How to sell a book?

Factual Questions
1

So I was wondering if anyone could offer some assistance regarding getting a book published.

I wrote this book and am wondering what the possibilities are of getting it published. First of all, Can I just send copies of it to any publishing company? If so, does it have to be edited for any spelling or grammar mistakes? Can it be sent in any format or does it have to be typed?

Assuming that the book is pretty good and a publisher wants it; what is an average dollar amount received for a first book? Just an FYI: It is a fiction novel, about 250 pages long.

2

The answers to your questions really require a book themselves. Fortunately, there are many books out there that will help you.

First, you need to do some research. You say your book is fiction. There are many kinds of fiction: literary novels, science fiction, mysteries, romances, and many more categories. Each has its own set of publishers who tend to specialize in such works. Try going to a bookstore and finding books that are similar to what you have written and see who has published them. That will cut down your potential submissions.

Second, you need to find out about proper submission format. Yes, it needs to be typed, double-spaced, in a non-proportional typeface, with a header on each page. There are other requirements as well. If your manuscript has any spelling or grammar mistakes, you damn well better be a genius or nobody will look past the first page.

As I said, there are many books that will give you these basics. One is Writer’s Market, which has the names of all the publishers and what they specialize in, along with the basics of manuscript prepartion. You’ll find a shelfful of others at any big bookstore. Look for it when you’re there looking up publishers’ names.

They do have a web site, www.writersmarket.com, and there are many other general sites, like www.writersdigest.com and www.writemarket.com. There are more specialized sites as well: the Scieince Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have an excellent page on The Craft of Writing at www.sfwa.org/writing/ that will give you basics you can apply anywhere.

There is no standard amount of money a first novel will receive - it depends on a million factors. However, you will be lucky if you get more than a minimum amount, as low as $2500.

Now, get going on your research, give your manuscript another polish, and good luck.

3

Wow! Thanks for the info - it was well received!

4

And, coming from the jaded, cynical writer department, I’ve been trying to publish my first novel for at least…oh, three years solid, sending out queries and proposals probably three times a month, to agents AND publishers.

I’ve definitely had some interest, and climbed up the ladder a BIT, and I realize the subject matter in my novel is a bit odd and not mainstream (which has scared agents away), but I just want you to know it’s not a pop it in the mail and get the check sort of thing…usually.

Also, as a tip, my novel was originally 300 pages and is considered “almost too short”. You may want to take that into consideration.

Great Luck! I hope you make it!

5

<minor hijack>
Jarbaby, do you mind some nosy questions? What font size and type did you use, are the “300 pages” double spaced(I assume the answer is yes), and most importantly, how many words is your novel total? I hope you don’t mind, but I’m having difficulty finding out what “too short” is and knowing about the particulars of something almost too short would be a good clue.
</minor hijack>

6

Right now, most pro publishers want a novel to be at least 80,000 words. They’ll take 70,000 in a pinch. In 12-point Courier (the standard for NY publishers), that’s over 300 words.

To calculate words, don’t use your “word count” feature – it’s wildly inaccuate (and will shortchange you). Also, you need to use a monospaced font for an accurate count. Then, follow this technique.

Your best bet on actually making money on this is to go to an established, royalty-paying publisher and have them pay you to publish it. You chances of success (meaning making enough money from your publishing to be able to afford, say, a new computer) here are admittedly small, but infinitely greater than anything else.

Second best bet (though much less likely to make you anything) is to self-publish. However, remember, it’s self-publishing. It’s your job to find a printer, put the books in bookstores, send out review copies, sell copies whenever you have the chance, etc. You are the one responsible for the most important part of a book publisher – marketing.

Worst choice is to pay someone to publish. This is known as a “vanity press” and you will get nothing from it. You don’t have any control over the marketing, and once you line up with a vanity press, no one is going to review your book. Electronic vanity presses are the absolute worst choice.

Your book must be in proper format, with no typoes or major grammatical errors.

The advance you get depends on many factors and can range from nothing to millions. It’s best to get some advance, however – that shows the publisher has an interest in marketing your work to get back their investment. A more reasonable advance expectation for a first novel would be $2500-$5000 (more for a hardcover).

Good luck.