If the words, “I
should write a book” or “I could
write a book” have ever crossed your mind, then rest assured that you are
not alone. According to http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/05/200-million-americans-want-to-publish-books,
81% or 200 million people say they would like to publish a book; yet, statistics
prove that very few pursue authorship status.
The publishing industry, undeniably, has experienced
dramatic changes over the past twenty years.
The most prevalent changes have included the advancement, acceptance and
surge of self-publishing houses and e-books.
In 2010, 2,776,260 titles were self-published, compared with 316,480 titles
published by traditional publishing houses, as reported by Bowker. Regardless of the method of publishing, people
love to read and books are still in demand.
As you consider entering the wonderful world of
writing, you may be wondering what genre, Fiction or Non-Fiction, promotes the
most book sales. USA TODAY’s Best
Selling Book List found that Fiction sales rose from 67% in 2007 to 78% in 2011,
whereas, Non-Fiction sales trail slightly with the categories of History, Biographies
and Religious/Spirituality, ranking as the most popular.
The publishing industry estimates that ghostwriters
write more than 50% of all books; however, this figure is difficult to confirm
for several reasons, ghostwriter anonymity, author recognition and contractual
agreements, to name a few.
Possibly,
you are thinking the time has arrived to stop procrastinating and put paper to
pen or…. fingers to keyboard, as the case may be. BUT wait……….not so fast! Before you race to the computer to impart powerful
words of wisdom, write the great American novel or search the internet to find a
ghostwriter, it is imperative to understand that the publishing process involves
much more than merging a great idea onto printed material. The goal is to sell your writing and avoid
having hundreds of book copies stored away in a closet. Listed below are a few things to consider
before writing that first word.
IDENTIFY
YOUR BOOK PROJECT:
·
Genre-Fiction/Non-Fiction
·
Category-(Ex: Mystery,
Sci-Fi, Humor, History, Religious/Spiritual, Poetry)
·
Self-Publishing
or Traditional Publishing (Note:
Traditional Publishing usually requires securing an agent)
·
Define
your target audience
·
Objective
for the reader
·
Anticipated
word count-(varies by genre, audience and topic)
·
Develop
a website and social media pages
·
Speaking
tours for promotion
·
Book
signings
·
Obtain
an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) CAUTION: P.O.D. publishers (publish on demand) often take a large
percentage of sales and does not market your book.
·
E-book
version (Every type of book version requires a separate ISBN)
·
Graphics
·
Book
size
·
Printing
With
your basic writing starter kit compiled, it is time to begin. Isolate yourself from everyone for a few
hours, sit comfortably at your computer or pick up a pen and paper, grab a cup
of hot coffee and let the inspiration, begin.
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