It’s Not Your Grandmother’s Publishing World
By Alanna Parke Kvale

   Okay, so you’ve written what you’d like to think of as the next “best seller.” You’ve written, re-written, edited and polished that potential gem until it shines and it’s ready at last! So, what do you do now?
 In the not so distant past, you’d have mailed that little gem to publisher after publisher, hoping some kind spirit would pick it up, read it and declare it the next Pulitzer Prize winner. You dreamed of being offered a huge advance, perhaps sent on a whirlwind book signing tour, then sitting back and counting your royalties. You fantasized about being the next Danielle Steel, Stephen King, or John Grisham.
   In reality, what would have happened was your precious gem of a manuscript would have landed in a “slush pile.” Then maybe, just maybe some junior editor would read it, and like it well enough to recommend it to her boss. If you were smart, you queried first to get someone at a publishing house to say, “Hmm, that sounds interesting, send me the first three chapters.”
   Okay, now you have someone’s attention. If they read your sample chapters and want more, you just might be going places. If not, you start from scratch and do it all over again. This is the world of “traditional publishing.” The smartest step however, would be to get an agent to do all that for you, freeing up your time to get started on the next “Great American Novel.”
   Nowadays, we have more options. One is “self-publishing.” There are many companies out there, online who offer services designed to get your book printed and listed in a great many places, both online and off, and in as little as six months.
   In all fairness, self-publishing isn’t really new. Well-known authors from the past self-published their own books. Writers like Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, Carl Sandburg, and more recently, Deepak Chopra.
   However, and this is a big however, these services can be costly, ranging from $199 to $1000 or more, depending on the number of services you require, such as your own cover design or professional editorial work. And, that doesn’t count the cost of buying copies of the book. The companies do offer discounts to you, the author, for the books, but you still have to foot the bill. All the marketing falls to the author as well. While you should expect to do some marketing even going the traditional route, when self-publishing, you are the PR department, not just the author.
   When dealing with the fee-based self-publishing services, placing your book in the brick and mortar stores will be very difficult, if not impossible. The company you choose makes use of “print on demand” technology, that is they only print the books when someone orders them. The trouble is, these services will not accept returns if copies of your book don’t sell; for this reason, the bookstores are unwilling to take the risk, and so usually will not place orders for self-published books.
   If you do consider using one of these services, you must go through their contract very carefully. Check the wording and read the fine print. Saying that your book will be made available to bookstores does not mean it will actually be in the bookstores. That just means that if a bookseller inquires, they will happily sell him copies of your book. Make sure you retain the rights to your book. And because a few not so honest groups can spoil it for the rest, check out any publisher and find out what their track record looks like. The best place to do this is on a site called Preditors & Editors. A carefully updated record is kept for just about every fee-based publishing company in business. You know the old saying, ‘Look before you leap.’ It’s especially true here. Do your research, talk to other authors, find writers’ forums and ask questions.
   The other option is to set up a publishing company of your own. While it would still be a bit costly to go this route, the advantage is simple—you are in charge. You make all the decisions and you get to keep all the profits. So the up side is that you are in control and the down side is that while you’re taking care of business for your book, you’re not writing the next one. Plus, if you’re new to the publishing game, you’re also at a disadvantage as a brand new publisher. You’ll need freelance editors, cover designers and printers. You must arrange for the ISBN number and the copyright documentation. Then, of course, comes the marketing.
Whether you choose to set up your own publishing company, self-publish through a fee-based service, or go the traditional route, one task remains in the author’s domain- that of promotion and marketing of your book. Your agent and/or the publisher can arrange certain promotions, but you still have to show up and help sell books. You will still need a good bag of tricks at your disposal to make sure your book stays in front of the reading and buying public.
   Despite the fact that I’ve been writing for many years, I’m still in the position of trying to get my first book published and thought this would be a good way for all of us to learn the ins and outs, the bright moments and the pitfalls in the publishing game. To that end, I’ll be updating this article periodically, as I go through the process of getting my own book on the bookshelves. I’ve decided to try to find a good agent and go the traditional route. I have some leads and I’m in the process of writing a book proposal. It may take a while, but I hope you’ll all stay with me, watch for the updates, then start looking for Widowhood Is Not Funny at your local bookstores online and off. Stay tuned for more info, and thank you for your support.

Alanna Parke Kvale
APK Writing Services
972-769-9232
apkwritingservices@yahoo.com