Publishing: An Old Game
With Many New Faces

Want to see your novel in print? Who doesn't?

Publishing simply means making your stories available for public view. Unlike a century ago, this now includes hardcover, softcover, e-book and audio, at least.

There's so much more to this game than meets the eye. It's not an arena I can say I'm an expert in, so I'll give a little advice (only a little) and as much information as I can, then hopefully refer you to others more versed in this aspect of novel writing.


Why Do You Want To Get Published?

So much goes into a novel. Writing, editing, polishing, selling. Just getting published is still far from being successful. You still have to manage to sell your book. And if it doesn't sell enough copies fast enough... well, it's not going to stay on bookstore shelves, then, is it?

Now, to make you think, let me say that not being published doesn't mean you aren't successful.

Huh?

I consider myself a successful writer. I write all the time. Fiction, non-fiction, web pages, letters, emails... I write something every day.

Success all depends on what you're trying to achieve. For me, having several complete novels pleases me no end, even if none of them are published yet. My pleasure comes from the writing, and up to now, money wasn't an object.

Don't get me wrong. I'd like very much to earn money for my "work" (which never feels like work to me, even when I'm editing). I'd love to be a bestselling author. How wonderful to make a living (and a great one) doing something I love so much.

The difference is this: I love it so much, I'm going to write whether or not I get paid.

Something I learned from the movie The Secret: If you want something but don't need it, you're much more likely to get it. Sounds strange, but it's true. That sounds like a great way to attract money for my novels. I would love to make money with them, but I don't need to.

How about you? Take some time to think about why you want to get your book out in the public view. Before you try to do so.


Formats, Venues and More

These days, you have to keep in mind there are multiple formats to getting your work "printed".

Audio fiction books, for instance, have gained incredible popularity with the commuting crowd. What better way to sit stuck in traffic than with a good book? My only problem would be that I wouldn't want to stop listening in the middle of a climactic scene!

Do you choose paperback or hardcover fiction books when printing in the traditional manner? What about e-publishing? Providing your novels as ebooks is certainly another alternative. Places like Amazon now offer a wide range of digital books for sale alongside the more traditional print copies.

Then you have POD: print on demand. These are still books printed on paper, bound and sold, but now you have the choice to print one copy at a time. (I haven't seen any signs this is a good choice for novels, though. Only non-fiction can stand the prices of POD. And I have been researching this, so I know.)

Selling is much the same milieu. Bookstores now sell fiction books online as well as in the concrete structures of old. Many websites sell their own works directly, avoiding the bookstores entirely.

So when you think you're ready to get published, keep in mind you still have a lot of decisions to make.

And while you're making decisions and getting your book accepted anywhere, keep your rights in mind. Read the fine print and don't let anyone usurp rights from you that you want to hang onto.

Traditional publishers often have clauses regarding electronic rights. Don't just give those over because someone offered to print your book. Keep your options open. (You'd be best talking to a lawyer versed in book contracts before signing any.)


The Traditional vs. Do-It-Yourself Debate

No one will tell you getting your book out is easy in the 21st century. Unless you're already a best-selling published author. Or a celebrity.

Book publishing companies rarely want to look at the work of "beginners", even if you've been writing for thirty years. Most of them would rather see work coming through literary agents than directly through authors.

Knowing someone in the industry might help. If you belong to any fiction associations and "know" other authors, see if they'll help you by recommending an agent or editor to you.

Networking in the industry can definitely boost your chances. So going to writing conferences or trade shows where publishers or publishing agents abound is one way to get connected and perhaps get your work at least looked at. People like to deal with people they know. So if you meet agents or editors at workshops, you have one toe in the door.

I haven't had the time or funds to do this, yet, but I hope to go to a few conferences and rub elbows with the already-in-print types. And those who buy novels. If you do go this route, try to find a conference that caters to the type of fiction you write, or you won't get much interest.

You may decide, after banging your head against the traditional route wall that you'd rather try to self publish a book. At this point, I can't say this is an idea that will make you mounds of money. (I can't say it won't, either. Look at Christopher Paolini and his novel Eragon.)

If you're going to try to self publish, you have a lot of work to do. It also means you're going to self market. Not that the big press companies do as much marketing for you as they used to. (Not much at all, in many cases.) But it's still a lot of work, and you may or may not be up to it.

But if you really want to publish your book, and you've had no luck (you have tried the traditional route, haven't you?) after numerous tries, maybe doing it yourself is a path you're ready to take.

Plenty of people will tell you that no one will believe you've written a good book if you publish it yourself. Well, have you? If you've polished it till it gleams and had it read by at least one discerning reader (who likes the type of fiction you write), you may do fine.

Many people will tell you that if you choose to go this route, no traditional presses will ever look at your books. Ask Mr. Paolini about that. Sell enough of your work to get known, and yes, the traditional houses will knock on your door, too.

I've also seen advice saying that if you do choose to get your book in print on your own, you should spend the money to have it professionally edited. For content, style and grammatical mistakes. After all, you don't want any glaring errors in that gorgeous book you give your mom, do you?

If you drive the do-it-yourself road, just be sure to think long and hard about whether you have what it takes to sell your book, too. Or you'll be tossing money out the window for nothing.

Whatever route you take, getting your book printed will definitely give you a sense of pride and accomplishment. "Look Ma, I published my book!"

I wish you the best of luck in getting your book out to the public.