It is the dream of many people to write and publish their own book, and the goal of this article is to explain and uncomplicate the publication process. While it may seem like a complicated undertaking to write and produce the manuscript for a book that is ready for publication, it is really not as hard as it seems. The proof that creating a finished book is not too difficult to accomplish is seen if you simply walk into a regular bookstore and see the walls lined with books. If all those people can do it, then so can you.
Submitting Your Book Proposal
It can be possible for you to submit an offer to a publishing company directly, but this is called an unsolicited offer and many big publishers have a “no unsolicited submissions” policy, which is why it is important to have a literary agent. If you are serious about getting published and being able to actually see your own book on the bookshelves, it is important that you are represented by a literary agent. A literary agent will work on your behalf to negotiate contracts and market your work to different publishers, and in exchange they will usually demand an amount that is between 10%-15% of the total earnings for the book.
Once a work gets accepted for publication, a negotiation process begins that includes important aspects such as negotiating the royalty rates that the author receives and the purchase of intellectual property rights from the author. This aspect of the publication process is complicated, but it is important for the author if you want to get paid for your work. One way that you can get published that is easier than this is to take the path of self-publication.
Creating A Finished Manuscript
Before you focus on the publishing process it is important that you have a finished manuscript to work with. It can also be possible for you to submit a simple book proposal to a publisher, but due to the current economic climate and the fact that many book publishers are very risk-averse at the moment, your odds of getting published increase dramatically if you have a finished manuscript (especially if you are an unpublished author).
Depending on what sort of book you are preparing for publication services, the necessary aspects of what will go into your finished manuscript will vary. Each publisher is going to have their own manuscript checklist that will usually be between 2-3 pages long and contain around fifty items that you manuscript must comply with. This will include things such as having a black and white page that contains only the title and author name, how you need to format the top of every page, what size margins your manuscript must have, as well as a list of formatting errors you must avoid. Check with your specific manuscript checklist to see what your manuscript will require in order to be eligible for publication and how it must be formatted.
Self-Publishing
When it comes to getting your first book published, the self-publication approach is usually the easiest and the least stringent. There are many established self-publication companies that will allow you to publish a variety of different books and publications. Here is a list of the top 5 companies you can use for getting your books published, as well as resources for finding a literary agent.
1. Lulu.com
Lulu.com is a site that provides a comprehensive suite of tools for anybody who wants to self-publish a book. Not only does it let you publish a book in a wide variety of formats including photo books, calendars, and year books, but you also have a variety of publication forms to choose from (such as dust jacket hardcover vs case wrapped hardcover).
2. SelfPublishing.com
Just like it sounds, this is an easy to work with self publishing service that has worked with authors to print over 100 million books in total. They also have their own detailed guide about the pubishing process.
3. Kindle Direct Publishing From Amazon
This is an easy way that you can use to self-publish your own books for sale in the Kindle store. If you are just getting started with publishing your own books, this can be a great program for you to use to start earning royalties.
4. Agent Query (AgentQuery.com)
This website provides one of the most respected and trusted searchable databases that you can use to find a literary agent that is right for you. Many literary agents specialize in a particular book genre and finding the one that is right for you will increase your odds of getting published
5. AuthorHouse.com
Another great resource that you can use to self-publish your first book or any of a variety of other formats such as a children’s book. Author house offers different sorts of publication packages depending on the needs and the budget of the author. Remember that self-publishing this way does not require a literary agent.