The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully
544
The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully
544Paperback
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Overview
- locating, luring, and landing an agent - perfecting your pitch - the nuts and bolts of a book proposal - conquering the query letter - finding the right publisher for YOU - four steps to reaching readers online - making Amazon work for you - kickstarting your Kickstarter campaign - the ins and outs of ebooks - 10 things you should have on your author website - turning rejection into a book deal - new frontiers in self-publishing
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780761160854 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Workman Publishing Company |
| Publication date: | 11/04/2010 |
| Pages: | 544 |
| Sales rank: | 174,542 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Introduction xv
Part I Setting Up Shop
Chapter 1 Writing The Right Idea 3
The Economics of Publishing 3
Judging Your Idea 6
Writers in Search of Ideas 18
What's Next" 19
Chapter 2 A World Wide Wonderland 20
The New Platform 21
Social Networking for Luddites 24
The Four-Step e-Program 30
The Apple of Your Eye 60
Chapter 3 The Perfect Package 61
Selecting Your Dream Team 61
Models for Success 62
Getting Titular: Titles and Subtitles 64
Perfecting Your Pitch 66
The Facts About the Fiction Proposal 71
The Nonfiction Proposal 72
The Value of Good Readers 97
Picking Partners: "Help, I Need Somebody!" 99
Prepare Your Package for Liftoff 103
Chapter 4 Locating, Luring and Landing the Right Agent 104
Do You Really Have to Have an Agent" 105
Locating an Agent 107
Luring the Agent 113
Landing the Big Kahuna 123
John Hancocking: Signing an Agency Contract 127
What's Next" 129
Chapter 5 Demystifying Submission 130
Agent Relations: Snarling Snafus and Scary Silences 130
Sending Your Brave Little Book Out into the World 137
The Agony and Ecstasy of "Interest" 139
Sending Your Book Directly to Publishers 146
Going Direct to Your Readers 153
And in Conclusion … 154
Chapter 6 Rejection Section 155
Rejection Rules 156
To Learn or Not to Learn 158
Taking Action 164
Part II Taking Care of Business
Chapter 7 Let's Make A Deal! 167
The Selling of Your Book 167
Sifting Wheat from Chaff: The Right Publisher for You 170
Finding a Cowriter or Dumping the One You Have 176
Negotiating Nuggets for Agentless Authors 177
Get It in Writing: The Deal Memo 179
Chapter 8 Contract Facts 181
An Askance Glance at Your Advance 181
The Reality of the Royalty 185
Delivery: The First Step Toward Blissful Acceptance 190
Copyright or Copywrong" 194
The Many Faces of Subsidiary Rights 194
Warranties and Indemnities: Publishers Covering Their Asse(t)s 198
Author Copies: "You Mean I Have to Buy My Own Books"" 199
Covering Your Cover 199
Options for Your Option 200
The Rules of Accounting 201
Sign Here, Please … 201
Someone Has to Write the Thing 202
Chapter 9 Write Away! 203
Getting Your Ducks in a Row so You Can Get Quacking 203
Getting Started 216
More Readers 220
More on Outside Help 224
Don't Let Running Out of Time Drive You Out of Your Mind 225
Postpartum Depression 226
One Last Thing Before You Turn It In 226
Chapter 10 Working With Your Publisher 227
Editor 101 229
The Mother of All Meetings: The Launching of Your Book 244
Preparing Your Book for Cataloging 249
The Six Month Meeting 262
The Sales Conference 265
Making a Stink: When to Get Mad and When to Shut Up 267
Enjoying the Ride 268
Chapter 11 Publish Thyself 269
Why Do You Want to Publish Your Book on Your Own" 270
The Costs and Components of Self-Publishing 282
Self-Publishing Roulette 287
Publicity and Marketing 296
Selling Your Book 298
Live, Learn and Prosper 306
Part III Getting the Word Out
Chapter 12 Prepub Publicity And Marketing 309
Putting Yourself in Expert Hands 310
Selling Yourself: An Overview 319
To Tour or Not to Tour 346
Preparing for Your First Interview 358
Building Buzz 362
Chapter 13 Launching Your Book and Keeping It Alive 363
Your Pub Date 364
Giving Away Books (Yes, That's Right, Giving Them Away) 365
Connecting with Your Readers 367
Bookstore Love 369
Making an Eventful Event 373
A Tour of Your Book Tour 385
Back to Pitching and Hooking 395
Book Club Heaven 399
Awards As Buzz 400
Keeping Your Book Ball Rolling 400
The Golden Rules Are … 403
Chapter 14 The Fine Art of Selling 404
"How Many Copies Did You Say"" 405
Back to the Bookstore 407
Selling Books in Unexpected Places 413
Sales on the Web 414
Lovely, Luscious Libraries 417
Back to School 417
Rotten Returns 418
The Last Word on Royalties 418
Keep the Sales Train Rolling 421
Chapter 15 Okay, What's Next" 422
Don't Make the Same Mistake Twice 423
Look at the Numbers 424
Have the Next Idea Ready 425
When to Send 427
Th-Th-Th-That's All, Folks! 427
Appendices 429
Appendix I Great Books on Writing 431
Appendix II Resources 433
Appendix III Selected Publishers 439
Appendix IV Standard Permission Form 448
Appendix V Our Proposal for This Book 449
Acknowledgments 465
Index 469
About The Authors 481
What People are Saying About This
Praise for the First Edition of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published (Previously published as Putting Your Passion Into Print)
“A must-have for every aspiring writer . . . Thorough, forthright, quite entertaining.”—Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns (Riverhead)
“Before you write your own book, read this one. Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry understand the process of publishing—their advice will help you envision and frame your work so that publishers will be more likely to perceive its value.”—Jonathan Karp, publisher, Simon & Schuster
“I had no idea that the code of publishing would be as hard to decipher as the secret language of adolescent girls. If only I had Putting Your Passion into Print when I started writing!”—Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees, the book that inspired the movie Mean Girls (Three Rivers)
“Putting Your Passion Into Print changed my life. I read and reread each of your chapters, lived by your organizational and promotional advice, and, despite all odds, my rather uncategorizable book is a success. With no track record or cash, we’ve gotten onto TV and into national print media, been blurbed by the LA Times and the Village Voice, and sold out a third of our print run within three weeks of launch.”—Molly Crabapple, author of Dr. Sketchy’s Official Rainy Day Colouring Book (Sepuculture Books)
“I started with nothing but an idea, and then I bought this book. Soon I had an A-list agent, a near six-figure advance, and multiple TV deals in the works. Buy it and memorize it. This little tome is the quiet secret of rockstar authors.”—Timothy Ferriss, bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek (Crown)
“Putting Your Passion into Print has been absolutely invaluable through this whole process! It’s on my bedside, with dozens of post-its peeking out!”—Veronica Wolff, author of Master of the Highlands Series (Berkley)
“Arielle and David did a masterful job at deconstructing our complicated, often irrational industry. Putting Your Passion into Print is fun to read and brutally honest, but it’s also energizing and inspiring.”—Lynn Goldberg, CEO, Goldberg McDuffie Communications
“I curled up in a big chair and read Putting Your Passion into Print like a novel. Written with insight and humor, it takes us through the writing process from idea to sequel. I wish I had a book this thorough and thoughtful and downright indispensable for every aspect of my life.”—Karen Cushman, author of the Newbury Award winner The Midwife’s Apprentice and Newbury Award runner-up Catherine, Called Birdy (HarperCollins)
“This is a terrific book. It’s practical, it’s fun to read, and it totally demystifies the publishing process. Whether you are just setting out to write a book, or already have several published books under your belt, you will find this an invaluable resource. There is no doubt in my mind that it will become a standard of the industry, sitting right alongside Writer’s Market and The Chicago Manual of Style. (And let me tell you—it’s a much better read than either of those books could ever dream of being!)”—Rick Beyer, author of The Greatest Stories Never Told Series (Harper)
“I took myself to lunch today and brought along Putting Your Passion Into Print, and I’ll be damned but it made me remember why I love this business and why the suffering is all worth it in the end. It’s a terrific book that finally put me in a good mood again.”—Annik LaFarge, former publisher of Bloomsbury Books
“You know all those books sitting on your shelf about how to get published? Well, you can finally unload them at your garage sale because this book is all you’ll ever need. A-to-Z, Soup-to-Nuts, this is the most comprehensive guide available on how to become a published author.”—Nancy Levine, author of The Tao of Pug (Penguin)
“These two know everything about the book business and share every detail in this fabulous book. Putting your Passion into Print answers every question you have with playful charm, wisdom and savvy. If you’ve written a book, are writing one or are just thinking about it, you NEED Putting Your Passion Into Print. It will make a marvelous gift for all of your writer or would-be writer friends. You’ll love it.”—Susan G. Wooldridge, author of poemcrazy (Three Rivers Press)
“This book is a must-have! I cannot say enough about how helpful, inspiring and dead-on it is.”—Tracy Davis, author of My Husband Ran Off with the Nanny and God Do I Miss Her (self-published)
“I got an agent and a publisher for my book within 3 weeks of submitting the proposal—and not a single rejection letter! When would-be authors ask me for advice I send them to the store to buy Putting Your Passion Into Print! Bravo to the authors for a comprehensive guide to writing, publishing and marketing your book.”—Donna Cutting, author of The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service (Wiley)
“I recommend this book to every author I know, at any stage of their careers. I’m such a vociferous advocate, some of my friends may think I’m in a cult!”—Melissa Kirsch, author of The Girl’s Guide to Absolutely Everything (Workman)
“As a consultant, I make my living by understanding how companies and industries work from the inside out. To succeed as an author, you need an inside-out view of how publishing works. For that, there’s simply no better guide than Putting Your Passion into Print.”—Geoffrey Moore, author of four Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestsellers, including Crossing the Chasm and The Gorilla Game (Harper)
“Putting Your Passion into Print offers aspiring authors refreshingly honest, knowledgeable and detailed advice on not only how to get published, but how to deal with every phase of the publishing process constructively and realistically. It’s an invaluable resource for anyone who dreams about having his/her book not only published, but published well.”—Jamie Raab, publisher, Grand Central
“If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, are in the process of writing a book or have written a book and are contemplating another, stop what you’re doing right now—and buy this book. It contains everything you need to know to proceed, especially how to press your own enthusiasm button.”—Sandra Blakeslee, author of The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce (Harper Perennial), Phantoms in the Brain (Hyperion), and On Intelligence (St. Martin’s Griffin)
“This honest, comprehensive and inspiring book is the best description of the contemporary publishing world that I’ve seen. It should be at the center of every writer’s reference shelf for decades.”—Neal Pollack, author of Never Mind the Pollacks and The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature (Harper Paperbacks, Harper Perennial)
“From coming up with an idea to promoting the finished book, these insiders tell you what you need to know and inspire you to do it—with wit, charm and a thorough knowledge of what they write.”—Amy Cherry, editor, W.W. Norton
“Putting Your Passion into Print is a Rosetta Stone for authors, a guide that takes the mystery and uncertainty out of getting your book published. This book takes you inside the publishing industry and reveals what makes it tick. Prospective authors, listen up. This is the definitive manual on taming this lumbering giant. If you want your book to see the light of day, read this one.”—Larry Dossey, M.D., author of The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things, Reinventing Medicine (Three Rivers), and Healing Words (HarperOne)
“Finally, a comprehensive, compelling, hilarious and amazingly insightful book about the painful and wonderful world of getting a book published. It’s as much about passion and teamwork as it is about royalties and advances. I loved it!”—Patrick M. Lencioni, bestselling author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Jossey-Bass)
“I wish I had had this book when I started writing for publication. It’s got the perfect blend of right-brain creativity and left-brain strategy to help you succeed as an author.”—Dr. Betty Edwards, bestselling author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Tarcher)
