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Authors Can Learn...
(This is a quick view of the AUTHOR HELP
and GO FOR THE GOLD drop-down menus.)
♦ First Things First
♦ Why You Need Your Own ISBN
♦ About Book Editing
♦ How To Copyright A Book
♦ How To Find A Publisher
♦ About Book Marketing
♦ Whether You Need A Web Site
♦ Author Resource Links
♦ Informative Publishing Tips
♦ Link To Buy A Single ISBN
♦ Link To Buy Ten ISBNs
HOW TO GO FOR THE GOLD:
♦ How To Find A Literary Agent
♦ You May Need A Book Proposal
♦ See Sample Book Proposals
♦ See Sample Query Letters
♦ You May Need A Distributor
♦ About Children's Books
♦ About Publishing Poetry
and GO FOR THE GOLD drop-down menus.)
♦ First Things First
♦ Why You Need Your Own ISBN
♦ About Book Editing
♦ How To Copyright A Book
♦ How To Find A Publisher
♦ About Book Marketing
♦ Whether You Need A Web Site
♦ Author Resource Links
♦ Informative Publishing Tips
♦ Link To Buy A Single ISBN
♦ Link To Buy Ten ISBNs
HOW TO GO FOR THE GOLD:
♦ How To Find A Literary Agent
♦ You May Need A Book Proposal
♦ See Sample Book Proposals
♦ See Sample Query Letters
♦ You May Need A Distributor
♦ About Children's Books
♦ About Publishing Poetry
Updated July 26, 2010
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80% of the general population wants to write a book. You must be one of them or you wouldn't be here.
The information on this site is free. I can show you how to get your dream in print. Check out the self-publishing help and information you will find on this Website. And, no, I won't publish your book. I will guide you through the process if you ask for help. Here you can find everything you need to safely and economically publish a book that meets modern publishing industry standards (and keep 100% of the profit in your pocket where it belongs). There are only two ways to safely publish: You can self-publish with a true self-publishing company (a rare fish in a big sea) or you can seek a contract with a major publisher. On the fringe of the publishing industry are the vanity publishers who charge you a bundle to get a generally inferior book in print. You can produce a quality book at a reasonable cost and ignore the vanity publishers. Only you can convince yourself your book is worth publishing. Writing a manuscript is the hard part. Getting your dream in print and made available to the reading public is much easier than you think. Self-publishing is practical and easy with the right tools and know-how. Do a little research and you will be better prepared to ask pertinent questions I will be glad to answer. Please don't be afraid to email me or call me. Frankly, I wish more of you would enquire. If you are asking, "What's the catch?" there is no catch. I really do want to help. I have several friends who got royally ripped off by one or more of these vanity publishers. They make their money off you, the author, and could care less if you sell any books to the public. Vanity publishers overcharge for mediocre services and produce inferior books bookstores won't touch. Then they vastly overcharge authors to buy their own book for resale. Follow the prompts at the bottom of each page to learn about ISBNs, Book Editing, Copyrighting, Publishers, Book Marketing, Web Site Tips, Literary Agents and a whole lot more. Here you can discover how easy it is to become a self-published author or maybe, just maybe, become a best-selling author published by one of the big boys. Early on, I offered publishing workshops for new authors and charged a fee for a two-hour session. I decided to offer my services as a book coach for those who feel they need personal help for a one-time investment of $50. That is the most you can spend on this site, and that is only if you want personal, one-on-one coaching through the entire publishing process. The icing on my cake is the satisfaction I get from helping authors avoid the vanity press trap. Self-published authors can save hundreds of dollars producing a quality book that meets today's publishing industry standards. The average bookstore manager can spot a vanity- published book a mile away...and won't consider it for shelf space. If you self-publish correctly under your own imprint you can avoid the vanity press stigma. As I mentioned earlier, my wife's book made the shelf at our local Barnes & Noble. The danger of going with one of the many online publishers is the probability of being taken in by a vanity publisher. Most (nearly all) of them fall under the vanity label. A vanity publisher is simply a publisher you pay to publish your book. You pay the total cost—the vanity publisher doesn't spend a dime. And the author is totally responsible for marketing the book. Major publishers do not advertise online, nor do professional literary agents. They have Web sites, but neither group solicits authors for manuscripts. Top of page Vanity publishers charge more and give you less: They typically charge more than necessary for basic services such as cover design, interior layout (sometimes referred to as "typesetting"), editing and printing. The extra charges are embedded in a "publishing package" that usually shows what is included but doesn't itemize services. Editing is never included in a publishing package. You will always pay more than necessary when you buy a package (even if it's on sale). You should only deal with a publishing company that will let you purchase the services you need without signing a bloated, unnecessary contract. You don't need to sign a contract: A true self-publishing company will not require a contract (they are few and far between). You only order and pay for services necessary to get your book in print such as cover design, editing, interior layout, Ingram database inclusion and barcode. Most will insist you provide your own ISBN. Those are the true self-publishing companies. Yes, you will still pay the entire cost to publish, but you will own everything including the cover design, interior layout design, and, most importantly, the publishing rights. No one will make money on your book but you. Short list of self-publishing companies. Editing is always an extra cost with vanity publishers: Vanity publishers won't let you order à la carte. You have to buy one of several packages offered. Plan on paying an extra $400-$600 and up for professional editing with any package you buy. (If you are still considering using a vanity publisher, may I suggest a check-up from the neck-up?) Take a minute to view vanity press warning signs and learn how to identify vanity publishers. Basically, vanity publishers all insist you use their ISBN. Few people know they are paying too much when they publish a book. I like to beat these vanity publishers at their own game by providing free information and/or inexpensive book coaching for new authors. My wife's book is available on every online bookstore and listed in the Ingram database that every brick and mortar bookstore uses to order books. The local Barnes And Noble manager read her book and immediately ordered ten. When he first saw the book, he remarked, "The cover is exquisite!" Don't underestimate the importance of a good cover design. It may be true, "You don't judge a book by its cover," but it is equally true, the cover is the first thing you see and it had better be good enough to tempt a reader to open your book and read a little. You have about three seconds to lure someone to crack your book open. Jonathan Gullery (selfpublishing.com) wrote a good article on cover design. He designed the cover of my wife's book. (Informational links like this are sprinkled throughout the site.) Using the same printer most online publishers use, my wife gets her book printed for less, whether digital(POD) or offset printing (preferred by bookstores). So can you if you know how. Whether you publish now or later, this information will give you the tools and know-how to get your book professionally and economically printed, listed with major online booksellers and made available to bookstores nationwide. Knowing where to start will break you out of the inertia that plagues every first-time author. Those of you who think your book could a best-seller can visit the GO FOR THE GOLD menu and learn the right approach to landing a big publishing contract with a major publisher. Not an easy accomplishment, but I can show you the simple steps involved. Top of Page You are on the Free Publishing Help page. *If you arrived on this page first in your search, you might want to go to our HOME page to get an overview of our Website. ♦ Next, learn How To Find A Literary Agent. |