Guidance about publishing a book

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   Hunbbel Meerposted 13 years ago

   Hello everyone. I am in dire need of your assistance and guidance. I'll sum up my problems in bullets for easy understanding:
   
   1. I have finished publishing my first short-story on hubpages and got good response beyond my expectations even from off hubpages.
   
   2. I have a script/story; much more profound and loveable. A romantic story which I want to write.
   
   3. What I can predict that this love-story has enough power to make a film out of it, but then it should need enough recognition and a writer like me (write for only hubpages) can't get enough. Logical, right?
   
   4. I don't want to publish 70,000+ words on hubpages, neither can I. I want to publish it - online and offline. Though I live in a country, where English isn't its first language (there be another problem when publishing locally)
   
   5. The most important - I am a writer by choice and by self-learning. I didn't get any education, practical or schooling, about writing and how its methods work. I don't know what I must need to do to approach a publisher, to convince it, how can I find one, what I should do. I need your assistance. Please share your experiences and expertises to help me fulfil my dream. I'll be really really really grateful. I am waiting for your replies. Thank you

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2. 61

   Merlin Fraserposted 13 years ago

   This is in response to questions ask in the Answers Section :
   Q1. "Once it is printed or available via electronic means I am responsible for selling the book and marketing the book to readers to generate sales"
   Selling and marketing a book by a novice with no name at all, will surely be a difficult task. I won't get many readers you know (Correct me if I am wrong please). Is there any possible and productive alternative to 'only' this one? (assuming that I was doing everything independently as you do, till the sales and marketing part)
   1. You are correct, marketing and selling by an Independent is difficult, not impossible but it will require a lot of hard work and to be brutally honest many Independent authors don’t make many sales once they have exhausted their family and friends.  This is why paying a lot of money to Vanity publishing companies (those companies that charge you to publish your book)  is in the majority of cases a waste of time and money.
   Using companies like Lulu, Amazon and Smashwords minimise much of the costs involved in bringing your work to the market but when it comes to marketing the only alternative to doing it yourself is to hire someone to do it for you and professional PR and Marketing companies do not come cheap and supply no guarantees.         
   
   Q2. "Your work needs to be set out in a laid down format as prescribe by the agencies you are approaching."
   Does it mean that I cannot work on my novel until I get the prescription from the agencies? I assumed to work on it, complete it and then convince publishers to publish it? Should I not start writing in the way I thought it to be written?
   
   2.   Sorry I didn’t mean to confuse you about layout.   Write your story the way you want it and when you think it is finished this is when you need to think about page layout for others to read.
   First of all you should set your computer WORD document settings to using the ENGLISH Spell checker and Grammar setting.  This will help you correct and spot many basic mistakes and typing errors.
   Once you are happy that your story is finished and the best it can be this is when you need the help of a professional Proof-reader and Editor.   This is where you need to change the layout on the page.
   I use  MS WORD   page size A4 Font either Times New Roman Arial or Georgia are best for reading. Set Font size 12.   Set Paragraph aligning to Left and Right justify and Line spacing to Double.
   All of this can be achieved reasonably easily using standard editing tools of click and drag.
   When you research the Internet for Literary Agents go to their web sites and under submissions you will get the answer as to how that agency wants to see your manuscript.   
   
   Pretty much I think I have answered all your main points and I’m not sure I can be of much more help.  Hopefully other writers here in HubPages will chip in with their helpful hints and advice especially if they spot that I have missed something important.

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   1. 75

      Hunbbel Meerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Merlin, I thank you from the core of my heart to take off your time and answering my questions. You have given almost every answer and I really adore you for this.
      
      If you stumble here again, It'll be very kind if you can answer these further 2 questions that I am having in my mind right now:
      
      1. When the manuscript is being sent to agents, how much portion of the book is usually sent (10%, 50%, or 100%)?
      
      2. I wanted to ask something about the copyright procedures etc. How can I make my work, legally mine?
      
      If you stumble here again, it'll be very kind of you if answer these 2 questions, otherwise it'll be okay; you have already helped me a lot Thank you so much, be blessed and best of luck

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      1. 73

         sofsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hunbbel   why don't you take a look at this profile http://websiteexaminer.hubpages.com/ he has a private fiction network.. read about it in some of his hubs.. and you can decide what you want to do  ..I just thought I will share this info with you ..hope it helps.

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         1. 75

            Hunbbel Meerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            This time of dire need, every assistance and help is much appreciated. Thank you so much for sharing this

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      2. 61

         Merlin Fraserposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         1. When the manuscript is being sent to agents, how much portion of the book is usually sent (10%, 50%, or 100%)?
         
         This will depend very much on the agency, some might ask for a short submission while others will expect the whole thing.  All their submission terms will be in their guidelines many of which you can find on line. 
         
         2. I wanted to ask something about the copyright procedures etc. How can I make my work, legally mine?
         
         As soon as you write anything it is legally yours and there is no need to go to the expense of registering for copyright protection.   The trick is being able to prove ownership if and when challenged by a third party or you are claiming ownership over work stolen by others.
         This is a lot easier than it used to be because of computers and the fact that when you save anything to a file it is date stamped for posterity and should always be backed up onto a separate disc or memory stick.   The date is the crucial piece of evidence over ownership.  If you can supply proof of authorship prior to something you wrote appearing under another person’s name then you have a legal claim of copyright infringement.

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            WriteAngledposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            That is correct. However, if you want to bring legal action over copyright in the United States, you have to register the piece formally with the Copyright Office.
            
            Practically, though, it is hardly ever worth taking legal action, unless you are a huge name, because even if a court finds in your favour, the damages awarded are usually minuscule and do not cover legal fees. They are based on the financial penalty you are deemed to have suffered.

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         2. 75

            Hunbbel Meerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Oh ohkay. You guys summed up the issue in a pretty concise and cost-free method. Thank you

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3. 66

   Cheeky Girlposted 13 years ago

   Regarding your second question - you should ask someone to edit your work, they should preferably be a writer and be either published or a trusted person in that field.
   
   To answer the first point, why not do what many do on Hub Pages, and publish a short extract from your book...in effect a sample chapter excerpt from it and get people's feedback on it. I have done this with six parts of a book I have now almost finished writing. based on the feedback, I am able to take the next step. Hub Pages has plenty of writers who will give you advice on your writing. Beyond Hub Pages the web is chock full of folks happy to give you advice! Try "LinkedIn". free to join and has many writing groups, many published writers.
   
   How you will know if it is good enough? Only getting a second opinion can tell you that. If you know you have a good book there, then choosing to either get an agent should be a formality. Getting an agent will be an important step to getting a publisher, unless you are planning to self-publish (my own personal preference for my work).
   
   If writing is your PASSION, then you will be a writer, as people who have passion are almost always more successful over those other wannabes. There is no true simple magic way of knowing if a book will be an instant success. But this is something every writer thinks about , and they still carry on and write. That's what writers do. They don't give up, and don't take no for an answer.
   
   Don't let language stand in your way. Your English here looks fine to me!
   
   Send your agent the outline of the book and then the whole manuscript. An agent can tell if it will work if the outline makes sense. Usually approaching a publisher involves sending an outline and first chapter, then successive chapters.
   
   Register your work in your own name. Every country has a copyright bureau. Look it up, or Google it for your own country.
   
   Also get a current issue of the Artists & Writers Yearbook. It can answer all these questions and their website is awesome!
   
   Best of luck, Hunbbel.

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      Hunbbel Meerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You have almost answered all of my questions. Thank you so much for taking your time off and stopping by. I will definitely look into the options that have you mentioned for my guidance, I hope it will help me fulfil my dream.
      
      P.S: Thanks for the encouragement, motivation and best wishes Be blessed.

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4. 82

   Hyphenbirdposted 13 years ago

   Visit online publisher and read, read, read. You must educate yourself concerning the guidelines. Read the FAQ on every site. Rely on the official publisher's websites. As much as fellow Hubbers would like to help, you must take it upon yourself to research and learn. Every publisher , author and book is different. There cannot be a set path for each one. You will be successful because of your hard work. Congratulations to you.

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   1. 75

      Hunbbel Meerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much for stopping by and encouraging me. Have a blessed day

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