What You Should Know About Being a Published Author

What You Should Know About Being a Published AuthorWhat You Should Know About Being a Published AuthorWhat can a newly published author expect from publishing his or herbei book? There are thrills from being a published author Your name in print on a book jacket, having your words in print, and the respect of having accomplished publishing your work. But those who arepublishing a book for the first time, or who aspire to, might have unrealistic expectations of the publishing experience. Below are some of the unrealistic expectations that authors might have when starting out and how to deal with them. Youll Earn Enough Money to Quit your Day Job Many authors write booksbecause they have a passion for the subject theyre writing about or the story they want to tell. Although some authors earn a living writing books, the vast majority of book writers rely on other sources of income. Even best-selling authors couldnt quit their day jobs right away. Tom Clancy sold insurance while writ ing his first military and espionage novels. John Grisham was an attorney who carved out a time to write his first legal thriller, A Time To Kill, in the early hours of the morning before he needed to appear in court. Although his first book had only modest sales, when he made adjustments and penned The Firm, he became a best-selling author. Mystery writer P. D. James wrote quite a number of books while supporting her two children and caring for her mentally ill husband by working as a civil servant. Your Finished Work Will Match Your Original Manuscript Once you sign a contract with a traditional book publisher, youre in partnership to create the book, and you both have input in the production and design of the end product. From trimming the fat of your language (akin to killing your babies) to altering the logical flow of the chapters, your book editor will have much to say about how your text will look in print. While your editor is there to make the book the best it can be, the two of you may not always agree on whats best for the finished book. If youre going to publish, its good to be prepared for collaboration and the occasional creative differences. For detailed information about the editorial process, read about what happens to your manuscript after you submit it to an editor and about a book publishers editorial department. Of course, you can self-publish your book, but youll need to budget enough money and time for the process of writing, editing, book packaging, and jacket designs. Even then, some ebook publishing services have restrictions on content. Your Job is Finished when You Hand in the Manuscript If you find a publisher for your book, the chances are the publishing house chose you for your absatzwirtschaft and mediaplatformas well as your manuscript. Although publishing houses have marketing staffs, the editorial and marketing strategy will involve the author. Most writers will need to work hard at promoting their own books in ord er to be successful. Authors may be required to more promoting than the in-house book marketing and publicity staff. Most marketing staffs are working on several books simultaneously. Its important that authors build a platform through their website and gain a following of readers that love their work. To get ahead of the book promotion curve, familiarize yourself with this overview of book publicity and marketing, learn how to create your book publicity and marketing campaign, understand content marketing for authors, and be sure to take ansicht six critical book promotion steps before your book is published. You Get to Choose and Design Your Book Jacket The jacket that appears on your book is usually the work of a book art department informed by the opinions of everyone from the editor, the publisher, the marketing and PR departments to the sales representatives. Youll Get a Book Tour Theres a slight chance you might. But touring authors around the country is very expensiv e. With so much opportunity for effective internet promotions like virtual book tours, there are fewer and fewer of the non-virtual, several-city variety book tours being offered by publishers. The Publisher Will Throw You a Book Party Book parties are expensive, and since they rarely generate sales, its typically left up to the author even for fairly high-profile authors. Of course, being an author does come with bragging rights. But youll have a happier experience if you have realistic expectations at the onset and dont count on quitting your day job, at least, not just yet