Archive for March, 2009
Most of us have dreams of writing a book one day but the statistics verify that the vast majority never complete the task. There are lots of reasons for this failure but one of the most important is that would-be authors have heard that publishers accept only a tiny percentage of the book proposals they receive. People have heard how difficult it can be and they give up on the task as a result.
Technology has changed a lot of things in the publishing industry, not to mention just about every other industry you can imagine. Not only is it easier for an entrepreneur to start a book publishing company but the costs of printing a small number of books has come down dramatically, allowing authors to avoid the prohibitive minimums that used to characterize the book printing business.
With these recent developments in mind, we need to re-introduce would-be authors to the new book-publishing landscape so they can re-evaluate the possibility of finally making their dream a reality. This article will review the three primary ways of getting a book published in the modern world. Future articles will cover the opportunities and challenges of each strategy.
The first way of getting a book published is the path that has existed for years and years. There are a number of huge publishing houses including Penguin, Random House and McGraw Hill that can do the job. But these industry elephants only work with proven authors and generally require you have a literary agent before they’ll even review the proposal. Of course, the upside is that these publishing giants are well respected, leaving you with better credibility and preferential shelf space within the major retailers.
The second strategy is to use a smaller independent publisher. There are more and more of these popping up everyday and they tend to specialize in one genre or another. Of course, there’s a wide variety of publishers within this category &ndash some very small and others quite well established &ndash but they all generally have full distribution channels in place, allowing your book to reach the same shelves as the big boys. Proposals are sent directly to the Acquisitions Editor for consideration and literary agents are optional.
The last strategy is by far the most common: self-publishing. Because printing minimum order quantities have come down so much in recent years, authors can quickly and easily print a few copies of their new book and risk less money than ever before. Obviously, this virtually eliminates one of the major barriers to entry and an estimated 90% of all books being published today are self-published.
The clear upside is that nobody can reject your proposal. If you want to write it and print it, go right ahead. And in many cases, the printing houses you would use to get the book put on paper have respectable distribution channels in place as well, meaning your book could theoretically reach the same shelves as those published by larger publishing companies. The downside is a lower degree of credibility but for many, that’s a small price to pay for their dream to get realized.
The important thing to remember is that regardless of the publishing method you choose, the majority of the marketing effort is left to the author. Even with the industry majors, it’s the author’s job to promote and sell his or her book. So if you have ambitions to publish your own book, sit down and think about how you’re going to sell it. If you have an answer to that question, you have a much better chance of getting accepted by the big boys.
I once read that if you were a writer, it wasn’t enough to just write. “You must publish what you write” was the given advice. I believe that’s true and it’s great advice. But when you do that, you have to know at least three things are going to happen: 1.) Someone will like your writing. 2.) Someone will dislike your writing. 3.) Someone won’t care! If you allow all these reactions to make or break you, you’ll be on an endless emotional roller coaster ride. You can smooth out the peaks and valleys, though, if you ask yourself a few questions.
Who is Saying it?
You may have heard the saying “consider the source”. That’s important when you’re weighing any commentary on your work. In the case of teachers, editors or book reviewers, you want to be confident that the person is truly objective and knows what they’re doing. If you’re sure of them, you can take what they say, good and bad, and learn from them. These aren’t people out to destroy you (usually!), so don’t shoot the messenger.
Once people in the real world start buying and reading your work, you’ll definitely hear about who loved it and who hated it. But pay close attention because there’s more to it than a love-hate relationship. My first novel was packaged in such a way that it looked like an urban romance when in fact it is a complex family drama. I knew people who picked up the book expecting a light romance would be sorely disappointed–and that’s exactly what happened when my novel was featured in a book-of-the-month club that specialized in selling urban romance. Many of their customers who bought my book hated it!
What Are They Saying?
If I had taken their criticism at face value, I would have felt like a failure. But all of the reader comments I saw on the club’s website: “Too slow, boring, not enough se*x” told me they were expecting a different kind of book–and I didn’t blame them! I would have been miffed too if I had expected “Valley of the Dolls” and ended up reading “War and Peace”! These readers were not in my target market, so the comments didn’t upset me.
Readers in my target market gave different feedback. Yes, they liked the book, but that wasn’t all: I could tell they had engaged with the book and had invested in the characters. Even comments about how frustrated they got with the main character were good because it meant they cared enough to be frustrated. If these readers had found the book slow and boring, I would have known for certain I had a problem.
Is it Consistent with What You Know of Your Work?
As a writer, you must know your own work well enough to help you decide what criticism makes sense and what doesn’t. I’ve said before that I believe most writers know in their heart when something is wrong or if they’re having problems with their material. If you know writing dialogue is difficult for you, there’s no reason to be hurt or surprised when someone says your dialogue is weak or unbelieveable. So do an open and honest evaluation of what the reader and/or critic is saying. Then you can…
Make a Decision: What Will You Do?
No matter where your feedback is coming from, it will always be your decision whether or not you do anything with it. Sometimes feedback will open up new ideas and you’re happy to rewrite based on those comments because you know the work will be better. Sometimes the book is already out there, and the feedback can only make you think about what you’ll do differently next time. Or maybe you won’t make a change at all. There’s a particular scene in my novel that’s so soap opera-ish it’s almost ridiculous. But I knew that when I wrote it and I wanted it to be that way because I wanted to show how love can make people do crazy things. I wasn’t going to change it.
But if I hadn’t been clear on my intentions for the scene, I would have felt horrible everytime it was brought up in a book group’s discussion. It was easier for me to stand up for my writing because I had been clear about what I was doing. So, for the sake of your writer’s heart, be clear–all the better to see your way through to a better book.
Mar
30
Graduation is one of the best periods in life, when everything seems so simple and possible. But once you have stepped into the big world with all the difficulties, there are a few important decisions to make. One of them includes your future plans, career in particular. Now there is something that requires weeks to think this over. To make the right choice one has to be informed about all the twist and spins in the job market and be prepared to fight one’s way to the top. It may seem highly improbable, but the demographical factor plays an important role in this situation. We observed a great internet developing boom recently and the rush continues. Young men and women choose professions related to computing. The possible reason for this is the gossip that internet business is a very profitable one and will prosper in the future. It is indeed a profitable business, but some of the companies appeared to be bankrupt; they overestimated their possibilities. Nevertheless there are some moments that are very easy to explain. For instance the demand for specialists in healthcare is a result of the ageing of the American nation.
Economy foundation drifts from goods production to services production since late fifties. United States is just a country among others that also experiences these drifts. The statistics of the Department of labor of the US shows that most demanded fields are education and healthcare. As it was already mentioned, healthcare specialists are needed because of the aging of the nation and ecological problems. But how can one explain simultaneous rise in the educational service if the population is ageing? There is a definite social factor in this. The role of women in the society has changed greatly. Now women make careers and take active part in life of the society. Therefore there is great demand for childcare specialists that are able to work in kindergartens while mothers work. The other reason is the development of “white collar” caste that grows yearly. Young men and women want to make careers in managing and marketing, but not engineering or industrial work.
The raise of business and professional service is also observed. These are the fastest growing sectors of the economy. There is also a rising demand for specialists in these areas, but the offer is also rising. It takes stamina and straightforwardness to acquire a good place in these sectors. Some agencies are overloaded with clients that would like to work in these spheres. How do they manage to satisfy their clients? They do not assist in actual employment process, but help establishing excellent resumes with outline, cover letters, portfolios and references. This helps people to get the best places with practically no effort.
It is difficult to break into the publishing industry as a new author, and even more difficult to get an acceptance letter from an editor at a large publishing house. As an author you will work hard to finish your book, and work even harder to find the right book publisher. The good news is you can tap into several types of publishers to publish your book. Here is a look at some common types of book publishing.
GROUP PUBLISHING: Group publishing is the process by which a large company publishes your work in the name of a larger company. For example, large publishing companies often operate smaller publishing companies. The larger publishing company serves as an umbrella over the smaller group publishing companies. Sometimes these companies operate several smaller companies and book imprints that produce different genres of writing and books. Sometimes this is referred to trade publishing. For example, a large publishing group may produce best-selling adult novels, but may also operate under a smaller name to produce certain non-fiction books, cookbooks, children’s books, or niche titles. Group publishing is a popular way to publish a book.
EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING: Educational publishing shares some likeness to trade publishing. These companies deal specifically with educational material. They may deal with only college textbooks, or they might deal with textbooks and materials for grades K-12. Besides textbooks, these companies might also produce other forms of educational material, which include posters, workbooks, CD-ROMS, software, testing material and maps. There are several big name educational publishing companies.
UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING: Better known as the “University Press,” this type of publishing is different from group publishing and it is not the same as scholarly publishing. These types of companies are usually non-profit. Universities, colleges and sometimes museums or other organizations operate these publishing imprints. These publishers usually publish books by scholars and other specialists. Besides distributing their books to bookstores, they also make their book titles available within the university system. Sometimes larger trade publishers publish these types of books.
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING: Independent publishers are often the best way to publish your book with established distribution channels. Independent publishers are generally small, privately-owned companies. Many times, these companies only publish a handful of books each year and they specialize in certain subjects. They have the freedom to publish just about anything they wish.
SOFTWARE and other MEDIA: You might consider software and other types of media as a publishing option. Think about the many e-books, CD-ROMs and digital downloads, many published by large and small publishing companies. These types of publishing companies are often associated with larger trade publishers. In fact, many large publishing companies have their own in-house media publisher to spawn the traditional paperback book into other types of media. Digital and alternate media is a huge, profitable business, and these publishers are just as important and lucrative as the large trade publishers.
As you can see, you can tap into various publishers who might consider publishing your book. If you are unlucky with a large trade publisher or group publisher, then don’t give up. Keep looking at the different types of publishing companies until you find one that wants to work with you and your book.
There are basically three options for getting your book published. You can try to get your book proposal accepted by one of the industry giants like Penguin or Random House but that’s a tough road. Those companies only work with proven authors or those who already have huge platforms and salivating audiences. Having said that, if you manage to get accepted, you’ll end up with a huge implied endorsement and a ton of indisputable credibility.
On the other end of the spectrum, you could self-publish your own book. The nice thing about this approach is that the only person who has to approve your book is you! If you want to publish your own book, go right ahead. In fact, given the advancements in technology, you can do exactly that and order as little as one book at a time. The downside is that the credibility is far lower than with a major publisher.
These two options seem to be on opposite ends of the continuum and indeed have plenty of differences between them. Luckily, there’s a third category that sits comfortably in the middle. It’s the category of smaller independent publishers and there are thousands of them. They range from very small mom and pop operations to well-established significant publishers. They tend to specialize in one genre or another and often become leaders in their area of expertise.
Soliciting the independent publishers is a great way for a new author to break into the market. Find one that specializes in your particular area and visit their website. They will tell you exactly how they want to be solicited and you’re well advised to follow their guidance. Find out exactly what they’re looking for and then cater your proposal to their specific requirements.
It’s not necessary to have a Literary Agent when soliciting independent publishers. Don’t get me wrong. Having an agent is always a good idea. But you do have some additional options when dealing with the niche players and many will accept proposals directly. Most want you to send it to their Acquisitions Editor but I recommend checking with their website before addressing the envelope.
Getting a book advance is less common when dealing with independent publishers. It’s not impossible but I wouldn’t bank on it. The upside is you’ll have more access to the people reviewing your proposal and that’s half the battle. Don’t pester them. They probably get a few hundred proposals each month. But a polite and well placed phone call rarely hurts and it gives the editor a chance to hear your speaking voice at the same time.
Becoming an author is something you only do once. Once you’ve published your first book, you will forever more be an author. And it can change your life, not to mention your career. Don’t waste your time approaching one of the industry giants when your odds of being accepted are significantly less than 1%. Instead, find an independent publisher that specializes in the subject you’re considering and target your efforts accordingly.
Tactical Execution has made a business of helping others achieve their goals. We provide implementation solutions for a wide variety of marketing objectives and all our programs are designed to maximize immediate results. Please visit the website to take advantage of all the free resources available there.
Mar
30
There are two main reasons to write a business proposal. Either someone has invited you to submit a RFP (Request for Proposal); or you are trying to gain support or funding from your employer or another organization.
When drafting a proposal the most important thing to keep in mind is that the reader is looking for benefits; they want to know how your product, service, or idea adds value to their operation. Therefore your proposal must be well-written and it also must clearly indicate how you can fulfill a current need.
Here are a few tips to help you improve your proposal:
1. Make the proposal about your customer. A proposal is not the time to tell about your mission, your locations, or how long you have been in business. Instead you should state how these (or any other) aspects benefit your client.
2. Show and don’t tell. Do not tell your prospect what you can do for them, but show them using clear examples. Avoid unsubstantiated hype like “best value”, “low risk”, and “cutting edge”; unless you are willing to prove it.
3. Be careful not to include irrelevant information. If you are making the proposal about the reader, and showing instead of telling, then you should have no problem with this.
4. If you are responding to a RFP, read the request more than once. You want to ensure that you completely grasp the requirements.
5. Show your creditability. Who have you worked with before? How did you help them and how does that relate to the company you are submitting this proposal to?
6. Watch your language. It is very important to make sure your proposal is politically correct. Additionally, you want to avoid jargon unless it is commonly known in the field you are targeting. Also, avoid writing in passive voice.
7. Include samples if it is appropriate. This is a great way to show that you are capable of handling the job.
8. Be specific. State your time frame for completing the project and your rates (if applicable). This will help eliminate differences in expectations.
9. Above all, if you are a poor writer, seek assistance. Proposal writing is time-consuming and it requires a certain amount of skill.
If you want to write a novel, but are putting it off until the kids are grown, I have two words for you: Don’t wait. It’s possible to raise a happy, healthy family and still follow your writing dream. And that’s true whether you’re single or married. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or work outside the house.
You may think I’m crazy - how can you find time to write when you’re already so busy you barely have time to sleep?
It can be done.
J.K. Rowling quite famously penned the first of her Harry Potter series in a coffee shop with her baby napping in a buggy. I wrote my first novel, Flip-Flopped, in two years by setting my alarm for 5 a.m. every day and squeezing in writing before work, and then stealing any other time I could. I’d write a scene while my son built a Lego castle, or do some editing while he was planted in front of the TV for a half hour.
A mother of two small children, Allison Pearson turned her frustrations as a mom into the best-selling novel, I Don’t Know How She Does It. She’s admitted that being a mom and trying to write a novel is difficult - “like having a secret third child in the house that you have to go and play with when the other two have gone to bed,” she’s said. Still, she managed to finish in a year, even with holding a job part of the time.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to sweep aside everything in order to write. There’s this assumption that writing a novel means countless hours of uninterrupted time-just you alone in a cabin somewhere with nothing but pen and paper and maybe a plate of Oreos. That’s not only impossible for most people, it’s not even preferable. Some of your best writing inspiration will come from life. If you make writing a part of your day-to-day routine, you’re far more likely to stick with it.
Some tips for combining motherhood with a writing career:
1. Schedule it in. A friend of mine has a regular 8 - 9 p.m. date with her computer. Barring a broken leg or the house burning down, she never misses it, and she rarely goes over. Knowing she has a limited time spurs her to be productive.
2. Lower your standards, at least when it comes to housework. Could the floor go one more day without sweeping? Could you use bottled pasta sauce instead of making it from scratch? Yes, June Cleaver always did everything perfectly, but she didn’t write a novel. She also wasn’t real.
3. Involve your kids. Plunk them down next to you with crayons and paper while you write. Dub it your “creative time.”
4. Be the tortoise. Forget every story you’ve ever heard about how this or that author wrote a book in a month. Writing your novel will take as long as it needs to take. If you stick with it, you’ll eventually get to the end.
5. Delegate. Women often get stuck with the housework because they feel they’re the only ones who can do it “right.” Give jobs away to your husband or kids, and resist the urge to re-do them - even if the towels aren’t folded right or the stove doesn’t gleam the way it should.
6. Consider starting small. If writing a novel seems overwhelming, start with a short story or even some of the super-short “flash fiction” that’s popular right now. The bonus: It’s easier to get short pieces published on the Internet, so you can amass clips.
7. Banish guilt. As women, it’s hard for us to take time for ourselves. If you’re feeling guilty about spending time writing, remember the saying, “kids learn what they see.” What your children will see is you plugging away at making one of your dreams come true. Isn’t that at least as important as a perfectly clean house?
One of the difficulties a writer faces is reviewing their work in an attempt to locate all errors. There are generally two forces that work against a writer who attempts to ensure their work is error-free.
1. Being too close to the work you have difficulty concentrating on the writing.
2. You know what you want to say so it is possible you read over mistakes simply because your mind only sees your impression of the article.
In order to be effective in proofreading your own material you have to work hard at reading every word…
Refuse to speed through simply because you know what the writing says.
Consider each word, then each phrase and then the context of the thought.
Does the article flow or are there phrases that bog it down?
Check punctuation and grammar.
Look at the headline and make sure it is correct.
Do the above all over again.
Most often the best personal proofing requires multiple readings and ongoing edits. The key to the entire process is discipline &ndash personal and professional discipline.
Check and recheck the facts in your story and when possible allow another set of eyes to proofread your writing. They will likely see things that you missed.
There is another myth that is closely linked to proofreading and that is the myth of the perfect story. Anything we write will either have a shelf life because styles and accepted practices change or we have missed something in the arena of consistency, grammar, spelling or word use.
If we keep a piece of writing under lock and key until such time as we think it’s perfect we will likely find that the article will never see publication. You can go over your article with a fine tooth comb and you are likely to see some error when it is finally published.
Writing should be taken seriously, yet not so seriously that the stress of word crafting removes the joy that caused you to become a writer in the first place.
The best advice may be to simply write your story first and worry about fixing any problems afterward. If you stop writing in the midst of your story in order to correct trouble spots you are likely to lose the spontaneity of the storyline. This can ultimately have a detrimental effect on the overall reading satisfaction of the consumer.
If you have to be a perfectionist wait until the story is complete and then get out your red pen and make a few alterations.
As you probably have already guessed, I have a problem. I am seriously battling with procrastination and I think I’m doing very well so far. You see, the good news is that I am not ashamed or too afraid to admit it, and neither should you be. I bet you’re saying to yourself right now, “I don’t have a problem.” Well I am here to tell you that there is hope for you. We will overcome this, together, but the first step towards recovery is being able to admit the problem. To make it a little bit easier for you, I will go first&ndash‘Hi, my name is Siobhan and I am a procrastinator.’ You see, that wasn’t so bad. So, are you ready to admit that you should be doing something else right now besides reading this? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us; literally.
Wouldn’t that be something if there really was a Procrastinators Anonymous Association (PAA)? The thought sounds good, but I’m not too sure about how good of an idea it would be to actually start one. I can already foresee a few hurdles with having a PAA; for one, members may keep postponing the meetings for no apparent reason. Another thing is there would probably not be enough room to hold almost every single person in the world. Let’s face it, we all procrastinate. As a matter of fact, we are all experts at it and lucky for us it isn’t as bad as is made out to be.
As a writer, procrastination gives me a chance to think about my book while I’m doing something else in place of writing it. What better way is there to make use of all that time other than using it to contemplate new ideas, fine tune details, and get everything just right before I actually sit down to write? I once read somewhere that the biggest procrastinators tend to be very creative and intelligent. I am in no way making excuses for my procrastination; instead, learned to just appreciate and accept it.
It may sound crazy but I believe that the rest of the world also loves it when I procrastinate. Suddenly, everyone seems to get my undivided attention. My dog gets walked for a few extra minutes, phone calls get answered, and even missed calls get returned. It also seems to be the times when my stomach talks to me more than usual and the best songs come on the radio that I just can’t resist singing along to. The even crazier thing about it is I only procrastinate like this when it comes to writing. I don’t know why I do it, but it always seems to happen. I became curious and asked some other writers, artists and creative people if they experience anything similar. To my surprise, I was not alone. That is when I decided to write off my procrastinating tendencies as a trait that all writers and artistic people are just born with.
As a person who thirsts for knowledge, I did some research and found out that writers are known to procrastinate. Many well known writers are considered to be some of the biggest procrastinators. Inspiring isn’t it? If you really think about it, procrastinating can indeed be useful and necessary at times because it allows the writer to let go. Sometimes when you hold on to an idea too tight or try to force creativity, it seems to pack up and take a vacation somewhere, leaving you frustrated. But when you just let it go, it comes to you as naturally as feeling the warm sun against your skin. It’s no different than trying to remember that name that on the tip of your tongue. As long as you spend wrecking your brain trying to remember it, it never comes; but the second you stop trying and just let it go, doesn’t the name blurt out of your mouth as if you weren’t even trying to remember it in the first place? Some things are just unexplainably strange.
So now that I have admit my problem, which in essence has turned out to be not much of a problem at all, can you admit to being a procrastinator and accept the rewards and benefits that come with resourcefully killing time? I know one thing; it may have taken me 20 hours to write something that could have possibly been done in less than an hour, but who is to say that I would have came to these conclusions that fast? I want to give a special thanks to those four chocolate chip cookies that I ate, the glass of milk that helped wash it down, my supposedly housebroken dog for making “mess” on the floor, and my computer for acting up and erasing those much needed files. I am a procrastinator par excellence.
Children are fond of copying almost anything they see, especially if it’s performed by an adult. Most kids now are familiar with the computer, and the many features of this amazing thing. But copying is not always interpreted with its literal meaning. There’s this process which is considered an art in itself that only well-experienced and dedicated persons can do, and this is called copy writing.
What then is copy writing? Since the birth of the internet, there have been a lot of opportunities for people who want to earn money. And copy writing is just one of them. Copy writing is defined as the art or process which involves writing marketing and sales related materials. Its primary objective is to promote a certain person, opinion, business, or idea. Different areas of business like business plans, sales letters, advertising, and other media are using copy writing. Through this process, the business is able to persuade readers or listeners to act.
Copy writing can’t be done effectively by just any individual. The person responsible for carrying out this work must follow certain principles, like:
- Knowing your very own product, this is the foundation of effective and efficient copy writing; if you know what your product is, it is easier for you to be passionate and believe in such product. It is quite unethical to sell or advertise something that you haven’t tried yourself.
- Who are your customers? In order to write the best copy writing ever possible, you must know your target customer. Identify the specific person (he/she is an executive or a homemaker), their age range, sex, etc. what you’re writing should suit your readers needs and not yourself. Test your website; most prospects leave the site because it is quite confusing or tedious.
- The benefits; your website’s home page should not contain your mission; the people cares about what benefits you can give to them whether you can make them rich, entertain, feel better, or save time. If you can catch the reader’s interest, then you’re at it.
- You have to establish trust; credibility is one thing especially on the net where you can’t actually see who your customers are, you can offer free trials, testimonials, guarantee for money back if they are not satisfied, and most of all, never forget to put your contact numbers, email addresses, or you can even put a picture of yourself. Make it appear as if you’re sitting beside each other and talking.
- Use short headings since most people only scan a home page; you must be able to grab their attention.
- There are word which you should often not use like if, should, but, could, and the like. It is best for you to use words as proven, free, breakthrough, discover, learn, benefit, complete, first, exclusive, and other positive words. Avoid using too many ‘me’ or ‘I’.
- Make it short but don’t disregard its quality.
- You have to create a sense of urgency, a time limit, for the reader to act immediately.
- You must be able to hook your prospects the very first time they enter your site.
- Grammar, spelling, and formatting; your sales effort can be killed all because of typos. Errors pertaining to grammar, exclamation marks, and caps are a big no in copy writing.
If you incorporate all this principles in copy writing, then it is a sure fire hit.