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Writers Workshop

Jill Nagle is currently gearing up to teach the fourth-ever-anywhere Book Proposal Boot Camp, beginning January 19^th, 2004. For more information, and to sign up for a FREE Introductory/Q&A session, click here: http://www.GetPublished.com/about_boot_camp.asp

One thing we at GetPublished have noticed over our years of getting published and helping others get published is that no one path makes sense for everyone. Moreover, a path that makes sense for one book may not make sense for the next book from the same author.

How should you get published? The answer is, it depends. We’ll revisit more specifics below, but first, a conversation with Hal Zina Bennett.

Hal Zina Bennett is a publishing veteran with more than 30 books published, from presses large and small. As a coach, editor and ghostwriter, he has worked with many of the top names in the business, helping over 200 authors publish their books. Among them are a handful of New York Times bestsellers.

Yet, even with this résumé, Hal chooses to publish many of his own works himself, under the auspices of Tenacity Press, which he founded. I asked him why, and here’s what he said:

"Actually, I started Tenacity Press to keep my own books in print after they went out of print with larger publishers. Thereafter, I published a couple other books collaboratively with the authors--a poetry book and a book on numerology. I also published my own poetry that way, mostly because most poetry is published that way, but also for the fun of it. I enjoy the process of producing a book.

"Susan, my partner, and I have helped maybe a dozen or more people self-publish. Self-publishing is tough, of course. Examine your motives carefully before taking it on. I like the idea of having the freedom to do that, which new printing technologies, like POD, make possible. You know, painters can "produce" their paintings and hang them on the wall, or even give them away to friends, to have them seen and appreciated. Musicians can now produce their own high quality CDs and sell them at concerts. I like that you can do something similar in publishing--keeps freedom of expression alive at a time when mainstream publishing has become highly commercialized.

"Only a few of the 75,000 or so new titles published each year sell more than 10,000 copies, and certainly don't make any money for the authors. So why not publish yourself now and then, particularly when it is not a commercially viable book. Most of the books I've self published (with the exception of the poetry book) have sold over 1,000 copies, and are still selling. A couple have sold over 2,000. It's nice to have that many readers for some books.

"Meanwhile, I have to admit that most of my books have been published by mainstream publishers, so I don't make any claims to being a self-publishing guru. I do it out of a passion for freedom of expression.

Learn more about Hal’s books here: http://www.halzinabennett.com/HZBbooks.htm

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But What About Me?

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As an aspiring, or even a seasoned author, you may not be sure which path makes the most sense for your first or next nonfiction book. For example, you may wonder whether to bother creating a book proposal if you intend to self-publish. A book proposal is the document submitted to mainstream publishers that they use to decide whether or not to publish your nonfiction book.

Here are some things to consider. First of all, creating a book proposal takes anywhere from 10% to 25% (more or less depending on the girth of the proposal) of the effort required to write the book itself. Again, the book proposal serves as a marketing tool to convince publishers to take a chance on your book. However, in addition, a book proposal is also to an author much as a business plan is to an entrepreneur. It creates a road map for your success, and thus increases your chances of achieving your goals.

For example, a book proposal requires a section that analyzes competing and comparative books. Once you know something about the titles that will sit next to yours on the bookshelf, you’ll be better situated to craft the contents of your book in a way that stands out from the competition–and that helps garner better reviews from journalists who already know the work in your field! Wouldn’t you rather have that information now, while you still have the opportunity to correct any flaws in your book, than be subjected to public scrutiny later, after the book is already in print?

It’s the same with your promotion plan. Identifying the potential readers for your book, and planning out how you will reach them helps you map out this very important part of your publishing future, no matter which path you take.

By now, you might be asking, If I’m responsible for the book’s promotion anyway, given how little publishers usually put into this segment of the equation, might I not as well self-publish and get even more money per book?

It depends. Yes, self-publishing gives you the advantage of complete creative control over all aspects of the publishing process. It can also yield more (about three times as much) profit per book for the author. However, self-publishing demands a huge commitment of administrative time and energy, as well as the wherewithal to pursue and secure distribution channels that large publishers already have in place, assuming bookstores are one of the main places your book will be sold (many books find specialized audiences outside of bookstores).

A major publisher has other advantages. They can and should give you an advance, meaning an amount of money based on the royalties they think your book will earn you in the first few months. The publisher, not you, takes all the financial risk, and assumes all the responsibility for getting your book out into the world. The name of an established publisher on the spine of your book lends it–and you–a measure of legitimacy not immediately available to the self-publisher, though many self-publishers earn deep respect, large followings and zillions of dollars over time.

One way to pursue both paths at once is to complete your book proposal, seek an agent or publisher, and while you’re waiting around for responses, keep working on your book. That way, if you exhaust possibilities on the mainstream publishing front (and most people do give up way too soon–if you don’t have at least 40 rejections, you’ve still got quite a ways to go in the mainstream publishing world, unless your topic is highly specialized), you will have been working on your manuscript, and be that much farther along a self-publishing route.

To get an overview of the first three steps to publishing your nonfiction book, no matter what your ultimate path, sign up here for the FREE teleseminar "The First Three Steps to Publishing Your Nonfiction Book–No Matter What!"

http://www.teleclassinternational.com/catalog.phtml?keywords=Nagle

Held on most Wednesdays in November, December and January at 1PM Pacific/4PM Eastern, aspiring and ready-for-next-step authors call into a conference line from the privacy of their own home. You’ll come away with the basics in place to get your book published on whichever path you choose. Useful in and of itself, this introductory course is also the prerequisite to the fast-filling Book Proposal Boot Camps, which begin in January, September and May. See below for more information.

All the best to you in your journey, and keep me posted!

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by Jill Nagle