Learn How To Publish A Book

Posted on February 19, 2018

by April S

It’s no wonder people regularly contact their local library for information and resources related to writing and publishing or how to publish a book – after all, libraries and books go hand in hand. Sometimes people have written a book or are just starting on the path to writing their first book when they contact us. After all, the entire process can be a bit daunting to say the least. Say you finished a book – now what? Should you edit it yourself or find a professional to edit it? What about an agent? How do you write a query letter and book proposal? To answer these questions and many more, we put together a list of resources to help you on your journey to becoming a published author.

Book Publishing

Books and eBooks

Book Publishing 101: Inside Information to Getting Your First Book or Novel Published by Martha Maeda

Book Publishing 101 by Martha Maeda

Book Publishing 101 is here to help make your publishing dream a reality. This helpful book details the types of publishing to choose from, including traditional, subsidy, vanity, print-on-demand (POD), and self-publishing. You will learn everything from copyrighting and cataloging to book design, printing, and binding. You will be taught how to write a query letter and a perfect book proposal to increase your chances of having your book considered by traditional publishers. You will also discover what to look for in a literary agent and how to read the fine print on publishing contracts.

Reader familiarity is the biggest factor in sales, with 60 percent of readers saying their decision to purchase a book hinges on already being fans of the author. Although you may be tight on your promotion budget, this book arms you with dozens of low-cost tactics to get your book and your name in the limelight, increase your following, and maximize your sales. You will learn about book tours and signings, sending out press releases, preparing for news interviews, getting your website high in search engines, and tapping into social media networks. Take advantage of the expert advice we’ve gathered from all types of publishers and authors to give you a real-life glimpse into today’s publishing industry. An extensive resources section includes places to find literary agents and POD companies as well as a sample query letter, a book proposal, and a press release.

The Complete Guide To Writing & Publishing Your First E-Book: Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Become a Successful Author by Martha Maeda

The Complete Guide To Writing & Publishing Your First E-Book

Learn the differences between traditional and digital publishing and the details of the best-selling e-readers.

You will employ the basics of analyzing your audience, brainstorming, writing, editing, and marketing – according to the type of e-reader. You will learn the process of getting your book published, how to change or alter the format or style of your book to match the necessities of the e-reader, and how to optimize the format of any text for e-reading.

Jeff Herman’s Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents (fully updated and revised)

Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents - fully updated and revised

Who They Are, What They Want, How to Win Them Over.

Still the Best Guide for Getting Published.

If you want to get published, read this book!

Comprehensive index lists dozens of subjects and categories to help you find the perfect publisher or agent.

Jeff Herman’s Guide unmasks nonsense, clears confusion, and unlocks secret doorways to success for new and veteran writers! This highly respected resource is used by publishing insiders everywhere and has been read by millions all over the world.

Jeff Herman’s Guide is the writer’s best friend. It reveals the names, interests, and contact information of thousands of agents and editors. It presents invaluable information about more than 350 publishers and imprints (including Canadian and university presses), lists independent book editors who can help you make your work more publisher-friendly, and helps you spot scams. “Jeff Herman’s Guide” unseals the truth about how to outsmart the gatekeepers, break through the barriers, and decipher the hidden codes to getting your book published.

Publishing & Marketing in the Digital Age by Debbie Elicksen

Publishing & Marketing in the Digital Age by Debbie Elicksen

Though the term Electronic Age might harken back to a time that makes the Jetson’s seemed futuristic, there is no doubt that this millennium is anything but.

Debbie Elicksen has built a career on pioneering digital content for marketing and publishing strategies. Recognized as a visionary for her use of transmedia, this book joins her long list of titles already popular for helping to usher in out-of-the-box thinking for publishing and marketing in today’s digital-based marketplace.

Propose Your Book: How to Craft Persuasive Proposals for Nonfiction, Fiction, and Children’s Books by Patricia Fry

Propose your book - how to craft persuasive proposals for nonfiction, fiction, and children's books by Patricia Fry

Authors are the CEOs of their books, and their book proposals are their business plans. Most agents and publishers require a proposal before ever setting eyes on a manuscript, and it is a crucial element in getting published. Writing a proposal can also help an author to write the right book for the right audience, and to more successfully pitch a book to the right agent or publisher.

Propose Your Book offers a clear understanding of the book proposal process in today’s fiercely competitive publishing climate. It includes: The most up-to-date concepts in writing a book proposal; Insider tips from the agents and publishers; Examples of actual proposals from publishers’ files; Covering proposals for nonfiction, fiction, and children’s books, Patricia Fry provides a hands-on approach from an experienced writer’s perspective. Propose Your Book, enriched with innovative and tried-and-true strategies, is a complete guide to perfecting contemporary proposals that will sell writers’ books.

Get a Literary Agent: The Complete Guide to Securing Representation for Your Work by Chuck Sambuchino

Get a literary agent : the complete guide to securing representation for your work / Chuck Sambuchino

If you dream of scoring the best possible deal with a traditional publisher and seeing your book in print, you need literary representation. Filled with practical, straightforward advice and insider tips, Get a Literary Agent is a one-stop resource for writers of both fiction and nonfiction.

Publish Your Book: Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author by Patricia Fry

Publish Your Book - proven strategies and resources for the enterprising author by Patricia Fry

Publish Your Book is a professional guide to publishing success for the new and struggling author. With insider tips, up-to-date marketing strategies, timelines, and other resources, this book offers a comprehensive tour of the world of book publishing to help authors successfully navigate the industry.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this book will help you write your book for a target audience, build promotion into your book, write a successful query letter and book proposal, choose the right publishing option for your book, establish or strengthen your platform, get your book into bookstores, and successfully promote and sell your book. Authors and publishers in any genre and at any stage of the publishing process will benefit from this comprehensive resource.

Self-Publishing

Books and eBooks

2015 Guide to Self-Publishing edited by Robert Lee Brewer

Guide to self-publishing. 2015 / Robert Lee Brewer, editor

The 2015 Guide to Self-Publishing is the essential resource for writers who are taking their publishing futures into their own hands, whether it’s referred to as self-publishing or indie publishing. In addition to hundreds of listings for freelance editors, designers, self-publishing companies, and more, the “Guide to Self-Publishing” offers articles on how to create standout covers, hire freelance designers, break in to the gift market, protect your work, promote your work, and more. You also gain access to: Lists of conferences, organizations, and book fairs and festivals; — A pay-rate chart to help negotiate fair terms with any freelancers you might use; — Interviews with successful indie authors, including Hugh Howey, Bob Mayer, Delilah Marvelle, and more.

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: A Primer on Contracts, Printing Costs, Royalties, Distribution, eBooks, and Marketing by Mark Levine

The fine print of self-publishing : a primer on contracts, printing costs, royalties, distribution, e-books, and marketing / Mark Levine

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, now in its fifth edition, has been lauded by industry professionals as the go-to book for authors considering self-publishing. The Fine Print has helped thousands of authors understand self-publishing companies’ services, contract terms, printing markups, and royalty calculations. This latest edition includes new chapters on e-book publishing and book marketing, as well as updated head-to-head comparisons of major self-publishing service providers, including free book-publishing companies to consider and self-publishing companies to avoid.

Self-Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing by Catherine Ryan Howard

Self-Printed: The Sane Person's Guide to Self-Publishing by Catherine Ryan Howard

The fully-revised and updated third edition of Catherine Ryan Howard’s pragmatic ‘how to’ self-publishing guide.

Do you think that no one has the right to stand between you and your published writer dreams? That the publishing industry is going down in flames and self-publishers are going to rise like a 99c phoenix from the ashes? That all literary agents are interested in doing is blogging sarcastically about the rhetorical question at the start of your query letter, that editors will just use your submitted manuscript for kindling and that you’ll be senile before you hear back from either of them? That once you’ve uploaded the book you finished yesterday afternoon to Amazon, it’ll be mere minutes before the money starts rolling in and you can quit your day job? Do you say things like “gatekeepers”, “The Big Five”, “E.L. James”, “legacy publishing” and “indie author” a lot? Are you self-publishing to “show them all”? If you’ve answered yes to one or more of these questions then I do apologize, but this isn’t the book for you.

This book is for writers who consider self-publishing to be a good Plan B, or even a sideline to traditional publication. Who want to do it the cheapest and easiest way possible while still producing a quality product. Who understand that much like Starbucks outlets and Nespresso coffee machines, traditional and self-publishing can peacefully co-exist. Writers who know that they don’t have to sell a million copies of their book to start earning a living from their writing, but that they do have to work hard and treat it like a business. Who are blessed with common sense and live in the real world at least most of the time. Who find my jokes funny… If this sounds like you, then Self-Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing may be just the “How To…” guide you were looking for.

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Comics: How to Create and Sell Your Comic Books, Manga, and Webcomics by Comfort Love and Adam Withers

The complete guide to self-publishing comics : how to create and sell your comic books, manga, and webcomics / Comfort Love and Adam Withers

Creating your own comic is easier than ever before. With advances in technology, the increased connectivity of social media, and the ever-increasing popularity of the comics medium, successful DIY comics publishing is within your reach. With The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Comics, creators/instructors Comfort Love and Adam Withers provide a step-by-step breakdown of the comics-making process, perfect for any aspiring comics creator.

This unprecedented, in-depth coverage gives you expert analysis on each step—writing, drawing, coloring, lettering, publishing, and marketing. Along the way, luminaries in the fields of comics, manga, and webcomics—like Mark Waid, Adam Warren, Scott Kurtz, and Jill Thompson—lend a hand, providing “Pro Tips” on essential topics for achieving your comics-making dreams. With the insights and expertise contained within these pages, you’ll have everything you need and no excuses left: It’s time to make your comics!

Be the Monkey: A Conversation About the New World of Publishing Between Barry Eisler and J.A. Konrath by Jack Kilborn and J. A. Konrath

Be the Monkey - Ebooks and Self-Publishing A Dialog Between Authors Barry Eisler and J.A. Konrath by Jack Kilborn and J. A. Konrath

Sure, the advent of digital books is the most significant development in publishing since Gutenberg. But what does digital mean really, for agents, publishers, and most of all, for authors? What will the industry look like tomorrow, and what should authors be doing to properly position themselves today?

Examining the history and mechanics of the publishing industry as it exists today … bestselling authors (and friends) J.A. Konrath and Barry Eisler show that digital isn’t just the future, it’s right now.

Konrath, a pioneer in self-publishing, is now making over a half-million dollars a year through his self-published books, and Eisler just turned down a half-million dollar deal from one of the Big 6 NYC publishers to self-publish his latest novel.

How To Self-Publish For Under $100 by Cinquanta Cox-Smith

How To Self-Publish For Under $100 by Cinquanta Cox-Smith

Seeking self publishing success? ─ Learn how to self publish a book from an expert.

How to self publish a book: “How to Self-Publish for Under $100” is THE bible for getting published. Publishing expert and author, Cinquanta Cox-Smith offers all her tips and tricks on how to self publish a book on a reasonable budget. This book is especially valuable to content creators who: don’t have a publishing deal; have a strong following on their social platform; want to learn how to get their manuscript out in the market; and, want to produce residual income.

How to self publish on Amazon and outside Amazon: Cinquanta details all the ins-and-outs of a successful book launch from the basics to the in-depth. Her secrets arm you with the best possible chance to have your book shine. This isn’t just another guidebook about ISBNs, covers and word count. Some of the keys to self-publishing success covered by Cox-Smith include: the benefits of beta readers; vanity publishing; hybrid publishing; the secrets to successful categorizing; SEO (Search Engine Optimization); discounting; blog tours and endorsements; the ins-and-outs of how to self publish on Amazon; and, the growing scene outside of Amazon.

Fund Your Book: 5 Steps to Form Powerful Funding Partnerships by Jacqui Pretty

Fund Your Book - 5 steps to form powerful funding partnerships by Jacqui Pretty

Fund Your Book serves as the ultimate guide to raising $10,000+ to self-publish a business book. More and more self-publishers are realizing that to publish a professional book, they need to hire a professional publishing team – editors, designers, printers, distributors and more. The problem? Where are they supposed to find $3,000 to $15,000+ to publish their book? In “Fund Your Book,” authors learn how to build long-term, reciprocal relationships with influencers in their industry, the top two strategies for funding books through partnerships, a simple, five-step process to fund their self-published book, and more!

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