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Any advice on getting a book published?
I write fiction. My dream is to get published someday. #writing #books #author #fiction #writer #book #published
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9 answers
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Cindie’s Answer
Hi Ashley. I was reading a book this weekend, "Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement: The Secret to Freedom, Flexibility, and Financial Independence (& how to get started!)" by Rachel Richards. One of the passive income streams of income she covers in her book--which I believe she self-published--is publishing a book. I recommend you read her book and then read the book she recommends for getting published, "Published," by Chandler Bolt.
All the best to you!! :)
"God has put a dream inside you. It's yours, and no one else's. It declares your uniqueness. It holds your potential. Only you can birth it. Only you can live it. Not to discover it, take responsibility for it, and act upon it is to negatively affect yourself as well as all those who would benefit from your dream."
John C. Maxwell
All the best to you!! :)
"God has put a dream inside you. It's yours, and no one else's. It declares your uniqueness. It holds your potential. Only you can birth it. Only you can live it. Not to discover it, take responsibility for it, and act upon it is to negatively affect yourself as well as all those who would benefit from your dream."
John C. Maxwell
Shelette Stewart
Business Development, Marketing, and Strategic Planning
5
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Shelette’s Answer
Wonderful that you are interested in getting a book published. My advice would be to:
1. Read and study as many books as you can about the publishing industry. There are many free books you can borrow from your local library! You can also get many on Amazon. You might also Google: "How to get a book published."
2. There are typically two (2) main ways to get your book published: The first is by submitting your manuscript to a traditional publishing company that publishes the type of books that you write. The second is by self publishing, which is very popular today. There are many small publishers and press companies that can support first time authors. One that I highly recommend is: https://www.westbowpress.com/en/why-westbow-press.
Blessings,
Shelette
1. Read and study as many books as you can about the publishing industry. There are many free books you can borrow from your local library! You can also get many on Amazon. You might also Google: "How to get a book published."
2. There are typically two (2) main ways to get your book published: The first is by submitting your manuscript to a traditional publishing company that publishes the type of books that you write. The second is by self publishing, which is very popular today. There are many small publishers and press companies that can support first time authors. One that I highly recommend is: https://www.westbowpress.com/en/why-westbow-press.
Blessings,
Shelette
Updated
Vivian’s Answer
I second the self-publish option. In fact, Amazon offers self publishing. Also consider joining Facebook groups like YABS - Young Adult Book Stop where authors gather to provide advanced reader copies to people in exchange for a review.
Ayesha Hassan
Strategy/Communication Associate
14
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Ayesha’s Answer
Hi Ashley!
It's great to meet a fellow fiction writing enthusiast here.
It is exciting that you want to get your own book published, and there is some great advice available to you above in that regard.
My suggestion to you is to not wait for writing a whole book before you start looking at the options for getting published. Instead, I would recommend you submit shorter pieces for publication in local outlets such as weekly/monthly magazines, setting up your own blog where you can share your writing with the world to gain following, or monitoring global magazines such as The New Yorker, Boston Review, CRAFT etc. to experiment with the process of getting published and gain valuable feedback on your pieces.
I hope this helps!
It's great to meet a fellow fiction writing enthusiast here.
It is exciting that you want to get your own book published, and there is some great advice available to you above in that regard.
My suggestion to you is to not wait for writing a whole book before you start looking at the options for getting published. Instead, I would recommend you submit shorter pieces for publication in local outlets such as weekly/monthly magazines, setting up your own blog where you can share your writing with the world to gain following, or monitoring global magazines such as The New Yorker, Boston Review, CRAFT etc. to experiment with the process of getting published and gain valuable feedback on your pieces.
I hope this helps!
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Henry’s Answer
The Writer's Market is an annual publication that not only gives advice on preparing manuscripts, but has extensive listings of publishers and their requirements, agents, and other resources. I'd check that out if you're considering the traditional route.
Self-publishing is a possibility, but unless you're willing to put in a lot of marketing and public relations work, or pay someone else for it, you're likely not going to move a lot of copies. At least that's been my experience. (That said, there are some solid success stories in self publishing, mostly in genre categories like romance, fantasy, horror, etc.)
If you hope to get traditionally published, you'll probably need an agent first. A lot of publishing houses won't even look at manuscripts that don't come from agents. If you google literary agents, you'll get plenty of listings. Go through, see if any feel like a good fit, and submit your work to them according to their guidelines.
It helps if you've published shorter work or have a decent social following. Showing agents and publishers that you have some sort of existing audience makes you a less risky investment.
Also, write A LOT. And revise EVEN MORE. And be patient. It can take decades, as the saying goes, to become an overnight success.
Self-publishing is a possibility, but unless you're willing to put in a lot of marketing and public relations work, or pay someone else for it, you're likely not going to move a lot of copies. At least that's been my experience. (That said, there are some solid success stories in self publishing, mostly in genre categories like romance, fantasy, horror, etc.)
If you hope to get traditionally published, you'll probably need an agent first. A lot of publishing houses won't even look at manuscripts that don't come from agents. If you google literary agents, you'll get plenty of listings. Go through, see if any feel like a good fit, and submit your work to them according to their guidelines.
It helps if you've published shorter work or have a decent social following. Showing agents and publishers that you have some sort of existing audience makes you a less risky investment.
Also, write A LOT. And revise EVEN MORE. And be patient. It can take decades, as the saying goes, to become an overnight success.
Updated
B’s Answer
Self-publishing is a fine option when you're getting started, because it gets you around the publishing gatekeepers. The downside is that your work will not see a large audience, and there is still some stigma that self-publishing is less impressive. You will miss out on professional editing and marketing, so consider if you can fill in those gaps yourself.
If you want to try traditional trade publishing, and you don't have any personal contacts, you must first get past the gatekeepers. These are the people at literary agencies and publishing companies who read the "slush," which is the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that comes in the mail every day. I've had this job at a lit agency, two publishing companies, and two or three literary magazines, and my advice is to spend some time on your cover letter. Even if you have not been able to hire an editor to review your manuscript, make sure several people look at your cover letter. It should be brief, it should state the genre/audience you are targeting, and it should avoid too much personal detail (I can't tell you how many children's books I've seen that bragged "my children love this book!"—unfortunately, that's not super valuable).
Put some piece of information in your cover letter that will get your manuscript in front of somebody who will actually read it, although that person may not have any decision-making power when it comes to bidding for the contract. Note also that these slush reviewers usually only read 50 pages, but it's fine to send an excerpt from the middle of the book.
These are some things you can say (if they're true!) that will move your pages to the right pile:
I have self-published and sold XXX copies
I have a blog or other site with XXX followers
I have been written about in XXX, or quoted in XXX
I have been published before in XXX
I have posted an excerpt of this book online and it has generated XXX traffic
If you want to try traditional trade publishing, and you don't have any personal contacts, you must first get past the gatekeepers. These are the people at literary agencies and publishing companies who read the "slush," which is the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that comes in the mail every day. I've had this job at a lit agency, two publishing companies, and two or three literary magazines, and my advice is to spend some time on your cover letter. Even if you have not been able to hire an editor to review your manuscript, make sure several people look at your cover letter. It should be brief, it should state the genre/audience you are targeting, and it should avoid too much personal detail (I can't tell you how many children's books I've seen that bragged "my children love this book!"—unfortunately, that's not super valuable).
Put some piece of information in your cover letter that will get your manuscript in front of somebody who will actually read it, although that person may not have any decision-making power when it comes to bidding for the contract. Note also that these slush reviewers usually only read 50 pages, but it's fine to send an excerpt from the middle of the book.
These are some things you can say (if they're true!) that will move your pages to the right pile:
B recommends the following next steps:
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Simeon’s Answer
Find a good editor that you trust. Having professional eyes look over your work is worth every penny you can get. Be careful about posting your work online as you don't know who might try to repurpose it as their own work. Get the first edition of your work completed as quickly as possible and work on being a ruthless editor of your own work. If this is your first book, you might need to develop an online audience on YouTube, social media, or with a blog to prove to potential publishers that there is a market for your book. If you end up not being able to line up a publisher, you can use Amazon.com to self-publish. Amazon offers the service of being able to print off your book one copy at a time, so you don't have to worry about printing them off in batches.
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Kathy’s Answer
Check out Gary Vaynerchuk's social media on all platforms and Search "self publishing". He is a best-selling author (among other things) and had to self-publish his first book.
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Dennis’s Answer
Ashley just great - Keep writing and writing more ideas more stories - Repetition will help you even sharpen more of your writing skills.
Stay Creative and Good Luck!
Stay Creative and Good Luck!