I think I am ready to publish....

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   Chaotic Chicaposted 13 years ago

   I have been writing a short, nonfiction book for a while now and I believe that I am ready to publish.  Having never done this before I would really appreciate any advice that any of you may be able to offer to help me to make sound decisions.  I am aware that there are a number of scams out there and I would like to know what it is I should look for.
   For example, should I have to pay out first or will that be covered by the publisher with a commission fee attatched later?  Is it acceptable to e-mail my manuscript or do I have to print it out and mail it?  Should it be written in a specific font, point size, or format?

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      Jed Fisherposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'm thinking about trying Amazon E-books.
      https://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin?ie=UTF … booksMakeM

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      ceciliabeltranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      have you gone to an editor. editor first. if you have gone to an editor, systematically research the literary agencies that carry your brand of fiction.
      
      if you are in the circle of published writers, ask for a referral, you do not want to be buried.

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   psycheskinnerposted 13 years ago

   * should I have to pay out first or will that be covered by the publisher with a commission fee attatched later?
   
   You do not pay the publisher a fee at any point.  The published the book, they pay you a royalty.  This usually around 8% of the cover price of the book.
   
   * Is it acceptable to e-mail my manuscript or do I have to print it out and mail it? 
   
   Most publisher accept electronic submissions, but their submission guidelines will explain this.
   
   * Should it be written in a specific font, point size, or format?
   
   If their guidelines do not specify, use standard manuscript formating.  Times or Courier, 12 pt, double spaces, 1 inch margins.
   
   It might be worthwhile looking at applying to agents first.  There are non-fictuon agents and they know the best publishers and how to get the best deal.

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      Chaotic Chicaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, psycheskinner.  This information is actually quite useful in helping me to avoid getting fed to the wolves for being uniformed!

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         anime_nanetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Psycheckinner? Chaotic Chica?
         
         What "#"$% nicks are those? LOLOLOL

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            Chaotic Chicaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I can't speak for psycheskinner but mine is actually fairly easy-we are a family of seven crammed into too small a place and we have the added stress of owning our own business (thus the chaotic) and I am proud of my Spanish roots (thus the chica)!

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   ChrisLincolnposted 13 years ago

   I found the traditional route, agents and publishers, incredibly time consuming and negative. In desperation, I guess, I looked at electronic publication and self publishing. After rooting around on the internet I found VirtualBookworm.com
   I can't tell you how well it went, because it is still ongoing, but perhaps you should spend a short while looking at their site.
   I am very interested in how you fare. Getting work out to a wider audience is a major challenge, perhaps other hubbers have some success stories to share?
   Chris

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      Chaotic Chicaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Chris! I will check them out and let you know how it goes!

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   anime_nanetposted 13 years ago

   iopcgduiovgkvf

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      ryankettposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You are showing yourself up.

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         anime_nanetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Just want to be in all forum posts in 1st page at one given time. lmost suceeding!

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            ryankettposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Like I said, you are showing yourself up.

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   psycheskinnerposted 13 years ago

   At this point in time commercial publishing ('The Big 5') includes the more profitable options when measure per word, or oer man-hour.  So I would always suggesting starting at the top and seeing how it goes.  You can always self-publish later.

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   MagicStarERposted 13 years ago

   You might want to check out Outskirts Press if your book is ready to publish.  They will guide you through the editing, publishing, and marketing of your book, and have several different plans to choose from.  People who have published with them have good things to say about them. I think there is another one called Peppertree.  And you can also go to scribd.com - they also have a way to publish and market your own book.  Best of luck to you!

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   classicalgeekposted 13 years ago

   I published a hub on forming your own publishing company with some useful tips on getting your book published that may be of some help to you. You can access it through my profile.

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   Aya Katzposted 13 years ago

   I run my own press: Inverted-A. We do not publish everyone, but those authors whose works are chosen do not pay anything to be published.

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   Pamela N Redposted 13 years ago

   The only people who charge you are self publishing companies. I'd leave them as a last resort because bookstores shun self published books and it's harder to sell them.
   
   Go to the library and look for a copy of Writer's Market. It will give a list of literary agents and publishers along with what they publish. You don't want to waste your time sending out query letters to agents who don't even work with your genre. (If you need help with a query letter there are dozens of books out there helping you write one.)
   
   Short stories are harder to get published unless you have a collection of them. Most publishers have a word count limit. Look for other work similar to what you have written and see who the author thanked. Typically a writer thanks their agent.

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    Cheeky Girlposted 13 years ago

    Personally I love the business model of Self-publishing. Lulu and Xlibris and Amazon and Google all allow writers to self publish now. I wrote a hub on this just in the last few days. But if you wanted to publish the standard way, perhaps you should see can you get an agent first, as they can help you find a publisher.
    
    Some publishers allow unsolicited manuscripts to be sent in, others won't accept them. The Writers Handbook and Writers yearbook will tell how do do this properly. I am planning to publish a book also. I intend to sell it via Facebook as well as on my own website.
    
    Book stores are losing business to online book sales. EBooks are another great way to earn and be published. There's over 500 million people using Facebook. And you have nothing to lose since you are new to the market. I wish you lots of success with your great writing! Cheers!

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