|
||||||||||
|
Subscribe to the Absolute Write Newsletter and get the Agents! Agents! Agents! report free! Click here.
|
Win a 1-year subscription to Writer's Digest by subscribing to Absolute Markets-- all paying markets for your writing. Click here. |
|
| |||||||||||||
|
|
How
to Publish a Self-Help Book Without a PhD It's no secret that writing a book is a key piece of any
speaker's climb to success. Published books give you a broader market for your
message, plus more clout and better back-of-the-room sales. And why do you need
mainstream publishers when you can sell your own e-book from your site? It can
mean the difference between selling 1000 copies of your book and selling
100,000, not to mention major media, greater credibility, and advance checks
that carry 5 or 6 digits. That said, it can be tough to publish self-help material if
you don't have academic or medical credentials, or a PhD. I don't, yet I was
able to do a two-book, six figure deal with one of the biggest publishers in the
world on my motivational book, How Much Joy Can You Stand? Here are some street smarts I discovered along the way: 1. You need a killer
idea. What is the universal problem that your material solves?
Check Amazon.com and find out who else is tackling the problem and how. Then
give your concept a unique spin. 2. You need a great
title. Think viscerally, and think hard. This is your five second
ad for the power of your book concept. Without it, yours is just another book on
the big pile on an editor's or agent's desk. 3. You need a
professional book proposal. This is a systematic presentation of your material that
spans 15-30 pages, and covers not only the outline of chapters and basic premise
of your book, but why you are qualified to write it, who the market is, unique
selling ideas, special markets (group sales), competing titles and their
performance, etc. This is as much a marketing pitch as a chance to convey the
power of your work. Books abound on this subject. You can also take my Self-Help
Author's Crash Course, which takes you step-by-step through creating such a
pitch. (See below.) 4. You need a
literary agent. Major publishers almost never buy books from authors;
instead, they make deals with agents who represent you. You pay these people
10-20% of your fee, but without them, there truly is no deal. They also sell
ancillary rights for additional income. 5. You can find that
agent by being specific. There are a gazillion agents out there, so home in on who
sells your type of material. One industry trick is to look in the
acknowledgements page of similar books to yours. Authors often list their agents.
Then check that agent's current location in Literary Market Place, a
library reference book, or on the Web at various writing sites that list
literary agents. 6. Send a great
package. Include a brief cover letter that is attention-getting,
plus a beautifully presented proposal. You can also include a few chapters. Make
sure you've done your homework here, as you only get one quick shot. 7. If all else
fails, hit the small presses. Small presses will publish titles that major publishers are
afraid to-- e.g., great self-help material by authors who don't have PhDs. Big
publishers regularly re-publish such books, especially if they have a proven
track record, e.g., book club sales, a word of mouth readership, a built-up
author ezine list, etc. This can happen (less frequently) with e-books. You can
learn more by visiting the Small Press Center at http://www.smallpress.org.
8. Approach the
agents again. If you couldn't find an agent the first time around, this
is a great chance to re-approach, with book and sales in hand. Agents love
placing small press books with big houses, and are important partners in helping
you make that transition. If you've got a self-help book idea or even an inkling,
check out Suzanne Falter-Barns' Self-Help Author's Crash Course at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/selfhelpbook.html.
Suzanne Falter-Barns' free ezine, The Joy Letter, brings you a crisp, fresh
burst of inspiration for your dream every week or two. Sign up at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html
and receive her valuable report, "Thirty-Five Guaranteed Time Savers."
It helps you create time to finally live your dreams. Learn what it takes to write and publish your own
self-help book at www.howmuchjoy.com. Suzanne Falter-Barns is the author of How Much Joy
Can You Stand? A Creative Guide To Facing Your Fears and Making Your Dreams Come
True (Ballantine Wellspring). This and other
self-publishing articles can be found at Go
Publish Yourself.com. "Empowering
Writers by Bringing Them into the Innovative World of Self-Publishing." (http://go-publish-yourself.com) ©2002 Suzanne
Falter-Barns. Reprint permission available by request. Article must be complete
and must include all contact information above. Apply to info@howmuchjoy.com
|
Sponsored links 
Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer! How to find a book publisher |
Text on this site Copyright © 1998-2007
Absolute Write, all rights reserved.
|
