How to Get Published

The New Lay of the Land -

Surviving and Thriving the Changes in Book Publishing

by Jerry Simmons
On April 3, 2010 book publishing changed forever. Apple launched the iPad, a digital reading device that officially heralds the beginning of the dismantling of the big publisher model that has been dominant for more than sixty years. A new benchmark has been created and a universal platform is now established that allows every writer, publisher and business to profit without having to rely on a major publisher.

Jerry D. Simmons, a 32 year veteran of publishing, offers some very telling insights into the changes that are in store for the publishing industry.

Welcome to the new world of electronic publishing! There are three important trends in publishing today. (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…)

Brad Stone

Excerpts from an article written by Brad Stone and Mokoto Rich for the New York Times

Ever since electronic books emerged as a major growth market, New York’s largest publishing houses have worried that big-name authors might sign deals directly with e-book retailers or other new ventures, bypassing traditional publishers entirely. Now, one well-known author is doing just that.

Stephen R. Covey, one of the most successful business authors of the last two decades, has moved e-book rights to two of his best-selling books from his print publisher, Simon & Schuster to a digital publisher that will sell the e-books to Amazon for one year. (more…)

by Al Kalar

Okay, so this has nothing to do with getting published.  I just thought you’d like to know what happens to your manuscript in the eBook publishing world of AKW Books.  This is our in-house cycle from inquiry to published work. We’ll assume you are sending in a work of fiction (non-fiction is slightly different, but many of the skills required and our procedures are the same).

When you send in an inquiry, it arrives in the same email box with all our other correspondence, so whoever opens it up will route it to one of our editors.  With this act, we assume you have read and agreed to our standard contract (Standard Agreement). (more…)

by Al Kalar

Most first-time authors don’t get picked up by one of the big New York houses (but don’t let that stop you from trying). Chances are, your first book will be published by a small press, an eBook outfit like AKW Books, or perhaps self-published through a short-run or Print on Demand vanity press.

Now, your small press publisher isn’t going to have much of an ad budget and a “vanity” press won’t spend a dime on you (you pay them). So, as a first-time author, or even a second time author, you’re going to have to learn how to market your own writing. (more…)

By Al Kalar

Publishing suffered through one of its worst years ever in 2008.

October through December showed a 7% drop in sales compared to 2007 and all of the major houses cut back on staff drastically.

The publishing industry is also being convulsed by longer-term trends, including a shift toward digital reading (eBooks). (more…)