Do you dream about writing a book? Maybe you’ve already
started one. Either way, you may be looking for a super-secret about how to get
your book published.
Here’s the super-secret:
There is no secret.
That’s the truth.
Ask any published author, and you’ll likely hear about piles of query letters, scads of publisher rejection letters, and the long-awaited acceptance of a prized manuscript. The process can take years and years.
Sure, we’ve all heard stories of celebrities and otherwise famous folks whose books were immediately scooped up by paying publishers. In lots of these cases, those people were actually approached by publishers (and possibly offered ghostwriters).
But for the rest of us, the road to publishing is lengthy, requiring patience and perseverance.
Authors: Stop me, if you’ve heard any of these.
“Hey, I heard you are an author. I’m writing a book. Can you tell me how to get it published?”
“Since you’ve written several books, can you look at mine, and tell me if it’s good enough to publish?”
“I want to publish my life story. Will you write it for me?”
“My son wrote his own memoirs. Can you publish it for him?”
“My aunt writes lots of poetry. Will you help her make a book out of it?
“I just wrote a book. Can you edit it for me?”
I could go on and on. If authors agreed to any of these requests, we’d soon run out of time to keep up our own writing. Besides that, we’d be spending countless hours working on projects that might or might not prove fruitful.
And how are we supposed to tell our colleagues, friends, neighbors, or family members, if we’ve read their treasured book and found it probably wasn’t worth sharing with the world? I’ve spent plenty of years working as a book editor and also as a book reviewer. I've even taught creative writing classes. One thing I’ve learned is that nearly anyone can blog, journal, or write. But not everyone can be an author. Or not everyone ought to be one – at least, not overnight.
That may sound tough, but it has to be.
Early on, I learned to turn down such requests. After being burned a few times, either taking on quick-read projects that snowballed into huge time-suckers or carrying on my own internal conversation about whether to practice tough love with dear ones about the quality or marketability of their books. It was time to set some clear boundaries.
As a rule, I don’t edit or review book proposals or manuscripts as favors. I don't ghostwrite for friends or relatives. And, although I have given professional seminars on writing and publishing (for book groups, classes, and similar audiences), I do not accept personal requests for related questions. I'm not being mercenary about this. I'm simply sticking to professional endeavors, when it comes to editing and reviewing manuscripts or books. There just isn’t time, and there are no easy answers.
Book publishing can be a complicated endeavor. That's especially true now that many books come out in printed and digital formats. Plus, in our up-to-the-minute world, readers are easily distracted by other media, electronic entertainment, and real life. A book has to attract, appeal, and hold the attention of readers, if it has any chance of making it in the marketplace.
Here’s the book publishing process in a nutshell.
Somebody writes a book. Or at least, somebody writes the first couple of chapters and outlines the rest.
At this point, that wannabe author has a few choices:
- Traditional publishing – This generally begins with the hiring of a literary agent. If a publisher accepts the book (offered via the agent), the author may receive a negotiated advance and eventually royalties.
- Vanity publishing – Here the author pays upfront and in-full for the book’s publication and possibly some marketing services. If a book succeeds (read: “sells”), the author may receive a percentage of the sales (as royalties). That can take time, but it can continue indefinitely, as long as the book remains in print.
- Self-publishing – Here the author edits, formats, designs, and markets his/her own book, either through an online publishing service or via his/her own website (or both). Depending on the arrangement, the author may receive royalties on book sales or proceeds from his/her own direct sales.
Sounds complex, right? Indeed it is.
We’ve all heard stories of famous folks being approached by publishers, seeking to tell their life stories. We’ve read about insiders to newsy drama who’ve been asked to provide juicy tell-all gossip. And we could recount instances in which notorious criminals told their stories, which became books.
Those stories don’t fit the experience of most aspiring authors.
There’s no secret shortcut to getting a book published. – even if you know someone who wrote a book or two.
Image/s: Adapted from public domain image
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