Free to Publish
"Writing / Publishing...is thinking about who you’d like to say it to and how your writing will communicate the message, is thinking about your readers..."
In part 4 of the series, Unheardwords returns to its goal of pulling together a wealth of collaborative advice. Creating a concise writers’ guide, designed to help you with your writing, regardless of the stage you’ve reached as a writer. The first part of the guide 'thinking about writing' was covered in (January's editorial). The second part 'Writing Something' was covered in the (March editorial), and the third part ‘producing a manuscript’ in (June’s editorial).
Publishing Work - Writers' Guide Part 4
You reach this stage as a result of all that writing and re-writing; a body of written work that you’d be happy to see go to publication. At least, this will be the basis on which your work gets sent out into the world, representing you and your ideas.
A Proof for Publication or Print
At some stage along the way you’ll no doubt have decided which way you want to go when making your writing available to others: traditional publishing, self-publishing, pdf, web space, social networking space (myspace, facebook, blog, etc.). This will have shaped the approach you took to producing your manuscript and will inform your approach to preparing for publication.
| |
Many new writers will be familiar with writing and putting together collections of poems, stories, chapters or essays, and formatting them for web or local printing. This is a simple chapbook, web publishing or electronic document model and is perfectly adequate for informal distribution or to satisfy local demand. It's one of several types of publishing route.
Each publishing route has a number of stages, some are more involved such as traditional publishing (agents, publishers, synopsis, sample, submission) than others (write first draft blog, spell-check, publish on site). In the end, your decision will be shaped by how important you believe your work to be, the demand you perceive for it and how you’d like to make it available to readers.
In the context of preparing a formal or more involved publication, you need to remember that the raw text or content (including pictures / diagrams) needs to be viewed as separate from the final print or display versions. For example, you may prepare text that is later edited or proof-read by someone else; or you may prepare text that needs to be interpreted (say, by a type-setter or printer) before it can be printed, displayed or published. This is a print-proof model.
Routes to Publishing:
Agents
It’s also worth noting that one of the benefits of finding a reputable Agent or being accepted by a Publisher is that the cost of any further work, required to finalise your manuscript, is likely to be borne by them.
Do you need a literary agent? An Agent is optional but could prove invaluable in working on your behalf to get your work noticed.
A good agent won’t ask you to pay them anything. They’ll get their share when you get yours, as a percentage of your cut from the publisher. So beware, avoid any Tom, Diane or Hari posing as a literary agent; seek references or trusted recommendations.
A good draft manuscript will always be enough (eventually) but a CV (or personal writing profile) that shows you’ve been building up to this moment will also help to prove your commitment to a prospective agent. If you and your work are accepted, depending on how well your manuscript has been prepared to date, the agent will be able to call on expert help to finalise your manuscript (at no extra cost to you, of course).
To acquire an agent, you may need to put more than your words to the test. They’re likely to want to know that you’re able to write in the round, so to speak, that you’re going to be worth investing in as a producer of work that can be sold. Your ability to write is their commission after all. How can I find an agent? There are many more sources than actual agents out there. You'll need to do your research and to make contact with others who have been successful at finding and working with a good agent. Look also to the advice below on finding a publisher (match the experience of the kind of agent your seeking to the kind of work you're trying to have published).
Finding a Publisher
Research potential publishers. Go to the library and get hold of the latest edition of
the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook or
the Writers’ Handbook. Visit bookshops and find the publishers who publish the kind of work you’re writing. Of course, your work will be unique, but there’s no point in sending your erotic short story to an historical biography publisher. Or your political treatise to an erotic publisher. If a publisher doesn’t publish, for instance, poetry, it’s usually because they don’t have the expertise to do so and your submission is unlikely to alter that.
Before you prepare or submit, read the publisher’s guidelines (often available on their websites) and follow them. If they say ‘no unsolicited manuscripts’, they usually mean it. If they say ‘send a synopsis and sample chapter’, don’t send a whole novel - especially if you expect the publisher to return it to you and haven’t sent a Stamped Addressed Envelope.
If you are offered a contract, then please do read it very carefully. Every publishing company will have a different contract. If you don’t understand particular parts, do ask the publisher or preferably, take independent advice.
Self-publishing
If you plan to sell your book through major high street or internet booksellers, you will need an ISBN (international standards book number). The ISBN is a product code acquired by a publisher; the party (You) who will bear the costs of publishing the book. For info visit, ISBN Agency
www.nbdrs.com/
To get your book out there and on sale you can go it alone entirely or use one or more of the online booksellers or self-publishing companies. Each approach has pros and cons, from total-control on the DIY-side to greater access to markets on the ‘full-service’ side.
Forming a Press and Using a Printer
The do-it-yourself (DIY) option, where alongside being the writer and having responsibility for your manuscript, you; form a business entity (such as a Sole Trader), acquire ISBNs, determine cover art-work and other finishing touches, strike a deal directly with a Printer and make marketing and retail arrangements – will not suit everyone. It could be suitable if you have the time, the inclination and want total control of your project (and all rights to your material). It could also be very cost effective, as long as you shop around.
Using a Self-publishing Service
These organisations typically offer a range of services from preparation of your manuscript, through to printing and retailing of your book. You pay, they do.
You need to get quotes from different providers and workout if what’s being offered is valuable and represents a real improvement over DIY. These ‘mass production’ style services are being developed all the time and can offer lots of benefits. There are also more personal service providers, smaller organisations who will work with you and hold your hand through each stage.
Research at least three or four options. Get an idea of what each offers and if possible verify this. Make sure you know what you want and compare this with what you can get and how much it costs. Try not to let your vanity get the better of you. If a company tells you, your manuscript is great and they’d love to publish it using your money – don’t be fooled.
Mix and match
The world (on and off-line) is now full of service providers who together provide you with a range of options between the DIY and ‘full service’ approached. If your research shows that this is a better option for you, explore it: you need to balance the best way to achieve what you want against your budget - there are a variety of ways to achieve your goal.
Finally, here's a little exercise to get you into a researching frame of mind:
| |
Go to your (or someone elses) bookshelf or alternative place where you store your books. Take five contemporary books down. For each, identify the genre, read the introductory pages to find out who published it. Now use the internet or other useful source to see whether you can find out contact details and any other useful publication information about that Publisher.
|
© editor@unheardwords.com, 2008 (all rights reserved)
Comment, Answers, Feedback WriteIn or email editor@unheardwords.com (editor@unheardwords.com)
Back to Top or
Return To Home
