Getting a book published
08/04/2008 send to a friend
A couple of members have written in to ask how they should go about getting a book published. There are two roads; one is to publish yourself, the other is to sign up with a publisher who will do it for you.
Book benefits
Regular visitors to Enterprise Nation will know that I’ve got a book coming out in May. It’s called ‘Spare Room Start Up – how to start a business from home’ and is being published by Harriman House. We’ve also written about a few of our members who’ve had success with books, in a feature here.
Writing a book can help your home business. It sets you up as an expert on your topic and, if the promotion goes well, can be great for your home business brand. But don’t expect to make too much money from it, too soon!
I’m now getting a few notes asking for advice on how to get a book published. So, here it is.
DIY
Thanks to the internet, it’s now far easier to self-publish through sites like lulu.com and, probably my favourite book-making site, blurb.com
These sites allow you to upload your text and create lovely looking books. Selling your book on their site also means you benefit from the high volume of traffic. But what you don’t get is access to the bookshop outlets.
Find your perfect publisher
If you want to have your book handled by a publisher, take these steps:
- identify the publisher(s) that will be interested in your book. Have they published similar titles and do they cover your topic/field?
- When you’ve got your shortlist, make contact with a brief book synopsis. Here are the section headings I included in my synopsis:
- Motivation for writing the book
- What this book will contain
- How this book is different
- Format
- The Market
- Who will the book appeal to?
- Why will they buy this book over another?
- Ideas for promotion
And finally a biography that shows your credentials for writing the book.
Once you’ve sent in the synopsis, follow up if you need to.
If you get commissioned, this is where the work really begins …writing the book!
Be realistic on the time it will take. Having just looked at the synopsis for Spare Room Start Up, I see it was dated June 2007 so it’s taken 11 months to go from synopsis to the shop shelf.
But that’s where it will be in May so I hope you’ll buy a copy ;-) and let me know if you make any headway with these tips, so we can profile your book on the site too! – Emma Jones
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Comments
Author: Dave Howell
Date: 07/04/2008
Comment: Great advice about publishing. Vanity publishing has now morphed into self publishing which certainly doesn't have the stigma it once had. It's now perfectly legitimate to publish your own work. The tools to do this are fairly easy to use. If you download the media pack of my forthcoming magazine from my website's homepage you can see how you can produce an e-document. E-books have come into their own over the last few years. The printed book still has its place, but e-publishing is cheap, fast and can reach a global audience.
Website: http://www.nexus-publishing.co.uk
Author: Anne Huscroft
Date: 22/06/2009
Comment: I had a book published and it still amazes me!
How did it happen? Peter, my co-author and I came up with an idea for a book that our author friend mentioned to someone at her publishing company. They liked the idea and offered to publish it... so Peter and I had to "knuckle down" to ensure we completed the writing within deadline.
It's amazing to see your name online on Amazon as an author. I've given talks at schools, training sessions at local libraries and often sell copies to my Business English students.
If anyone wants to check it out, please visit www.theglobalgrandparent.com - to see what the fuss is about.
Website: www.reo-solutions.co.uk
Author: Mindy Gibbins-Klein
Date: 23/06/2009
Comment: Thank you for being even-handed about the different ways of publishing. Despite best efforts, not everyone will get a 'book deal' and some people can't or don't want to wait the 12-18 months to go through that process.
There is actually a 3rd way of publishing which I call 'cooperative publishing'. It involves finding an independent publisher who takes over the entire process (so people don't need to become experts in self-publishing). They usually take a small fee but the good ones share the profits or royalties very generously with you, get the book onto Amazon quickly and let you buy your own book at a fantastic discount. It's like the best of both worlds!
I find that most people have trouble getting started, putting their thoughts together and figuring out what to write about - and what to put in the synposis if they are doing one. Thank you for the mention on the TV programme, Emma. I just want to encourage everyone to write and publish their books, and make sure they are the best they can be to compete in the market! Good luck, everyone!
Website: www.bookmidwife.com
Author: Julia McCutchen
Date: 14/07/2009
Comment: It's good to see this discussion taking place and I am inspired to add my contribution to the mix.
Given that I worked for many years as a publisher, many of the people I work with now approach me for help with finding an agent or traditional publisher for their book. So this is where we start.
It is true that this route to market takes time and is not right for every writer or every book. However, the potential for success with the backing of a professional publishing team is not to be ignored.
The key tool required to open the traditional publishing door is a first-class book proposal.
In fact, I advise all writers to go through the process of compiling the information required for a proposal - even if they ultimately choose to self-publish.
Why? Because it helps to clarify your thoughts about your book's key message, who your target reader is and how you plan to reach them yourself over and above what any publisher may do for you.
Obviously, these are all useful details to have at your fingertips whichever route to market you take.
So good luck to all aspiring authors and remember to enjoy the journey!
Website: www.JuliaMcCutchen.com