How do you get a book published?
One of my most frequent phone calls and/or emails asks, "How do you get a book published?" Here is my stock answer. This text has not been proofed, tweeked, nor edited. A final version will be included in my forthcoming book, Monkey Marketing. This rough version is posted here in hopes that it will answer some of your questions. Please note that this material is proprietary and copyrighted. Please do not copy, nor forward, nor publish this information. Just read it and use the information to propel your publishing venture. - Tim Nyberg (©2002ff, Octane Creative)
Get a unique and solid idea (one of those "Why didn’t I think of that?" ideas). Then, get on over to your local bookstore and find publishers of similar materials. It is important to know the publisher’s nitch. For example, don’t send a collection of off-color jokes to a publisher who strives to produce only clean material (that’s what our nitch was when we self published, we were quite up front with our intent to publish only clean and creative humor, yet we got hundreds of submissions with blue material that went right into the circular file). If you are sending to the wrong fit of a publisher, you are wasting your time (and postage).
Once you have found a few publishers that look to be an appropriate fit for your book, grab a copy of "Writer’s Market" a great reference book that is updated yearly. This book contains the publisher’s address, submission criteria and most importantly the name(s) of the acquistions editor(s). Or, go to the publisher’s web site and grab contact information. Make a call to the company to get the name(s) of the appropriate editor(s) so can address your submission specifically to them - otherwise, there is a severe possibility that your submission will get turned around with a rejection letter by a mailroom flunky. (You can order a current "Writer’s Market" at the MonkeyMarketing.com store.)
If you are not a graphic designer, you might want to enlist the services of one now to get your presentation into attractive, interest-provoking form.
In the cover letter, clearly state the nature of your book and the intended audience. Then provide a few sample pages showing your writing style, a chapter outline for the rest of the book, and, if applicable (e.g. a picture/humor book like the Duct Tape Books), a few sample page spreads (with illustrations) to show how the book might look. The publisher may not always go along with your illustrations, or choice of illustrator, but the images may enhance the presentation enough to be beneficial to the sale of the book to the publisher. Include a one sheet that sells you — a vita (or bio) identifying your credentials and/or strengths that will be important in the marketing (and the success) of the book.
If you would like a response from the publisher, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for their reply. If you would like the submission back, include a larger envelope with appropriate postage. If you don’t provide a return envelope, don’t expect a reply. Publishers get thousands of submissions a year.
Speaking of which, make your submission stand out from the rest. Use one of these Monkey Marketing techniques:
• Send the submission via Fed Ex (or at least Priority Mail). These tend to look important and get opened more quickly and with more interest than a manila envelope.
• Put something in the envelope (related somehow to the submission) that causes the envelope to bulge. Curiosity will get the attention of the editor. This is an old direct mail advertising technique. Remember getting the envelopes with a coin or pencil/pen in them? You HAVE to open them - even though you know they’re junk mail.
• Create an ad for your book (as if it is already in their catalog). This will help convey the premise of the book to the editor. (Here again, latch onto a design and make the ad look professional. Think like an advertising copy writer when you write the ad: Simple and to the point yet intriguing.)
• Include a two minute audio or video tape “author interview” to send along with the submission (more on this later).
• If you think it’s gonna be a sure thing, nab a web address and create a simple web site around the concept. (If you never use the URL (web address) you aren’t out that much. Most are around $24 for two years. I like using NameSecure.com. Again, more on this later.)
I sent "The Duct Tape Diary" submission to about five publishers (a relatively small number). The book was initially picked up by a small regional publisher whose on-the-ball editor (Tony) picked the manuscript out of the reject pile and convinced his boss to publish it.
The publisher’s sister bet Tony that they wouldn’t sell out the first printing of 10,000 books. That first book sold more than 400,000 copies before we took it our of print. Much of the success of this book (and subsequent Duct Tape Books) is due to my insistance on staying involved in the promotion of the book and not being satisfied with the publisher’s marketing efforts alone. (By the way, I went on to start a small publishing company with Tony when he went freelance. Together we published seven books - three of which are still in print and providing an ongoing dribble of royalties. And, yes, we did enlist Monkey Marketing techniques with these books also.)
We sold the idea, the manuscript and the illustrations... but it didn’t stop there... That was just the beginning of a decade of work. (continued in Monkey Marketing - coming soon - if you would like to be notified via email when the full book is available, click here)