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Getting A Publisher Getting What You Want
In the basic scenario of book publishing, a writer finishes a book and then finds an agent who helps sell the book to a publisher. When someone asks, "How do I find a publisher?" they're often looking for the details of this scenario. But let's backtrack a little. The answer to this question has to do with what you as a writer want out of the publishing process as well as what the publisher wants. It's best to be as clear as possible on both counts. Here are a few things to consider.
What You Want
What exactly do you want for your book? It's possible that your answer can save you a lot of time and heartache. Here's an example. A writer recently emailed me about wanting to find a publisher for his book on dealing with sickle cell anemia. He said he felt it was a really important book and that people would be interested in the information. That's great, but if his main goal is getting his book into the hands of those coping with the disease, he doesn't have to go with a big traditional publishing house in order to do that. He can self publish and take the book directly to doctor's offices, support groups and sickle cell organizations.
Do you want a book that tells a family story that will be a legacy for your children? Do you want a book that will establish your expertise and help you get started on the speaking circuit? You can accomplish these things by self publishing. A prominent ghostwriter recently published a book about his trade and landed a television interview where he discussed how politicians get their books written. The author was introduced as a "ghostwriting guru" and his book was prominently displayed at the end of the story. There was nothing that would have told you the book was self published. It didn't make a difference that it was. He still got the notice, was still seen as an expert.
Do you want to go for the whole enchilada--traditional publishing house, book tour, the status of having the validation of a publisher? That's fine too. Which brings us to...
What Publishers Want
Publishers are reviewing tons of manuscripts daily. How do you get your submission package to stand out from the others? By giving what they're looking for.
They want good writing. That's a given, but how do you deliver? First of all, be in a mode of constantly learning about your craft. Take classes, workshops, join a writer's group. Next, hire someone to help you. There are many editors who assist writers in getting a manuscript ready for submission. Some agencies even provide editing as part of their services.
The next part is harder. It has to do with that magical term "platform". Everyone these days talks about how publishers buy on the basis of your platform. In fact your submission package, fiction or non-fiction, will be all about showcasing your platform. Here's what they're looking for and how to demonstrate it.
Who you know and who knows you: Have testimonials and blurbs from known and noted people featured in your package. If you have a few big names behind you, that's more power for your marketing machine.
Do you have a following? If you put out a newsletter or other regular media you'll want to show how many subscribers you have. If you have a killer website, tell the number of hits you draw each month. If you sell a product, give sales figures to show you know how to produce what your customers want.
Are you in front of people all the time? Tell what media you already have under your belt. When and where were your last speaking engagements? Describe any radio, television, newspaper or magazine interviews you've done recently.
If you're lacking in any of these areas, it's never too late to change your situation. Polishing your prose and your persona are the best steps you can take to attract a publisher. They'll also help ensure your success if you decide to go it on your own. Remember, any improvement on your writing or marketing fronts will never go to waste!
© 2005 Sophfronia Scott
BONUS : Getting Down To It - Dealing With Writer's Block
Today, writers have to find new ways to get their material out. The phenomenal growth of the ebook industry is no accident. This new medium of distribution is fast, efficient and extremely profitable.
If you want to start your new business of selling words, the same words, over and over again without lifting a finger when its done, then you have to start right now.
Maybe youve already started, or is it still just an idea? Maybe you just cant keep at it or the finish line seems too far away. Either way, it can be frustrating when your get-up-and-go gets up and, well, goes!
It happens to all writers. The dreaded "writers block," the equally troublesome "information block." Or, worst of all, the "I don't have anything worth saying" block.
The last type of block is truly the worst impairment to completing your ebook, as it can be damaging to your confidence. Anyone I repeat, anyone has a story to tell. You have a story to tell. We all do!
Unless youre Dr. Wayne Dyer who writes all his books with pen in hand on a pad of paper in a continuous stream of consciousness, you will have to find alternative ways to get those pages done.
Here are several ways to keep the words coming:
Points to Paragraphs to Pages
In my last ebook, Simple Forex Solution, I had a section explaining moving averages and how to apply them to currency trading charts. I knew the information very well as I had used this chart analysis technique for years trading stocks and currencies.
The problem was I had never attempted to explain it to anyone else. I avoided that section of my ebook for some time. I knew it had to be done, but I kept procrastinating.
The longer I waited, the worst my anxiety got. Finally, I sat down to take a stab at it and in doing so, developed a way to put it all together that I now use regularly.
I decided to make a simple point form list of all the key ideas and information I needed to explain. I jotted them all down as quickly as possible, taking no breaks.
I didn't care what order they were in; I just wrote them down on paper one after the other. If I remembered more items, points or details, I just added them to the end of the list.
Before long, I had two pages of points I needed to make. I looked over the list and deleted a few points I could do without. It's easier to add while you are on a roll, then delete what you don't need later.
When I had all the points I needed, I took out a fresh sheet of lined paper and rewrote these points in the order I thought they should be presented, as best I could.
I spaced each point out with two or three lines in between. I thought about how I would use this summary of steps if I were presenting this topic verbally to a class.
How could I present it in an interesting and engaging way?
The idea of moving averages can be a pretty dry subject, so I endeavored to add some flavor where I could.
I looked at each of these points and wrote one or two sentences in the spaces below that explained the point.
For example:
End of Day Data
The End of Day data is the closing price of the stock or currency. Many moving average curves use this figure and a set of figures from the days before to help plot the curve on a chart.
Approaching your ebook in this way makes the blank page less daunting. Simply break it down to the essentials and slowly expand each point.
Don't be too concerned about the flow of the points yet. Just add a few sentences to each point and before you know it, you've written a few pages and have developed a good structure for that section.
Don't edit as you go; just get it down. Editing is for later... much later. Once you have gone as far as you can, I suggest that you take a break to get some perspective and distance yourself from the material before looking it over again.
The World at Your Fingertips
For the "Information Block" problem, consider yourself the luckiest writer alive because never in history has so much information been available so quickly and cheaply. The internet and libraries contain almost everything you need on every topic imaginable.
Lets say your ebook topic deals with Starting a Small Lawn Care Business for Exercise and Profit. Even using just the Yellow Pages, it can be fast and easy to investigate all the lawn care businesses in your area or the national chains, to see what they do and how they do it.
No need to reinvent the wheel here. Look for a few simple ways to make improvements or some new innovative ideas to make your business idea unique.
See what new things similar service business are doing and adopt those to lawn care. Remember, the bestselling ebooks deal with ways to make money. Those are the best ones selling anywhere!
Keep it Familiar
And finally, write about something you enjoy and know about. You don't have to sit down for hours on end. Try writing just an hour per day, preferably in the morning when your mind is fresh. Increase the time if you feel you are getting on a roll.
If you are interested in developing into a full-time serious writer, I can recommend several books and ebooks on the topic at my website listed below. Just don't substitute your writing time for your reading time or your ebook will never get done.
This is a habit with which I still struggle. I take too much time out from writing to read, justifying to myself that Im still doing research.
I keep a very small pocketsize notepad and pen with me at all times. You should do the same. You never know where youll be when a good idea hits you. If you dont write it down, it may be lost forever.
Heres a little rule you can adopt: All new ideas must be written down immediately, no exceptions. Use the back of a napkin at a restaurant if you have to.
Respond quickly to any sudden inspiration to write. Look at this as a gift that if you fail to accept will disappear. The urge may not last if you put it off.
And lastly, dont stop if you get on a roll; go with it until you are exhausted if you can. Dont question it; just submit to these moments of inspiration.
Today, writers have to find new ways to get their material out. The phenomenal growth of the ebook industry is no accident. This new medium of distribution is fast, efficient and extremely profitable.
If you want to start your new business of selling words, the same words, over and over again without lifting a finger when its done, then you have to start right now.
Maybe youve already started, or is it still just an idea? Maybe you just cant keep at it or the finish line seems too far away. Either way, it can be frustrating when your get-up-and-go gets up and, well, goes!
It happens to all writers. The dreaded "writers block," the equally troublesome "information block." Or, worst of all, the "I don't have anything worth saying" block.
The last type of block is truly the worst impairment to completing your ebook, as it can be damaging to your confidence. Anyone I repeat, anyone has a story to tell. You have a story to tell. We all do!
Unless youre Dr. Wayne Dyer who writes all his books with pen in hand on a pad of paper in a continuous stream of consciousness, you will have to find alternative ways to get those pages done.
Here are several ways to keep the words coming:
Points to Paragraphs to Pages
In my last ebook, Simple Forex Solution, I had a section explaining moving averages and how to apply them to currency trading charts. I knew the information very well as I had used this chart analysis technique for years trading stocks and currencies.
The problem was I had never attempted to explain it to anyone else. I avoided that section of my ebook for some time. I knew it had to be done, but I kept procrastinating.
The longer I waited, the worst my anxiety got. Finally, I sat down to take a stab at it and in doing so, developed a way to put it all together that I now use regularly.
I decided to make a simple point form list of all the key ideas and information I needed to explain. I jotted them all down as quickly as possible, taking no breaks.
I didn't care what order they were in; I just wrote them down on paper one after the other. If I remembered more items, points or details, I just added them to the end of the list.
Before long, I had two pages of points I needed to make. I looked over the list and deleted a few points I could do without. It's easier to add while you are on a roll, then delete what you don't need later.
When I had all the points I needed, I took out a fresh sheet of lined paper and rewrote these points in the order I thought they should be presented, as best I could.
I spaced each point out with two or three lines in between. I thought about how I would use this summary of steps if I were presenting this topic verbally to a class.
How could I present it in an interesting and engaging way?
The idea of moving averages can be a pretty dry subject, so I endeavored to add some flavor where I could.
I looked at each of these points and wrote one or two sentences in the spaces below that explained the point.
For example:
End of Day Data
The End of Day data is the closing price of the stock or currency. Many moving average curves use this figure and a set of figures from the days before to help plot the curve on a chart.
Approaching your ebook in this way makes the blank page less daunting. Simply break it down to the essentials and slowly expand each point.
Don't be too concerned about the flow of the points yet. Just add a few sentences to each point and before you know it, you've written a few pages and have developed a good structure for that section.
Don't edit as you go; just get it down. Editing is for later... much later. Once you have gone as far as you can, I suggest that you take a break to get some perspective and distance yourself from the material before looking it over again.
The World at Your Fingertips
For the "Information Block" problem, consider yourself the luckiest writer alive because never in history has so much information been available so quickly and cheaply. The internet and libraries contain almost everything you need on every topic imaginable.
Lets say your ebook topic deals with Starting a Small Lawn Care Business for Exercise and Profit. Even using just the Yellow Pages, it can be fast and easy to investigate all the lawn care businesses in your area or the national chains, to see what they do and how they do it.
No need to reinvent the wheel here. Look for a few simple ways to make improvements or some new innovative ideas to make your business idea unique.
See what new things similar service business are doing and adopt those to lawn care. Remember, the bestselling ebooks deal with ways to make money. Those are the best ones selling anywhere!
Keep it Familiar
And finally, write about something you enjoy and know about. You don't have to sit down for hours on end. Try writing just an hour per day, preferably in the morning when your mind is fresh. Increase the time if you feel you are getting on a roll.
If you are interested in developing into a full-time serious writer, I can recommend several books and ebooks on the topic at my website listed below. Just don't substitute your writing time for your reading time or your ebook will never get done.
This is a habit with which I still struggle. I take too much time out from writing to read, justifying to myself that Im still doing research.
I keep a very small pocketsize notepad and pen with me at all times. You should do the same. You never know where youll be when a good idea hits you. If you dont write it down, it may be lost forever.
Heres a little rule you can adopt: All new ideas must be written down immediately, no exceptions. Use the back of a napkin at a restaurant if you have to.
Respond quickly to any sudden inspiration to write. Look at this as a gift that if you fail to accept will disappear. The urge may not last if you put it off.
And lastly, dont stop if you get on a roll; go with it until you are exhausted if you can. Dont question it; just submit to these moments of inspiration.
