I have just completed a draft of my book, a philosophical enquiry grounded largely on evolutionary theory, supported by the metaphysical views of nineteenth century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Having neither platform nor literary expertise of any kind, I guess self-publishing is the only option open to me.
How does one go about self-publishing? Approach a self-publishing service and let them do the whole thing, or get the draft edited and then typeset by specialized services? Is choosing the self-publishing service important, or are they all the same, the task cut-and-dried?
Would it be a good idea to go in for professional substantive/developmental editing? There are several editing services in India (where I’m from) that work for international clients, though I doubt if their level of skill would match up to their counterparts in the UK or US, who would also charge much more. And are quotations also part of the chargeable word count? Would a professional editor really improve my work, or would the changes be merely cosmetic?
My book is quotation heavy – perhaps a quarter of the total 140,000 words (the majority are cited from sources in public domain). Is that too much? Some writers seem to consider it below their dignity to cite others in support of their views (others choose instead to paraphrase, sometimes without giving credit), and I have read that while it is okay to quote for the purpose of criticism, one must avoid quoting in order to support or reiterate their views. Also, some feel that one mustn’t quote more than a line or two at a time – long passages exceeding 200 words must be avoided; leading nonfiction authors like Steven Pinker (1,955 endnotes, mostly citations, in his 800 odd page The Better Angels of Our Nature) and Matt Ridley, while liberal in their use of quotations, follow this pattern (they quote both in support of what they have to say, as well as for the purpose of criticism), including a line or two in a paragraph rather than a standalone quotation. Writers like John Locke and Rousseau, on the other hand, were not in the habit of citing others.
Redacting quotations, though not a big mountain to climb, would be painful nonetheless – I see no harm in citing material that supports my viewpoint, gathering and collating which has cost me a good deal of labour. Besides, as a reader, I personally find quotations quite informative. I could share a 1,000 word quotation-riddled excerpt from my book if anyone would be kind enough to offer their take on it.
Is it easy to obtain permission from copyright holders? Would they ask for a fee? Is permission required for quoting just one or two lines? Is permission required for one line of a song? Online research is not really helping with these issues. Some books like Grapes of Wrath seem to be in the public domain, yet I read that Steinbeck’s legal heirs are reclaiming its copyright from Penguin.
If a book is on Project Gutenberg, can we quote freely, or would the laws be country specific?
Any advice will be greatly valued and appreciated.
Thanks
How does one go about self-publishing? Approach a self-publishing service and let them do the whole thing, or get the draft edited and then typeset by specialized services? Is choosing the self-publishing service important, or are they all the same, the task cut-and-dried?
Would it be a good idea to go in for professional substantive/developmental editing? There are several editing services in India (where I’m from) that work for international clients, though I doubt if their level of skill would match up to their counterparts in the UK or US, who would also charge much more. And are quotations also part of the chargeable word count? Would a professional editor really improve my work, or would the changes be merely cosmetic?
My book is quotation heavy – perhaps a quarter of the total 140,000 words (the majority are cited from sources in public domain). Is that too much? Some writers seem to consider it below their dignity to cite others in support of their views (others choose instead to paraphrase, sometimes without giving credit), and I have read that while it is okay to quote for the purpose of criticism, one must avoid quoting in order to support or reiterate their views. Also, some feel that one mustn’t quote more than a line or two at a time – long passages exceeding 200 words must be avoided; leading nonfiction authors like Steven Pinker (1,955 endnotes, mostly citations, in his 800 odd page The Better Angels of Our Nature) and Matt Ridley, while liberal in their use of quotations, follow this pattern (they quote both in support of what they have to say, as well as for the purpose of criticism), including a line or two in a paragraph rather than a standalone quotation. Writers like John Locke and Rousseau, on the other hand, were not in the habit of citing others.
Redacting quotations, though not a big mountain to climb, would be painful nonetheless – I see no harm in citing material that supports my viewpoint, gathering and collating which has cost me a good deal of labour. Besides, as a reader, I personally find quotations quite informative. I could share a 1,000 word quotation-riddled excerpt from my book if anyone would be kind enough to offer their take on it.
Is it easy to obtain permission from copyright holders? Would they ask for a fee? Is permission required for quoting just one or two lines? Is permission required for one line of a song? Online research is not really helping with these issues. Some books like Grapes of Wrath seem to be in the public domain, yet I read that Steinbeck’s legal heirs are reclaiming its copyright from Penguin.
If a book is on Project Gutenberg, can we quote freely, or would the laws be country specific?
Any advice will be greatly valued and appreciated.
Thanks
