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Traditional Publishing, Part 3: How Do I Write a Book Proposal?
This agent says she wants to see a “complete proposal” for my nonfiction book? What does that consist of? The proposal is an important sales tool for nonfiction books, one that is often requested by...
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Traditional publishing, part 4: Synopses
I want to get my novel published, and I keep reading that I need something called a “synopsis.” That sounds like a disease. What is it and and How do I create one? In plain English, a synopsis is a...
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If I’m not going to get rich, why publish a book?
For the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about book publishing. Posts have covered making the decision to write a book, how to approach a traditional book publisher or literary agent, and how to...
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Nontraditional publishing, part 2: E-books
Everybody seems to be talking about e-books these days. It’s Kindle this and Nook that. Should I make my book into an e-book? Yes, you should. The e-book is here, and it has changed how people read....
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Self-publishing in print, part I: Everybody needs an editor
So you’ve decided to publish your own book. Excellent choice. You will have control over every aspect of the project, from writing to sales, and you will see your book in print within months instead of...
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Self-publishing in print, part 2: People do judge a book by its cover
So, you’re ready to self-publish. You have the inside of the book, but how do you get a cover? The good news and the bad news are the same: You’re in charge of your cover. Unless you are a professional...
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Traditional Self-Publishing, part 3: Formatting the Book
You’d think that writing your book, getting it edited and obtaining a fabulous cover would be enough frustration for a lifetime. Think again. You still have to format the book. What does that mean? It...
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Traditional Self-Publishing, Part 4: Getting your book printed
Our previous posts have covered editing your books, designing a cover, and formatting your books. It is possible, although not always wise, to do all of these things ourselves, but we’re probably not...
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Self-publishing: after the book is printed, then what?
If you go for traditional printing instead of print-on-demand, the day will come when you bring home boxes, boxes and more boxes of your new book. You tear a box open, pull out a copy, and oh, there’s...
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If the book is free, is it any good?
I’m giving away free copies of my Kindle e-books Childless by Marriage and Azorean Dreams Oct. 28-31. Sure, I want you to know about it and download copies, but I also want to talk about this freebie...
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Getting Ready to Pitch Your Novel
Pitch, pitch, pitch. With some writing groups and conferences, the air is filled with that word. It has a lot of different meanings. We can pitch a baseball, pitch something into the trash, select a...
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Just because you can publish a book doesn’t mean you should
I can’t wait to start reading my friend’s first novel. I happily empty my wallet to buy an autographed copy. I inhale the new book smell and flip through all those pages looking forward to what I...
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Authors don’t make money off used books, but do we care?
A tiny moptop dog greeted me at the door of Robert’s Bookshop in Lincoln City as I stepped into one of the biggest used-book shops on the Oregon Coast. Room after room after shelves and stacks of all...
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Writer Aid celebrates ten years of advice for writers
Dear writers and readers, this blog has been dormant since late last year, but I had to mark the 10-year anniversary of my first post by telling you that I have updated the past posts, revising where...
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