Entertainment & Music Novel publishing help

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

Basically, I am close to finishing the end of a novel I am writing, and there are some things I was wondering if anyone knew, to which they can help me with. Firstly, it actually is a good book and would do well. I have had people read it so far who really like it. I've even had an English teacher say it's fantastic and she thinks it would sell well. So to the questions.

Does anyone know of any specific way I should go about publishing this?

Before I send the manuscript to a publisher, do I need to patent it?

Do I need to hire a professional editor to edit it, or would the publishers do that?

Do I need to take my own cover art?

Do people have any idea about pay? (least of my concerns, but still would like to know)

If there is anything else that anyone can think of, it would be much appreciated. Thankyou.

 

[The Passenger]

there was another thread on this (about 12 months ago i think)...

also check out these forums; http://www.writingforums.org/

probably info in there.... i typed in writers forums into google and came up with shitloads of sites...

 

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

there was another thread on this (about 12 months ago i think)...

also check out these forums; http://www.writingforums.org/

probably info in there.... i typed in writers forums into google and came up with shitloads of sites...

I think the thread was in February, but it didn't answer all my questions, so I thought I would start this one. Unless you mean a different one.

Thanks, I shall check it out.

I never thought of searching writers forums. Good idea

 

[CF]

Does anyone know of any specific way I should go about publishing this?

There is only two ways you can publish and that is either through a publisher or doing it yourself.

Before I send the manuscript to a publisher, do I need to patent it?

No. You are covered by copyright law.

Do I need to hire a professional editor to edit it, or would the publishers do that?

If a publisher was to accept your manuscript they should get an editor to go over your work. But getting a manuscript accepted is very, very hard these days.

There are multiple free lance editors who can do this before you try submitting a manuscript and that is the best thing to do. But they charge for it and you may have to pay a large amount for this service.

The best advice is to get a free lance editor to review your work as a first step (without editing) and they can tell you if it is worth proceeding.

Do I need to take my own cover art?

Not if you are published by a publisher. if you self publish an ebook then you will need some cover art for that.

Do people have any idea about pay? (least of my concerns, but still would like to know)

In all honesty I would not consider pay at this stage is it may cost you several thousands of dollars just to get your book out there.

If you are really keen on getting a traditional publisher to publish your work the best bet is to get a literary agent who can get you in the door.

But it is very very hard to get in the door with traditional publishers, so the best route may be to self publish as this can lead to a publisher taking you on too. Best thing to do is find an editor who can polish your work as no authors book is ever published without proper editing done to it.

A professional editor can also help you self publish as it isn't as easy as just uploading your book to some site.

 

[MaddAdam]

Prepare for a great deal of hassle, work and heartbreak.

 

[DREAM TEAM BUFF]

It might me worth asking a Bookshop or your local Library.

 

[woopedazz]

It might me worth asking a Bookshop or your local Library.

That's like asking an orderly how brain surgery works.

 

[CF]

That's like asking an orderly how brain surgery works.

that's true and in my experience the orderly will tell you although from a skewed perspective somewhat.

As I said the best first step in my experience is to get a freelance editor to review your work to see if it is worth publishing. This will only cost you a few hundred dollars and the feedback is priceless.

But as stated above the whole process can be very disheartening and if you go down the route of self publishing it can be costly too.

I cannot stress enough just how hard it is to get a book published via traditional publishers. Most likely they wont even read your manuscript.

 

[CAS79]

Dealing with publishers without a literary agent is very hard for an author wanting a breakthrough

http://www.writingwa.org/resources/Literary_Agents_List.pdf

See if you get one of these on board. They at least have the contacts in the industry to get people to look at manuscripts. If you try on your own you will legit a lot of thank you letters.

If your based in Victoria I can put you in touch with an editing service who will probably look at your work... but ensure it's copyright is down pat before showing it to anyone.

 

[LadyPants]

I would be of no assistance, but I'd suggest to get an editor to edit your work first. That way when the person who reads the manuscript has a look at it, he/she doesn't have to worry as much about corrections.

 

[MaddAdam]

You need to get beyond the "slush pile" as your first aim.

An agent can help with this, as can any contacts you may have.

 

[CrippsonBlue]

When you say you are close to finishing, do you mean first draft?

Because if that's the case, I'd suggest you aren't anywhere near as close to finishing as you think you are.

Would at least need to do a second draft, and I'd suggest a third to really polish it up.

I'd suggest when you do finish your first draft (if that is where you are at) you completely forget about the book for 3-6 months, and then come back and do your 2nd/3rd draft after that.

As hard as that may be to do, it'll make your book so much better.

 

[Caesar]

I have heard that publishing as an eBook is a pretty good option these days. It's pretty inexpensive, and if you get some traction there then there's always the prospect of a potential hard-copy print down the track. Don't know how true that is, just what I've been told by aspiring writers.

I know two published authors. One of them got his break by ghostwriting a book for someone else, and using that to springboard his own novel. The other one got hers published through University of Queensland Press.

University presses are mostly academic papers and the like, but they sometimes have an arm that publishes novels that fit with a particular genre that serves their goals (e.g. youth issues, indigenous literature) and tend to look favourably on the work of their students. If your book ticks the boxes they're after, it's miles easier to publish with them than a traditional for-profit publishing house.

I have a short novel that I have been tinkering around with for years, mostly for my own amusement. Getting a book published is on my bucket list, but unfortunately I don't think my writing is up to scratch.

 

[MaddAdam]

When you say you are close to finishing, do you mean first draft?

Because if that's the case, I'd suggest you aren't anywhere near as close to finishing as you think you are.

Would at least need to do a second draft, and I'd suggest a third to really polish it up.

I'd suggest when you do finish your first draft (if that is where you are at) you completely forget about the book for 3-6 months, and then come back and do your 2nd/3rd draft after that.

As hard as that may be to do, it'll make your book so much better.

This is good advice. I'm actually doing a "final"polish on something I've written before re-submitting to a publisher who has shown interest.

In all honesty, from go to woah, this would be about the 30th draft.

 

[The Passenger]

I have heard that publishing as an eBook is a pretty good option these days.

i would've thought that's the go if you can't get it published....

join as many writers forums as you can, share you story too as many people as you can... get a neat e-book and publish it on a good looking web-site and if it's good enough you're bound to get a good few followers and who knows from there....

pretty much the same principal as musicians who are often conceeding their earliest weeks and giving it all away for free in the hope of gaining some sort of following to use for the future....

 

[HARKER]

I think the thread was in February, but it didn't answer all my questions, so I thought I would start this one. Unless you mean a different one.

Thanks, I shall check it out.
I never thought of searching writers forums. Good idea

BB2007: Take a chance and go straight to the source. What have you got to lose?
It's amazing that when you portray sincerity and actually ask for help, what can be achieved.
All you have to do is to connect with the right person in order to propel the whole thing along.

 

[HARKER]

This is good advice. I'm actually doing a "final"polish on something I've written before re-submitting to a publisher who has shown interest.

In all honesty, from go to woah, this would be about the 30th draft.

30th draft?

Wish me luck in pitching my screenplay to a movie studio, then.
I'm going Hollywood or bust, knowing that bust may just be the more likely of the two outcomes.

 

[MaddAdam]

30th draft?

Wish me luck in pitching my screenplay to a movie studio, then.
I'm going Hollywood or bust, knowing that bust may just be the more likely of the two outcomes.

Good luck! It isn't about pigeons is it?

 

[HARKER]

Good luck! It isn't about pigeons is it?

Not pigeons, but bees.

Well not really but it does have the word "bee" in the working title. A sci-fi, metaphysical sort of thing.
Have been thinking about the concept for years but have yet to see anything like it.

That may be a good thing, but then again it may be not so good. Must give it a shot though.

 

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

Does anyone know of any specific way I should go about publishing this?

There is only two ways you can publish and that is either through a publisher or doing it yourself.

Before I send the manuscript to a publisher, do I need to patent it?

No. You are covered by copyright law.

Do I need to hire a professional editor to edit it, or would the publishers do that?

If a publisher was to accept your manuscript they should get an editor to go over your work. But getting a manuscript accepted is very, very hard these days.

There are multiple free lance editors who can do this before you try submitting a manuscript and that is the best thing to do. But they charge for it and you may have to pay a large amount for this service.

The best advice is to get a free lance editor to review your work as a first step (without editing) and they can tell you if it is worth proceeding.

Do I need to take my own cover art?

Not if you are published by a publisher. if you self publish an ebook then you will need some cover art for that.

Do people have any idea about pay? (least of my concerns, but still would like to know)

In all honesty I would not consider pay at this stage is it may cost you several thousands of dollars just to get your book out there.

If you are really keen on getting a traditional publisher to publish your work the best bet is to get a literary agent who can get you in the door.

But it is very very hard to get in the door with traditional publishers, so the best route may be to self publish as this can lead to a publisher taking you on too. Best thing to do is find an editor who can polish your work as no authors book is ever published without proper editing done to it.

A professional editor can also help you self publish as it isn't as easy as just uploading your book to some site.

Thanks for the help

I'm still worried that someone will still my work and claim it as their own.

Prepare for a great deal of hassle, work and heartbreak.

I've thought about this, and I am willing to go through it. I study at uni at the moment, so this isn't my main potential job, so I have no problems with what may come.

 

[HARKER]

Thanks for the help
I'm still worried that someone will steal my work and claim it as their own.

Just send me a draft and I'll see whether I can..............I mean whether you can make some serious money from it.
You can trust me.

 

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

It might me worth asking a Bookshop or your local Library.

That might not be a bad idea. Espescially if the book store is a major one.

Dealing with publishers without a literary agent is very hard for an author wanting a breakthrough

http://www.writingwa.org/resources/Literary_Agents_List.pdf

See if you get one of these on board. They at least have the contacts in the industry to get people to look at manuscripts. If you try on your own you will legit a lot of thank you letters.

If your based in Victoria I can put you in touch with an editing service who will probably look at your work... but ensure it's copyright is down pat before showing it to anyone.

Thanks for that - I will look into this stuff.

Thanks, but I'm in WA. Yeah, I'm pretty big about the copyright stuff

 

[HARKER]

That might not be a bad idea. Especially if the book store is a major one.

Seriously BB, don't start at the bottom end of things. Most of these vendors are just that.
Go out on a limb and go straight to the source. What have you got to lose? Be an animal and keep asking until you get the right answers and even then ask for more.

 

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

When you say you are close to finishing, do you mean first draft?

Because if that's the case, I'd suggest you aren't anywhere near as close to finishing as you think you are.

Would at least need to do a second draft, and I'd suggest a third to really polish it up.

I'd suggest when you do finish your first draft (if that is where you are at) you completely forget about the book for 3-6 months, and then come back and do your 2nd/3rd draft after that.

As hard as that may be to do, it'll make your book so much better.

I do mean first draft. And I have thought about how many times I will need to re-read it and edit it, and that will be many.

Hmm, though that may make it better, I would prefer to get it done as soon as possible (without rushing).

I have heard that publishing as an eBook is a pretty good option these days. It's pretty inexpensive, and if you get some traction there then there's always the prospect of a potential hard-copy print down the track. Don't know how true that is, just what I've been told by aspiring writers.

I know two published authors. One of them got his break by ghostwriting a book for someone else, and using that to springboard his own novel. The other one got hers published through University of Queensland Press.

University presses are mostly academic papers and the like, but they sometimes have an arm that publishes novels that fit with a particular genre that serves their goals (e.g. youth issues, indigenous literature) and tend to look favourably on the work of their students. If your book ticks the boxes they're after, it's miles easier to publish with them than a traditional for-profit publishing house.

I have a short novel that I have been tinkering around with for years, mostly for my own amusement. Getting a book published is on my bucket list, but unfortunately I don't think my writing is up to scratch.

While an eBook does seem good, I just don't with it to be online and lose potential sales, and then go to a hard copy. Although, as a new author, it probably wouldn't make that much of a difference

I have no idea if the uni I go to creates their own papers, etc.

Well, you may as well try. You might as well

i would've thought that's the go if you can't get it published....

join as many writers forums as you can, share you story too as many people as you can... get a neat e-book and publish it on a good looking web-site and if it's good enough you're bound to get a good few followers and who knows from there....

pretty much the same principal as musicians who are often conceeding their earliest weeks and giving it all away for free in the hope of gaining some sort of following to use for the future....

That could be a good way to go. I just don't like the idea of giving it away for free when I know it would be worth buying.

BB2007: Take a chance and go straight to the source. What have you got to lose?
It's amazing that when you portray sincerity and actually ask for help, what can be achieved.
All you have to do is to connect with the right person in order to propel the whole thing along.

By straight to the source, do you mean the big publishers etc? Or people on writing forums?
That is a very good plan, and I will probably do something like that when my book is completely ready.

Just send me a draft and I'll see whether I can..............I mean whether you can make some serious money from it.
You can trust me.

lol I'm not falling for that one

Seriously BB, don't start at the bottom end of things. Most of these vendors are just that.
Go out on a limb and go straight to the source. What have you got to lose? Be an animal and keep asking until you get the right answers and even then ask for more.

Yeah, you are right. Just keep going at it. Surely the main companies would like to pick up by book and make millions

 

[HARKER]

By straight to the source, do you mean the big publishers etc? Or people on writing forums?
That is a very good plan, and I will probably do something like that when my book is completely ready.

The publishing company you think worthy and suitable for your novel.
It may not work but who knows. If you have a good manner about you, you may get lucky and be surprised as to just who may put themselves out to help you.
This world hasn't completely deteriorated just yet, although it isn't too far away either.

Go for broke mate, and good luck.