Three Things You Should Know Before Publishing a Book

Publishing a book. Whether you sign with a professional publishing agent, or publish a book by doing business with an individual self-publisher, or maybe you even format your own eBook and sell it on Amazon. Regardless of which publication method you choose, how do you know if you are really ready for publishing a book or eBook?

If you are reading this thinking, "what's to be ready for?" Hang up the phone, do your research, and come back when you REALLY know what you are in for. Publishing a book or any finished product does not take a few weeks; it doesn't even take a few months. Writing a manuscript, having it edited, rewriting, re-editing, re-structuring, and rewriting again can take years. Seriously, years; especially if it's your first book. The same goes for novels.

What do I know? Well, I've only been in the publishing industry for about five years. In those five years, I've also started my own media, translation, and editorial services business. While working in publishing, I've edited, managed, and developed a number of K-12 products as well as higher ed custom products. Although I don't have a TON of experience compared to some, I have enough experience to know that you can't put together a first draft manuscript and expect it to become on the Bestseller's list in a few months. It just doesn't work that way.

If you are looking to find an agent and sign with a large and well-known publisher, be ready for the long haul and what could be months and months of rejections. This isn't to say that your manuscript isn't worth it or doesn't have quality content, it's just that the publishing industry is very competitive. Think of it like the music industry. It takes a lot for musicians and artists to sign with record labels. It works the same way. You have to keep writing letters and sending copies of your manuscript to agents and publishers the same way musicians have to send copies of the demos, until it falls in the right hands.

So where do you start?

1.) First and foremost, draft a manuscript. It doesn't matter what type of book you are interested in publishing, you aren't going anywhere without at least a draft. You've got to have a starting point.

2.) Find a quality editor. Hire an editor or some time of consultant that will help you through writing your first book. He or she will know the ins and outs of the publishing industry, or should, and can guide you in the areas needed. There are plenty of editors that work on a consulting or independent/freelance basis that would love to and are willing to help out.

3.) Copyright = no joke. It amazes me how people think they can "borrow" images or content and not bother to credit sources. Seriously. Copyright is a huge deal today, especially with electronic content. Just because you can find something online, doesn't make it free. I've already lectured on copyright before, so I won't do it again. I just advise that if you are writing a book, or even something as innocent as a blog, write your own content, use your own images, and source where necessary. Don't call anything your own if it's not your own.

4.) Do your research. You might think you have a great story, and maybe you do. But how do you really know for sure? Do your market research. Start a blog or forum or even post something on your Facebook or Twitter pages about your idea for a book. See what kind of response you get or what your followers say. This is a great way to see what your book's earning potential is as well as what your target audience is. You can even format your current manuscript into a real eBook and sell it on Amazon. You may need to hire a freelance who can format your eBook so that it can be downloaded to a Kindle or iPad. If it sells well, you can present that to a publisher or agent. It will also be impressive to them that you've done a form or your own marketing as well as market research.

Those are the top three informational items one who should know prior to publishing a book. Here are three key mind frames one should focus on:

1.) Be open-minded. It's understandable that after putting a lot of time, effort, and maybe even money into your manuscript that it becomes your baby. However, if you want to see your book beautifully bound and on a bookshelf in a bookstore some day, be open-minded to an agent's or editor's suggestions. Some authors and writers are dead set on a particular story or characters, and it's a great attitude to be so attached to the characters or story you have created, however, an editor will know what areas to improve and what approach is best.

2.) Be patient. It's great to have goals and a timeline set in mind. After all, publishing is all about deadlines. However, if it is your goal to have your book written, edited, and published within a year, it may be realistic to have a back up time frame in mind. Like any great work, it takes time and effort, and sometimes even more time and effort to get it just write. A literary work is no different. Sometimes things need tweaking, or last minute adjustments need to be made in production schedules; it is all possible. Again, while it's great to have goals, be prepared to be delayed or encounter challenges or set backs.

3.) Be positive. While there's been a lot of information that I've thrown out in this blog, and many of it may seem negative, that's not the idea. It's just factual and real information. The publishing industry is no picnic. It's rigorous and it's competitive. Just be prepared. All in all, it's possible that you will receive rejections, setbacks, or even challenges along the way. Don't get discouraged. Any feedback that you receive shouldn't be taken personally. Think of it as areas where you can improve. Areas where you can improve your writing as well as where you can improve creatively and professionally. Writing your first book is definitely a learning experience.

All in all, you've got your word cut out for you. Publishing a book is a lot of work. Consider these points of advice mentioned above prior to seeking out an agent or even a self-publisher. Signing with a publisher or even working with a self-publisher has its pros and cons. Obviously working with a real, well-known publisher will have more of a long term impact on you as a writer, however, writers often lose money due to royalty contracts. Self-publishers are usually quicker as well as more cost effective. It all depends on what works best for you.

© Anna Lurye | Dreamstime.com

Publishing and Copyright: No Joke

The publishing industry can't keep up with today's technological advances, which unfortunately is leading down the path of lost sales and revenue. With today's technology and the World Wide Web, it is extremely easy to find, download, and "share" content without having to pay for it or requesting permissions to duplicate it. But is this right? No. In fact it's downright illegal.

A recent article posted this morning indicated that the International Publishers Association (IPA) is fighting to close some selected file sharing sites due to copyright infringement concerns. One particular site (which will remain nameless in this blog) made over 400,000 eBooks available for free. Just because books are now made in electronic or "e" form, does not mean they are "free" to download, use, share, or what have you. Besides, eBooks are extremely cheap. In fact, there is controversy on what eBooks are being sold for on Amazon, versus what publishers should be selling them for. The price of eBooks do not reflect the work that is put into them. The editorial, production, and manufacturing costs...but that's another story.

Now, some of you may be reading and think, "It's online...who cares?" Well, you couldn't be more wrong. The common misconception is that "if I get it offline, it's free". Believe it or not, the Internet isn't a huge free for all of information, even though we absolutely perceive it that way. This is partly one reason why the government wants to censor the Internet with the new Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). While many users and companies are against it, you really can't blame them. Piracy is the same as stealing.

Most of you know that I am a full time editor and project manager for Pearson, (which for those of you who haven't heard of Pearson or aren't familiar with publishing at all, Pearson is the largest publisher in the world.) I work in Pearson's higher ed custom division. Basically my job is to work with universities and colleges to create custom textbooks that are tailored specifically to students in a particular course. Many times, I will get an order that involves printing something the adopter, or professor, wrote, or claims he or she wrote. In my professional experience, you'd be surprised how many times I've had to explain to one of our adopters that they cannot use a particular image or material that they claim is theirs. "But I got it off the Internet..." so? That doesn't mean you own it.

In another example, I'd also like to refer to my Baby Boomer parents, who are still very technologically behind. I had been working full time in publishing for four years at this point and was about to start my business, and I recall one evening after work my father was working on a training PowerPoint presentation for his staff while my mother was cooking dinner. He was getting frustrated with trying to find an image to use in his presentation through Microsoft Clip Art. Then my mother pipes up, "just find one off the Internet". That's precisely when I stepped in with my two cents. I then jumped in the room and said "no, you CAN'T do that!" Both of them looked up at me in surprise as if to say, "what's the big deal?" I explained that that was copyright infringement and that Dad was about to grab an image off the Internet that not only did he not own, but he was about to use that in a presentation that had his company name on it. Not to mention presenting it in front of how many people. Nowadays with "sharing" files and uploading and downloading, my innocent father's training presentation could easily end up in the wrong hands...which could result in a lawsuit, and the possibility of my father losing his job.

Far-fetched? Not quite. Intellectual property is nothing to screw around with, no matter how easily it may seem to grab content offline. Why do you think these lawyers that specialize in intellectual property make big bucks? Have you heard the story of the Kinkos lawsuit? You can read the article, but basically back in the early 90s, Kinkos used to have small locations on university and college campuses, kind of like how Barnes and Nobles manages various campus bookstores. While it was very convenient for students to make copies of assignments, compositions, etc., Kinkos also offered "course packs", which basically included illegal printed copies of copyrighted material that the students could purchase, for profit. However, once word got out, Kinkos was sued by various publishers, claiming that they were distributing and selling various publishers' and rights holders' copyrighted material. Kinkos came back and claimed that it was for educational purposes. The copyright laws back then were a little leaner, however, Kinkos was still sued, and it was at that point that copyright laws became clearly defined and the punishments became more severe.

So the next time you think, "oh, I'll just grab a picture offline for my website or blog," or something to that effect...think again. Think of what you are using the content, material, or image for, and then think of whether or not it is a good idea. You can absolutely use images, however it is best to grab them from stock image sites. There are some on sites that are available for purchase, but there are also free images that you can download and use at your leisure, however, while this is more morally sound, it is still a good idea to credit the designer where possible. Or to avoid the whole deal, take pictures or videos yourself and upload them. The only thing you should be careful for, is protecting YOUR work. You can always add a disclaimer in your description claiming that you took the photo or video or wrote your own work and that you do not permit the sharing or duplicating of content. Now while you don't have a lawyer on your side with documentation protecting your work, someone would have to be pretty stupid to ignore that and use it anyway.

The moral to this story? Just because it is available online, doesn't mean it's FREE, in every sense of the word. It doesn't mean that it's public domain, free of usage, free of an author, or free of cost. More and more sites will be shut down in the future due to this issue, however, you can do what you can and what you know is morally correct or incorrect.

© Rolffimages | Dreamstime.com

The “Art” of Publishing

While most view publishing or journalism as a communications or writing industry, which takes a certain skill set. Now while this is true, it is also an industry that is combined with art. How? Graphic design.

Graphic design is needed in many areas of publishing. Graphic design is also one of the fastest growing careers in the country. It is a an artistic and creative career that is also rewarding. Many publishers or publishing houses or vendors need graphic artists to do their Production work, create boilerplates, and even design covers and custom covers. There are many possibilities available.

So how do you become a graphic designer? It is relatively simple. A four year degree is most common, but of course you can pursue a higher level of education as well. Your courses are mainly in technology. You should enjoy and be able to do the bulk of your work and projects on a computer. Interestingly enough, there is also some legal knowledge that is involved, such as copyright laws and how to avoid them in your designs.

Luckily, if you choose to become a graphic designer for a publisher, publishers typically have their own Rights/ Permissions and Licensing departments that will research images, existing designs, and other art for you or to make sure that there is no infringement on any cover designs or products. However, knowledge of these situations is pertinent for all potential graphic artists entering any industry.

Getting your foot in the door for any magazine, publisher, or marketing firm is easy...especially with the huge growth in media today. Most companies or firms require  a six-month to a year long internship, in order for you to learn the industry, company, and test your skills. Once you gain this experience, you can write your own ticket. It is also smart to create a portfolio to show off to any potential job or internship opportunities, so they see where your strengths lie.

Another important strength a well-rounded and good graphic designer must possess is the ability to use their artistic strengths in order to reach a company or firm’s target audience in appropriate and unique ways. While this may require some background or experience in marketing, there is a lot of room for creativity.

Despite popular belief, there is a lot of potential for art in the publishing industry. There is a lot of room for creativity and unique ideas to design books, magazine covers, page layouts, as well as other artistic ways to reach the target audience.

The Myths: Publishing vs. The Recession

I’m here to tell you that despite popular belief, publishing and printing are still very successful industries today. Yes, publishing was also one of the industries to be hit hard by our country's serious recession. I was actually a lonely Assistant Editor who worked for a vendor (development house) in little ‘ol Worcester, Massachusetts. At the beginning of 2008 when I started working there as an Editorial Assistant, there was approximately 75 in-house employees. During the next year and a half, more than half of the employees were laid off. In May 2009, I was included. On the day that I was laid off, there were only 20 employees remaining, and another handful were let go later that year. I’m pretty sure the company is still open. How, I don’t know. But I climbed the ladder to the top and now I work for the biggest publisher in the world. Life is pretty good up here (literally “up here” on the seventh floor The Newbury building in downtown Boston).

But enough about me. It IS true that with the release of the Kindle and the Nook, that publishing sales have decreased, but on the education side, media components and print are still in very high demand. Also from what I’ve seen, there is also a huge demand for blog and article writing. It’s all about SEO and SEM today, isn’t it? Blog and article writing is a huge thing. Everyone, including companies today have a Facebook page or Twitter account and a blog that they contribute to on a regular basis. Gee, I should jump on the bandwagon, huh? And since many companies today depend on websites for marketing, networking, and business, the blog is a must-have and it must be maintained. So, they hire writers for cheap to write 300-500 word blogs to keep their information fresh, their readers reading, and their Google results successful. Not a bad idea.

From my knowledge and personal experiences with language and publishing, the translation of documents, books and ebooks, etc. are still in high demand. It’s not even that the U.S. is packed to the high heavens with minorities and non-English speakers, but it’s the cross distribution of documents or information and data between countries as well. There’s the translation of government documents, letters, medical device instruction manuals, school textbooks and things of the like that require translation and localization before they can be marketed or distributed.

The world and the economy are constantly changing. There's no doubt about that. Especially with technology readily available and easily accessible. It’s difficult as merchants and consumers to keep up with the demand, but we tend to do it somehow. As far as the recession goes, it’s still very much among us. Less people may be collecting unemployment overall, but there are still not enough jobs to replace those that were lost. I know people that have been out of work for two and even three plus years! Unfortunately, we’ve still got a long road ahead of us, but we’re making do. It can’t be like this forever. And despite popular belief, publishing is still a very successful business. It’s not a dying industry, but rather a changing industry.