinosaur in this world. Does anyone else feel this way like I do?
I agree. :mrgreen:
When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.
— Walter Lippmann
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moderntimes
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Post by moderntimes »

Well, if it's social networking that is the thing, then why not just post a link to a PDF version of your book and let people download it?

I would like someone to tell me how they've managed to get a bookstore to stock their self-published book. Because the major stumbling block for such is that bookstores require a return policy. That is, if they don't sell all the copies of the book they order, the publisher will let the store return them and issue full credit, so that the store loses no money.

Another aspect of this is how if you live in, say, Seattle, can you get the Barnes & Noble in Cleveland to stock your book?

Or, say that you're writing a mystery novel. How do you get the MWA (Mystery Writers' of America) to review your book and consider it for an award? Or if it's fantasy, then any sort of fantasy award?
"Ineluctable modality of the visible..."
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Post by Intelligent_Cat »

Thanks so much! This is great information!
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Hope Against Hope
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Post by Hope Against Hope »

I decided to take the Tucker Max approach while writing my ms. (Sans the serendipitous good fortune that he had in timing and publishing). It has been said to death to simply "write what you know", but what to do when you come to the painful realization that all that you know is that you don't KNOW anything?
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Hawa
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Post by Hawa »

A very interesting thread and thanks to all for the useful information - getting published seems to be quite a challenge, and yet I've read some books that were so boring and had such a thin plot that, by the time I've got to the end of the book I've been left wondering how they ever got published in the first place....never mind on a 'best sellers' list.
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Post by Booknet15 »

Thanks for the postings. I did not really know that one needed an agent. What about self-publishing? I heard that some authors are doing this, and would like to get your opinions.
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Post by 1mariposaheart »

Thank you for this information. About seven years ago I purchased a publication guide book filled with publishers and what genres they seek. I skimmed through it thinking that I will never let my writing go public. A little over a year ago I opened a Twitter to write short poems mostly. Veteran's day 2014, I ventured upon Tumblr and decided I really do want to write more than 140 characters publicly. I opened an account to try blogging my way, poems and other thoughts.
It's 2015 and I'm not getting younger but maybe braver. I'm going to see what happens by entering your short story contest. I just found you on Twitter today as I sought out #writers and your account popped up.
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Post by celeste »

Thanks for the information
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Post by billorton »

ResearchScholar wrote:Most writers will eventually discover that product development -- i.e., writing a book -- is the easy part. Getting it published is also the easy part.

The excruciatingly difficult parts are distribution and marketing. Even if you have a great product, without any visibility -- through distribution and marketing -- it will be buried.
I concur. Generating three novels has been relatively straightforward... listen to the story unfolding in my head, keep up productivity, stop when the story is done. Okay. Got that down. But getting an agent? I've sent queries to 200+ agents. Granted, my books are an odd fit, but I know at least two of the three are worthy of publication. So using an online ebook portal has been a good way to put the content online, and 3000 readers have picked up the first book, but that pales alongside print.
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Post by donaldwolford »

Get a business/marketing plan. That's your first step. Start a blog and build your fan base.
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Post by authorrustynugent »

Hi Scott,

Do you have to pay the agent from the beginning? Or do they get paid after you get a publisher?

Fare Thee Well Brother,
Rusty
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Post by Tokigirl2 »

There are way too many sites and services out there who want to be your Own True Love and sell you things. There are too many. Who do they reach? Do they count in terms of sales? It's very hard to connect with one's readers either the old-fashioned way or the modern. I see a lot of writers connecting to writers. We need to connect with readers. Claire Youmans
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