Writing your book was only the beginning. Welcome to the world of publishing!
1. Use critique groups and beta readers to improve your manuscript.
These are FREE resources, and they are incredibly powerful! Search your area for a local critique group. If you can’t find one, invite other local writers and start your own.
Family and friends are good beta readers to start with (especially if they are avid readers), but try to get fellow authors or editors to beta read for you as much as possible. Why? If you were a chef, you’d want to be sure your customers like your food, yes. But fellow chefs or food critics are more educated and experienced at pin pointing exact problems and finding things that others might overlook, which saves you time and money.
Family and friends are good beta readers to start with (especially if they are avid readers), but try to get fellow authors or editors to beta read for you as much as possible. Why? If you were a chef, you’d want to be sure your customers like your food, yes. But fellow chefs or food critics are more educated and experienced at pin pointing exact problems and finding things that others might overlook, which saves you time and money.
2. Get your manuscript professionally edited.
No matter why type of book you write or what type of publisher you want to use, professional editing is an absolute must. And by professional, I don’t mean find someone you know that reads a lot of books or teaches English (although those make great beta readers), get your book edited by at least one or more professional editors. Most manuscripts, especially for first time authors, need several rounds of editing before they’re ready to submit to a publisher.
Read more about editing here.
Read more about editing here.
3. Do your research.
Thoroughly research anyone you want to work with: editors, illustrators, cover designers, publishers, etc. Look them up online. Take a look at things they’ve worked on. Talk to authors they’ve worked with.
What type of publisher do you want to work with? What type of books do they publish? How do they pay their authors? Do they pay their authors? (Yes, that’s unfortunately a valid question.) What marketing do they provide for their authors? What reputation do their books have? What reputation do they have in the author community? Read a few of their books.
What type of publisher do you want to work with? What type of books do they publish? How do they pay their authors? Do they pay their authors? (Yes, that’s unfortunately a valid question.) What marketing do they provide for their authors? What reputation do their books have? What reputation do they have in the author community? Read a few of their books.
4. Be ready for what potential publishers require.
This is something you’ll look for when you do your research. Does the publisher require you to submit your book through an agent? Do they even work with agents or only directly with authors? Will you need a query letter? Do they do pitch sessions?
5. Know your contract options and protect your rights.
Don’t be so eager to get published that you accept any contract. As many authors and lawyers have said, “Some contracts aren't worth the paper they’re printed on.” Read the entire contract before you sign anything, and have an attorney take a look at it (it’s less expensive than you’d think and well worth the investment.)
Publishers don’t always give their authors the same contracts, and not everything is set in stone. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to negotiate for what’s fair. Being rejected is better than a bad contract.
During the contract duration, who will own the rights? Which rights will you sign over or retain? (Read more about rights here.) Who owns the ISBN? You won’t want all of your work to be tied up in a *non-compete clause; avoid them!
*Non-compete clause — Part of a contract that says that an author cannot publish anything with a different company within a certain timeframe.
Read about what you should be investing in your book.
I'll be posting more soon. In the meantime, sign up for my email updates so you'll be in the loop! Get exclusive content when you follow me on Twitter and Facebook!
Publishers don’t always give their authors the same contracts, and not everything is set in stone. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to negotiate for what’s fair. Being rejected is better than a bad contract.
During the contract duration, who will own the rights? Which rights will you sign over or retain? (Read more about rights here.) Who owns the ISBN? You won’t want all of your work to be tied up in a *non-compete clause; avoid them!
*Non-compete clause — Part of a contract that says that an author cannot publish anything with a different company within a certain timeframe.
Read about what you should be investing in your book.
I'll be posting more soon. In the meantime, sign up for my email updates so you'll be in the loop! Get exclusive content when you follow me on Twitter and Facebook!
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