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I recently sent a request to the AWJ listserv inquiring about book publishing and received numerous replies.
AWJers agree that an early step in the publishing process is for authors to develop book proposals to send to agents and publishers to entice them into taking them on as clients. Depending on the publisher, sometimes authors should precede these with query letters, cover letters that introduce themselves and their books. I have received some recommendations for the
Writer’s Market, which contains valuable information about publishing.
Michele Weldon suggests reading Michael Larsen’s
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal and Jeff Herman’s
Guide to Literary Agents and Book Publishers.
One option to improve your manuscript is to hire a “book doctor,” an editor to help with the process of editing. This can prove helpful at various editing stages, says
Meg E. Cox, a book doctor, and freelance writer and editor. These can include helping to improve a book proposal, or to edit a work itself after it has proceeded through acquisitions, or is in the development process.
Multiple members made clear the specific benefits of having an agent, if you can get one. A high-quality agent will help you to improve your book proposal before you send it to publishers, to help you discover the best publishers to contact about your material, and to obtain useful terms in your contract. One clear-cut rule is to avoid any agent that requests payment upfront, before publishing. “Any agent who asks for a reading fee, or any other fee – turn around and leave as fast as you can,” says
Marion E. Gold, successful author of two books.
An alternative to actually establishing a professional relationship with a literary agent is reading their blogs online.
Janet Reid’s blog is one example of this, available at
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/. An agent’s Web site can provide solid information about submissions and etiquette, notes author
Elizabeth Bagby.
There is some debate about whether or not to self-publish. While
Cindy Richards, veteran Chicago journalist, indicates that she thinks an earlier stigma attached to self-publishing has disappeared, Weldon disagrees. “You can self-publish if you want. … But if you want to be respected on the next level, get a good agent who gets you a publisher,” says the author of three books in print, with one more in process. “Less than one percent of books submitted to publishers get published. … You want to be in the one percent club. That means your work is extremely valuable and valued by people who know great work,” Weldon advises.
A decision for or against self-publishing can also depend on your personal preferences. “A lot will depend on your energy, connections and willingness to promote yourself,” emails
Bev Bennett, author or co-author of nine cookbooks. Whether books become best-sellers depends somewhat on the marketing time that authors devote to publicizing them.
Whether or not a traditional publisher takes an interest in and ultimately publishes your work, the issues of marketing and gaining exposure remain. If a conventional publisher takes on your book project but neglects to agree to devote adequate dollars to a publicist, you may experience difficulty selling a large number of copies. “A good agent should be on top of this. Don’t assume anything about what the publisher will do to publicize your book. Ask,” says
Gail Marksjarvis, author of a well-respected book and an award-winning personal finance columnist for the
Chicago Tribune. Developing a marketing platform is key, not only to selling your book, but also to convincing an agent and a publisher to accept you as a client. “Publishers are now more interested in your marketing plan than your table of contents,” comments
Jan Lisa Huttner, Jewish United Fund News, Arts & Culture Critic, and Managing Editor of the Web site “Films for Two.”
Weldon advocates for persevering with your manuscript. “Do not throw in the towel. I say if you believe in it, keep going.”
Jessica Tobacman is a Chicago-area journalist who is interested in publishing a book on green remodeling. She has written articles on environmental topics for the Chicago Tribune, In These Times
magazine, Great Lakes Boating
, and A Fresh Squeeze
, and has been an AWJ member since 2006.