10 Things Traditional Publishers DON’T Want You to Know.

10 Things Traditional Publishers DON’T Want You to Know.

1)    Your FIRST Book Needs to be a Breakout Success: You’ve likely read stories from the big publishing houses stating that the publishing industry is as robust as ever.

It isn’t. Readership has consistently dropped over the last decade due to the increased competition for the entertainment dollar. Production costs have sky-rocketed, and Kindle, iPad, nook & others versions make whatever books that are being made, inexpensive and easy to access on line for considerably less. So your book needs to show some real legs sales wise early on, or there won’t be a second.

2)    Access is dwindling. There used to be a bookstore in every town and city. No More. Amazon and the big box stores are mostly responsible for that. Why buy a book at the suggested retail price at a bookstore when you can easily go online to Amazon, get it for nearly half the price and have it delivered to your door?

3)    You have better odds at winning the lottery: Sure you read stories about some unknown scoring a publishing contract but you’re only reading those stories because that event is so rare. In today’s publishing business contracts are generally only offered to those who already have a substantial readership or are celebrities or whose subject is at the opening gate of some new book trend. 

4)    You’re book’s fate will likely be decided by some college intern:

Because of the staggering amount of submissions, literary agents and publishers don’t have the time to read each title. So college kids looking to break into the industry are assigned that task. Since that are looking to impress possible future employers, they are particularly strict about spelling a proper grammar. Don’t know the difference between they’ve, their and there? Or that you only use the word BETWEEN when comparing TWO topics? If that’s the case expect a quick rejection letter.

5)    You’re book’s title will likely be rejected: Ignore that old saw “You can’t judge a book by its cover. That is EXACTLY how a book is chosen. That and by its title. The title is especially important because when a person is looking to buy a book, but doesn’t know exactly what he or she wants they go to both Google’s and Amazon’s search boxes and type in a word that reflects their interest. Take “spy books” for example. If you title your book something exotic like The Dark Letter Conundrum, your book won’t appear anywhere under a “spy books” search. However, John le Carre title Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy would have generated thousands of results based on the “spy book” keyword. So expect your book to be given a title that will result in the most Search ‘hits’.

6)     Advances are at an all-time low:   Again you’ve likely read a story about some new author being offered a six and sometimes a seven figure advance. Again the odds of that and winning the lottery are exactly the same. Most advances, if any, are usually in the low four figures. And should you receive any advance, plow it into advertising your book. Remember, Your writing career lives and dies by the amount of books sold. NOT by the number of 5 Star reviews!

7)    Advertising money is also at an all-time low. As mentioned the industry has been forced to tighten its belt. And so advertising dollars are funneled directly into the books that show the strongest likelihood of being a success. Got a book coming out and have been promised a substantial advertising budget? Just remember that if someone like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie writes a book, and your publisher buys it, that advertising money you were promised will quickly be transferred over to their advertising budget.

8)    Royalties are not what you think. Keep in mind you don’t see a dime until the advance is covered and your agent gets his share. It is a fact that MOST authors receive the majority of their income from speaking engagements, not from royalties.

9)     Most successful novelists write 5 to 8 full length books before getting published. Of course there are exceptions BUT if you read the biographies of most of the top selling authors you will see that the majority had written 5 to 8 books before being offered a contract. And by writing all those books they showed the publishers that they could provide consistent and timely product.

10)The First 5 Pages of your book will decide whether will be published or not. Most professional agents and publishers can tell if you’re good enough to be published after reading the first five pages. And to get most book buyers to read past the first 5 pages your book had to have captured their undivided attention. So put the best part of your book on the first five. If the best part of your books starts on page 23, it will likely never be read.

If you’re serious about becoming a published author and want to know more, pick up a copy or download How the Write, Publish and Market Your Novel into a Best Seller   Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/1hBQpJH 

(originally posted at http://aripublishing.com )

How to Write a Book, Publish and Market it

   When I decided to make writing my career I had no idea how to go about doing it. The ‘How-To’ books of the time were horribly dull, dry and out of date. So I ventured into the publishing world like a blindfolded man stumbling into an ass kicking contest.

   I quickly discovered there are predators everywhere. These BS vanity presses and print on demand outfits reach out to the aspiring writer with promises of instant success as well as fame and fortune as a BEST SELLING NOVELIST!

   My friends that is NOT how it works regardless of the telling and retelling of how this author or that author became a bestselling novelist with their first book.

   Do you know who really becomes a bestselling novelist with their first novel? People who have been writing for years and whose files are filled with rejection letters.

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   However, if you find it helpful and can use the ideas and methods detailed within, I would appreciate a positive review on Amazon.

   That seems fair, right?

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