The Publishing Season Part Four: P.O.D Publishing

P.O.D means print on demand if you didn’t already know. P.O.D has become so popular in the publishing business. Many publishing companies are offering this service. Your book is published faster. You’re able to put out more books. On the flip side of P.O.D you’re paying a lot of money to have your book published. (Depending on the route you take)
If this is the route you’ve decided to go with publishing, you’re first step is to narrow it down to the companies that interest you. You need to decide, as with any publishing company, what your company needs to provide for you. Do you need your publishing company to offer editing? Graphic Design? You need to have already answered these questions BEFORE you go publishing company shopping.
Once you have decided what you need and narrowed your choices down, you need to research the company and find out what they ask for in submissions. The good thing about P.O.D is that their requirements are, most of the time, small. You may fill out a form. They will ask some questions about your book and then give you a set time of when they will contact you back for acceptance. There are some companies that you do not have to submit any form. You find the package that you want (Remember add-ons. We spoke about this in the earlier articles.) and then you go through the process of creating your book. CreateSpace is just like this. You create the book how you see fit for not extra cost. You must have computer experience for this. www.createspace.com
It should take about a week maybe two for the company to contact you. Most of the time, they do not turn down a manuscript. That’s money they will lose. If they do turn down your book then that means they have a specific list of books that they will only publish. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. Some companies only want mystery suspense, others are for romance only. So that’s why you must shop around before you decide on a company so you don’t waste any of your time. After the company has contacted you then they take you through the steps to create your book. You should not lose any control with you book. You should have a say about everything all the way down to the graphic design.
It should take about 3-6 months to have your book in stores. It may take a year depending on the company.
Stay Tuned for Step Five: Check list: (Website, P.R, Marketing)
*Ask yourself what does your publishing company need to offer
*View the top publishing companies of the year: http://online-book-publishing-review.toptenreviews.com/
Before we end today's Blog...
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Signing Off,
Dominique Watson

The Publishing Season Part Three: Creating a Proposal

Now that you have determined your publication path let’s consider our next step. If you are publishing through a traditional publishing company and they are asking for a proposal, query letter, synopsis etc. Now is where the hard work comes in.
If you’ve never had to do a proposal before, don’t worry. It’s easier said than done and the hard part is really finding out what the publisher or editor is looking for.
My advice to you is to go to your local library or look up on the internet how to prepare a proposal. I will give you a few tips here.
The query letter is the first thing the publisher or editor will see before actually reading your proposal or manuscript. The query letter is something like a cover letter for your resume; your introduction. The query letter tells the publisher or editor about you, about your book and what to expect. It should be clear, error free and straight to the point. One thing to keep in mind is that it should end on a positive note saying, “Thank you for taking the time to read my query letter and I look forward to sending you my proposal” This tells the person reading it that you are confident they will like your work and will want to read more. Like I said, goggle query letters or go to your library and see examples of how to set up your query letter.
If it is now time to send in your synopsis and the rest of your proposal here’s your next step, writing the synopsis. A friend told me that the best way to get a good synopsis is to have someone who has already read the book write it for you. I haven’t had anyone write my synopsis for me but I’m sure it’s a great way to go.
Your synopsis should have your name and email address at the top. Your synopsis should not ramble on. It should give great points about the book and leave the reader wanting more. Be sure that it gives enough info about the main character and what the book is about.
Next is the author bio. This is all about you. What you’ve accomplished. What you are currently doing. You should include anything that is positive and that you believe will get the readers attention. If you’ve published numerous books, don’t name them all just list the most recent or the ones that are the most popular. The bio should be in second person also saying, “Jim is a published author of three books” It’s more professional this way. If you really don’t know what to say, have someone write it for you.
Then comes your marketing plan. This plan helps the editor or publisher know how you plan to sell and promote your book. If your marketing plan is not catching or driven they will not be interested. If the publisher feels that you are going to sit back and watch the company work, they will not be interested. You as the author have to have some type of plan for your book. You have to have some goals. You need to include in this plan that you are going to schedule book signings in your area, speaking engagements. Whatever events you think you will be doing, you need to include them in this plan. Looking up marketing plans for proposal’s will give you more insight on what to include.
Last but certainly not least, sample chapters. Most publishers or editors want to read your sample chapters. They normally ask for the first 1-5 chapters of the book. The sample chapters should be set up as follow:
*Your name, email address, and phone number should be to the left of the page
*To the right of the page should be your word count.
*About sixteen spaces down and centered should be your title and your name again as the author.
*Your pages should be number, in 12-font and double spaced
*Send your manuscript to the publisher or editor they way they suggest. Do not email it if they ask you to mail it.
Be cautious. Some publishers or editors ask for different things. The library and the internet should help you successfully create what’s needed and get it to your publisher.
Stay tuned for Step Four:
Tips for you to think about:
*Did you create a professional looking proposal?
*Did you put enough about you in your bio?
*How motivated does your marketing plan sound?
*Does your synopsis pull the reader in? Does it sound catchy?
*Did you set up your sample chapters correctly?
*Are you sending your proposal correctly
Before we end today's blog...
Follow From A Writers POV on Twitter. www.twitter.com/fromawriterspov
Signing Off,
Dominique Watson

The Publishing Season Part Two: Determining your Publication Path

The next step in “The Publishing Season” is to determine your publication path. In June, I instructed a course on this topic. I spoke about what publication path is best for you. Not every writer wants to have their book on shelves. Some would simply like their book to be printed into a few copies to give to family members. Some would like for it to just be an e-book. In the end it needs to be what you want and you need to make that decision before you go looking for publishing companies.
Determining the publication path is very important simply because each path is different. It might seem wise to publish your book through Print on Demand but it might not be the best choice for you and your book. So let's take a look at the difference between Print on demand and Traditional Publishing.
Print on demand is a "self publishing" company that you pay to print your work. The price range of self publishing is from $200-$3000 depending on what your work needs. Print on demand means that the company will only print books when they are ordered. The company will give you a set amount of author copies once your book is published and the rest you will need to purchase. The time frame for POD is about 6 weeks to a year. POD is known to be the fastest and easiest way to publish a book. It’s known to be the most unprofessional. When publishing through a POD company there is a chance that your work will not be high quality. Your cover could look dull or not very eye catching. The internal work may not have any editing. There's no guarantee that your book will be placed in bookstores and on their shelves. Most companies will supply the book to bookstores but may only be sold online. POD companies have add on packages that can make the cost of publishing your book more than you can handle.
*We’ll speak about packages later.
Traditional Publishing is a professional publishing company that does not take your money to print. Most likely they will pay you an advance for the book. Writers will lose most of the control of the book. But on the flip side, the publisher pays for editing, production, printing, promotion, distribution etc. This book is guaranteed to come out looking very professional. But there is a possibility that it could take years before a company actually accepts you. These companies take long processing journeys before accepting an author. They look for authors to submit proposals which normally take an additional month to prepare the proposal and send it in. They are very particular in the authors they pick. When all is said and done it will take about two years to get the book in stores. Traditional publishing is the way to go if you are looking to get your book in stores, on shelves and get the public’s attention. It will take much longer to get there and it will be much harder then Self-Publishing. The most important question is do you want your book in stores now or will you wait for your big break?
Every writer has unique things that their book must have or should I say their publishing company must have. Some authors are looking for a company that has great quality in designing a cover. Some authors need great editors. Other authors need great illustrators for the many pictures to go in their book. No matter what you need, you need something and that could be the deal breaker for you when it comes to choosing your publication company.
In most POD compaies they offer packages. These are add on packages that do not come with the base pay of your book. It may cost $299 to publish the book but that may not include editing, marketing and you may only get 2 authors copies. Well then you must ask yourself, is that enough? If not, you may want to look at the next higher up package that is $599. It may include editing, custom book cover design, e-book package (we will discuss this later) but no marketing package and this time you get 5 author copies. Is that enough? While looking at what is needed for your book, keep in mind that you still have a base pay that will be added to the other amounts. This is where Print on Demand gets tricky. You need to determine if you have the money to pay for all of this. It’s like buying a house. You will have to give and take. You may get a great location but very small square footage. What is important to you?
With Traditional publishing, everything sounds so wonderful there. You can get an advance, they do all the work and your book is put into the stores. Well what about the fact that you lose control of your book. The editor of the company may make you change the title of the book or change a few chapters around. They may also make you wait a year before putting the book on shelves. But what can you do, you’ve already signed the contract so it’s in their hands, right?
An e-book is an electronic book. A lot of people have used this option to download it to their computer or PDA’s. E-book publishing normally comes with the package of regular book publishing and may only cost the customer $5-$10 depending on how big the book is.
My opinion is it’s not necessary to include this package unless you really need it. If you feel like its not necessary to have it in your package don’t get it and if you think your readers will not buy this type of book, don’t get it.
A lot of readers now a days still like to read a book the good old fashion way; by holding it in the hands, literally!
The downside of e-book is your eyes get tired when sitting at a computer for hours trying to read a book. You get uncomfortable and your back could hurt. When holding a book in your hand, you can go anywhere and get comfortable. The choice is yours if you really need it but if your company does offer it for no extra charge, it’s a great option.
You have to remember the economy is in a financial crisis. We must consider the amount of money we put into everything. What if you pay $1300 for your book to get published but you only make $500 back in 1-2 years? You are then losing money.
This is where authors and writers become their own editors, they begin their own publishing companies (Which can be very expensive too) they learn to advertise themselves and become their own PR and marketer. But do you have the skills to do all of that. Can you really work your book good enough to get it out there like a traditional publishing company would do?
All of these questions are questions you must ask yourself. My personal advice to you at this stage is if you are in the beginning stages of publishing, you’ve never published a book before, do not put thousands of dollars into a book when you do not know how much money you will get back from your sales. And if you feel like you can handle the wait, the stress and process of traditional publishing, then go for it. But keep in mind this is your work and only you know how it should be published and only you know what you want.
Once you have determined your publication path and you have found a few companies you are interested in, make sure they offer what you want and can make your book come to life the way you see fit.
Stay tuned for Part Three: Creating a proposal
Tips for you to think about:
·Now that you know what POD and Traditional publishing are, what do you think is best for you? ·Have you considered finances?
·What exactly does your company need to offer you?
Before we end today's blog...
Join The Writers Lounge. Today's new writing theme is Vacation Island. Interested in participating in hopes for writing to be recognized? Check out the rules and guidelines for this theme: http://thepovlounge.webs.com/thisweekscontest.htm
Signing Off,
Dominique Watson

Question of the Week

New Question of the Week
"What publishing direction have you taken? What was your experience?"
Post your comment below and tune in next Wednesday for a new question.
Signing Off,
Dominique Watson

The Publishing Season Part One: What is the Publishing Season?

View all this week "The Publishing Season" Articles to help you get your book published.
In previous articles, I spoke about the writing season; how to write your book, how to formulate your book and get it ready for publication. These next few articles will help you successfully publish your book.
Now that you have finished your book, ask yourself this, has it been edited yet? Whether it’s been professionally edited or edited by you or a friend, it must be edited before it can be published. It must be error free and cleaned up very good so that you can send it to a publisher. So before you read any further, go look at your manuscript and see if it needs to be edited.
Publishing a book is the business side of writing. Not all writers decide to publish. Some don't even work up the nerve to publish but for those that do decide to publish, this is a big step for you.
So what is the publishing season? It’s the publishing side of writing. It’s the stage when you have successfully completed your manuscript and you are ready to publish your book. The story has been told and this is it.
The publishing season can take a long time or a short time depending on what path you take. You can decide to go with Print On Demand, submit your book into a Traditional Publishing Company, turn your book into an e-book, self publish, through your own company and more. There’s so much you can do with your manuscript. But you must ask yourself, what do you want? How do you want to see your work? What are your goals? Once you’ve answered these questions, then you can decide on your next step.
Stay tuned for Step Two: Determining your publication path
Tips for you to think about:
*Where do you want to see your work?
*Has your work been edited? Is it error free?
*Are you sure that your book is completed and you are ready to publish?
Before we end today's blog...
Read this month's featured article: http://fromawriterspov.webs.com/featuredarticle.htm
Signing Off,
Dominique Watson

Weekly Service List

Weekly List of Service

1. C.K.Q. Gifts
www.ckqgifts.biz
Everything you need under one site!

2. Dream 4 More Literary Consulting Firm:
www.dreams4more.com
A Literary consulting firm to help new and aspiring authors.

3. Robert Medak_Freelance Writing & Editing
Fulfilling Your Writing Needs
http://stormywriter.com

4. The National Writers Union
http://nwu.org
The National Writers Union UAW Local 1981 is the only labor union that represents freelance writers.

Be sure to come back next Monday to see our new list.

Signing Off,
Dominique Watson

P.O.D vs. Traditional Publishing

This week, I am introducing "The Publishing Season" These articles are the continuation of "The Writing Season" because after we write, we publish.
So many authors and writers come to me asking me which way should they go. They have all these demands and expectations but have no idea what to do once their manuscriptis completed.
Today, I am posting a list of the Pros and Cons for Print on Demand and Traditional Publishing. If you do not know what each of these publication terms mean, stay tuned this week and I will explain them.
I suggest you print this list out. This list will help you decide exactly what your book should have.
*POD will print your book in 6 months to a year
*Traditional Publishing may take up to two years
*You are free from editing and cover design with Traditional Publishing
*POD may not include these packages in their base price for publishing
*You may endure reject after reject with Traditional Publishing
*POD will not turn you down
*You have no control over your book with Traditional Publishing
*You have all control over your book with POD.
*Traditional Publishing will place your in stores and on shelves.
*POD will not unless you pay for an extra package that could cost thousands of dollars.
*Traditional Publishing will give your book the high quality it needs
*POD may not be able to provide high quality work
*Some Traditional Publishing companies pay an advance
*POD does not
*Some Traditional Publishing companies requires proposals and query letters
*POD does not

Now that you have read my Pros and Cons, ask yourself:
*Does your publishing company need to offer high quality book covers?
*Does your publishing company need to include editing in it’s price or package
*Does your publishing company need to put your book on the shelves?
*Does your publishing company need to offer the e-book package?
*Are you looking to receive an advance for your book?
*Do you want complete control over your book?
*Do you need your book published within the year?
*Do you mind creating a proposal before be accepted?

Before we end today's Blog...
Follow us on Twitter. www.twitter.com/fromawriterspov
Signing Off,
Dominique Watson