Writing Your Book
CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING THE DECISION TO WRITE YOUR BOOK.
Book writing is an exciting, challenging and fun business. I've been in this industry for more than 35 years. It was a lot more challenging when I started. Today, ...CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING THE DECISION TO WRITE YOUR BOOK.
Here are a few pages of resources to help you with your project.
Book writing is an exciting, challenging and fun business. I've been in this industry for more than 35 years. It was a lot more challenging when I started. Today, there are many courses, support groups (associations and listservs), manuals and a lot of nice authors and publishers.
Book writing, publishing, promoting and selling are changing-for the better! There is a New Model. Now you can break into print faster, easier and cheaper. One part of this revolutionary change is in writing your book.
NO NATIONAL BORDERS. You may conduct research in the world’s largest library (the Internet). The World is your potential market. Because you are selling information (nonfiction) or entertainment (fiction)-not hard goods, you may distribute your eBooks and eReports via the Internet. Your customer benefits from no cost to ship, no import duty, and no sales taxes while getting instant delivery. You can live in paradise. Be an author and/or publisher of books.
THE NEW BOOK MODEL is described in detail in my presentations and the latest editions of Writing Nonfiction and The Self-Publishing Manual. For an Executive Summary, see http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/newbook.cfm
Gone are the days of manuscript boxes holding boring sheets of paper with double-spaced lines in Courier typeface. Gone too are dull manuscripts without photos and drawings. Today’s manuscripts look like books. In fact, they are books. Manuscript pages look like book pages with single-spaced lines, words that may be bolded or italicized and headers with page numbers.
Listen to Dan Poynter being interviewed on The New Book Model. Go to
http://parapub.com/sites/para/
And scroll down to "On Air".
TODAY, AUTHORS “BUILD” THEIR BOOKS; writing is just part of the assembly. Building your book is like building a speech with PowerPoint slides. The computer simply provides you with more visual aids to help you get your point to your reader. Now, in addition to the printed word, you will add digital photos and scanned drawings to your manuscript as you write, pull information from the Web (yes, the World's largest library is on your desk), add resource URLs to your text, search encyclopedias for background information, art sites for illustrations and quotation sites for quotations. You will draw from all these visual-aid sources as you draft the manuscript.
“I’ve never heard authors say they are sorry they wrote their books, they are only sorry they didn’t writer them sooner.”
--Sam Horn, Author and speaker.
BOOK WRITING TEMPLATE. Before beginning to write, you will set up your book in a binder with frontmatter pages, dividers for each chapter and a backmatter section. You will fill in as much as you have for the title page, copyright page, acknowledgements, about the author, etc. Then you will build the manuscript by filling in the pages. Get the Template for your book f.ree from our Forms Bank at http://parapub.com/sites/para/speaking/formsbank.cfm. Or go directly to it:
P-47 WN Book Writing Layout Template. 34 pages, 373 Kb.
This is an extremely valuable document and it is f.ree.
For a complete description and more page layout instructions, see Writing Nonfiction. See and scroll down at
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
EDITING TIP. Save time by submitting your completed manuscript to your copy editor on a Zip disk or rewritable CD. Have the editor make changes on the disk and return it to you. Then re-read the manuscript to make sure the editor improved the copy without making material changes. If the corrections are made to a printout, you will have to enter the changes and then proof the changes. There are too many new opportunities for error.
PRODUCTION TIPS. Now your manuscript grows looking like a typeset book from the start. Then with a click of the mouse, you will convert the word-processing file to Adobe Acrobat PDF and you are ready to send the file to a digital book printer for a small quantity of perfect-bound (softcover) books. If you convert your MS-Word file with a page-layout program, such as InDesign or Quark, the pages will look even better. For information on PDF, see http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/main.html.
For information on digital printing, see our InfoKit on Production at
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/infokit.cfm
AUTHORS may send their (finished) book to agents and publishers. A finished book is more portable. A nicer presentation than a bunch of loose manuscript sheets.
PUBLISHERS may send (finished) copies to major reviewers, distributors, catalogs, specialty stores, associations, book clubs, premium prospects, foreign publishers suggesting translations and various opinion molders.
OTHER EDITIONS. You can wring more value out of your work by re-purposing your core content into other products. Those versions may be eBooks, audio books, large-print books, articles, special reports, seminars, consulting and speeches.
eBOOKS. The electronic edition of your book will have even more features and benefits than the print version: it may have color, sound, video and hyperlinks. Your e-edition will take up less shelf space, be even less expensive to produce and will provide a richer experience to your reader. See Document 615, pBooks to eBooks at
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm
New computer programs, new printing methods and the Web are transforming the writing, producing, disseminating and promoting of information. Books will never be the same. The winners are author, publishers and readers.
RESEARCHING YOUR TOPIC. How can you get accurate sales figures for other published books? You really can't. Traditionally, publishers do not publish sales figures. In fact, they boast of the number of books "in print" (and waiting to be sold). The "In-Print" figure shows their commitment to the book-and often the number is inflated. Most books are printed in quantities of 5,000.
Whether you are planning to find an agent and sell out to a publisher or publish yourself, you need numbers. You, or the publisher, need the reassurance of a definable, reachable market. Do this research before you write the book.
Nielsen's BookScan tries to count book sales. See http://www.BookScan.com/. They operate the first continuous retail sales monitoring service for books, with purchase information representing sales through a majority of the major retailers each week. In a typical week, sales of more than 300,000 different titles are collected, coded and analyzed, producing market information for retailers, publishers and the media. But they cover only 80% of the stores-just 4,500 book retailers and many more books are sold outside these bookstores. You must subscribe to the BookScan service to get the numbers you seek.
In order to qualify your project, you must get an idea of the numbers of prospective buyer/readers for it. You can't get absolute figures but you can get comparative numbers. Here are the steps. See
http://www.slate.com/id/2142810/
A. BOOKSTORES. Visit a couple of bookstores with a notepad. Large stores have a wider selection than small stores. Visit the right neighborhood. For example, downtown stores will have a greater selection of business books while stores in the suburbs will have more books on parenting and relationships. Some stores have special (enlarged) departments for some genres.
Look on that shelf where your book will be. Remember that your book will be compared (shopped) with the books adjacent to it. Look at each book. Think: if someone were to see this book, would they also be interested in my book? Chart the (comparative) books on your pad. Write down the title, subtitle, author, trim size, page count, copyright date, edition, cover type ISBN and price.
B. ONLINE STORE. Log on to a store such as Amazon.com. Search for your category of book. Set the list for Publication-Date order. Now you will see all of the books in your field from the brand new ones and going back 20 years. Chart the books that are close to your project.
You will find a lot of the same books you found in the stores but the ones in the stores are either newer or selling better; Amazon has space for virtually every book. At Amazon, the readers evaluate the books. Write down how many stars each book is averaging. Amazon also provides the sales ranks; they tell you how the books are selling against each other. Write down the numbers.
For historical Amazon sales data, go to http://www.titlez.com/welcome.aspx
C. INGRAM. Call the computer at Ingram, 615-213-6803. Follow the voice prompts. Punch in the ISBN (found on the back) of any book. The recorded voice will tell you how many books are in each warehouse, what the weekly sales rate is, how many were sold last year and how many were sold, so far, this year. Ingram moves some 55% of the books in the U.S.; these are not absolute sales figures, they are comparative figures.
D. MAGAZINES. How many periodicals serve the group you want to sell to? See
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/maillist.cfm
If there are a lot of magazines, there must be a lot of potential buyers for your book. Go to the websites of each magazine. Look for the circulation figures. People who subscribe to magazines, do so voluntarily and vote (subscribe) with their money.
BTW, you will send review copies to many of theses magazines and newsletters. Reviews are the least expensive. Most effective promotion you can do for your book. Bookmark the sites. E. ASSOCIATIONS. How many clubs. Associations have your potential buyers joined? ASSOCIATIONS. How many clubs. Associations have your potential buyers joined? How many clubs and associations have your potential buyers joined? What is the size of the membership of each organization? Make online searches and see directories such as the Encyclopedia of Associations,
http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0114.html
and http://www.MarketingSource.com/Associations/
F. STORES. What stores do your potential buyers frequent? For numbers of specialty stores and chain stores, see
http://www.vendorpro.com/stores.htm
You will probably sell more of your books through specialty stores than bookstores. See
http://parapub.com/sites/para/information/promote.cfm
For other industry numbers, see
http://www.Ranks.com
G. EVENTS. Where do your potential buyers voluntarily come together because they have a like interest? What events do they attend? How many are there regionally and nationally? How many people attend? Relevant conventions and other events are good places to sell individual books and to make new dealers.
H. CATALOGS. More than 7,000 catalogs are published in the U.S.; 11.8 billion are mailed each year. See the catalog directories at your public library and
http://www.catalogs.google.com/. You are not interested in "book" catalogs, you want specialty catalogs. For example, match a skydiving book with a parachute catalog. How many catalogs are there in your field? How many copies do they distribute? Record the numbers. You will want to submit your book to these catalogs. See Document 625, Selling Books to Catalogs at
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm
I. GOOGLE PRINT. You can research the texts of many new books through Google's new program. For information, see http://www.print.google.com/
J. STATISTICS BANK. Fascinating numbers on book publishing.
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm
Whether you are selling out to a publisher or publishing yourself, you need numbers. Agents and publishers want figures; you need them too. If you are selling out, put these numbers in your proposal, your agent will think you are a marketing genius.
Total up all these numbers. Now you should have a good feel for what has been published in your area and what hasn't been done, what is selling and what is not selling, how much you can charge for your book, etc.
GETTING FEEDBACK ON YOUR MANUSCRIPT. One secret to good material is peer review. Smart nonfiction authors take each chapter of their nearly complete manuscript. Send it off to at least four experts on that chapter's subject. They enclose a cover letter that goes something like this: "You are an expert in this subject and I value your opinion. Please make your changes, additions and comments with a red pen. Be brutal, I can take it. I would not ask for your input if I did not want and need it. If you will take part, I will mention your contribution in the Acknowledgments and send you a free copy of the book as soon as it comes off the press" (no, you do not have to pay them) "and here is a SASE. I have a tight deadline. Match each chapter to the personal interest. Expertise of the peer reviewer. You do not have to know the people you send the chapters to.
What you get back is terribly valuable: They add two more items to your list, they cross out that part you thought was cute but was really embarrassingly stupid, they sometimes even correct punctuation, grammar and style.
When your book comes out, you don't have to wait for your readers' reaction because you know the book is right. After all, it has been reviewed and accepted by the best. And, there is another valuable reason for peer review: You have more than two-dozen opinion molders telling everyone about your book-and how they helped you with it.
For more details, see WRITING NONFICTION: Turning Thoughts into Books by Dan Poynter.
Additionally, if you want an assessment on the entire book, contact Gordon Burgett. He will read your book and provide reports on readability and salability. Communication Unlimited, Gordon Burgett. See
http://www.gordonburgett.com/pathfinder.htm, gordon@gordonburgett.com.
Also see the Supplier List at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/supplier.cfm
WRITING NONFICTION: Turning Thoughts into Books by Dan Poynter describes the New "Book" Model: the technology has finally arrived to enable us to write, produce, sell and promote books faster, easier and cheaper. You will discover how to build your book rather than just write it. You will multipurpose your "book" into downloadable, CD and eBook versions. You will wring maximum value out of your work by spinning off audiotapes, videotapes, magazine excerpts, foreign-language editions and more. In fact, Writing Nonfiction will be your constant reference on writing and producing books as well as marketing your manuscript. You will learn how to break the topic down into easy-to-attack projects; how and where to do research; a process that makes writing easy; how to improve material; how to evaluate your publishing options and how to develop an individualized and workable plan. This book will help you decide whether to sell to a large publisher, a specialized publisher, get an agent or publish yourself. Using the "pilot system" of organization, the binder concept and the check-off lists will accelerate your book writing. If you are in the thinking-planning stages or the writing stage on your manuscript, you need this book. See http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm#wagr
COPYRIGHT may be registered before your manuscript is published, but, unless you are passing a lot of copies around for technical proofing and comment, you might just as well do as most publishers do: wait for books to come off the press. Your work is automatically copyright protected under Common Law the moment you type it because you created it and put it on paper, it just isn’t copyright registered yet. See http://www.loc.gov/copyright/
Contact the Register of Copyrights, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20559 (The website is faster and easier: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/) and request three copies of Form TX (for registering books) and copies of Circular R1, Copyright Basics and Circular R2, Publications of the Copyright Office. Read over these publications. Order any others you feel you need. The Copyright Office will also send you some business reply mailing labels so that you may send them the copyright form, your check and the books for registration. Their telephone numbers are (202) 707-9100 (hotline) or (202) 707-3000.
TO REGISTER YOUR COPYRIGHT, follow these three steps:
1. PRINT the copyright notice on the copyright page (title page verso). The notice takes the following form: “ © 2006 by Robert Howard.” You may use the word “copyright,” but the “©” says the same thing and it is necessary for international protection. Also add “all rights reserved”. Expand on this if you like. Check other books. The copyright notice must appear in all copies of the book to protect you, so double check it and all the numbers on the copyright page every time you proof copy, boards, press proofs, etc.
The copyright should be in the name of the owner. The owner may be the author, the publishing company or whoever created or paid for the work.
2. PUBLISH the book. Check for the copyright notice before any of the books are shipped.
3. REGISTER your claim with the Copyright Office within three months of the book coming off the press. To do this, send a completed Form TX, two copies of the “best edition” of the book and a fee of $30. The “best edition” would be the hardcover if both the hardbound. Softcover came from the printer at the same time. However, since the hardbound edition often takes longer to produce, the softcover may be the “best edition at the time of publication.” If you enclose softcover copies with the Form TX, be sure to note that they were produced first.
The Copyright Office will add a registration number and date to the form and will send you a photocopy containing a seal and the Registrar’s signature. The time it takes the Copyright Office to process your application varies; nine months is not unusual. The office receives more than 600,000 applications each year.
The new copyright term is for the author’s life plus fifty years. Your ownership of the book is now a valuable part of your estate, so be certain your copyrighted material is mentioned in your will.
Copyrights protect you like a patent, but they are cheaper and much easier to secure. Like a patent, however, you must always be on the lookout for infringers. The copyright protects your text, photographs, drawings, maps, everything in the book except the title.
To find when copyrighted Works pass into the public domain (how long you will be protected) see
http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm
and
http://wiht.link/copyrighttime
USING MATERIAL FROM OTHERS. If you want to use material from another book, locate and write to the author; the author is usually the copyright holder. Most authors are thrilled to be quoted as long as you give credit in your text. To locate the author, look for a home town in the About the Author blurb on the back flap or in the front matter. Make an online search.
Check the copyright page. Occasionally the publisher owns the copyright. Larger publishers have a "Permissions Department." Write to them, identify the passage, the book it is from and the book it is to go in. Ask permission to use the passage. Treat the use like a license: stipulate your intended print run or expected total sales and territory, etc. They may give you permission for one print run; then you will have to ask again when you go back to press.
Allow a few months. They almost always give permission, often charge a small
administration fee, and stipulate how your acknowledgment will read. Sometimes they say the credit must be on the copyright page. If you want to use the material in a book, the fee may be one hundred dollars or so. If you want to make a movie, the price will be (much) higher.
Music is an exception; the owner rarely gives permission to quote lines from a song.
Technically, you do not need permission for "fair use." But defining fair use is not predetermined. It is looser for non-fiction quoted in non-fiction critiques. The only way to determine what is "fair" is to go to court. You do not want to go that far. One or two sentences are almost always safe, but when in doubt, write for permission.
On the other hand, you may just want to use the ideas from another book. Copyright covers a sequence of words, it does not cover thoughts. Most books are written from research-from other earlier books. It is permissible to recycle facts and ideas. But do not copy words.
USING QUOTATIONS & COPYRIGHT. (Quotation: Truth well-stated). Relevant quotations confirm your advice. Quotations make the text more interesting; your book seems more important;. These words from others confirm your suggestions.
Quotations may be sprinkled throughout your text or may be used at the bottom of the pages. Quotations are best used when they are placed nearby to reinforce your words.
Gather quotations as you research your book. There are many fine quotation books. It is easy to find what you want online. Simply look for “quotations” with some of the search engines.
By the way, the word is “quotation” not “quote,” which refers to a price or the cost of a service.
Generally, quotations are not copyrighted for a few reasons. First, many are too short to qualify.
To copyright words, one must create them AND put them in "fixed form" such as writing them down or tape-recording them. With quotations, often one person speaks the words and someone else puts them in a book. No copyright.
Any writing from before 1925 are in the public domain; any before 1955 are probably in the public domain. See
http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm
If you need a literary attorney to explain this to you, see the Lawyers on the Supplier List at
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/supplier.cfm
And, see Document 113 at
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm
If the person I want to quote is still living, I send him or her the quotation and ask (since some time has passed) would he or she say the same thing today? A positive reply provides permission and a paper-trail.
MEMOIRS/STORIES. Most often people buy a nonfiction book for one of two reasons: To learn something or to solve a problem. Illustrate your helpful informative book with stories from other people and your own stories.
Stories make points easy to remember; people love stories. Your stories demonstrate that you are writing from experience; you are an expert on the subject.
People want to read something that will help them. Unless you are a major celebrity, they do not care about your life story (sorry). So don’t call your Work a “memoir.” Memoir is a turnoff to agents, publishers, wholesalers, distributors, bookstores and buyers. Write a detailed how-to or self-help book. Back up your points with the lessons you learned through life.
STORIES. Readers love stories; restating the experiences of others help to get your points across. You can ask for stories relating to specific subjects-and the listings are f.ree. Subscribe to our newsletter Publishing Poynters and as a bonus, you will receive Marketplace early every month. See Marketplace at our website; there are details in every edition.
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/newsletter.cfm
MAKE YOUR MANUSCRIPT LOOK LIKE A PAGE OUT OF A BOOK. Set your margins so that the text block will be about 4.2" wide and about 7" tall. For details, see Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books.
Traditionally, manuscripts consisted of double-spaced Courier type. Today that format makes your manuscript look dated.
Trial-set your type. To save time and to be able to visualize each printed page, set your margins, header, page number, type styles, chapter numbers, chapter titles, first paragraphs, etc., before you write a single word. Then fill in the pages.
To set your margins in Microsoft Word click on File\Page Setup and change top to 1.8", bottom to 2.3", left to 2.5", right to 1.9", and header to 1.3".
To make a header, with the book title and page number at the top of the page, click on View\Header and Footer. Type in the tentative title for your book, then click on the insert page number icon that is in the header and footer box. Underline both your header and your page number. Then set them in Arial, 10-point type.
For your text, select a nice typeface such as Book Antiqua or New Century Schoolbook (sometimes called Schoolbook or Century). Click on Format\Paragraph and set the line spacing for Single.
When you write your book in book-layout format, you always know how many pages you have and you are trial-typesetting as you write. Now you are building your book; writing is just part of the assembly. For more detail and pictures of the above, see Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books.
COLLABORATION. You may want a co-author, editor or ghostwriter to help you write your book. We all get some help.
You do not have to be a writer to be an author.
According to a recent New York Times article, “On any given week, up to a half of the books on any non-fiction best-seller list are written by someone other than the name on the book.” The reason is simple: being an expert, an eyewitness, or a celebrity does not necessarily mean that one is also a skilled writer/communicator. Enter the ghostwriter.
GHOSTS typically work for four kinds of clients. One is the expert, who writes to preserve and share his or her knowledge. Another has an extraordinary first-person experience to relate. The third is a celebrity or aspiring celebrity, who wants a book to memorialize or launch a career. The fourth has a fictional story to tell, but not the necessary storytelling skills.
You don't think Lee Iacocca wrote those two best-selling books all by himself? Iacocca is the author; it is his information, but he does not have time to be a writer.
The ghostwriter fills in for any skill or knowledge that the author lacks. In return for their expertise, ghosts are typically paid a cash fee plus a percentage of the author’s royalties. In return, the ghost takes a vow of perpetual silence.
If you are not a fully-skilled writer, but have expert knowledge or an extraordinary experience to share, or seek to launch or enhance your image, that’s when you should call a ghostwriter.
Contact several ghosts for interviews. Ask if he or she has worked on your subject matter in the past. You want a ghost who likes your subject and who can bring additional information to the project.
To find a ghostwriter or to get help with your writing, editing, proofreading, see the Supplier List at
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/supplier.cfm
And see
IS THERE A BOOK INSIDE YOU?, Writing Alone or with a Collaborator by Dan Poynter and Mindy Bingham. You will discover how to manage writing partner¬ships as well as how to develop an indi¬vidualized and workable plan. They will show you how to write your book, get the help you need and publish or get it pub¬lished. With self-paced quizzes and re¬sources. A Writer's Digest Book Club main selection. See http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm#isthere
FOR MORE F-R-E-E BOOK WRITING TIPS, See
http://parapub.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
HOW TO FIND A PUBLISHER. The secret is to match your manuscript to the publisher. Better publishers specialize in one or two niche markets. They know their subjects and do not have to send your manuscript out to a reader for evaluation. They also know how to reach the potential buyer and can jump-start your sales by plugging your book into their existing distribution system to specialty shops.
To find these specialized publishers, check your own bookshelf and visit a couple of larger bookstores. Look on that shelf where your book will be. Search your topic at an online bookstore such as Amazon.com. Look for smaller publishers who do good work. Then look up their addresses with a Google search. When you contact a smaller, specialized publisher, you will often get through to the top person. The editor or publisher will know what you are talking about and they are usually very helpful. They will be able to tell you instantly whether the proposed book will fit into their line.
Call the editor (or the publisher in a smaller house), reference the similar title they published and ask if he or she would like to see your manuscript. Then you will have someone to send your work to. Never just mail a manuscript off to a publishing company; always send it to a specific person; preferably a person who is expecting your package.
AGENTS. 80-90% of the manuscripts accepted by publishers come from agents. Many publishers prefer to have manuscripts filtered through agents. In this case, you must match your manuscript to the agent because they specialize too. Again, look for other books close to your book. Try to determine who the agent is. See the book's Acknowledgements or call the author.
SELF-PUBLISHING. Today, more and more writers are bypassing the agents and publishers to publish themselves. They are making more money, getting to press sooner and keeping control of their work.
BOOKS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY SELF-PUBLISHED. Many bestsellers were published by their authors. For a list, see Document 155:
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/access.cfm?isbn=Documen...
THE SELF-PUBLISHING MANUAL, How to Write, Print & Sell Your Own Book by Dan Poynter is a complete course in writing, publishing, marketing, promoting and distributing books. It takes you step-by-step from idea, through manuscript, printing, promotion and sales describing the New Book Model. The Manual shows you how to set type, lay out your book and find the right printer. Along with an in-depth study of the book pub¬lishing industry, the book ex¬plains in detail numerous innovative book-marketing techniques. The Manual is a Bible and a constant reference for pub¬lishers. Once you complete your manuscript, you need this book. Writer's Digest Book Club selection. New revised edition. See http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/business.cfm#selfpub
DAN POYNTER IS Mr SELF-PUBLISHING and one of his URLs is
http://MrSelfPublishing.com. Click on it.
FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY IN BOOK PUBLISHING by Robert Follett presents a step-by-step method for evaluating the financial future of new book projects. Worksheets, guidelines, projection methods, rules of thumb and es¬timating methods with explanations help you decide whether your book will make money. All new, second revised edition. Highly recommended. See and scroll down:
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/business.cfm
VISIT OUR WEB SITE for more than 500 pages of free resources on book writing, producing, marketing, promoting and distributing. Our revamped web site has a dynamite search engine. It can even locate tips, resources and information in our newsletters over the past 11 years. This is an infinitely-valuable research tool. Try it
http://parapub.com/sites/para/. See the Search box at the top of the page.
Another great resource is WRITER’S DIGEST. They have a magazine, book club and book publishing company. See http://WritersDigest.com.
SUCCESSFUL NONFICTION: Tips & Inspiration for Getting Published by Dan Poynter. This is a gift book for the writer within or the writer in your life. It might be described as Life's Little Instruction Book meets Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul. Each page hits you right in the thought process with a tip, an explanation, an illustrative story and a writing quotation. All writers will find this book informative, insightful and fun. "Bet you can't read just one."
You will discover: 38 Tips on how to write, 11 Tips on why you should write, 4 Tips on why your writing project should be a book, 21 Tips on what to write, 7 Tips on doing research, 9 Tips for building your book, 3 Tips on Copyright, 10 Tips for finding the right agent or publisher, 6 Tips on book promotion, And much, much more.
Successful Nonfiction is a beautiful book. The soft cover book has gold stamping, embossing, French flaps, end sheets and a matte finish. It is a book as an "art form". See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
INFORMATION ON SETTING UP AND RUNNING YOUR PUBLISHING BUSINESS, See
http://parapub.com/sites/para/information/business.cfm
To find much of the information and items you need, see The Book Publishing Encyclopedia: An A-Z Treasury of Tips and Resources for Authors & Publishers. by Dan Poynter. 978-1-56860-127-4. See http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm
FICTION AND POETRY are harder to sell. Unless you are working on nonfiction, you must get
PUBLISHING FICTION & POETRY. Fiction and poetry must be sold-just like any¬thing else. This Report will put you in touch with the right people and products: books, tapes, reports, magazines, mailing lists, con¬tests, marketing consultants and more. It tells you how to find a publisher. Document 606; See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
SPECIAL RESOURCES FOR SPECIFIC CATEGORY BOOKS. Or if you or a colleague are working on a particular genre, we have specific resources for you.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS: Resources for Writing, Producing and Promoting Juveniles lists the help you will need to write, produce, pub¬lish and promote this unique type of book.
Document 610. See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
COOK BOOKS: Resources for Writing, Produc¬ing and Promoting Books on Food lists the help you will need to write, pro¬duce, pub¬lish and promote this unique type of book.
Document 613. See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
TRAVEL BOOKS: Resources for Writing, Producing and Promoting Guidebooks. Lists the information sources you need to suc¬cess¬fully publish and promote travel books.
Document 616. See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
NEW AGE BOOKS: Resources for Writing, Producing and Promoting Books on meta¬physics, the occult and new thinking. Pro¬vides the leads you need for more informa¬tion. Names and numbers.
Document 617. See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
RELIGIOUS BOOKS: Resources for Writing, Producing and Promoting theological books. Lists the information sources you need to successfully publish and promote religious books.
Document 618. See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
SCREENWRITING: Fiction (theatricals) & Nonfiction (documentaries) by Gail Kearns is jammed with tips, ideas and resources on writing screenplays from Movies-of-the-Week to sitcoms. She also tells you how to protect your work.
Document 638. See and scroll down at: http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/writing.cfm
SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF DAN POYNTER'S BOOKS, REPORTS, DISKS, AND TAPES. See
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR F-R-E-E NEWSLETTER Publishing Poynters for the latest information on book writing, publishing and promoting. Each issue is jammed with book news, tips, resources, freebies and some humor. To see past editions, subscribe or unsubscribe, see http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/newsletter.cfm
WORKSHOP. Come to a workshop here in Santa Barbara. We will take you by the hand and spend two days showing you the New Model: new ways to write, promote, market and distribute books. You will handle all the new electronic toys and will leave with a power binder of materials and resources. In fact, you will need an extra suitcase for the handouts. For details, see http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/information/access.cfm?isbn=Documen...
SEMINAR. If you are in Southern California, I present a seminar on nonfiction book writing at the Learning Annex six times each year. I will take you through the New Book Model and show you how to build a nonfiction book. You will get a voluminous handout with resources. For class schedules, see http://www.LearningAnnex.com. Sign up on line and save. Dan Poynter’s Book Writing Course is #522-A; the cost is around $50. The three-hour course begins at 6:30 PM.
DAN POYNTER IS COMING TO YOUR HOME. You can get Internet access to his 3+-hour New Book Model video program. You will see & hear him in action with more than 150 PowerPoint slides. It will be just like attending one of Dan’s seminars without the travel and parking. Dan will take you through writing your book, publishing it and promoting the book. Nothing is left out. And you can go back to review any part or the entire show anytime you'd like, as many times as you'd like. This is his complete program-the one he has been doing all over the world as he flies more than 4,000 miles/week. See http://northstarm2s.com/m2sv2/Dan1promo.html
And http://www.selfpublishing-biz.com/
OTHER SEMINARS. See the Calendar at
http://parapub.com/sites/para/speaking/calendar.cfm
DAN POYNTER IS COMING TO VISIT YOU. He is circling the world to show people how to make a difference and make a living through their books. He shares The New Book Model: how to approach agents, publishers and self-publish all at the same time. He will show you how to use innovative techniques and leading-edge technology to write your books faster, produce your books for less and promote your books more effectively. He makes writing, publishing and promoting books easy, profitable and fun. See the New Book Model at
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/newbook.cfm
Dan Poynter's seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal, and his story has been told in U.S. News & World Report. The media comes to Dan because he is the leading authority on book writing, producing, marketing, promoting and distributing. The author of more than 100 books and revisions and more than 500 magazine articles on publishing, he is one of the industry's most energetic, experienced and respected leaders.
WHO IS DAN POYNTER? SEE
http://parapub.com/sites/para/about/about.cfm
WANT DAN TO COME TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP? See
http://parapub.com/sites/para/speaking/onlineform.cfm
MORE HELP WITH YOUR PROJECT
BOOK SHEPHERDS are a particular kind of consultant. They specialize in taking a book project through all the necessary steps that may include editing, design, typesetting, locating the right printer, getting a distributor, marketing and promotion (including your Web presence). Shepherds work with the author/publisher to assure that the book is produced and marketed efficiently and economically. These godparents use their experience and contacts to make sure all the publishing bases are covered and that they are covered in the right order. Some of the better-known Book Shepherds are:
Alan Gadney OneBookPro@aol.com
Barbara Florio Graham (Canada) simon@storm.ca
Barbara Kimmel nexdec@earthlink.net
Bob Goodman rg@silvercat.com
Brian Jud iMarketBooks@aol.com
Cynthia Frank Cynthia@CypressHouse.com
Ellen Reid sMarketing@MediaOne.net
Ernie Weckbaugh CasaG@wgn.net
Gail Kearns/Penny Paine Gmkea@aol.com
Jacqueline Simonds, jcsimonds@beaglebay.com
Janice Phelps jmp@janicephelps.com
Jim Donovan jdonovan@ptd.net
Judith Briles, PhD. judith@briles.com
Kira Henschel, Kira@GoblinFernPress.com
Linda Radke info@FiveStarSupport.com
Maria Carlton (New Zealand) maria@mariacarlton.com
Mindy Gibbons-Klein (UK) info@bookmidwife.com
Patrick Ang (Singapore) Patrick.Ang@pacific.net.sg
Rita Mills, rmills@ghg.net
Serena Williamson Andrew Ph.D (Canada). sw@serenawilliamson.com
Shel Horowitz shel@frugalfun.com
Shum F.P. (Malaysia) shumfp@pd.jaring.my
Simon Warwick-Smith sws@vom.com
Sylvia Hemmerly PubProf@TampaBay.rr.com
The Book Shepherd: A virtual production & marketing director who is your mentor, tutor, coach and friend in the book business.
Contact them to see what each one can do for you.
If you want help with your editing, proofreading, printing, etc., see our Suppliers List at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/supplier.cfm
LISTSERVS FOR AUTHORS & PUBLISHERS: The cheapest book consulting you can get. Several interest groups serve book writing and publishing. You can join and learn. You can ask questions and authors and publishers with personal experience will answer you. Sometimes you will be able to contribute to the list. See the various lists below, visit their sites, select two or three and join.
--PUB-FORUM. One of the oldest. Populated by experienced publishers. Sometimes gets off-topic. See
http://www.pub-forum.net/
--SELF-PUBLISHING. Owned by SPAN. For newbies. Advertising and rudeness are prohibited. See
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/self-publishing/
--PUBLISH-L. The original publishers' list with a new owner. See
http://www.publish-l.com/
--SMALLPUB-CIVIL. A newer list. Run by Shel Horowitz. Name calling is prohibited. See
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/smallpub-civil/
--IND-E-PUBS. Covers eBooks. See
http://www.ind-e-pubs.com/
--POD PUBLISHERS. A business discussion group for publishers of print-on-demand books. See
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/pod_publishers/
--PUBLISHING DESIGN. A place for authors, typesetters, designers, publishers, etc. to exchange ideas that will help self-publishers create professional-looking books to compete with those produced by larger publishing houses. See
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/publishingdesign/
--FICTION
Fiction_L. http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
--CHILDREN’S BOOKS
http://www.egroups.com/search?query=youngchildrensbooks
--BOOK LAW
Copy Law. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/copyright-future/
CONSULTING. I am also available for one-on-one private consulting. I can help you in Santa Barbara, at your place or over the telephone. Most consulting is by telephone. See http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/speaking/edutrain.cfm
INFORMATION KITS ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF BOOKS. Each F-R-E-E kit consists of more than 15 pages of details, tips and resources. Each is geared to a level of The New Book Model.
=> Researching and Writing
=> Producing books (pBooks), eBooks sBooks lpBooks & dBooks.
=> Marketing, promoting & distributing books.
See
http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/infokit.cfm
YOU REQUESTED INFORMATION ON BOOK WRITING so we have tailored this response to your needs. We have more resources on all phases of book writing, producing, publishing, selling, promoting and distributing. Let us know what you need. Contact Para Publishing at 800-PARAPUB or info@ParaPublishing.com. Para Publishing is your non-fiction book writing information source; we are here to help.
Because
"I don't want people to die with a book still inside them"
- - Dan Poynter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Para Publishing. Dan Poynter: Author (100+ books), Publisher (since 1969), Speaker (CSP).
Information Products on Book Writing/Publishing/Promoting, Parachutes/Skydiving, Expert Witness & Aging Cats.
PO Box 8206, Santa Barbara, CA 93118-8206 USA. Tel: +1-805-968-7277; Fax: +1-805-968-1379; Cell: +1-805-448-9009.
DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com More than 500 pages of helpful information: http://ParaPublishing.com
Showing people how to write, publish and promote their books--one presentation at a time.
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/speaking/speechdesc.cfm, F-R-E-E Writing-Publishing-Promoting InfoKits:
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/infokit.cfm