How To Get A Book Published

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 26 Apr 2014, 11:36

Okay, hc, here's the story on boutique publishers... they are a niche provider, offering an outlet for writers who are writing "special" genre books -- deep fantasy or strongly erotic or other special areas, and writers who haven't been able yet to place books with a larger house.

Nothing wrong with a boutique house, but you gotta realize the limitations. I faced the same problems when I was starting, and since I was writing mysteries, I went to a mystery bookstore and worked out a deal -- I gave them 20-30 copies of my book to sell on consignment. This worked fine, as they sold all of them and I was paid a nice little royalty. And then I sold another couple dozen the same way.

Publishing is a rough business and I'll explain how it's become... Not long ago, say 25 years ago, major publishers would put the bulk of their money and advertising and backing onto major established writers, say Stephen King for example. But they'd also proportion a balance of their budgets on newbie writers, giving them modest ads in trade publications, posters in the bookstores (the big brick & mortar stores), and small displays. Maybe 70% for the big name writers, 30% for new or smaller writers.

Nowadays, it's all changed. The major publishers are 95% behind the established writers and only a trace of funding to new writers. The burden of new authors has now gone exclusively to the internet and also to boutique print-on-demand publishers.

These small publishers just don't have the margins to invest in subsidizing larger bookstores to stock their writers.

Also realize that bookstores have a solid written agreement with publishers -- if the books are unsold, the publisher takes them back free, shipping included. Small publishers don't have the budget to guarantee that buy-back arrangement. And so bookstores won't take the chance because they'll be out of money if a shipment of books goes unsold.

That's just how it works these days. So the new writers need to realize that they must work within the system to find a way to get their books sold. These days it's mostly the internet (Amazon, etc) so you've also got to do your own adverts and push your book on Twitter and otherwise.

A friend of mine wrote a Western. I read it, it was an excellent novel for a first time, really quite good, not stereotype old-school Western but smart and clever. He got into Twitter sharing and the book became an Amazon best seller and he's made thousands on it. So it can happen but mostly over the net.

My books the same, not a lot of store sales but some decent net sales. Of course I'm working on my 3rd novel now, just passed 30,000 words, and I'm gonna really push it to major agents and publishers. Maybe third time's a charm? Hey, it's Showbiz.

RobertM · Post by **RobertM** » 01 May 2014, 21:37

There are SO many books on 'how to get published' it is hard to keep track. I would say that the one by Jennifer Basye Sander and Sheree Bykovsky has got to be one of the best. It's in like its eighth or ninth edition now. I won't say the title because I'm not sure if that violates the rules...you'll have to figure it out yourself.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 02 May 2014, 08:54

I'm not so sure about "how to" books on getting published. Most of them just spin the same old stuff. But the real purpose of those "how to" books are simply to sell the book itself.

There's no secret to getting published. You have to write a book that's worth the attention of an agent, sign onto the contract, and the agent will sell your book.

Or, you can pursue the publication process youself by contacting the many publishers that accept unagented material.

Agents and publishers are all listed on the net and it's easy to do. The hard part is to write something that's worth selling. Too many poor writers think that there's a "secret" that will be explained in a "how to" book. The REAL "how to" is to write a good book.

deedee1178 · Post by **deedee1178** » 02 May 2014, 09:10

I would love to get a book published. I don't know if I am strong enough of a writer.

RobertM · Post by **RobertM** » 02 May 2014, 09:15

Small presses and authors who go the self-pub route can have some success, but one of the main things is whether or not they can offer up titles at the trade rate. And the trade rate is traditionally defined as '50-55% off the cover price embedded into the book'. You can't do that using providers like CreateSpace or Lulu, etc. The margin isn't there. The only provider that is both linked closely with Ingram and can do trade rate for you is Lightning Source. But in order to use them, you need a string of assigned ISBN's and an established business, even if it is just you under 'Joe Smith Publishing'. And the cover price must be similar to the same type and size books offered up in bookstores.

Too many small presses try to market a six by nine paperback at say...fifteen or sixteen dollars...when a similar-type book goes for a lot less in retail. They try to offer it up wholesale at nearly the usual retail price for that book. And bookstores won't touch it. Neither will wholesalers list it much because there's no space for them to make any money.

Over the last two years, there has been another change, a BIG change, in the book biz. It's Kindle. Now for the moment, let's exclude the really big authors here, because this change doesn't apply to them so much, but here it is:

Kindle sales are now outstripping the paperback versions of the same book. It can be six to one these days, or even higher. This is because the current generation is now seeing Kindle and other book readers about the same as they see their other electronic devices. It's just another device to them, and more convenient, and generally the books themselves are cheaper. They get delivered with a click and you can hold more books on a Kindle than in a typical Bookmobile.

That's probably an exaggeration, but you get what I mean.

The Connected Generation has accepted the concept of eBooks on many levels now. They've become completely mainstream.

One good way to establish if your book is any good, or has a market, is to release it first for Kindle on your own and see what happens. In this case, you don't want to bother with assigning an ISBN to the book. That's a global record you can't ditch later. Just use the Amazon number. That way, you can sort of test the waters and if you decide to pull it and go with a traditional publisher later, you'll have fewer problems. Most publishers don't care that much if the book has been elsewhere, but they don't like it if it has an ISBN floating around out there somewhere.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 02 May 2014, 15:28

deedee1178 wrote:I would love to get a book published. I don't know if I am strong enough of a writer.

Well, first point, is your book finished? And by "finished" I mean carefully and meticulously proofed and edited (by yourself if necessary)? Because you really need to have a first quality "product" if you intend to get published.

Then just start out by shopping the book to agents and publishers, both of whom have to of course accept new writers.

A hint -- If the agency says "send the first 3 chapters" then only send that! Send only and exactly what the agent or publisher asks for. Also, carefully examine the format they request, and if needed, reformat your book or submission chapters accordingly. If they say doublespace, don't send 1-1/2 space, in other words.

Why? Because the market is tight and the competition is immense. You have to present the exact and precise "product" to the prospective agent or editor possible. And of course your book need to be a good one -- that goes without saying!

-- 02 May 2014, 18:10 --

Robert, you've obviously given the publishing question some hard study, and we generally agree. By the way, thanks for such an excellent digest of the money situation in publishing. New writers are usually blank about such. They think a publisher prints a book and ships it and that's a done deal. Well, maybe for Stevie King, but for ordinary mortals, nope.

Prospective authors need to read your posting carefully and take it to heart, and maybe they'll understand a bit about just how hard it is these days to be conventionally published, as a new author. It happens but not too often.

I've read a couple books on getting published -- thankfully not spending much money on the book! -- and find them all hopelessly out of date. There may be modern books that are cognizant of the internet's huge change but I don't know of any.

I do agree about newbies using Kindle but I also am concerned about the quality of such books -- but I suppose it's the author's job to self-police if intent on self-publishing. I find way too many errors in postings here, not just quick typos caused by sending a reply to a forum -- this isn't "juried" after all, ha ha.

But there are a plethora of errors from would-be authors and I shudder at the awful presentation they'd likely make if self-publishing, whether hard copy or net based.

Regardless, the internet is rapidly becoming the base for publishing, even though the pinnacle of a book is still the big hefty hardcover sitting on a rack in the bookstore. I can tell anyone, I was really puffed up with joy seeing my novel (trade paperback) on the shelf of a mystery bookstore. There's no feeling like it for a writer.

Still, the bulk of my sales came from Kindle.

Now I'm working on my 3rd novel and I'll be venturing out into the market. My original agent connection was flat, so I'm starting anew. At least I have 2 solid novels ahead of the stack, both sold and pubished (trade paperback & Kindle) and good reviews to back them. So with the 3rd novel in my private detective series, I'll be able to bank on what's come before, modest as it is, because it represents actual books that sold and are generally well received. And the publisher? Well, let's say I'm looking for a more lucrative deal.

First is agents. I've got a list of agents who are looking for mystery writers, and a strong letter of recommendation from one of the top mystery writers in the US as an intro. So first I'll pursue agents.

Next will be major publishers who accept unagented material. There are a few but they do exist.

And I'll keep plugging.

Book-obsessed · Post by **Book-obsessed** » 03 May 2014, 15:51

This is great! Thanks for the information, I never really was sure about how to contact agents

RobertM · Post by **RobertM** » 03 May 2014, 16:14

Book-obsessed wrote:This is great! Thanks for the information, I never really was sure about how to contact agents

The Holy Grail for literary agents is the Association of Authors' Representatives. They have a strict Code of Ethics and their website lists all the agents and what they seek. You are well-served researching this site and to keep approaching agents on that list. It's not easy to get an AAR agent. Sometimes it takes years, but meanwhile you have that time to polish up your work. These guys (and gals) are the pros and nothing less. But if your persistence pays off and one of them finally takes you as a client, you will be rewarded.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 03 May 2014, 17:14

Used to be there was this "Agent Guide" book that writers would buy each year. Nowadays, just google "fantasy agents" or whatever genre.

Another way to find an agent is to search your favorite extant (current) authors and write their agents. Of course some top writers have agents who aren't looking for new writers, and you can't expect Rowling's agent to be interested if you live in Michigan. But generally it's an okay technique.

Realize that agents act as a filtering mechanism for new writers. Do NOT accept any agent who charges a fee!!! EVER!!! Those are shams and crooks. Only contact agents who are members of an agent's group and who only work on commission. So in order for your writing to be acceptable to an agent, the agent must choose only those clients whose works can be sold to publishers. So the agent therefore is selective.

And don't forget going straight to publishers. There are quite a few publishers who accept material direct from authors and don't exclusively rely on agented material.

Above all: NEVER PAY A FEE!!! Never pay an "evaluation" or "reading" or "setup" or any other sort of fee. Of course, if you go to a "self-publishing" printer (also known, warning warning as "vanity" presses) you can pay for everything and they'll print anything. And of course, you can instead spend the money on a vacation. My strong suggestion: If you need to pay someone to publish or edit or proofread your book, you simply aren't quite good enough, and need to work harder.

Butterflycrying · Post by **Butterflycrying** » 30 May 2014, 21:40

The original post was in 2008 which is interesting as it has changed extensively since then. Most people are moving away from traditional big house publishers and going with either indie publishers or self publishing I thin the problem with that is people are not properly editing their books and therefore there is a lot of crap out there, but there is also a lot of self publishers who have really good ideas.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 30 May 2014, 23:09

Problem with self publishing is that the direction of money flow is reverse what it should be. The indie houses may not pay an advance but at least they don't charge the author for publishing the book.

Right now I'm in an agent search for my new novel, and I'm taking the conventional route, AAR agents only. But before I did the queries I went through my new book with a finetooth comb, correcting all the tpyos (ha ha) and tweaking a word here, a word there.

Butterflycrying · Post by **Butterflycrying** » 30 May 2014, 23:18

I understand that but how much do you have to pay for an agent? How much do you get per book? For my ebook that I self published I get roughly 60 percent royality. For my book, which is a text book, I get 30 precent royality. Now if the publisher that is looking at my book picks it up, I do not get an advance and the book sky rockets in price but my royality stays the same due to their over head. The publisher wants to charge me for my books, at a 20% discount, and they are well known, however right now I buy each book at about 30 percent of retail.

Butterflycrying · Post by **Butterflycrying** » 30 May 2014, 23:19

Mind you I truly self published, I did not use a vanity house like those who charge stupid amounts to publish your book.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 31 May 2014, 07:47

So, Butter, you contacted a printing company on your own and had them print your book? But thing is, you did pay someone else to print it, right?

Or is your book totally e-book? If so, does the website that carries the book charge any fee up front?

Butterflycrying · Post by **Butterflycrying** » 31 May 2014, 18:57

Modern,

I did pay some to print it... but only the copies that are bought by myself or sold, so in actuality I am using a Print on Demand. I was charged no upfront costs other than the 50 I paid my best friend for the cover. With my Ebook, I only pay a portion of each sold copy, and I can download all the ones I want for free, in any format, and give coupons for cheaper costs. I never paid an upfront cost for the hard copy or the ebook.