So now you have finally completed writing your manuscript. After the countless days, weeks, months and years that you have spent and toiled just to write away the thoughts and voices in your head and after several writer’s blocks, your masterpiece is finally complete. Now that you are at this stage, what is your next plan? Ah yes! Become the next J. K. Rowling or perhaps the next John Grisham or maybe the next Paolo Coelho. Or maybe, you would like to create a name for yourself as an established author and be as better as these notable authors, in your own right. That is a very good plan. Now the question is this: where and how do you start in order to get there? The answer: go with Book publishing.
Book publishing is not just about publishing fictional novels and whatnot but when you want to be known for what you have written, it is very beneficial that you get published. There are many publishers sprawling all over the 6 continents (yes, that’s right. I said 6 and not 7 because penguins and seals are the inhabitants of Antarctica and these cute creatures do not read books) and how to choose or how to be chosen by one, plays a crucial part in getting you closer to your dream. To further understand which book publishing category suits you best, let me summarize these into five (5).
Trade Publishing- With this type of book publishing, the author submits a book proposal to the publishing house and wait. If the proposal is rejected, then, the author is free to present it somewhere else. If it is accepted and a contract is signed, then that’s good news. A book advance will then be paid to the author. The publisher will take care of the production, promotion, marketing and the distribution process. Be advised that traditional publishers get around 3,000 to 5,000 manuscripts in a day. The editors go over each of these manuscripts to find the one or two or three that has what they want. That means, it will take time and if you are not patient, then, you may want to occupy your time by studying a different route. For larger book publishing houses, they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts; therefore, the author has to hire a literary agent to do the pitching. Also, once you have signed the contract and accepted the book advance, all the rights are kept by the publisher. You can still suggest ideas but it will be the publisher’s final say that will be considered. The kinds of books that traditional publishers accept are those kinds that you usually see in the bookstores or libraries and for the public’s devouring. Examples of this type of book publishing are HarperCollins, Penguin Group, Random House Inc. and Harlequin Enterprises.
Professional Publishing- This type of book publishing is very suitable for those who are working on dissertations, journals and books directed to a particular industry or field such as Law, Medicine, Engineering, Physiology, Philosophy, Scientific Studies, Business, Teaching and many more. This is also called the scientific, technical and medical publishing. Written by the professionals in these fields, the information is also made available and marketed to the students and/or professionals in any of these arrays of specializations. Examples of these publishers are Sage Publications, McGraw- Hill Education, Heinemann and Routledge.
Educational Publishing- In this kind of book publishing, the publishers deal with textbooks, workbooks, maps and many other supplementary materials for students in all levels; from kindergarten to high school to college or university students. Examples of these publishers are Pearson, Houghton Mifflin, Evan-Moor Educational Publishers and Nelson Thornes.
Independent Publisher- Wikipedia defines this type of book publishing as being not part of large conglomerates or multinational corporation. If in the movie industry, there are independent films, in the publishing industry, there are also independent publishers. They are privately owned and publish all kinds of books but they also specialize in certain topics or genres. Examples of this type are Anhinga Press, Autumn House Press, Paycock Press and PowerHouse Books.
Self- Publishing- If you want to be in charge of the entire process in publishing and marketing your work, then this type of book publishing suits you best. With this, you, as the author of your own work, become the publisher. What you need to do is to find a services provider that you can pay to do the publication, marketing and the distribution for you. The advantages with self-publishing is that, most provider holds a non-exclusive contract and the author retains all rights to the book. That means that the author has the full control of the entire process; from editing, to the layout, to the design, to how the book is to be promoted, to the distribution, etc. Royalty is also paid to authors. Just to set the right expectations, when you go with self-publishing, you are paying for the services that you are going to get. You have to put up dough for your book, but if investing in your book is worth doing, and you are doing it well, then you are going to get your money’s worth. Examples of this type are IUniverse, AuthorHouse Inc., Outskirts Press and Infinity Publishing.
Publishing a book is not an easy matter. You are leaving or sharing your legacy to the world. You have worked so hard to perfect your craft, therefore you have to be cautious and you have to do a lot of research for each step you are going to make. A thorough study will set the right expectations, will keep you aware, and will help you determine which company fits the bill.
Book publishing is a very broad topic and I don’t want to give too much detail to avoid information overload. For now, let me fill you in on the basics.
Book publishing is not just about publishing fictional novels and whatnot but when you want to be known for what you have written, it is very beneficial that you get published. There are many publishers sprawling all over the 6 continents (yes, that’s right. I said 6 and not 7 because penguins and seals are the inhabitants of Antarctica and these cute creatures do not read books) and how to choose or how to be chosen by one, plays a crucial part in getting you closer to your dream. To further understand which book publishing category suits you best, let me summarize these into five (5).
Trade Publishing- With this type of book publishing, the author submits a book proposal to the publishing house and wait. If the proposal is rejected, then, the author is free to present it somewhere else. If it is accepted and a contract is signed, then that’s good news. A book advance will then be paid to the author. The publisher will take care of the production, promotion, marketing and the distribution process. Be advised that traditional publishers get around 3,000 to 5,000 manuscripts in a day. The editors go over each of these manuscripts to find the one or two or three that has what they want. That means, it will take time and if you are not patient, then, you may want to occupy your time by studying a different route. For larger book publishing houses, they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts; therefore, the author has to hire a literary agent to do the pitching. Also, once you have signed the contract and accepted the book advance, all the rights are kept by the publisher. You can still suggest ideas but it will be the publisher’s final say that will be considered. The kinds of books that traditional publishers accept are those kinds that you usually see in the bookstores or libraries and for the public’s devouring. Examples of this type of book publishing are HarperCollins, Penguin Group, Random House Inc. and Harlequin Enterprises.
Professional Publishing- This type of book publishing is very suitable for those who are working on dissertations, journals and books directed to a particular industry or field such as Law, Medicine, Engineering, Physiology, Philosophy, Scientific Studies, Business, Teaching and many more. This is also called the scientific, technical and medical publishing. Written by the professionals in these fields, the information is also made available and marketed to the students and/or professionals in any of these arrays of specializations. Examples of these publishers are Sage Publications, McGraw- Hill Education, Heinemann and Routledge.
Educational Publishing- In this kind of book publishing, the publishers deal with textbooks, workbooks, maps and many other supplementary materials for students in all levels; from kindergarten to high school to college or university students. Examples of these publishers are Pearson, Houghton Mifflin, Evan-Moor Educational Publishers and Nelson Thornes.
Independent Publisher- Wikipedia defines this type of book publishing as being not part of large conglomerates or multinational corporation. If in the movie industry, there are independent films, in the publishing industry, there are also independent publishers. They are privately owned and publish all kinds of books but they also specialize in certain topics or genres. Examples of this type are Anhinga Press, Autumn House Press, Paycock Press and PowerHouse Books.
Self- Publishing- If you want to be in charge of the entire process in publishing and marketing your work, then this type of book publishing suits you best. With this, you, as the author of your own work, become the publisher. What you need to do is to find a services provider that you can pay to do the publication, marketing and the distribution for you. The advantages with self-publishing is that, most provider holds a non-exclusive contract and the author retains all rights to the book. That means that the author has the full control of the entire process; from editing, to the layout, to the design, to how the book is to be promoted, to the distribution, etc. Royalty is also paid to authors. Just to set the right expectations, when you go with self-publishing, you are paying for the services that you are going to get. You have to put up dough for your book, but if investing in your book is worth doing, and you are doing it well, then you are going to get your money’s worth. Examples of this type are IUniverse, AuthorHouse Inc., Outskirts Press and Infinity Publishing.
Publishing a book is not an easy matter. You are leaving or sharing your legacy to the world. You have worked so hard to perfect your craft, therefore you have to be cautious and you have to do a lot of research for each step you are going to make. A thorough study will set the right expectations, will keep you aware, and will help you determine which company fits the bill.
