Questions

You’ve done it. You’ve gone and written the next Great American Novel. Shockingly, some dolt at a publishing house has actually recognized your brilliance. This is it. The big time! There’s only one problem…nobody is buying your novel.

Write it and they will come. Okay, that’s a take off of a certain baseball movie cliché, but it is just as true for writing. The most misunderstood thing new writers don’t understand about novels is writing them is only the first step. You might write the piece de resistance for the decade, but it doesn’t matter if nobody knows about it.

Will you get rich writing? Well, you will if you are the next Stephen King. Most writers obviously don’t make it that far. Yes, you can make a living writing, but you are sadly mistaken if you believe the glamorous image of a writer’s life that is often portrayed in movies and such. I’ll give you an example.

I read a marvelous travel book written by a young lady who had traveled to Costa Rica. She ended up falling in love with a man in prison there and ultimately living with him after he left prison. It was a solid novel and a good read. When I completed it, I slapped it up in the used section on Amazon. Guess who purchased the book from me? Yes, the author. It was cheaper for her to buy her own novel from me used on Amazon than from her own publisher! Welcome to the business of writing.

Writing your novel is obviously a huge step in the revenue generating process. That being said, the modern publishing industry is a cutthroat one. You must be a good writer, but you also must learn to market your material. Most publishers are not going to make a massive effort. It is you who must do this. It is you who has to get out and work the book signings. It is you who needs to show the world one way or another that you’ve written a masterpiece. More than a few great authors have died penniless because they could not master this simple idea.

Writing a novel takes ability, passion and technique. Just keep in mind the job is not done when you finish the writing process.


- Thomas Ajava

A reputed publishing house in New Delhi is looking for freelance editors and proofreaders, we publish all kinds of books, mostly science, technical, medical, humanities and fiction. If you have excellent english grammar and punctuation skills, and word presentation and style, call me @ 011-23250126. Hurry!
You will be paid per project.
- Rhyme

I know the market is brutal, especially for the “un’s” unknown, unpublished authors. I know that my novel (mystery/legal/medical fiction) is good & that if given the opportunity it will sell. It is about corrupt polotics , murder and the unorthodox relationships between doctors&Lawyers/Judges/Politicians. The material is fresh, it is ripe b/c of the upcoming Louisiana elections. The nation is focused on La., b/c of hurricane Katrina & the improper, poor way that the Govt responded. I am a Lawyer by day, but have a passion for writing. I write everyday. THIS IS THE FIRST MANUSCRIPT I HAVE WRITTEN THAT I KNOW IS AWESOME & WILL SELL, IT WILL CAPTIVATE READERS AND KEEP THEIR ATTENTION. I need advice on how to get published. Is it literaly impossible to go the major publishing house route? Is self publishing akin to suicide. This book will keep readers up all night , you will not put it down. Please advise , HOW & WHERE DO I BEGIN TO MARKET MY BOOK, GET A LITERARY AGENT, EDITOR, ETC.
- dreamwhip

As a seller of non-fiction information products, you can build an empire of profits targeting a single niche of consumers. Or, branch out and offer solutions to a multitude of people who need guidance.

While the print publishing industry only gives authors a small portion of the proceeds after agent and publishing house fees, if you sell information products on the ‘net, you’ll get to charge more and keep almost 100% of the profits for yourself.

Typically, a non-fiction book at Barnes and Noble would cost the consumer an average of $9.95 to $29.95. But when you’re selling information products ready for instant download on the ‘net, you get to price it higher, because the selling point usually begins at $37 and rises all the way to the top at a $97 price point.

Plus, your overhead costs are low. Even if you outsource the creation of your information product, you’re still able to recoup the investment after a short period of sales. You never pay for things like shipping and handling because everything is done electronically. It doesn’t matter if your customer is next door or halfway around the world.

Why are consumers rapidly downloading information products? This is the age of high-tech, ultra fast development. Your readers may be sitting in an airport, accessing your eBook from their laptop. It doesn’t just have to be a written eBook, you could also create: audio eBooks and videos tutorials. With the busy life styles of people today, they easier you make it for them, the better your results will be.

They want information now, not the next business day. If their child is up sick crying from colic at 3:30 in the morning, a mom can’t drive to a bookstore to get a self-help book - but she can log onto her personal computer and download your eBook, putting your advice into action within mere minutes.

Another reason information products are hot commodities online is because they often come with ironclad money-back guarantees, giving the consumer an added spoonful of trust. One of the most important features, beside the content, is to take all the risk away from the consumer. So always include a no-hassle money back guarantee.

If you create info products for sale yourself, then you want to make sure you produce top-quality deliverables and urge your readers near the end to start taking action with what they’ve learned to keep refund requests low and demand for your products high.

You can also provide tools and resources along the way, these could be free or paid. Of course when suggesting these tools, make sure you have tried and tested them as well. They could also be information packed sites, how to articles or blogs. You always need to keep the content and quality at the highest level possible.


- Ron Richardson

I am in the process of writing an erotic novel about the daydreams of a divorcee. I would love to get a publishing house to read it. Any Ideas on where to send it to.
Thanks for you help in advance.
- dam32164