If you want to write a book and have it published by a reputable traditional publisher, then you need to demonstrate to an agent and publisher that your book will sell, and there is one very specific piece of information that you need to share in order to help prove your worth in terms of generating revenue. That one thing is different for nonfiction authors than it is for fiction authors, and of course, there are a lot of other aspects of your writing and experience that play into an agent or publisher’s decision to offer you a contract or [Read more…]
Book Writing and Publishing FAQ
What's the Most Important Thing You Need to Get an Agent or Publisher?
October 25, 2010. Leave a Comment
Book Writing and Publishing FAQ – What Should the Title of My Book Be?
The Real Deal about Book Titles
October 18, 2010. 1 Comment
You have an idea for a great book or you’ve already written your manuscript and need to create the perfect title. That title needs to appropriately convey the tone of your book but also catch the attention of a literary agent, publisher and readers. That’s a tall order! My best advice when it comes to choosing a title for your book is this — don’t let it stress you out completely. The reason is simple — no matter what you name your book in your manuscript, the publisher has the last word on what the title will be, and that [Read more…]
Book Writing and Publishing FAQ – How Long Should My Fiction Book Be?
Word Counts by Genre
October 14, 2010. 1 Comment
Last week, I wrote about how long nonfiction books should be in the Book Writing and Publishing FAQ series. Today, I’m going to tackle fiction. Before I dive in, I want to remind you that there are exceptions to every rule and the word counts provided here are simply suggested guidelines. In order to offer word count targets for your fiction book, you need to consider two things: your book’s genre and the current market trends. In other words, there are acceptable word count targets for young adult fiction that are not the same as the word count targets for [Read more…]
Book Writing and Publishing FAQ – How Long Should My Nonfiction Book Be?
Making Sense of Word Count
October 7, 2010. 4 Comments
A very common question among aspiring writers is related to how much they actually need to write before their nonfiction manuscript can be considered complete. In other words, how long should a nonfiction book be? Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer to that question. However, the reason is simple — the publisher usually determines the word count that they want for a nonfiction book. The publisher determines this number by weighing production costs against projected sales numbers. The publisher also reviews the competitive market to see what else is already available and how those books are selling. In other [Read more…]
Book Writing and Publishing FAQ – Do I Need a Literary Agent?
The Pros and Cons of Having a Literary Agent Represent You to Publishers
September 21, 2010. 2 Comments
Many aspiring authors are confused about whether or not they need a literary agent in order to get their books published. The short answer to this question is no, you don’t have to have a literary agent to get a publishing contract. However, it’s not necessarily that simple. This post helps you understand the pros and cons of having a literary agent, so you can determine whether or not you want to try to secure an agent before you try to sell your book to a publisher. The Pros of Having a Literary Agent There are two primary benefits to [Read more…]
Book Writing and Publishing FAQ – Should I Self-publish or Go with a Traditional Publisher?
The Pros and Cons of Publishing Alone or with a Publishing House
September 14, 2010. 4 Comments
Many aspiring authors who have not published books yet spend a lot of time thinking about how they can get their books published. It’s difficult to get a large, traditional publishing house to put up the necessary money to print, market, and distribute a new author’s book. Self-publishing is much easier, and rather than waiting months, perhaps years, for a traditional publisher to accept your book, you could have already offered it through a self-publishing, print-on-demand website like Lulu.com. So which choice is better — self-publishing or traditional publishing? The answer depends on your goals as an author. Following are [Read more…]
Backspace Agent-Author Seminar Coming in November
Join Writing Workshops with over 20 Literary Agents
September 10, 2010. Leave a Comment
Writing conferences and seminars are a great way to hone your writing skills, run ideas by your peers, and sometimes get in front of seasoned experts who can help you take the next step in your writing career. The upcoming Backspace Agent-Author Seminar that is being held on November 11th and 12th in New York City is one of those conferences. The Backspace Agent-Author Seminar will include panel discussions, small group query letter workshop critiques, and opening pages workshop critiques with over 20 literary agents in attendance (including someone from the literary agency that represents my books, although not my [Read more…]
Book Writing and Publishing FAQ – Do I Need to Write My Book Before I Try to Get an Agent or Publisher?
July 29, 2010. 6 Comments
While I certainly don’t claim to be an expert about book writing and publishing, I have had 6 books published by major publishers, and I’m writing my 7th. Therefore, I feel like I can answer at least some questions about book writing and publishing. Keep in mind, if you ask 20 authors, agents, or publishers the same question, you’re likely to get a wide variety of answers. With that in mind, my answers to the questions in the new Freelance Writing Jobs Book Writing and Publishing FAQ Series are my opinion and based on my own research and experiences. Different [Read more…]
How to Write a Book Proposal: Part 3 in our Series on Writing a Book
April 3, 2010. 5 Comments
The book proposal is the part of writing and publishing a book that scares me the most. I can pen the most intriguing, well-written book in the world, but if the proposal sucks, no one will ever see it. I can’t put it off any longer, either. I want to shop the book around as I write and I need a killer proposal in order to pique the interest of an agent. I pitched the book to a publishing company rep a few weeks ago. However, I’m still looking for an agent because I want to be sure I get [Read more…]
Writing a Book: The Beginnings
March 18, 2010. 10 Comments
As mentioned in other posts, I’m writing my first book. This has always been my dream, but I’ve never actually taken the steps to write a book because I find the process so intimidating. I decided however, that this would be the year. I also decided that I would blog the book process so that those of you who wish to experience this will know what to expect. If I make mistakes, perhaps you can learn by them. If something I do works, perhaps that will work for you as well. Book Writing So Far I already have my outline [Read more…]
Marye Audet: From Food Blogger to Cookbook Author
October 26, 2009. 6 Comments
by Marye Audet When Deb asked me to write about how to write a cookbook I was hesitant. There is a reason I don’t usually write for friends. What if I mess up in a big way? But Deb is one of the people I would do anything (almost) for so I decided to try to collect my scattered thoughts into a cohesive mass and write. So, if you are thinking of writing a cookbook, or even writing a food blog, hopefully you can walk away with something. The cookbook gig landed squarely and literally in my lap. Julie Fletcher [Read more…]
