Neophyte to Publishing...Need Advice...

[Davewd]

I found this site today and read a lot of the posts. Seems to be a lot of caring and helpful people here - so... Can you help me? :)

I don't really consider myself a writer, I'm more of a computer geek. But I've had a story in my head for about 15 years (Christian fiction) - so I finally wrote a book. Took me a little more than a year with people reading it and critiquing and edits... yadda yadda. They said I should try to publish it. I've been to all of the POD and Self Publishing sites, but I don't have a clue on how to promote my own book (and probably not the time either) and, as I said before, this isn't going to be my career - I just got this one book. And I know that I have a snowball's chance in you-know-where of getting the attention of "mainstream" publishers. Is it worth pursuing? Can a single person really publish a book without dolling out a bunch of money to a bunch of "services"?

- Dave

[AngelAzariah]

_____In one brutle word, "no." However, there's the slight chance that you wrote the next big one. Than you could send in sample chapters to a few publishers and they will take you in a heart beat. It could happen. Anyway, before killing yourself with all the PODs, you should try out triditianl methods. They will only cost you some shipping and print to see if they will take you in.
_____http://www.vailion.com/indexlinks.htm take this link. At the bottom is a list of publisher that may or may not take you in. Go to each publishers site (I provided the links), and read what they want. Some want one chapter, some want chapter discriptions, each is different.
_____Each will more than likly make you wait six months at the least to hear from them. So the sooner you send it off, the sooner half a year will be over. If these guys wont take you in, then their are small presses that might (I've yet to look into them myself), after that you may want to POD your work.
_____That's the must I can hand out for now. :)

[MsSherry]

Have you tried sending your manuscript to any of the book publishers in Writer's Market? They are the most legitimate ones out there.

[David Meigs]

Dave,

I noticed that you are considering a POD publisher... I thought I should tell you my story! I had a bad experience, and I wish I could do it all over. It has been nothing but a nightmare!

Four months ago, I signed up with a well known POD publisher. (I simply didn’t know any better.) I don’t want to point fingers at the whole industry, or put down the decisions of other writers for going that route. All I am saying is that it was a very bad choice for me.

Out of two hundred and fifty books, ninety were so badly misprinted that they had to be replaced. I am still waiting for the replacement books to arrive. My problems ranged from delaminated covers to missing chapters! Yes, one whole box was missing nine chapters! The emails that used to be returned in three days, now take two weeks if they are returned at all!

I am kicking myself now because I never even tried one submission to a publisher, nor did I contact one agent before POD publishing. If I had visited here first, perhaps I would have done differently. That is why I joined this group, so I can learn to do it the traditional way.

Brother, please be careful!


David the Curmudgeon

[Gumpngreen]

Which POD was that messing you over?

[Davewd]

Thanks for all the good advice... and yes, thank you angel for being brutal. I have no dreams of grandure and was afraid I might also get burned by a POD. I've read alot of stuff on the Web about people with a garage full of useless books. Thanks for the tip, MsSherry. I read a lot of good things about Writer's Market after you mentioned it. I noticed that they have a month-to-month plan. I think I'll buy a month or two and submit to an agent or two. At least I'll be able to say I tried. And if God wants me to be a writer, then it'll just happen. (actually - I'm about a year away from becoming a minister - so I think this is MY diversion, not HIS :D )

[BrotherDave]

Finding a way to publish is a forest I've been lost in for a few years.

Publishing just for you is not hard. Go to www.lulu.com, and spend as much money on as many books as you want. Give 'em to friends, and family, and enjoy the giving.

I wouldn't spend a several hundred on going through a large POD unless you have a marketing plan for your books, you have to know how and where you are going to sell them, and what return you are expecting. DO NOTspend money on PODs without a plan.

Getting an agent, interesting publishing houses is like scaling the Great Wall of China with a sting and a toothpick. It can be done, but it will take a long time and you will pay for it, in time and sweat and ego. Big publishers and agents don't want you. They want Hillary Clinton, who hasn't the time write a book, but somehow does it (ghost writing can be profitable). They want big name money makers. So unless you are famous or plan to be famous soon, forget the the big publishers. Forget getting famous or rich. Settle for enjoying your writing and getting others to, as well.

This forum is a great place for that. It's warm and friendly here.

brotherdave

[jvdoles]

Hello Dave,

Have you considered ePublishing. I mean eBooks (PDF, etc.). Might be a good way to get your fiction out. If you can convert your manuscript to PDF, its pretty easy to get it up at lulu.com, and perhaps generate a few sales.

[writegirl1949]

Dave,

Welcome to the group. This is a great bunch of people who love to help others.

The suggestion of e-book publishers is a good one. Also, small publishers. That's who I'm publishing with. They do small print runs and little marketing but I know the quality of their work, they do both e and print publishing, work hard to represent themselves in the publishing industry, and support each other.

There are a lot of resources on the internet. And speaking of that ... do you have a web site. Others reading this will probably be rolling on the floor laughing that I brought it up. I've been working to get my site up for months ... but I'm technologically challenged and had to search for a method that was as easy as point and click ... as long as it showed me what to point to. LOL. It just takes me a while. But, since you've described yourself as a computer geek ... I would think if you don't have one, it wouldn't be a big deal for you.

Bottom line ... don't give up. !thumbsup!

Blessings, Francine

[jvdoles]

Whether you self-publish or get published by someone else, there will always be marketing and promotion to do. But the internet offers quite a lot of opportunities, and there are also many off-beat opportunities to present your books/articles/writings. There is a book called Guerrilla Marketing for Writers: 100 Weapons for Selling Your Work, by Jay Conrad Levinson.

Yes, we do have a web page, and also a blog (come to think of it, that's ePublishing). See the links in my signature. Setting up a website was a learning curve, but that only means that the more you work on it, the better it gets. I've worked on mine for about eight years, doing a major upgrade about every three years or so.

A few years ago, inspired by Psalm 2:8, "Ask of Me, ad I will give You the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession," I asked the Lord for that. He showed me the "worldwide web." Now we hear from people all over the world, so I know that our faith-building articles and posts on The Faith Log are reaching people.

[Jules]

They say if you don't know to ask, so I'm asking..........

What does POD stand for and what does that mean?

[Rebecca]

POD stands for 'print on demand.' :)

Rebecca

[jvdoles]

Print on Demand (POD) means that a book is not actually printed until there is a demand for it (an order or sale). The advent of digital presses means that you can have a small number of books printed at an economical price. So you don't have to shell out big bucks for 2,000 or 1,000 or 500 books and then figure out where to put them until you sell them.

I go through Lightning Source Inc. (www.lightningsource.com). They can run 1,000 or 100 or just 1 book (no less than that, though :) The advantage for me of working with Lightning is that they are owned by Ingram, which supplies all the secular bookstores. Ingram also owns Spring Arbor, which supplies the Christian stores. So my books can be order through any bookstore.

Also, Ingram's feeds a book catalog to Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other online outlets, here and abroad. Lightning also does eBooks, so I have an electronic version available for all my books. So both print and eBook editions of my book are available at a number of outlets on the internet.

Lightning doesn't do book design. There are other POD houses that do book layout and cover design, but that's where it starts to get pricey. :(

[Jules]

Aha......thanks For The Info.

[alicelewis]

I went with Pleasant Word publishers for my book BY HANDS OF STRANGERS. They are the POD division of Winepress Publishers. They are a bit on the pricey side. But the books look lovely. I chose to go with them because of the excellent marketing that goes with it. My book is only one month old since becoming live. It is already listed at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. That also means it is in the the Ingram and Spring Arbour data base for bookstores to order from. Next week I will be leaving for Denver to do book promotions with my publisher for my book at the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) convention.

I've sold over 70 books already just to people I know right here without really trying.
After the Denver convention I will get a little more aggressive in my marketing.
Somebody said to get a website. That is good advice. I am going to get a regular website rather than just my blog.

By the way Winepress has a free e-book available to anyone who wants it. It contains a lot of relevant information on what is happening in the Christian publishing industry that is good for anyone to know no matter what they decide to do concerning publishing their work. Click on their site and avail yourself to that free information.

Alice