Wanted: advice for a would-be author.

In My Humble Opinion
1

Part of my job entails writing technical documents at work, some of which are over 100 pages long. But I’ve never written a book.

Lo and behold, I got an idea for a book recently. The general topic is gambling. The actual topic isn’t pertinent to this discussion, and I also don’t want anyone stealing my idea.

I’d like to plumb the collected wisdom of this board since I know there are quite a few authors on the boards. Uh…………. Where do I start??? :slight_smile:

I guess the first question is, do I go the traditional “find a publisher” route and put out a print book, or should I publish it on the web?

How open to new authors are publishers these days? What do I need to do before I approach them? How much and what kind of help should I expect from them?

How does an author get paid? I vaguely know that sometimes authors get an “advance”. But, how…. Well, how does the whole financial aspect work?

What about publishing the book on the web? How would I prevent the first copy bought from getting copied everywhere?

How much time should I allocate to writing it? My first estimate would be “take your first estimate then multiply by 4.”

What aspects am I missing here? I know there are probably very many things I haven’t thought of yet.

Thanks for all of your advice,
J.

p.s., Mods: I didn’t know where to put this. CS? IMHO? GQ? I went for IMHO because some of my questions don’t have factual answers, though some do. Please move it if you want.

2

First, write a book, and put absolutely all the good stuff in it, saving nothing. If the thing, the whole thing, isn’t in you, the details don’t matter.

Second, read what you wrote. If it’s wonderful, put it away for a month and read it again. If it’s still wonderful, or can be made wonderful, send the first twenty pages of it (with your wonderful revisions, if any) to a literary agent or agents. Decide which agent(s) by a combination of reading the dedications in (roughly) similar books in the library or bookstore, and perusing the Writer’s Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents, which is expensive but not when recent-but-not-new copies are purchased from used bookstores or directly from frustrated would-be authors.

Third, forget about the first book and start writing the next, if there is one. The first is now the object of an obscure hobby, related to stamp-collecting, called stamp-distributing. It’s a moderately expensive and time-consuming hobby, but not nearly as interesting as the next book, which is where a writer’s head should be.

Fourth, once you’re done, go back to your day job. It’s worthwhile too.

Fifth, FYI, this advice is off the top of the head of a confirmed non-expert.

3

You can get information about publishers and agents from the book Writers Market which is updated annually. Most libraries have a recent copy, if not the latest edition. It also has advice on pitch letters, the agent/no agent debate, and other matters of interest to the writer starting out.

Fiction publishers pretty much only consider completed books. Non-fiction, however, is sometimes sold on prospectus (you have to provide several completed chapters and an outline).

4

I am a full time author, with my next book coming out in two days - this is the blissful time - with my publisher booking in the interviews! It is my fourteenth book, but the first that I have been 100% (OK, make that 98%) happy with.

**I guess the first question is, do I go the traditional “find a publisher” route and put out a print book, or should I publish it on the web? **

It is all to do with your reason for writing the book. If you want to reach a mass audience, which is what I gather that you do, then you must consider marketing. If you are well-known within a niche audience, then you can do very well self-publishing in print or on the web. Otherwise you need a publisher’s marketing and distribution.

For me it mattered to be in print, in the bookshops, and with a recognized publisher. More about ego than anything else, I guess. That’s the route I choose. In which case, it is all about perseverance. Fiction is totally different to non-fiction (I have published both), as Hello Again said.

For non-fiction, use the Writers Market as suggested. Check out the bookshop for which publishers publish something in the format, and to the type of audience, you think suits your project. Prepare a proposal thoroughly. You MUST include the marketing section. Have a look at the publisher’s website, and somewhere in small print there will be “submission guidelines”. Follow them religiously. It is a way they figure how professional you are to work with. For example, my publisher is Allen & Unwin:

http://www.allenandunwin.com/

The submission guidelines are at the bottom of the page.

They also have a section (link at the very top of the page) titled “Being a Writer” which has great advice. Click on that and then there is a menu along the top, under the banner, including the stuff that you are asking. This is pretty similar for all publishers - so look for the equivalent for the publisher you want to approach. It makes a big difference if they see that you have done your homework. Just writing the manuscript is only the very start of the publishing process - they want to know that you will follow through when they put a heap of money into your book.

**How open to new authors are publishers these days? What do I need to do before I approach them? How much and what kind of help should I expect from them? **

They are much more open to non-fiction authors than fiction. It is a bigger market in many ways. But you have to convince them that you have a marketable product - they are only interested in whether you will make them money. “Need to do before…” is as above (I got carried away with that answer!). Help is zero. It goes like this. You send in the proposal - not a full manuscript for non-fiction. First time authors might get a contract - probably no advance at this stage. You do the year’s work (or more) during which time you won’t hear from them. You can ask questions, but basically you are on your own. Then you get an editor, and at the end of the (seemingly endless) editing process, you get the finished book and a publicist.

**How does an author get paid? I vaguely know that sometimes authors get an “advance”. But, how…. Well, how does the whole financial aspect work? **

An advance (its piddlingly small) is paid, usually on a second and subsequent books. It may be only a few thousand dollars, and it is against your royalties. So your book has to earn royalties of more than the advance before you get another cent. The sad truth: very few books earn out their advances. If you are famous or writing a scandalous book, you can get a big advance. The reason that you hear about them is that they are rare - so they make the news.

You are usually on a royalty rate of between 10 and 15% of the selling price. This is paid after 6 or 12 months - with delays built in everywhere, so you won’t see any profit for the hard work you start today - for two years at least. Very few authors can afford to give up their day jobs. We do it because we really want to write - not for the money. But we are ALWAYS sure that our next book is The Big One and we are going to make a fortune. Then, when reality strikes, we move onto the next one. Publishers are much more interested in an author they think will deliver further books. Spiders is my third for Allen & Unwin.

Once you have a book out there, then you can start making money on it, not so much on royalties, but on public speaking, school visits, freelance articles - stuff related to the book, because you can now be billed as “The author of …”

After a few books, you can get writing grants. I have a creative writing doctoral scholarship to write my next book. Bliss! I am finally a full time author - after 14 books.

**What about publishing the book on the web? How would I prevent the first copy bought from getting copied everywhere? **

That is the problem. My books are now published as e-books by the publisher, with their massive legal department, but we have still had trouble with that.

I also self-publish education material in online format for gifted students, a niche market where I am known, but have to accept that it can easily be copied. You need answers from people who have tried it with normal books.

**How much time should I allocate to writing it? My first estimate would be “take your first estimate then multiply by 4.” **

And then multiply by another 20. The massive advantage we authors have over all the millions of people who have a great book in them, is that we actually get it written. That is the only difference between us and them. I love the start and all the planning and research - which is where I am at with the next book. I love the end, which is where I am at with* Spiders*. And then there’s the middle - which drags on and on. But the start and end highs are really worth it.

What aspects am I missing here? I know there are probably very many things I haven’t thought of yet.

The time commitment is the big one. Don’t let all the negatives about the reality of writing put you off. If it was so bad, why are so many of us so keen to do it? I have qualification in engineering, education and computing - I could make big money, and yet have settled for little money. Why? Because writing is the most stimulating job I can imagine. And because - unlike almost every other job I can think of - I have no use-by date. No-one cares what I look like or how old I am. All they care about is what I get down on paper. I will die still writing! I have notes for at least another 20 books ready to follow.

All the very best for your book!

5

As everyone says, write the book first. Once you’re done, you can start worrying about the other issues.

Ideas are never worth stealing and no one bothers. It’s what you do with the ideas that matters. A great idea could be a lousy book and a lousy idea could make a great book. Beginners are too worried about the ideas and not the execution.

Do you want to be paid for your time and effort? Then find a publisher. If you’re just in it for the fun, put it up on the web – but don’t expect many people to read it.

[ol]
[li]Very. New authors even have an advantage over an author who sold a book or two but who didn’t have massive sales. If the book is good enough, a new author isn’t going to faze a publisher.[/li][li]You need to finish the book. Having an agent is also a good idea; few publishers take unsolicited submissions these days.[/li][li]Before they buy it: none. If the book needs work, they aren’t going to accept it. After they buy it, you’ll get editorial suggestions, and of course, they will have a marketing department that gets it into bookstores. Note that some “publishers” don’t even do that, but they are best avoided.[/li][/ol]

For a book, an advance against royalties. It’s a flat fee, usually paid in two installments: half on signing the contract and half on acceptance of the manuscript (after editorial suggestions). Every time the book sells after it’s published, you get a percentage of the cover price. Once the book sells enough copies to make back the advance, you get additional royalties on each book sold, usually every six months. There are other aspects – reserve against returns, for instance – but that’s the basic situation.

No way whatsoever. But it’s not likely to happen, and its unlikely you’d get any more than a handful of sales.

Enough to get it done. Make sure you write consistently. Set a word count goal – if you can write 1000 words a day, and do it every day, you can finish a novel in three months.

6

Thanks to everyone for all of the good advice.

Ok, so I get it: write the book first. What form should it be in? Is Microsoft Word a good choice? Is there a preferred Word Template to use? (I’d hate to write it in the “wrong” format and then have to change the entire thing – better to start in the right format.)

Thanks,
J.

7

If it’s fiction you pretty much have to write it first. However, if it’s nonfiction, you can sometimes get a contract (and advance) with an outline and sample chapters. These need to be detailed enough to show an agent or publisher that you have a good idea and you’re capable of executing it.

The advantage of this is that you can query publishers as you’re writing the book. Or if you get no nibbles, then you don’t have to write the book.

Fiction doesn’t really work that way. Obviously, even with nonfiction you can go ahead and write the book and that’s probably the best option.

When I’ve submitted my books electronically the publisher wanted it in the simplest format. As an editor, I prefer to get books in the simplest format. That way I don’t have a lot of things to undo. So the only formatting I would actually apply as an author would be bold, italic, and underline (and sparingly). This is so there aren’t glitches when the ms. is poured into whatever typesetting program the publisher uses. Word should be okay.

ETA: as an editor, I really like to see a good clean monospaced font. When I’m reading something in Times Roman it’s very easy to mistake, for instance, “modern” for “modem,” and names can get mangled as well. No right justification.

The advantage of selling the book first is the publisher can tell you its specific requirements/preferences for formatting.