Author: lifevestpublishing

The world of children’s book publishing firms is quite an exciting one. For authors of children’s book, they far and away represent the number one prospective source for publication. It goes without saying that one’s chances of publication improve dramatically when one seeks out a publisher whose needs match the product that one is trying to sell. Therefore, those who attempt to publish children’s story books with mainstream publishers might find themselves fighting a needlessly difficult battle. Instead of tilting at windmills like this, many have turned down the less trodden path of pursuing deals with specialty children’s book publishing services, with the end result being that they’re able to get their works in print faster, with a greater degree of attention given to their individual works… as well as their contract.

For those who intend to submit their works to a children’s book publishing house, there are quite a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost is that not all children’s literature is made the same way. There are lavishly illustrated picture books for young children that hardly contain any text at all. There are books for slightly older children with more complex stories, and young adult novels that begin to incorporate meaningful, and sometimes dark, social themes about the situations that they will deal with as an individual growing up in today’s society. Then again, there are those works which are equally appealing to both an adult and a children’s audience such as the recent Lemony Snicket books, or Roald Dahl’s famous classics. Whatever the case, each children’s book publisher in the market tends to focus on at least one type of children’s book to the exclusion of the others, and for this reason it pays to do research. If one submits their work to the most appropriate candidate, it seems obvious that their chances for publication will increase accordingly.

For those others who are still asking, “Where can I find someone to print my children’s book?”, there’s another point that they might well be overlooking: submission guidelines. The reality of the publishing industry is that it receives millions of submissions each and every year. Therefore, a manuscript not only has to be of astonishing quality in order to stand out – it also has to follow submission guidelines. Imagine that you were an editor and your guidelines stated that you accepted only typewritten, double-spaced submissions, printed on one side of the paper. Now, imagine that you receive two manuscripts. The first follows all of your specifications to the tee. The other, however, is handwritten in crayon on both sides of the paper, with the words jumbled so closely together that it gives you a headache to read them.

Which of these two are you more likely to throw on the top of the slush pile without even bothering to read it?

As we’ve said, the world of children’s book publishing is very competitive and intense. However, there are certain fundamental techniques that can be employed to improve one’s chances of publication, and many of them are just plain common sense. Authors ignore them at their own risk.

About the Author:

Author bio:-LifeVest Publishing, Inc. is a Worldwide Independent Publisher, currently publishing in four countries and in four languages. They are a book publishing company specializing in Christian publishing and youth book publishing. LifeVest Publishing, Inc. provides quality, affordable children’s book publishing to the writer seeking a high-caliber print publisher.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Children’s Book Publishing

Author: Ruth Barringham

There is a big difference between writing a book and getting it published. When you first begin to write a book it seems like such a mammoth task, but trying to get a publisher or agent interested in your work is much harder.

So when you finish writing your first book you then have a choice.

You can begin with the time consuming, and quite costly job, of sending out your manuscript to as many literary agents and publishers as possible. This takes a lot of time to do and it can easily stretch into months, or even years, before anyone even takes the slightest bit of interest in your manuscript.

And the sad thing about it, is that most new authors are turned down by the major publishing companies. Most publishers prefer to publish books of writers they already know because they feel that unknown authors are too much of a financial risk.

But if, per chance, you were very lucky to get your book published with a publishing company, it could still be years before it actually is published and even then, you’d have to do all your own marketing and book promotions and all at your own cost.

The alternative to all this is to self publish your own books.

Some authors think that books that are self published won’t sell. But any good book will make sales if it’s marketed correctly and consistently.

The beauty of self publishing is that you can publish one book or several books and it will just keep getting easier. You see, once you’ve been through the publishing process and published one book, it’s easier to repeat the process with your next book, and your next.

If you wanted to you could even set up your own publishing company and publish as many books as you write. And the best thing about publishing your own books is that you get to stay completely in control of your own work. You get to choose the book design, the cover, the price AND you get to keep all the profits.

And when it comes to marketing, it doesn’t take much more time to market one book or a dozen books. You can send out a flyer to promote one book or a whole catalogue to promote them all.

Writing and publishing books gives you a passive income which means you don’t have to work yourself to death. You just write something once, publish it and then get paid over and over again.

And self publishing is so easy and it doesn’t cost a lot. To publish a book and sell it through online book stores, you don’t even have to leave your home. You can work from anywhere in the world, set your own hours and just keep writing and publishing.

Why not give it a try? Unless, of course, you’re not serious about being a published author…

About the Author:

Learn more about self publishing at SelfPublishWorldwide.com. Sign up for regular monthly self publishing updates and download your free self publishing report from the home page.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Self Publishing a Book is so Easy Now

Author: Michael McCain

Like any other author who has also had given up on ever seeking traditional publisher’s attention, Lisa Genova rose to the occasion and technically did the entire publishing process herself. Of course, by self-publishing her book, she actually heralded a success story that became everyone’s favorite.

Lisa, the proud author of her self-published book Still Alice, is very much happy with how it all turned out. Before starting on her book publishing experience, she also harbored hopes on being picked up by a publishing house.

For a year, she did the inevitable: blogs, campaigns, queries and all that book publishing jazz until she reached quite a substantial audience. An agent in time chanced upon her crusade and finally got her to sign up on a contract.

Ten months was all it took for her book to be finally at the hands of an agent who sold the rights to Pocket Books. The newly edited book of hers was released January of this year by Pocket Books publishing house.

When interviewed about her views on self-publishing, Lisa explained that the reason she self-published her book was because she couldn’t make any headway on the conventional road to a book deal. Her self-publishing goal was to get an enthusiastic and sizable audience for Still Alice. If creating a buzz was entirely her aim, she definitely came to the right place for self-publishing companies do more than stir a crowd.

Lisa gives this advice for everyone who has already self-published their book: “Get a website. Network online. Write your own press release and post it free at www.pr.com. If you can start to feel the vibration of a buzz and you have the money, you might want to consider hiring a book publicist to assist you in your efforts. Say yes whenever possible. Be tenacious. This is likely to be a marathon, not a sprint. Be sincerely grateful to everyone who helps you on your journey, because it will take a village to raise a self-published book. And remember to enjoy it all!”

Lisa Genova did it with Still Alice. So why not get started on that book now? What is your book’s name?

About Xlibris
Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, please visit http://www.xlibris.com/requestkit/index.asp?src=apr&key=kr , e-mail [email protected] or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.

About the Author:

Xlibris is a book publisher founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Still Alice Book Author Advocates Self Publishing

Author: Brian Scott

You’ve spent many nights working on your book. You’ve rewritten it, edited it, and you used a professional proofreader to proof it. Your book is done – finally — and you’re ready to send your precious manuscript off to a publisher, thinking that writing it was the hardest part.

In reality, getting your blood, sweat and tears published may be the hardest part of the whole process. You’ll need to decide if your book requires a publisher, or if you’d rather self-publish your book. Both venues have pros and cons, some of which I discuss below.

To work with a book publisher, you’ll need to send out query letters and/or a book proposal. This is a letter or a few pages briefly describing your text, why your book is unique, characteristics of your target market, and how you can help market your book. Most publishers don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, so you’ll need to convince them to read yours, or find a literary agent to represent you. If a book publisher requests that you forward your entire manuscript, you have one foot in the door. Be prepared to send more than one query and don’t expect a response next week. An excellent software program to help format your manuscript and create a book proposal is called Wizards For Word at http://www.wizardsforword.com

Publishers look for three things: platform, hook, and execution. This means a writer should have a built-in audience (ideally, a national platform such as a radio or TV show or a column in a major publication), an interesting hook, and strong writing skills.

The problem if you’re an unagented author is that most publishers won’t take your call or read your proposal. Then even if they do, you’ll have a tough time creating a bidding war or running an auction to get the best offer, and you also won’t have leverage negotiating the important deal points, such as ancillary rights and royalties.

There are writer’s guides that serve as excellent resources to find publishers and literary agents who specialize in your particular genre. These guides list the percentage of new authors published as well as the percentage of sales they pay. You may find pay rates ranging from 5-10% of sales. Some pay on wholesale sales and others on the retail amount. Do the math. Perhaps your book will retail for $14.95 and the publisher will pay 6% on retail. This means you will earn 90 cents per book sold. Of course don’t forget that the publisher is doing all the printing, distributing, and marketing of your text.

Another route you may want to consider is self-publishing. Self-publishing requires you to print, distribute and market your book using your money, but you will also retain all profits. There are book printing companies as well as companies that specialize in assisting self-publishers through every step along the way.

Many authors debate which method is better, using a publishing company or self publishing your own book. You know your situation and you know what will work best for you. You’ll want to consider how much time or money you have to invest in the project. That should give you an idea which route to take. Using a publisher takes less time on your part, but you’ll forfeit some of the royalties by using this method. If you self publish, you’ll have to pay “up front costs” and do the initial legwork to begin generating sales for your book. Either way, publishing is your call. With persistence and hard work you can get your book in the marketplace.

About the Author:
Learn how to become a published book author! Download Brian’s free e-book, Book Writing for Fun and Profit, at www.BookCatcher.com. Visit Brian’s blog, Book Publishing News.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Should I Self-publish Or Pitch My Book To A Publisher?

Author: Dee Power

Is it getting easier or more difficult for an unpublished writer to get their first book commercially published? We asked nearly 60 literary agents about the outlook for the next generation of authors. Their comments are in quotes.

Agents do not envision a great deal of change on the horizon. They are mildly negative about the next 12 to 24 months. When asked the reasons behind their forecast, the most common responses were:

Industry Consolidation, Changes Within the Publishing Industry Itself
Changes in Book Retailing
Publishers are Becoming More Risk Averse
The Pessimists
The Optimists
The Impact of the National Economy

Industry Consolidation, Changes Within the Publishing Industry Itself

“Editors no longer rely on their instincts and passions as selection criteria; instead they go by such formulas as, Bad Numbers, Author has no Platform etc.”

“Continuing consolidation and conglomeration of industry.”

“For non-fiction works, in particular, publishers need credentialed writers, which leaves out the many individuals who have great ideas but nothing to back it up. With fiction, they are more likely to take a chance on an unpublished writer IF it is in an area (genre) they are seeking at the time and the writing is passable enough.”

Changes in Book Retailing

“Because of the pressure of the chain buyers, publishers are increasingly locked into publishing only the brand new authors with no record, and best selling authors.”

“Because as long as the retail market continues to consolidate in the hands of fewer and fewer retailers, the entire industry becomes dependent on the taste of a small handful of ‘buyers’ who choose which books get shelf space.”

Publishers are Becoming More Risk Averse

“It just seems like it’s getting harder and harder to get people to take a chance on an unknown.”

“Editors are buying fewer books, they are reluctant to take chances.”

“What does keep projects from being bought is the fact that lists are shrinking, and in a marketplace in which it’s terribly hard to win anyone’s attention, from buyers all the way to customers, everyone up the editorial chain is anxious about making the wrong bet more often than not. No is a safe answer.”

The Pessimists

“I base this on the number of rejection letters publishers have sent for well-written, well-plotted novels by new authors that would have sold if given the chance.”

“I don’t see the market picking up much, and if the current trends continue, it will only decline.”

The Optimists

“Because I don’t agree that the publishing industry is either for or against unpublished writers. They are FOR unpublished writers who have a brilliant first novel to offer or a nonfiction platform. They are AGAINST unpublished writers who are bad writers or (in the case of nonfiction, are not credentialed in their field, have a new original, high concept idea etc.)”

“The Industry is not a monolithic thing. Some genres (nonfiction especially, which more and more requires the author to have a major platform for promotion and media attention) will continue to become more difficult; some genres (upmarket fiction) exalt first-time writers. The “first novel” for literary fiction represents a unique marketing opportunity for the publisher; it’s the second and third novels that tend to be far more difficult to publish well if the first novel doesn’t take off.”

“Some trends favor new writers and new voices, however the money is often discouragingly small, so there is not the sense of a career being launched.”

The Impact of the National Economy

“Publishing is an increasingly tough biz in tough times–fewer people read.”

So What Can a Debut Author Do?

1) Study the elements of a good query letter.

2) Make your contact letter succinct, positive, but not obnoxious. Stress that you understand the market for your book and how to address that market.

3) Learn what types of manuscripts individual agents are looking for and send yours out to the agents that match up the best with your topic or genre.

4) Don’t give up.

About the Author:

Dee Power is the author of several commercially published books. Find out more about her at her website or read her blog

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Get a Book Published? The Road to Publication Might be Getting a Little Rougher