how-to-publish-your-book.pdf
TRANSCRIPT
COPYRIGHT 2014 AUTHORS PUBLISH MAGAZINE – ALL
RIGHT RESERVED
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
How to Publish Your Book!
A Practical Guide to the Publishing World
By M.J. Moores
Authors Publish
Introduction ............................................................................ 7
Informed Decision Making ...................................................... 9
TESTING THE WATERS ........................................................... 13
REady for Publication? .......................................................... 19
Literary Agents & Lawyers .................................................... 26
Traditional Publishers ........................................................... 33
Large Publishers .................................................................... 35
Small Publishers .................................................................... 39
Subsidy Publishing ................................................................ 43
Vanity Publishing .................................................................. 44
Assisted Publishing ............................................................... 46
Self-‐Publishing: DIY ............................................................... 52
Free Presses .......................................................................... 54
Owning Your Own Imprint .................................................... 59
TAKING THE PLUNGE ............................................................ 69
RESOURCES ........................................................................... 71
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INTRODUCTION
One of the most daunting decisions a new author can face
is what to do with his or her manuscript once it is ready for
publication. Knowing more about the publishing industry
will help you create an effective plan and set realistic goals
for your future writing career – be it full time, part time or
occasional.
Making the decision to publish is no easy feat. There are
many factors to consider, the least of which being how
much money you want to spend on this endeavour. Not
everyone works well on a budget, but if you’re at least
aware of when and why you’ll need to spend money on
your journey to publication, then you’ll be prepared for the
hurdles yet to come.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is understanding
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where to start: agent, small publisher, or self-publishing
and learning whether or not your book is as ready as you
hope it is in order to take that leap of faith. This eBook will
introduce you to the various methods of publishing
available for consideration. We will also help you reflect on
your needs and desires as a writer, so you can match them
to the right option for you. The “dream of publishing” is
broken down into digestible portions to help you feel
satisfied with the answer to your question, “Where do I go
from here?”
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INFORMED DECISION MAKING
Once you have made the decision to publish, you need to
decide why you want to be published:
• For myself
• For my friends & family
• For fun
• For profit
• For the world
For Myself
Perhaps your manuscript or story is a memoir, an
annotated cookbook of your grandmother’s favorite
recipes, a book of poems you’ve been working on since
high school, or any number of similar projects. Namely,
the book is highly personal and you really only want to
have a few copies printed. Essentially, this is a keep-sake
item that is important to have preserved.
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For my Friends & Family
You feel proud of your manuscript and want to share it
with others but this is not something you expect or
anticipate going beyond those who love and care about you
the most. You are not interested in making money or being
famous or even having strangers read what you’ve written,
but it is important to you to have it published.
For Fun
It doesn’t matter if you’re young, old, or somewhere in
between, writing is fun and can be highly addictive. You
may be an avid writer or have just finished your first novel.
Either way, you want to celebrate this accomplishment and
simply find a way to share it with others – no strings
attached.
For Profit
You have created a book that you feel is a contender in
today’s literary marketplace. Whether it is fiction or non-
fiction, you either know for certain or feel it in your gut
that people will want to buy your book as soon as they
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learn about it. Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out the
best way of making it available for mass production and
reaching your target audience.
For the World
For you, the idea of getting your writing out there for
anyone to enjoy and/or learn from is your driving force. It
would be fantastic to make some money from sales of your
book, but you know the realities of making a living writing
and have a realistic opinion about quitting your day job for
this new endeavour.
As you learn about the different publishing options
available, you’ll begin to see which ones make the most
sense for your personal outlook and goals. Consider also
the time commitment involved in each of the following
publishing options.
You may like the idea of one approach, but know that
doing it on your own won’t work for your lifestyle. On the
flip side, you may find that prestige is not your motivating
factor but putting together a top product to honor your
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writing and your work is, and having complete control over
the publishing process fits perfectly with your ideals.
No matter what, keep an open mind and weigh your
choices as an informed writer.
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TESTING THE WATERS
Not everyone wants to be recognized as a novelist or non-
fiction book writer right from the start. Many of us pick up
a pen or begin typing because we have something to say or
want to share. Often the idea of being published comes
after a piece is written and you feel that rush of
accomplishment.
There are a number of resources available as alternative
publication options for the casual writer, author in search
of a larger community of support, or author looking to
building a personal portfolio/platform:
• Blogs (personal, guest, book)
• Online Writing Communities
• Crowd Funding Platforms
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• Literary Journals & Magazines
Blogs
You might not naturally think about blogs this way, but
blogging is often a form of self-publishing. When you
submit an article, write a guest blog for someone, post one
of your poems or short stories on your own or someone
else’s website you are making your writing available to the
public at large.
The same goes for the ever popular blogging-a-book. This
tends to happen more with non-fiction and memoir but
many new and emerging writers are attracted to the idea of
sharing their work as they develop it, getting “real time”
feedback from the very people interested in eventually
buying it and effectively testing the waters.
But be forewarned – if you plan on submitting any content
you’ve already posted online to a traditional publisher,
literary journal or magazine they will likely not accept it
unless you have a large following of readers and/or intend
to put a new or additional spin on the work. You have
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“published” it after all, and they need to be certain that you
haven’t exhausted your niche market.
Online Writing Communities
If you like the idea of building a fan-base, interacting with
other authors in your preferred genre(s), and getting
feedback on your work as you develop it (and show it off
when it’s done) then perhaps a writing community is the
best fit for you.
There are any number of online communities where you
can share your work, get feedback, and submit final
content for various considerations, so it’s really just a
matter of doing a web search with your genre and “writing
community” to see what’s out there. Some of the more
frequented communities are Wattpad, ABCTales,
Authonomy, and Figment. In these options you are usually
able to complete a profile page (to various degrees), upload
your WIP (works in progress), ask for and give feedback. If
you participate on a regular basis you can really build your
portfolio and that can sometimes help down the road if
you decide to make the leap into a bigger publishing venue
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– you already have a body of work you can refer to.
Crowd Funding Platforms
One way to get funding for your writing projects is to
utilize crowd sourcing. I have seen authors set a modest
goal of a few hundred dollars to help them with publicizing
their soon-to-be launched self-published book, all the way
up to thousands of dollars for graphic novels with authors
committed to getting endorsements and contributions
from well-known artists as well as needing money for the
fundamentals of self-publishing.
Kickstarter and Indiegogo are two of the biggest names out
there for crowd sourcing on any platform: art, music,
writing, inventions, gaming, etc. Basically, you build up a
profile for your project, set different levels of monetary
contribution, a total goal for your budget, what the money
will go toward should you reach those goals, and how you
will repay those who have donated to your campaign
(usually a signed copy of the book and an
acknowledgement in your book, among other things).
Then you set a timeline to reach this goal, give your
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prospective fan-base a taste or more of your work and see
where it all takes you.
CrowdScribed is a type of self-publisher that offers writers
the benefits of a writing and reading community interested
in helping new and emerging authors get the right start.
You have two basic options to choose from: go through
their program, hit your goals and be guaranteed a
publishing contract (either by their imprint or a small
publishing house), or go through their program, hit your
goals, take your money and run (publish elsewhere).
Literary Journals & Magazines
If you’re interested in starting out small with your official
publishing credentials, consider submitting short stories
and poetry to various literary journals and magazines. This
is not necessarily an easy market to break into, but if you’re
passionate about writing shorter stories (fiction or non-
fiction, poetic or not) and would like to build up your
portfolio and/or author platform then this is a great place
to start. Some journals and magazines take submissions all
year round, some publish weekly, some only once or bi-
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yearly – this along with how well-known and respected
they are determine how difficult it may be to have
submissions accepted. The point is if you’re hungry for the
recognition and you’re determined to share your writing
with other “literati” this is a great way to break in.
Once you’ve dipped your feet in the milder waters of
publication and you find yourself wanting more, the next
step is taking your blogged book, crowd sourced funding,
and budding author platform into the oceans and seas of
book publishing. So, dig out your buried treasures of half-
started and full manuscripts or write something new – it’s
time to celebrate your writing on a whole new level.
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READY FOR PUBLICATION?
Is your manuscript ready for publication? Keep in mind
that finishing the first draft of you book is not the last step
before sending out query letters (yes, multiple) or hitting
the “publish book” button on a self-publishing website.
Even though you’ve typed THE END on the last page of
your manuscript, at this point you’re probably only half
done.
First and foremost, you need to have your book edited. I
don’t mean spell-checked or grammar-checked by the
computer or your best friend – you need a content edit
done.
Who will do this edit? You will – the first one anyway.
Before you even let another soul read your manuscript, you
need to put it away for a week (minimum, I suggest one
month) and then read it with fresh eyes. This is where you
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will find any holes in your plot or sub-plots, and jumps in
your time-line, over-statements, under statements and a
whole host of things we don’t see when we’re writing the
first draft.
Then, find someone to do a content edit for you. This
person should not be immediately related to you, in love
with you (or hate you for that matter), or owe you
anything. This person doesn’t have to be a professional
editor but should be someone (or multiple someones) who
have a good grasp of the language you’re writing in and be
an avid reader who understands the elements of
storytelling. This person will find what you don’t. A few
good resources to consider, besides going directly to an
editor or writing coach, are: writing/critique groups,
workshops, and local writing classes or courses that focus
on work you’ve already produced. In these structured
environments you will be able to look critically at the
manuscript you’ve written and consider it from various
angles and perspectives you might not have considered
while you were flying solo on your first draft.
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Then, you write another draft considering all of the
suggestions you’ve been given. Notice my use of the word
considering? It means you need to analyze why those
comments were made and decide if you need to make a
dramatic alteration or just fix what you have so that the
message doesn’t get lost in translation.
But you’re not ready yet. After this revised draft you need
either a line edit and/or proofreading done.
Yes. This is necessary. If your book is a labor of love or
your money making machine, it has to be as close to
perfect as possible before you can consider yourself ready
for publication.
Again, you don’t necessarily have to pay for these edits or
you don’t need to pay an arm and a leg to get them done
properly. You have options:
• Beg
• Barter or trade skills
• Hire a new graduate
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• Look for new-client deals
• The full-monty
Beg
While this is not always the most gracious route to take, it
is the cheapest. If you frequent local writers groups or have
a favorite teacher or professor you’re still in touch with,
ask them if they would consider editing your book. You
might have to sweeten the deal with an acknowledgment to
them and/or buy them dinner but that’s incredibly
reasonable payment considering the mammoth undertaking
you’ve requested.
Barter or Trade Skills
Quite likely you’re an avid reader and have shared more
than one remark with someone about a book you’ve read.
If you’re not confident about your own editing ability offer
to do something for someone who has the skills. Other
authors need quality book reviews done to help spread the
word about their own work. Or maybe you’re a graphic
designer and can put together a drop-dead gorgeous book
cover. Maybe your amazing skill is cooking – make
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someone an offer they can’t refuse and teach them how to
make your signature dish. You have a reservoir of options
to pick and choose from, it’s just a matter of finding the
right counter-part with which to make that deal.
Hire a New Graduate
There are any number of skilled people online just waiting
to be given the opportunity to cut-their-teeth on a project
if someone would just give them the chance. You can find
these resources using online agencies like ELance, Guru,
and Freelancer (make sure you read the fine print for
operating on these sites before making any commitments).
Here, newbies will bid for the opportunity to work for you.
You can see their credentials, a sample of their work, and
read any comments written by previous employers who’ve
used their services through those sites. Another great
resource is posting on the job-board at your local college
or university. These editors might not be seasoned
professionals but they’ve been trained to look for the very
thing your eyes are missing.
Look for New-Client Deals
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There are a host of other authors and freelance
writers/editors out there who are trying to make a living.
Quite often if you check out their website you will find a
tab labeled Services. More often than not, they will offer
some form of editing and discounts for first-time clients.
Make sure you look at their testimonial/references page
and review the kind of editing and books they specialize in.
Be wary of individuals who say they can edit all types of
manuscripts covering the spectrum of editing services.
Occasionally someone who used to teach the language
you’re writing in, or was an agent/publisher in another life,
might qualify for such variety of skill. However, the
average editor does specialize.
The Full-Monty
Here, money is no object because only the best and the
right person will touch your manuscript. You have saved
and anticipated this moment, fully intending to do
everything by the book for your book. I say, if you can –
then do it. But make sure you’re not just throwing your
money away. Ask for advice from writer friends and
colleagues, participate in online forums, see who edits your
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favorite authors and check them out. Just be sure to walk
into an editing relationship with your eyes wide open. Your
task will be to find the exact right person for the job. Don’t
be afraid to ask for a sample of an editor’s work. This
allows you to be choosy.
Once your manuscript has gone through beta/test readers,
critique groups, workshops, content, line edits, and has
been proofread you’re ready. Before your book has a chance
to sit on the desk of some big-shot in the publishing game,
your work has to be the absolute best version of itself –
even if that big-shot publisher is you.
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LITERARY AGENTS & LAWYERS
One of the most common questions new and emerging
writers ask is, “Do I need an agent to get my book
published?”
The short answer is – No.
The long answer is – It depends.
If you want to self-publish and traditional publishing holds
no sway over you, then no, you don’t need a literary agent
to make your dream come true.
If you’re interested in querying traditional publishers that’s
where the line between black and white, yes and no, begins
to blur. The big publishing houses like Penguin Books,
Random House, Scholastic Books, McGraw-Hill, Harper
Collins, Simon & Schuster, and Pearson (to name some of
the biggest world-wide) will not accept “unsolicited
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manuscripts.”
An unsolicited manuscript is one not represented by a
literary agent or agency.
What do Literary Agents do for authors?
• Consider your manuscript as a commercial
publisher would. This means editing it (yes,
again) from the perspective of what
elements will help sell your book.
• Research which publishing houses (large
and small) are currently looking for your
genre and your general storyline.
• Use their contacts in the industry to get
your manuscript read by higher-ranking
editors at these publishing houses (and not
remain trapped in the slush pile to be read
by interns).
• Negotiate your book deal to get you the
best possible contract for a first-time
author. They know which items are
negotiable, which might be challenged, and
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which ones will hold firm.
• Good agents will mediate issue between
you and the publisher. If you need an
extension on a deadline, or have to request
a change in book tour dates they will deal
with these issues and more.
• They’re a support system. To have a
professional believe in you as a writer and
an author without question is an invaluable
relationship to have after struggling to
reach this important transitional point.
The reason traditional publishers request no unsolicited
material is that they expect only the best of the best to be
put on their desks for consideration. Both the author and
the book need to be vetted and having an agent is the seal-
of-approval in this part of the business.
Then there are the small publishers and many imprints
available through the big publishing companies who
maintain “slush piles” and will accept unsolicited
manuscripts (see Traditional Publishers: Small Publishers
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for more information). These presses keep the back door
open for authors and often have a dedicated staff to read
these manuscripts. Generally it takes 3-6 months before
you’ll hear back from these houses. Note that only 1%-5%
of unsolicited books submitted are accepted for publishing
each year.
So, what if one of the smaller presses loves your book and
wants to take you on as a client? Since your manuscript
was unsolicited that means you don’t have an agent
representing you.
This is critical.
You have a decision to make:
• Trust your instincts
• Find an agent
• Rely on a lawyer
Trust Your Instincts
Your gut instinct may very well be to “go it alone.” You’re
a smart, wise, confident individual who can smell a bad
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deal a mile away. That may be the case on average, but this
is a contract full of legalese that you will be expected to
abide by and fully understand before signing. If you’re not
a lawyer, or have previously worked for a literary agency or
publishing house, be very wary about doing this on your
own. Even if you just get an author friend who’s done a
few contracts to look it over for you, you’ll be miles ahead
of the game. Additionally, you should research the quality
and integrity of the publisher making you the offer. Don’t
allow yourself to be blinded by the romance of having a
publisher reach out to you. Utilize online resources like
Preditors & Editors, Writers Beware, and the book
publishers section of Absolute Writes. Use your search
engine of choice to complete a background check on your
own, as well. You’d be surprised what even commonly
respected presses have been in the news for. Remember,
when you sign the dotted line you’re saying you understand
and will abide by everything set forth in that document –
so you better make sure you give your gut, and your
manuscript, a fighting chance.
Find an Agent
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Sounds simple enough, right? Maybe not if you’ve been
trying to get an agent for the past 4 months and got
nothing but rejection letters. Don’t worry. The tides have
changed; you’re wanted by a publisher. Return to your list
of potential agents (ones you haven’t contacted yet) and
lead with this fact in your new query letter. If the
publishing house is truly interested in your book they
won’t mind waiting a couple of weeks while you look for
someone to represent you. If a literary agent agrees to take
you on, make sure you talk shop with them about their fees
based on your royalty rates and other important options.
Don’t just blindly walk into this relationship and expect to
get the best deal possible – do your homework and
communicate with your representative.
Rely on a Lawyer
The last thing to consider is hiring a literary or copyright
lawyer to review the book contract. Like an agent, they will
go over the contract sent to you by the publishing house
and bring to your attention items of note. These could
range anywhere from issues regarding royalty payments:
how much and how often, to your rights to the work and
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its various off-shoots (like audio books and TV/film
options). Unlike an agent you will be expected to pay for
their services in full and most will not negotiate with the
publisher on your behalf. If they do offer negotiations in
their fees, seriously look at the money you’ll be paying out.
If this kind of cash is not available to you, focus on one of
the first two options.
Signing your book contract should not cost you your total
expected revenue for the year, nor should it be taken
lightly. Make sure you walk into negotiations well-armed
and be prepared to hear, “We offer the same contract to all
our first time authors. Take it or leave it.” If that choice
comes your way, make sure you weigh your options
carefully. If you wait too long to sign this one, in the hopes
that another publisher will make a better offer, you might
end up with no contract at all.
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TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS
A traditional publishing house or press pays you for your
writing. In rare cases an editor for a TPH, traditional
publishing house, might see work you’ve published
previously: articles, e-books, blogged books, self-published
works, and approach you to either write a book for them in
a similar vein, ask you to compose something new, or look
at taking on your Indie project in full. Generally this
happens to already established authors and well-known
freelance writers.
The route more commonly traveled is: submit a query
letter and manuscript package according to the TPHs
guidelines, wait to see if one of their staff editors likes your
work, thinks it’s saleable, and offers you a contract.
Most TPHs contracts cover who will own the rights to
your work and in what format, what kind of royalties or
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payment to expect, how often and when (many presses will
send out a check anywhere from a monthly basis to a bi-
yearly basis depending on volume of sales) you’ll be paid,
and look at various ways you would be in breach of
contract if you are overly contrary during the publishing
process. They may or may not cover options for
publicizing your book but there is usually a clause present
that prevents you from inadvertently doing your own
marketing DIY style and having your book sub-standard to
their expectations.
TPHs know the business and what sells. Their editors are
highly trained and are there to help you develop the most
saleable version of your book. You will have very little, if
any, control regarding the end product, besides being the
one to alter your text based on the various different edits
you go through. You are placing your manuscript in the
hands of professionals and believing in them to produce
the best possible product based on an extensive track
record in the industry.
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LARGE PUBLISHERS
A large publisher tends to make its money from back-listed
well-known authors on the pay-roll. Now, that’s not to say
that new authors don’t weigh in, but on the whole until
you’ve made a name for yourself you will be considered a
small-fry and a risk. That is why it’s imperative to have
your agent submit a quality, edited copy of your
manuscript. Silly typo errors and simple grammar and
sentence structure oops give the wrong message to these
professionals.
Because of your new-author status, you will have a specific
window of time in order to bring in the expected minimum
revenue for the sale of your book or your risk being
dropped as an author. Be aware that because you are
dealing with experts in their field, you will not get a say on
much of anything – they know the business and have been
doing it for years. They are generally not interested in
external ideas or proposals. They will decide how to market
your book, what the cover should look like, how the layout
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of the interior formatting will sit, and which reviewers get
an advance copy of your book.
The budget for new authors is small and doesn’t go far. If
you want to be able to pick up the slack where they leave
off, you’ll need to be prepared to hire professionals on
your own – DIY doesn’t get past the front door here and if
you try to sneak it in the back window you risk a
reprimand and the loss of your contract. So if your big
publishing house has decided not to make a book trailer
for you but you really want to have one, be prepared to
work within their expected standards and potentially dig a
little deeper into your pocketbook.
One of the best things you can do is build up your local
appeal. If your publisher has arranged a book tour (either
physical and/or virtual) you can add to this. If they’re not
already making use of Goodreads and other giveaway
opportunities, these are areas where you can step up. Just
know that any additional publicity or marketing you do on
your own will not be covered by your contract, so keep a
contingency fund just in case.
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It is in this arena where you are likely to have the smallest
royalty percentage on the sales of your books. In North
America the average contract will offer an author between
5%-15% on print books sold and 15%-25% on e-books
sold. Audio versions and TV/film options will differ
depending on how your publisher goes about obtaining
these rites. Generally speaking though, TV/film rights tend
to be 50/50.
Even though these percentages vary, it is unlikely that you
will be offered more than the minimum. As much as these
publishers are in the business of bringing new books to the
market, they are also in the business of making money.
With that in mind, don’t forget that part of your royalty,
your earnings, will be divvied up to pay your agent fees. It
is often a struggle for any first or second time author to
realize a healthy wage. This is by no means set in stone as
we’ve all heard of poorly written books making a splash in
sales and exceptional books being overlooked. On average
though, the LPH will advise you not to get your hopes up
until you are a more established author.
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The large publishers are the industry Leprechauns. They
can be tricky to deal with and like to keep their gold. Your
agent will help you strike the best deal possible but know
that many an author has experienced a change the title of
their book, had the blurb on the back modified or
rewritten to reflect a particular marketing aspect, and might
try your patience along the way – unless you know ahead
of time what to expect.
So why do all the writing experts say, “Go traditional if you
can?” Because if your writing is worth its salt, with each
successive book or series they publish with you, your
seniority has the potential to bring you greater negotiating
power, better percentages, and higher long-term sales with
a strong back-catalogue.
For your first year or two you probably won’t make much,
but you also won’t have to worry about all the incidentals
of making a book viable in today’s market. After all, you
have an entire publishing house full of professionals who
are working to make your dream happen. Yes, you will
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have to compromise and maybe help along your initial
publicity campaign, but you have a powerful spirit ready to
help for simple promise of doing the best you can to make
your dream a success.
SMALL PUBLISHERS
A small publisher does not mean “small-time.” Small
publishers work on a similar basis to large publishers
except that they put out fewer titles each year and tend to
take more risks on new talent. Generally speaking these
publishing houses earn less than $50 million per year and
average 10 new titles in that time.
There are more small publishing houses in North America
(and the world) than there are large publishers. Why?
Because they tend to focus on niche markets and specialize
in certain genres. Don’t get me wrong, some small
publishers have a larger variety of genre-based authors than
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the larger ones, but this is not the norm. Each publishing
house focuses on a mantra or mission statement that will
give potential authors a good vibe for what they represent.
Small publishers come in two forms:
• The affiliated imprint
• The independent
The Affiliated Imprint
This tends to be the larger version of the small publishing
house. Because they are affiliated with (or have been
bought out by) one of the larger publishing houses, some
industry professionals lump them in with that category.
Ultimately, they belong to the same company in name and
revenue stream but they operate independently. Penguin
has ACE Books (science-fiction), Bloomsbury (serious
non-fiction), Riverhead (literary fiction), and G.P Putnam’s
Sons (bestsellers) to name only a few. Macmillan
Publishing has Tor Books (science-fiction), Forge
(historical & thriller), Flatiron (intelligent non-fiction), and
First Second (graphic novels) – you get the point. With
these presses your potential royalties remain closely linked
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to those of their larger house ranging between 5%-15%,
although some agents have negotiated the higher end and
beyond for exceptionally promising manuscripts.
The Independent Publisher
These publishers tend to be professionals in the book
industry who decided to branch out on their own and
create their ideal company. Many of these people wanted
to make an impact in a particular market and remain doing
so to this day: Bardsong Press publishes historical fiction
and historical fantasy with a Celtic flare. Others started
with a particular niche audience in mind but have grown to
encompass a wider range of writing and books: Great War
Literature began with a focus on educational First World
War literature, and still publish in this market. In recent
years they’ve branched out into fiction. GWL looks at
publishing select historical non-fiction and quality general
fiction.
An independent publisher will often offer a greater
percentage when it comes to author royalties, but not
always. Where they are able to outshine the LPHs is in
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their e-book sales where rates have the potential to be as
high as 20%-30%. Print royalties tend to remain on par
with the other presses because the cost of a physical book
remains about the same no matter who you publish with.
This benefit often goes hand-in-hand with a more open
attitude about “working with” an author instead of an
author “working for” them. Likely you won’t have the final
say on anything but your input and guidance will be
carefully considered.
That being said, the one downfall of a small publisher is
that they are not necessarily as well-known (I’m referring
to the independent presses here). That means even though
you get more “face time” you might have to work harder
on the publicity side of things to get the same results as
working with a renowned large publisher.
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SUBSIDY PUBLISHING
The term subsidy publishing has been around since the early
1940s. More often than not this type of publishing is
referred to as Vanity Publishing or Assisted Publishing in
today’s marketplace. This is not a form of traditional
publishing; it is a form of self-publishing. Early in its
inception these types of publishers were glorified printing
presses that the average citizen could use to develop a very
personal kind of book (family tree, Aunt Mable’s best
recipes, book of poetry, etc.).
This grew into a money-making enterprise where a
collection of works or anthology would be put together
and all those authors included in the anthology would pay
to buy a book and be assured a place in the publication.
Then, authors who had been rejected by upstanding
traditional houses would look at paying to have their book
or work published, often just to see it in print and order a
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limited number of copies for family and friends. This is
what we know more commonly as a Vanity Press today –
they offer to publish your manuscript for a fee.
VANITY PUBLISHING
The difference between traditional publishing and vanity
publishing:
Traditional Publishers (large and small)
• do not ask an author for money
• make their money by selling books
• pay authors a royalty & sometimes an
advance
• work with the author to edit the book
• publicize on behalf of the author
• are selective with who they publish
• work directly with known book distributors
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Vanity Publishers
• require you to pay to publish your book
• make their money by selling services to the
author
• do not expect to sell many books
• do not publicize on behalf of the author
• do not generally require editing (sometimes
will suggest you pay them to proofread your
book)
• are not selective about who they publish
• do not distribute your book
It is important to recognize these differences in order to
empower your decision making regarding the right option
for you and your work. The reason these publishing houses
exist is to offer authors who are unable to get a traditional
contract a chance to see their book in print. Because of
this, professionals in the industry see the works published
by these presses as being “less than standard” or “not good
enough for mainstream.”
In the past ten years or so a new form of subsidy
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publishing has arisen to attempt to bridge the gap between
vanity and traditional publishing called assisted publishing.
This is a form of supported self-publishing. While it is true
that many self-publishing companies offer similar services
to assisted publishers, their core fundamental is the “we’ll
help you do-it-yourself” approach.
ASSISTED PUBLISHING
This “gap-bridger” is specifically marketed toward authors
who don’t necessarily have the time (or patience) to pursue
the traditional route (or have without success and are
reluctant to go the DIY route). These writers believe in
their book and want a quality product to share with the
public minus the stigma of vanity publishing. Most
“successful” authors (authors who’re happy with their
overall sales and the quality of their book) who’ve used this
kind of service break-even in the spending department:
what they spent on the service and separate publicity they
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made up for in overall profit from the sale of their book.
That’s not to say you couldn’t earn more. It all depends on
how your target market receives what you have to offer
and how much time you can dedicate to making sure it gets
into the right hands.
Remember: this is a service that an existing publisher offers
for a fee (these tend to range anywhere from $800 -
$5000+ depending on how many services you want to pay
for).
Be forewarned: not all assisted publishing houses are equal.
Some are vanity presses posing as assisted publishers and
have lawsuits and litigations against them that would take
you a week just to read the headlines about. They are
predators. To find a reputable AP house you need to do
your research. The website Preditors & Editors
(http://pred-ed.com) is a great resource to get you started.
If they have marked an AP house has as “not
recommended” find out why.
VP – Vanity / TP – Traditional / SP – Self-Pub
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Bridging the Gap
• you pay to publish (VP)
• make money selling services (VP)
• make money selling your book (TP)
• pay authors a royalty (TP)
• do not publicly publicize on your behalf (VP)
• provide an author page and bookstore on
their website for print-on-demand books (SP)
• are not selective (VP/SP)
• distribute your work (TP/SP)
• require a content critique to assess your book
(AP)
• offer various types of editing for a fee
(SP/AP)
If this is truly the path you feel most comfortable taking
because of the support you are offered during the self-
publishing process then there are a few navigational pieces
of advice to keep in mind before you agree to anything:
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1) Plan a budget – be aware of how much the package
you’re interested in costs and how much extras like
content and copy editing will be, how many books
you want to purchase upfront to sell locally, and
whether you want to be a part of any special sales
program they offer.
2) Ask questions – One area most authors don’t
realize is not included is publicity. A certain
package might say that you will get advice on how
to publicize your book but I have yet to see this
advice equal the added cost (consider hiring a
publicist like Jo-anne Vandermeulen or join the
Authors Marketing Club if you need help in this
area).
3) Know your rights – Make sure you retain the
copyright for your book; this is still a form of self-
publishing after all. Also, double check to see how
much it would cost to break away from the AP
house if you don’t want to pay their bookstore
listing fee every year (it’s often an exorbitant
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amount of money to branch out on your own). Ask
about whether or not you keep the rights to the
cover art, too. You paid for it so you should.
4) Stick up for yourself – If the initial critique of your
book goes poorly (they will almost always suggest
that you go through one extra phase of editing and
not because they want to make money but because
you’re work actually needs it) don’t be afraid to ask
for a different opinion, a new editor. I know a
handful of cases where the editor was the wrong
match for the genre and didn’t “get” the essence of
the book.
5) Keep an open mind – Don’t let the sales reps talk
you into anything you don’t want to do or pay for.
However, hear them out. You’re hiring them to
help you through this process. If you’re not sure of
something, ask a writing colleague or go to
reputable online forums like Absolute Write Water
Cooler or your favorite LinkedIn group to find out
more information.
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6) Take advantage of deals – Every reputable AP
house offers deals on their services at various times
of the year. When you’ve decided which company
you want to hire, contact them and ask to be kept
in the loop since you’re working on a tight budget.
If you don’t want the publicity option offered in
the service package you most prefer, see if you can
swap it out for more books or another service you
feel you need.
Lastly, if you’re certain this is the best option for your
publishing needs, buy one of the books from your chosen
AP house. This will give you an idea of: how thorough the
editing is, what the interior layout or formatting looks like,
and how professional the front and back cover look. After
all, if you don’t like the look of their product don’t spend
your money on it.
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SELF-PUBLISHING: DIY
The market for self-publishing has exploded. The online
magazine Publishers Weekly notes that self-publishing is
looking at triple-digit growth since 2007. It’s also
important to note that since the evolution of the personal
e-reader and portable tablet, half of all book titles sold are
in e-format. E-books have become so lucrative that some
new small publishers and imprints are devoted only to
selling e-titles.
The statistics sound great and the potential revenue is awe-
inspiring (35%-80% depending), but what does all this
mean for you the author? A lot of self-discipline and hard
work if you’re going to make a sizable profit with your
book. If you’re just publishing for the love of writing or for
fun, then all you need to do is get a friend to proofread
your book, upload it to your choice of free self-publishing
(smashwords, createspace, bookbaby, lulu, kobo,
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fastpencil, etc.), add a pre-fabricated title page or one
you’ve made yourself and you’re a published author.
However, if you want your book to be competitive in
today’s market you’ll need to do some planning and
preparation. I mentioned before about the absolute need
for editing and ways to work around spending a lot of
money to see your dream come true. There are in fact
different options for DIY in the self-publishing industry
with:
• Free Presses
a) Bulk Printing
b) POD (Print on Demand)
c) E-Only Publications
• Owning Your Own Imprint
Any one of these avenues can be of significant benefit as
long as you understand how each of them works.
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FREE PRESSES
Online self-publishing companies such as CreateSpace,
Lulu, Smashwords, BookBaby, FastPencil, Kobo, and
many others work on fee-based “free” book publishing.
What “free” means is that you, the author, don’t have to
spend any money with them to have your book published.
How they earn money for helping you is by taking a
percentage of the profits of the sale of your book, like a
traditional publisher. The amount is usually low (the
average is 20%) but it will go up if you opt-in for their
partnership services (agreeing to wider distribution through
other retailers can potentially add up to 60% on book
sales). If your book is sold by a third party, then you will
need to pay that third party as well as your self-publishing
house for helping you make that sale.
Here’s a breakdown of how this might work:
• Smashwords charges 15% for being your
main distributer
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• then they take another 15.5% if you qualify
for their premium distribution plan to
affiliate online stores
• if an online retailer sells your book another
9.5% is deducted from your profits
• this brings your earnings per book to
approximately 40% (remember, a traditional
publisher tends to offer 15%-25% on e-book
sales)
With all the above being the case, you’re still drawing in a
sizable profit compared to being published traditionally.
Numbers for printed books vary but the averages still work
out in the DIYer’s favor.
Many of these companies are trying to set themselves apart
from the competition by offering you “free services.”
Some of these services include but are not limited to:
Stock Image Use
ISBNs
Multiple Downloadable Formats
Design Your Own Cover
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Formatted Templates
Interior Formatting Guides
Publicity & Marketing Guides
Interactive Help Forums
Author Pages
Virtual Author Events
Blogs/Website Integration
Reader Reviews
Extended distribution networks (partnering with other e-
book providers like Barnes & Noble, Ingram, Apple, etc.
and smaller foreign markets) allows for more face-time and
opportunities to make sales in your market.
Half of all book sales are e-books. Half of all e-book sales
are made by Amazon’s Kindle. Many independent authors
feel that the Kindle market is big enough, and meets
enough of their target needs, to be a viable option.
Amazon and Kindle have their own free self-publishing
press called CreateSpace. If an author chooses to publish
with CreateSpace it works very differently from most of
the other options available – they don’t do extended or
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premium distribution to other retailers. By limiting their
retail space to Amazon and Kindle they are able to offer
their authors a higher percentage of money earned.
However, it’s important to reflect these two different
formats because the other half of the e-market does not
deal with Amazon or their specific .mobi files for Kindle.
There’s Nook, Kobo, iBook, and various tablet
manufacturers who tend to use either .epub or .pdf files for
their e-books and it’s important that you recognize where
your readers are by doing some research ahead of time.
Also note that you can e-publish on multiple platforms,
you just need a separate ISBN for each ‘edition’ of your
book.
No matter what you decide, make sure you read all of the
terms and conditions as well as the privacy laws associated
with the free press or self-publishing house you choose.
Know in advance that your copyright information will site
that specific self-publishing house (i.e. CreateSpace,
BookBaby, Kobo, etc.) as your publisher of record –
industry professionals will know you’re an independent
author and have not been traditionally published.
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Recognize, too that some of these houses only offer e-
books and if it’s important to you to have print copies of
your book available, then make sure you know who offers
what.
For those that do offer print versions of your book, the
two services available to consider are bulk printing and
print-on-demand.
Bulk Printing & the Self-Publisher
Bulk printing is pretty much the same no matter where you
go. Whether you choose to deal with an independent
printing press or self-publishing company, the bottom line
is that the more books you buy at one time, the bigger the
price discount you will receive. Why? It’s less expensive to
set up a print run for 1000 books than it is for 100.
Wholesale distributors of ink and paper offer discounts
that can then be passed on to the author, but this means
more money up front – and potentially a basement full of
books as you work to publicize yourself and turn that
“stock” into cash-flow.
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POD – The Rise of Print-on-Demand
What if you didn’t have to buy all of your books at once
and ship them across country or around the world on your
dime? Print-on-demand publishing frees up that room in
your basement to put in a surround sound theatre room or
that universal-exercise machine you’ve been dying to buy.
But like every good idea, it comes at a cost. If your self-
publishing house offers this option your cut of the money-
pie gets a little bit smaller. For some people, reduced profit
means more flexibility. When you don’t have to budget for
500 copies of your book, you can use that money
elsewhere. Essentially what you are asking your paying
public to do is a) buy the book and b) pay for the shipping
and handling. What you need to consider is whether or not
this will affect your sales in any significant way.
OWNING YOUR OWN IMPRINT
If the idea of being your own boss, owning your own
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publishing company and self-publishing your books your
way sounds like a dream come true, then owning your
imprint might just be the best option for you. Without a
doubt you’re in total control of, well, everything: from
writing, to hiring the right editor, and cover designers,
running a media campaign, setting up an online store,
finding a good printing press, meeting potential vendors
and more. This is both a challenging but a rewarding
choice that comes with no small amount of hard work and
dedication.
However, unfortunate reality in today’s book market is that
self-publishing is often looked down upon by industry
professionals due to the potential quality issues of these
books: varying from “just throwing it out there” to “highly
refined and crafted.” Because of this instability in the
market, if you self-publish through a free or assisted
publishing house then their imprint (Lulu, Book Baby,
Friesen Press, iUniverse, etc.) will appear on the cover and
as part of the copyright in the legal portion of your interior
formatting. This signals to professional reviewers, literary
journals, magazines, and newspapers that you are a newbie,
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untried, and are potentially selling a raw manuscript. You
will be hard-pressed to find avenues for national publicity.
And yet, by truly publishing your book yourself, with your
own imprint, you are immediately granted micro publishing
status. While at first this option won’t elevate you much
beyond what the free-presses offer, in the long run you
have the potential to turn yourself into a small press – and
that distinction will earn you respect for your writing, as
long as you’re maintaining industry standards.
So, what is a micro publisher?
He is an author and/or editor (often the same person) who
wants complete control over how his publications are
developed. These publishers only put out one or two
books a year with a limited number of copies printed
(approximately 50). In order to reach small press status an
MP, micro publisher, need only put out a minimum of 300
chapbooks (for one title) or 500 bound print books each
for 2 titles. Budgets for MPs are often minimal and
distribution is limited. It is rare that these books generate
62
enough of an income to sustain the writer and are often a
labor of love. That being said, if you are determined to sell
at least 500 copies of a print book for two different titles
(1000 books in total), you can elevate your status and begin
making waves as a small publisher. With that subtle
change, your publicity and marketing options open up and
the literary periodicals could start to take notice of you. But
you can’t expect this to happen overnight. You have to be
willing to work hard, find distributors, locate a reasonable
printing press, and handle all of the details of running a
business yourself. This is not an avenue for the faint of
heart but it can be a truly rewarding one.
Independent Printing Presses
This is the long-standing format for the self-publisher,
micro publisher, or small press owner. Many authors who
have been publishing their own work since before it
became popular still prefer this method for its hands-on
approach. You can find printing presses locally or you can
utilize online versions like Sure Print and Design, MP
Morris Publishing, Instant Publisher, 48 Hour Books,
Printing by Design and more. A printer does not generally
63
offer services beyond the actual printing of your book.
You need to find:
An editor
An ISBN
A cover designer
An interior designer/formatting specialist
A publicist
Most will offer you:
A variety of book sizes
A variety of binding styles & cover finishes
A few choices for paper (white, ivory, off-white &
thickness)
Printing of posters, bookmarks, banners and business
cards
One set of print proofs
A deal on bulk book purchases (50, 100, 500, 1000
copies)
You will be given formatting specifications to follow for
bleed (where an image might extend past the standard
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binding dimensions) and crop lines. It’s important to note
that certain options may cost extra including error
corrections, delivery, and proof runs.
Be prepared to write your own back cover blurb, obtain
quotable reviews by local authors of the same genre or
professionals in the same field for non-fiction books.
Don’t forget to keep your day planner up to date and your
budget on track.
Established Self-Publishing Houses as Printers
Some of the existing self-publishing houses (both free and
assisted service oriented ones) offer authors the
opportunity to utilize their free options (like premade
templates for book covers or interior formatting, build-
your-own covers, distribution associates, statistical
tracking, etc.) but place your own company imprint and
logo on the final product – for a price. Effectively, you
would be paying that self-publishing house for playing with
their toys.
More often than not these houses will ask for a one-time
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fee in addition to a printing cost per book (either POD or
bulk buys) that acts like a division on your royalties. They
have these nifty little programs that allow you to punch in
your total number of pages, the size of print book you
want, the color and weight of the paper, black & white or
color interior &/or cover options… everything. Then
press enter and you have the cost per book. Then you
choose how much of a wholesale discount you’re willing to
offer distribution houses (the industry norm is 55% but
you can realistically go as low as 35% it just narrows your
marketability) and how much money you’d like to make as
profit (say $2/book) and presto – you have the price of
your book.
However, that little fee per book that’s the house’s “cut”
will often push the consumer’s purchase price up anywhere
from $1-$8 on average, ultimately placing your book on the
outside of the buyer’s market. Sure, you can reduce your
personal profit to $1 or $0.50 and come close to balancing
out the equation. You could leave your profit at $2 and aim
to sell more copies via their online bookstore and your
own website (buying copies in bulk and storing them in
66
your basement or garage in order to get a reduced author
rate), but then you need to consider what you’re gaining
and what you’re losing by going this route.
You have the ease and convenience of using someone
else’s printing press as your own vs. a smaller profit margin
but a better chance at being recognized as an independent
press and actually getting your book in front of the right
industry professionals.
The Hybrid Option
What is the key to making money? Find a need and fill a
need. Lightning Source Publishing is an online printing
press with the benefits of the most difficult aspects of self-
publishing built in. More and more authors going the
independent route who are looking to be their own
publisher, and not just be self-published, enjoy reduced
rates and per book expenditures. You have the option of
going POD or ordering bulk depending on your business
model. You have the glorious benefit of having a built-in
distribution network with Ingram Books and their
affiliates, and you have access to a cover template with
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interior formatting guidelines to follow. This is the best of
both worlds when it comes to owning your own imprint
and publishing house.
You are charged a fee of approximately $117 (as of 2014)
for a new title. That covers uploading the cover and
interior to the printing press, one proof, and a $12 title fee
for keeping your book available in their POD catalogue for
one year. You are still charged a per book printing fee (this
is the basic cost of paper, ink, and wear n’ tear on the press
which would be approximately $4.15 for a 250 page black
& white book) but it’s at nearly half the cost of their
competitors.
They do not offer any services: editing, cover design,
interior formatting, publicity (beyond access to a
distribution house), etc. All of that remains firmly in your
lap as entrepreneur, just as it would with a standard
printing press (where your cost per book would be 2/3rds
what Lightning Source offers – a bigger discount but more
work left to you and no options for POD).
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So, now you have an important decision to make.
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TAKING THE PLUNGE
No matter what your literary pursuits happen to be, you
should know what publishing options are available to you
and how they may or may not fit with your personal goals.
This book is only an introduction to let you know the
basics – what’s out there and how you might begin
navigating the waters. When you have continuity of
purpose and practice, you can then pick what makes the
most sense to you and focus your research in that area
before taking the final plunge.
My Advice:
Never rely on just one source for information
Never hedge your bets or leave things to chance
Never think you have to do this alone
Never underestimate yourself
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This is your time to shine, so make the most of it and get
published.
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RESOURCES
E-Books
Authors Publish “Submit, Publish, Repeat:
Guide to Literary Journal Submission”
BookBaby’s “Blogging 101: For the
Independent Author”
The Book Designer “10 Things About Self-
Publishing”
Rob Bignell “7 Minutes a Day to a Self-
Published Book”
Christopher Hopper “Handbook to Publishing
Your Novel”
Research-based Websites
Preditors & Editors http://pred-ed.com/
Writers Beware
http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-
authors/writer-beware/
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Absolute Write Forums
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/
Community-based Websites
Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/
ABCTales http://www.abctales.com/
Authonomy http://authonomy.com/
Figment http://figment.com/
Writers Net http://www.writers.net/
Quick Brown Fox http://quick-
brown-fox-canada.blogspot.ca/
The Write Life http://thewritelife.com/
World Literary Café
http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/
BookBaby Blog http://blog.bookbaby.com/
Writer’s Digest Blog
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/
Kickstarter
https://www.kickstarter.com/
IndieGoGo
https://www.indiegogo.com/
CrowdScribed
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https://www.crowdscribed.com/
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M.J. MOORES
Growing up in Ontario,
Canada, M.J. was the only
child of a single mom.
M.J.’s passion for the arts
ignited at a young age as she
wrote adventure stories and
read them aloud to close
family and friends. The
dramatic arts became a
focus in high school as an
aid to understanding character motivation in her writing.
Majoring in Theatre Production at University, with a minor in
English, she went on to teach both elementary and high school
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for 10 years throughout Simcoe County.
M.J. currently lives with her husband and young son in Caledon,
Ontario. She keeps busy these days with her emerging authors’
website Infinite Pathways: hosting writing contests, providing
editing services, free publicity tips, book reviews, and
opportunities for authors to build their writing platform and
portfolio. In addition she writes articles, works freelance, and is
preparing to launch her first science fiction novel The Chronicles of
Xannia: Time’s Tempest. She firmly believes that if she hadn’t
been born a Virgo, she would not be half as organized as she
needs to be to accomplish everything in her daily agenda.
Connec t With M.J . Onl ine -
http://mjmoores.com
http://facebook.com/AuthorMJMoores
http://infinite-pathways.org
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About Authors Publish
Our mission is to help authors build their careers. We publish a weekly newsletter with reviews of publishers, and advice for building your publishing career. We also publish books and eBooks for writers. To learn more about us, visit our website: www.AuthorsPublish.com