QuickOverview

by Sarah E. White of The Complete Writer's Resource

Writing a book is a great way to position yourself as an expert in a given field or simply to share your ideas and stories with others. But the publishing world has never been more confusing or fraught with pitfalls than it is currently, with vanity publishers posing as legitimate publication venues, print on demand quandaries and the difficulties of getting your words read by traditional publishers.

But don't despair and give up; it is still quite possible to get your book published and found by the people who would like to read it. Following is a primer on the basic types of publishing and how to make each work for you.

You're so Vain

Let's cover the easy one first. Vanity publishers print your books for a fee. They will put their logo on your book, they may file Library of Congress and copyright forms for you, and they will probably put your book on a web site somewhere. But that's all they will do. Vanity publishers do not market books, they do not attempt to get them placed in bookstores, they don't do any editing and they don't reject anything. They get all the money they need from the people who pay to have their books printed.

These companies have such a bad reputation in the book world that bookstores will not stock your books if you have gone through a vanity press, even if you go to the store and try to sell them directly. The booksellers know these books haven't been edited and are often of very poor quality, and they just don't have room on their shelves for things they don.t think will sell.

These publishers (or printers, to call them more accurately) lure writers who have been knocked around by legitimate publishers. When you've gotten rejected a ton of times, the promise of publication, even if you have to pay for it, can be too much for some writers to resist. But there's never a reason you should take your work to a vanity press.

Print on Demand

There is some controversy in the publishing world about print on demand technology. This is a process that allows a small independent printer or an individual to publish a book that is then only printed when people order it. This is much cheaper for the publisher because it doesn't have to keep stock and thus doesn't have to rent or own a warehouse. The controversy comes because sometimes there is a fine line between print on demand and vanity publishing, but there are print on demand publishers that reject books and thus have a better reputation than vanity presses.

Still, the vast majority of print on demand publishers require authors to pay set-up fees, so it's easy to see how people could be confused and think any print on demand book is a vanity book. And some of them are. There are publishers that will accept any work, slap a cover on it and print copies for a fee, again with no marketing and no hope of getting in bookstores. In this way, print on demand is similar to self-publishing, except you pay the publisher a percentage of each book sold; when you self-publish all the profit is yours. These books are often expensive, low-quality and often have hidden fees or non-standard contracts (requiring you to give up rights), so these agreements should be entered into carefully, if at all. These companies target the same people vanity presses do. It might be a good option for someone looking to print just a few copies of a book to give to friends, but the setup costs are such that it might be cheaper to get them printed and bound at a copy shop.

Some independent publishers are now using print on demand technology so they do not have to have a place to store books. These publishers are more like mainstream publishers in that they do not charge setup fees and the books may be of higher quality. You might have more say in the design of the book and its cover, and the books likely will be copy edited. The contract should be more standard and the books may be available in bookstores as well as on the Internet. In essence, these type of publishers work just like regular publishers, they just don't print huge runs of books before they are sold. This is a rare but growing segment of the publishing world and is certainly worth pursuing if you can find a publisher that does not charge fees.

'Traditional' Publishing

Of course when most people think of having their books published they think of those big New York publishing houses that offer huge advances and great promotion budgets. But these are the hardest publishers to reach and its even harder to get published by them. Most of the big publishers don't accept unagented submissions, which means you'll have to find an agent who believes in your work in order to get your foot in the door.

But there are many small publishing houses, independent and university presses that will look at your work without an agent. The key to success with these publishers is to have a good idea, well presented, to give them what they ask for in terms of your query (sample chapters, an outline, etc.) and to target your idea to the correct publishers. A university press in the south, for example, might not be interested in your memoir about growing up in Alaska. A publisher that specializes in books on gardening will not want your book on collecting antique rifles. And a publisher that only prints nonfiction will not want your novel. But with a little research you are sure to find a long list of potential publishers that accept your kind of book.

Preparing Your Submission

Sending a query or sample chapters to a potential publisher is a lot like applying for a job. You want your best work to shine through and you want to convince the publisher that you have a great idea that is a perfect addition to the publisher's list. I said it before and it bears repeating that you should follow any and all instructions offered by the publisher on its web site when submitting your material. If the publisher wants to see three chapters and an outline, don't send the full manuscript, for example.

You'll also want to make sure that you are sending your work to the right person. At a small press there may be one acquisitions editor or there may be several who each deal with a different specialty of the press. You should be able to find this information on the publisher's web site, but it doesn't hurt to call the press and ask the person who answers the phone who to direct your type of submission to. With the proper name on the package you can be sure consideration of your manuscript won't be delayed because it's being shuffled around the office.

Sending materials to a press is also like applying for a job in that you don't want to oversell yourself. Don't lie and say the leading expert in your field has read the book and wants to write an introduction. Also don't write that your parents, friends or English teacher really liked your book. This doesn't impress anyone and will make you look unprofessional. Do, on the other hand, mention if you have professional experience that makes you an expert in the field in which you want to write, or, if writing fiction, mention any awards or prestigious publications you have been published in.

When you have gathered and perfected all of your materials, send a clean, typewritten copy, with no more and no less information than the publisher asked for. Send an envelope with proper return postage if required by the press, and don.t send your only copy of anything. Then wait, as patiently as possible. Don.t call the editor every day asking about the status of your manuscript, as that.s a sure way to get rejected just so the editor doesn.t have to deal with you any more. While you.re waiting you can start on your next book.

Contracts, Schedules and Publication

When your book is accepted by a publisher (which can take a lot of time and persistence) you will receive the publisher's standard contract. If you aren't comfortable with legal language, take the time and expense to have it looked over by a lawyer. Most publishers are not trying to cheat you out of money, but there are unscrupulous people in every profession, so if you have any questions ask a legal professional.

Many contracts are standard and there is not much room for negotiation, but you may be able to get a bigger advance, more free copies, a bigger promotion budget or to keep more rights if you have the help of an agent or an attorney. Some people get so excited when they finally get a contract that they just sign it and then later regret that they didn't try to negotiate. So take the time, especially if you have an agent. If you have received a contract and don't have an agent, you may be able to get an agent to look over the contract and perhaps represent you in the future.

A major frustration for authors is how long it takes to get a book published. The schedule will depend on the house and how much editing is done on your book, but it can take up to a year to go from signing the contract to having finished books, and sometimes even longer. While you're waiting for your book to come out, don't stop writing. Wouldn't it be great to have something new to offer the publisher when your first book is finished?

But sooner or later the book will come out, and it will be a wonderful experience for you. Then more hard work comes with the marketing and promotion stage of the process. The amount of support you will receive in this process depends a lot on the publisher. Major publishers tend to have huge budgets for their star writers and little or no money for anyone else. Smaller houses may publicize their books more evenly but have a smaller budget all around, so you still might not get much coverage. It's important for you to do work on your own. Have a web site built before the book is published and gain traffic by writing articles for magazines and web sites about the topic of your book, both to establish yourself as an expert and to draw people to your site. Marketing is a constant battle and it is hard work, but well worth it if you can generate some buzz around your book.

Getting a book published is never easy. It takes a lot of time, patience and perseverance, not to mention writing skills and good ideas. But there's nothing better than seeing your name on a bookshelf and being able to call yourself a published author. if it is your dream and you're willing to work hard for it, you can make it happen.