Questions

Writing a ****?k is not ***? difficult or daunting ***? it sounds and can easily be turned into a very profitable home business.  Writing doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment or a huge financial investment.  In ***?ct the only tools you will really need are a computer, a word processor and a ****?d amount of uninterrupted dedicated ***?me.  I’m guessing the latter is probably the most difficult thing for most of us to come by ****? there are some ideas it might help to remember.

Writing a ****?k doesn’t all have to be done at one ***?me or in one sitting, so don’t be discouraged by the idea that you might only have a few minutes to dedicate to your ****?k every day.  No matter what your topic may be, making a clear outline for your ****?k can be roughed out with only a few minutes of brainstorming.  Once you learn how to put your workflow in order writing about any subject becomes a breeze.  And finally, YOUR ****?K DOES NOT HAVE TO BE 300 PAGES LONG to be a bestseller or very profitable for you!

When it comes to writing there’s really nothing to it ****? to do it.  It’s the process of publishing that can be your biggest stumbling block.  These days when it comes to publishing you have three major options.

1.)    Traditional Publishing.  Traditional publishing means once you finish writing your manuscript you submit it to a publishing house through a third party called a “literary agent”.  Most traditional publishing companies ****?h ***? Random House or Simon & Schuster will NOT accept or read manuscripts submitted directly by authors ****? instead rely on literary agents to read and pitch them the gist of your ****?k.  

On top of that, not every literary agent will review every type of ****?ks or story so if you intend to go the traditional route you will have to shop for and ***?tition an agent to represent your work.

2.)    Independent Publishing.  Also known ***? “self-publishing” means that you can get your manuscript published by a ***?lf-publishing house like Xlibris or iUniverse without the need to find an agent to read and promote your work.  It’s a lot easier for beginners to take this route ***? there are ***?r fewer frustrating obstacles and there is a substantially ***?ster turnaround ***?me to ***?e your finished ****?k in print.

However there are some important differences to consider between traditional and independent publishing.  In general it probably won’t cost you anything up front to find an agent and get your ****?k published traditionally other than ***?me.  Most legitimate agents WON’T charge to read your manuscript or submit it to publishers, ****? the down side is that the publisher and the agent generally get to keep about 90% of the profit from your sales.

On the other hand IT WILL COST YOU upfront to have your ****?k published independently.  The bright side is there is no lengthy approval process, you get to keep more of your own profits and you can usually ***?e your work in print within about 3 months from the ***?me you submit your manuscript.  

3.)    Online Publishing.  Your third option for publishing is convert your manuscript to PDF format once you finish writing it on your computer and upload it to online ****?kstores like Lulu.com.  You can do this in combination with your printed ****?k IF you choose to go with an independent publisher like Xlibris, ****? you will likely be on a contract that prohibits you from ***?lling your ****?k elsewhere if you decided to go with a traditional publisher.

Once you have your ****?k uploaded to a website like Lulu it will be available for sale immediately at whatever *****?e you decide to charge for it.  With online publishing your ****?k could literally be for sale and earning you money within MINUTES of the ***?me you finish writing it without any hassle, approval process OR ***?tup fees.      

After you finish writing and publishing your ****?k the only thing left to do is market it.    If you found this information helpful and are really ***?rious about writing and publishing and would like to learn more please come visit my website: www.showme-tellme.com.   I have prepared a complete easy to follow step-by-step guide that will take you by the hand and show you EXACTLY how to go about writing, publishing AND marketing your very own ****?k.  I will show you everything you need to know from the ***?me you start writing until the day you collect your first royalty check.  Just think of how ****?d it will feel when you can introduce yourself ***? an author.


- rljackson5

I’m writing my first novel about young african american ****?n girls .
I would like to know should I ***?nd my novel to a literary agent who will ***?nd it to a publisher or should I take the ***?lf publishing route.

I would like the pros and cons of both publishing and ***?lf publishing

Also what are some ****?d publishing companies that I could submit my novel to ?
- vivaglam08

I am looking to publish a compilation of poems and short stories. My mom has alot of material, but we want to know how to go about it. She has the copyrights to the material. Since she did that, I guess the copyright office sells your info to other publishing companies, so she got alot of letters from sharks. Pretty much most of the publishing companies by my house are for children, education, or business. Any advice would be appreciated.
- Slim

One that includes tools for organizing characters, events, etc
Right at this moment, I dont give two hoots what the publishing companies want or what other writers do. I wasn’t asking for advice on how I should write. I just asked for the best program that combines word processor, character list, events list etc all in one program. If you don’t know of any, kindly move along and answer a question you DO know the answer to.
- Inspire

When you take marketing tips from self-publishing companies they are doing this for a reason. Seasoned Authors have learned that once you have written a book you are a long way from people being a known writer. There are Authors out there who believe that their work will show for them and this is just not true. I am sure that all of your friends know about famous Authors but you are in their midst and if you don’t tell them you are a writer then they will have no idea. Have you ever asked yourself the question of how these famous writers get well known in the writers community? Most of the writers do not stand on street corners pedaling their novels but instead use their extra money on publicity. They hire people that let the whole world know that they have written a novel and that it is exceptional.

Writers need to learn the strategy of marketing. If you have a handful of business cards made and you stand on the corner and you hand them out count how many are just thrown in the street. Business cards and flyers are a very old approach to marketing and may still have some use if you are looking at statistically spending more money then you take in. Business cards are definetely useful if you are at an Authors convention because it will let other writers know that you are serious about you work and are professional.

Calling small newspaper publications and asking them about listing your novel in their entertainment section is a great way to get sales and become known. The hard part is getting enough money to place the ad.

If you are like most writers you need to market yourself as cheap as possible so here is a sure way to reach readers that actually buy books. Look around your neighborhood for writing opportunities in magazines and newspapers as a trade off for some free advertisement for your books. You must be prepared for being turned down alot but if you have tried to get a Literary Agent you should be used to this by now. If you have tried and no one is interested in you writing for their magazines or papers there is one place that always is. Log on to your PC and search the web. I made a good start writing for Marty at useless-knowledge.com and got free advertisement that worked.

A Website presence is a must so if you cannot afford 10 dollars a month then you can still use social networks that will allow you to build a free and attractive website. Myspace is an okay place to start but you will need to spend time on the website chatting and getting friends. This is what Networking is all about, hard work and positive results. Ning is also a great source for networking as well and on Ning you can find others that share your interests and can help you get your name out there.

Last but not least remember that your web placement in very important. Type your name in google and yahoo. Do you see any information on yourself? If not you need to go to work and get your name on the web. How? It’s easier than you think. Type in google submissions and use the free service and type in your URL. It will take some time but in the end when it appears people will know that you exist. In my next article I will try to give some pointers on naming conventions for your wesite because this is very important as well.

 


- Arthur L Burton III