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Home page for FAQ about the Writing Business

1. How can I find a publisher?
2. Do I need an agent?
3. Any tips about book promotion?

The key thing to keep in mind as you begin your search is, what is your intention for your book? Do you want it to place you among the immortal literary stars? Or achieve a modest success that might help you get a teaching job? Or, do you just watch to check "publish book" off your "to-do" list? And how much time and effort are you willing to put into the enterprise of finding a publisher? It might be lickety-split easy to find one, or it might take a few years, a bundle of postage, and a mountain of paperwork. Not to mention heartbreak.

There are many good books on this subject, but the one I most highly recommend is Susan Page's The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book.

Be sure to also read Thomas Christensen's excellent and very wise on-line article, "How to Get a Book Published".

But maybe the best publisher for your book is you. Seriously. In some cases this may not be a last-ditch strategy but in fact the optimal strategy. Read what best-selling marketing guru Seth Godin has to say about that here.

As for me, some of my books are with commercial publishers, some with small and university presses, and others with my own publishing company, Dancing Chiva. Each book, and its optimal publishing path, is unique.

UPDATE: Now on-line: The Manuscript is Ready— (Or Is It?)— Now What?
The expanded handout from my presentation at the "Publish Now!" seminar at the Writer's Center, June 24, 2012.

UPDATE: In 2014, self-publishing isn't what it used to be. Now, in addition to selling Kindles and other ebooks, you can get your print-on-demand paperback on not only amazon.com but the major distributor, Ingram. Read more about that on my blog, Madam Mayo:

"It's Not Peanutbutter-and-Jelly but It's Not Rocket Science, Either or: How I Did My PODs (And You Can, Too)

Traditional + Indie = Hybrid Publishing
Q & A with Michele Orwin, Founding Editor of Bacon Press Books



Home page for FAQ about the Writing Business
1. How can I find a publisher?
2. Do I need an agent?
3. Any tips about book promotion?