Prospective authors have long dreamed of having their books published by a major New York publishing house. They imagine themselves developing a personal relationship with the editors who will assist them along the way and nurse their careers; being flown around the country from media appearance to media appearance; and receiving fat royalty checks every six months for the rest of their lives.
It’s a wonderful dream, but in most cases, only that. The days when traditional publishers would handle it all are gone. “Front list” books by major celebrities, politicians and other VIPs still receive big advances and get the full media push, but the “middle list” books that used to get decent advances and media support are disappearing. Fewer books overall are being published by the major publishers, and a disappointingly small number of those are fully supported by the publishers’ editorial and marketing staffs.
Today, most books published by standard publishers sink or swim on the basis of their authors’ marketing efforts. The average author is expected to already have a large media platform, complete with a long list of radio and television appearances performed and scheduled, a website that receives a large number of daily hits, and a significant PR budget to supplement the publishers smaller pool of funds.
For these reasons, prospective authors are turning to self-publishing in larger and larger numbers. Knowing that they’re going to pay for much or all of their books’ marketing efforts, they prefer to pay for everything else and retain complete control over their books, and their books’ destinies.
Standard publishing is still a viable option, but for fewer and fewer authors. For the rest, self-publishing is an increasingly attractive alternative.
The good news is thousands of companies have sprung up, offering to help people self-publish their books. The bad news is there are thousands of such companies, and trying to figure out which ones have the right services for you – and which ones are reputable companies that will deliver as promised – can be very difficult.
That’s the reason for this series of blogs.
I’ll cover all aspects of publishing, from analyzing self-publishing companies to understanding their contracts; from POD to completely DYI self-publishing.
So keep reading, and watch for new entries.
We at Taylor-Fox can help you create your business book, health book, memoir, biography, inspirational book or other book and get it ready for publication. We’ve helped scores of people achieve their goals, and some of their books have landed on bestseller lists. Let us help you! Call us at 818-594-0379.
Nadine Taylor and Barry Fox write, ghostwrite, rewrite and edit books in many genres, including health, business, inspiration/ spirituality and memoirs. Their resume is long and varied but there’s one thing that never changes: They love to work with words, creating books that are clear, compelling and pleasurable to read. If you’re interested in writing a book, editing a book and/or publishing a book, you’ve come to the right place!
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