| "John, what is the best way to get my book | | | | publishing house. |
| published?" After years of experience in the publishing | | | | Self Publishing |
| industry, this is a question that I am often asked by | | | | Self publishing offers you more freedom with your |
| new authors. At one time, many believed that there | | | | creativity and writing talents. Nearly ninety percent of |
| was only one viable option for publishing your book, | | | | all the books published today are self-published books. |
| and that was to approach the large publishing houses. | | | | You can easily and quickly publish your own book, |
| Fortunately, the publishing landscape has changed | | | | thereby saving time, money and the efforts of |
| over the past few years, and this assumption is no | | | | attracting the attention of mainstream publishers. Self |
| longer true. In fact, there are now many viable ways | | | | publishing offers you the means of sidestepping |
| to get your book published, and we'll look at just a | | | | many overwhelming barriers to becoming noticed by |
| few of them here. | | | | the big publishers. While it is true that you will have to |
| Mainstream Publishers | | | | take ownership for marketing and promoting your |
| Mainstream publishing houses are some of the oldest | | | | book, this would be the case even if you were |
| means of getting the book you are writing published | | | | published by one of the big houses, as they are not |
| and out into the public eye. However, for the | | | | going to invest much in promoting an unknown |
| majority of writers this is a long drawn out process | | | | author. And that is one of the key reasons why I |
| that may take years if you are even accepted under | | | | believe self-publishing has become so attractive. |
| the wing of a large publishing house. There are | | | | One ironic benefit of self publishing is that if you are |
| specific guidelines you must follow to even be | | | | able to make your book a hit, it is then much more |
| considered, and you will require the assistance of a | | | | feasible to attract the attention of some of the |
| literary agent before a mainstream publishing house | | | | larger publishing houses. You see, once your book |
| will ever review your book proposal. | | | | sells through your own efforts you become much |
| Keep in mind that many of the big publishers receive | | | | less of a risk to the publishing house, and thus a |
| hundreds of submissions each day, and that only a | | | | much more attractive option to them. The great |
| tiny percentage of those will ever be published. The | | | | thing about the large publishers is their immense |
| deck is stacked against you if you go this route. | | | | distribution power, and THAT can mean a big boost |
| Small Independent Publishers | | | | in your book sales. |
| Small independent publishers are increasing in numbers | | | | When you choose to self publish you have greater |
| daily. They generally specialize in printing books that | | | | control of your book and its contents. You choose |
| fit into one type of genre or another. Generally, they | | | | what stays and what goes, you get to decide what |
| have access to a full distribution of channels which | | | | your book cover looks like, and what your back |
| can help put your book right up there in the book | | | | cover blurb says. You are also in control of marketing |
| stores with the hard-hitters of the mainstream | | | | and promoting your book. So when asking yourself, |
| publishing houses. There is no need to hire a literary | | | | "How will I get my book published?" self publishing is |
| agent since you are able to send your proposal to | | | | in my opinion #1 among your options, and definitely |
| the acquisitions editor of a small independent | | | | something that you should consider. |