How to Get Published

by Jim Gamble

Out of the blue a few weeks ago, the president of a service club I attend asked who had written a book. Hesitantly, five of the hundred business people present raised their hands as if they had done something wrong. He then, in subsequent weeks, asked for book reports. Here’s mine, mainly using a series of quotations:

Edward Gibbon summed up my background saying,

“Un-provided with original learning, uninformed in the habits of thinking, and unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book.”

Gene Fowler 1890 -1960, then explained in detail how it’s done,

“Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”

Having never written a line of fiction (except in loan applications), I needed help. Others in our SFN writers group assisted when I told them what Fred Allen said, “You write so well you make me feel like putting my quill back in my goose.”

All writers should understand there are pitfalls that should be avoided. Samuel Johnson wrote, “Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.” (more…)

by Jerry Simmons

Selling books without a minimum marketing effort will result in poor sales. Here are the basics every author should follow when marketing their book: (1) seek book reviews prior to launch, (2) write a press release announcing the publication and availability of your book for sale distributed to all online outlets, and (3) pitch yourself and your book to local print, radio, television and online for publicity. (more…)

by Al Kalar

Every publisher has standards for inquiries. If you ignore those standards, you have a very good chance of being rejected before your manuscript is even read.

The reason behind this is two-fold.

1. The publisher has set up a system in-house that depends upon the author’s cooperation. Some receive hundreds of submissions a day and don’t have time to wipe the drool off the chin of some prima-donna author who thinks the publishing world is drooling at the mouth while eagerly awaiting their particular “next best seller”. They need to have the elements requested, ONLY those elements, and in a format that is easy for them to handle.Those elements may include: submission by an agent (cuts down on the size of the pile), double spaced (allows room for handwritten notes), on paper (no electronic submissions), a cover letter, a synopsis, a particular portion of the entire ms (may be just a couple of chapters or the entire manuscripts), 12-point type (to save wear and tear on the eyes of the employee who has to read the submission), and so on. (more…)

by Al Philipson

Rights

When you create a manuscript in any readable form, you automatically receive “copyrights” to that work. You can sue for actual damages is someone intrudes upon those rights. If you register you copyright, you can also sue for “punitive” damages.

What most people fail to realize is that, like property rights, copyrights are actually a “bundle” of rights.

A property “owner” may not “own” the subsurface rights to his property. Here in the Northwest, where Weyerhouser has owned so much of the property that it subsequently sold to developers, the original owner has retained the “subsurface” rights. That means that if oil is discovered on your property, you don’t own it; someone else does.

Now, how does this apply to copyrights? (more…)

by Penny C. Sansevieri

So you have a website, congratulations! Now let’s make sure it’s doing what it is supposed to be doing for you. Read: selling your book or product. While websites will differ in color, layout, and target audience, there are a few things that need to remain consistent. Let’s take a look at them.

1. Editing: Your website needs to be edited. There is no discussion on this topic at all. And don’t self-edit. Hire someone to go through your site page by page and make sure you don’t have any typos. Finding mistakes on your site is like finding typos on a resume. Doesn’t bode too well, does it? (more…)