Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is not being published. It's being printed. There's a difference. Paying for your typed pages to be bound is not the same as your work being bought, edited, marketed, and sold to the public by a market savvy team of individuals whose job it is to get your book in the hands of readers.
Self-publishing should only be considered after you've exhausted all other resources. Actually, after exhausting all resources... maybe you should take the hint and rewrite.
I'm not writing a book, but I've always heard that its very hard to get anyone to look at your book because they get so many in to look at. I was reading the thread by cpg regarding writers. cpg, didn't you say you have had a book published? I know if you are a "celebrity", they will hop right on it because they know they will sell a lot, but how does a first time non-celebrity go about getting published? I read where someone said "Do not self publish." Wouldn't that be better than nothing at all?
Ashton Kutcher or Britney Spears could write a book and it will probably get picked up with no problems, but top writers like Stephan King sometimes have ideas that get turned down.
The steps to getting published are well established and are all over the net, just google it and read away.
Self-publishing can either be fulling or a rip-off, depending on who you go through. I am writing a book and did the whole 'agent' thing and now I am looking to self-publish through Lulu.com. Going the traditional route and self-publishing both have their ups and downs. I am choosing Lulu for reasons that I do not feel like typing write now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jess5
I have several friends who have books published, but it's of the "Harlequinesque" genre. They say those publishers don't care how similar they are because they sell. (I don't know how, I don't know anyone who reads them) They have tried to get me to write them.
These books are a dime a dozen, cheaply priced and yes, they are pretty much all the same. They are also the easiest form of book for a first time writer to have published. Why? Because they are generally cheap, quick reads that are sold at airports, train stations, gas stations, bus stations and any where else some one is going to need something to do for a few hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jess5
How about children's books? I've seen some that were so simple, it's amazing that they were published. (Do they get any simpler than Hello Moon?) Do you have to do the illustrations also? Does erotica sell well? I would think that would be an easy genre to write as well.
I don't think that children's books are as easy to publish nowadays due to the overwhelming concern now to not insult anyone.
Erotica sells extremely well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jess5
Should you write what you love to read? I like mind bending, psychological thrillers. I could even write a memoir about my crappy childhood, but how would I go about getting a publisher?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jess5
Thanks for your answers.
Memoirs generally sell pretty well (something about that inner voyeur inside everyone), but I don't think that you should write books based on what you love to read. The logic being that you will essentially be writing everything that you feel is missing in the genre. Maybe you will score, but you will probably fail because most genres are formulaic and what works, works.
That shouldn't stop you from writing what you want, though.
I thought that you weren't writing a book?
Like I said, google any questions regarding becoming being published.
link to peditors and editors. I found that the "agent/editor" I have been working with is not recommended on this site. Her name is Diane Raintree. I am passing on that it is a conflict of interest for her to be both.
link to peditors and editors. I found that the "agent/editor" I have been working with is not recommended on this site. Her name is Diane Raintree. I am passing on that it is a conflict of interest for her to be both.
that is a VERY good site! I forgot to mention it the first time. basic rule of thumb: the only thing you should be paying for is postage. if you have to pay for anything beyond this (ie, reading fees, agent fees, publishing/editing costs, marketing, etc), you are being scammed*. agents don't get paid by the author, they take a cut of the money the author receives. be wary of any agent or editor that charges anything
*someone did tell me once that there are a very, very few select writing contests that charge fees. in cases like those, paying that entrance/reading fee may be worth it is the fee is low but the prize is high (grand prize is usually a contract w/ a good publishing company)
okay, I was seriously considering writing my "life story" but since I don't have the time or the inclination to get everyone's permission to write about them so I don't get sued...I was gonna write it, as fiction, even though it is based on my life. How well do you think that would work?
I've always been against self-publishing as I have thought it was not a good thing in the eyes of the literary world. Then my sister self-published her personal story of human trafficking. I work with her to promote her book and obtain speaking engagements. I've quickly learned the value of self-publishing and yes, it is a lot of hard work, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
I've been working on a fictionalized version of a true story and have decided to throw the agent out the door and do it myself. Best of luck to all who choose this path!
I considered self-publishing it many times, but I feel like I'm doing my own work a disservice for some reason. Stephen King didn't do it, Maya Angelou didn't do it, all the writers I love and admire didn't, and I want what they have. Does that sound smug? I'm sorry if it does. If I wrote a self-help book, or a gardening book, or something along those lines, I'd self-publish. Since I am writing a more literary novel, I'd really rather "be published."
link to peditors and editors. I found that the "agent/editor" I have been working with is not recommended on this site. Her name is Diane Raintree. I am passing on that it is a conflict of interest for her to be both.
This is exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you so much Pocono!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
