What others are saying about The Naked Author
“Smith’s The Naked Author is a complete wealth of information covering every aspect of the book publishing business. If anyone is thinking about or attempting to publish a book and needs direction, this is the book that must be on the table next to the computer. Smith has a vast knowledge and her book is chock-full of ideas, tips and hints for the novice and established writer alike. The Extensive resource information contained in The Naked Author makes any other book on publishing unnecessary. This is the only book you need to break into the field of publishing.”
Writers Digest, 16th Annual International Self Published Book Awards
“Anyone who has been involved in publishing for any length of time knows how important a good cover is to the success of his or her book. Here’s a book that provides an excellent example. This cover will get your attention!
The second thing that impresses me about this book is the volume of resources offered throughout. Yes, she mentions SPAWN under publishing organizations. (Thank you, Kat.) Nearly half of this book focuses on resources such as agents, distributors and such. She even tells you how to contact the program directors for Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kelly and 20/20. She lists over 50 book reviewers and includes nearly 40 pages of contacts for events for authors—book festivals and so forth.
Along with each grouping of resources, Smith offers the nitty-gritty, as well. Yes, she tells you how to approach and work with an agent and publishers, how to write a query letter, tips for preparing a book proposal and even guidelines for promoting your book.
I like this book because it is straightforward, reader-friendly and seems to be fairly complete.
Patricia Fry, www.spawn.org Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network
The
Naked Author
Exposing the Myths of Publishing
Second Edition
Katherine A. Smith
Copyright © 2008, 2011 by Katherine A. Smith.
Publisher: TomKat Productions, LLC.
POBox 701478 - Dallas, TX 75370-1478
United States of America
Smashwords Edition
Discover other titles by Katherine “Kat” Smith at Smashwords.com
I’m Tall, You’re Not; So That Makes Us Even
Love, the Vicious Cycle
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from its publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase a copy of your own. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Katherine A. Smith.
ISBN: 978-0-9715024-4-4
Reference. 2. Book Publishing
2006906525
Cover design by Kat Smith
Illustrations by Suzi Eberhard
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter One - In the Beginning God Created the Writer
Chapter Two - The Business of Authorship
Chapter Three - The Legal Print
Chapter Four - Your Words in Print – The Process
Chapter Five - Agents
Chapter Six - Editors
Chapter Seven - Publishers
Chapter Eight - Distributors & Wholesalers
Chapter Nine – Reviewers
Chapter Ten - Bookstores
Chapter Eleven - Book Clubs
Chapter Twelve - Libraries 70
Resources & References 76
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I give thanks to the higher power for my talents and abilities to share these words with you.
Thanks to Debbie Lewis, Ann Fields, Pari Danian and Tom Hudak who have been my biggest supports and motivators.
This book is dedicated to anyone who believes they have
a story to tell.
Chapter One - IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE WRITER
Writers are a very different breed. We tend to work in isolation yet think on a grand scale. That is why the Lord blessed us with the talent to put words together and entertain others with our wild imaginations. After all, there was a need for someone to research, write, transcribe and pontificate the earth’s first stories. That person had to own that work as if it was his own. So God blew the breath of life into the lungs of a long handed writer who labored to tell the greatest story on earth. And so it is.
Well, that is not exactly what happened, or was it? Anyhow, we writers sometimes think we know it all, but we are vulnerable in that self righteous point of view. Nevertheless we must arm ourselves with vast knowledge in order to effectively present ourselves as authors; i.e. authorities in any given topic or story.
To save face of me and my brothers and sisters of the ink, I give this peace offering. The Naked Author is a guide to helping writers and authors alike to understand the process of publishing and who does what in the industry so that we may better assess from who we will get what assistance during the process of getting our best selling books into print.
Chapter Two - THE BUSINESS OF AUTHORSHIP
Many individuals are sadly misguided as to where the responsibility for publishing success lies. Agents accuse authors of being self-centered and arrogant and in turn authors accuse agents of arrogance and insensitivity. Expectations are vast and misdirected in this “hurry up and wait” industry.
As an author, it seems unjust to say that the person to whom we entrust our prized possession may not be responsible for making us, or our book, successful. Don’t take it personally, it is only business. It is their livelihood. They are in it for the money. The bottom line is that we are all in it for the money. I know you’re probably saying that you have a passion for the written word and a love for the art and the creativity of it all; however, the business of publishing is to make money.
Educating yourself about the process of publishing is very important. Authors, as creators of the product, should take themselves and their careers a lot more seriously when it comes to understanding publishing as a business. This does not suggest developing any negative personal characteristics. It is simply a recommendation that in a viable business, the goal is to understand the products or services that you promote and sell. Business depends on your ability to handle the marketing and promotions side of publishing.
First things first; let’s start by asking; Do you know where you are planning to go with your career? What do you want to accomplish as a writer or author? What do you expect from yourself? Any potentially successful business should start with a plan. To become a successful author, I recommend you plan your career in the same manner. In a proposal, you address some of the same points that are included in a business or marketing plan. Agents who represent nonfiction ask for proposals to jump start the author’s thinking as to how they plan to market themselves, so why not see the bigger picture?
Expounding on the above, an author should create a plan for his or her career. With the help of web sites like http://www.inc.com by Inc Magazine and http://asbdc.ualr.edu/ operated by the Arkansas Small Business Development Center (ASBDC) and the 's web site at www.onlinewbc.gov, tons of information on how to create a workable business plan is at our fingertips.
A business plan serves as an action plan. It is your outline or road map and a valuable sales tool toward a successful career. Looking seriously at the direction you wish to proceed with your career and evaluating the outlook will help you determine whether or not you want to devote full-time hours to writing or stay with a present employer and work on your craft part-time. Because the process of getting published can take approximately two years, the latter option is one many authors chose in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Don’t foolishly quit your job unless you have financial reserves to cover you for at least two years.
Here is a simple outline for creating a personalized plan for a career as an author.
Mission or Vision Statement
When a business writes a mission statement, it explains their purpose for being in business. It is short, about two or three sentences and indicates your inspiration and life goals.
-A vision statement compliments your mission statement and puts into words how you visualize your mission playing out.
-What is your mission as a writer/author?
-What makes your life meaningful?
-What main topics or genre are you addressing?
Goals and Objectives
One way to solidify your plan is to write down your goals and objectives. Use clear language in defining your goals and establish a time frame in which you would like to achieve each particular goal or objective. Also consider the steps necessary to make that goal a reality. Remember to be realistic and clear, keeping in mind your mission or vision statement.
What broad results do you want to achieve?
Establish 5 each: short-term (30 days to 6 months), mid-term (6 months to 1 year) and long-term goals (1 to 5 years) to achieve the results.
Product Description
Here is where you describe the benefits of your books and services from your customers' perspectives. Know what your customers want or expect to build customer satisfaction and loyalty.
-What you are selling? (content, concept)
-What are the benefits to the customer?
-Which books/services are in demand?
Management
Here is where you place your biography or the credentials of whomever will manage your career. This determines your ability to bring to fruition everything stated in this plan. Analyze your strengths and challenges and determine where you will need expert or professioal assistance and budget for those services. As good as you may believe yourself to be, trying to juggle every aspect of your career or business can cause unnecessary pain and suffering.
Competitive Research
This step is important for understanding your and your product’s position in the market. It is believed that authors fail to see the significance of this step when submitting proposals. Knowing the competition is vital to your success.
-Who is your competition? Who has written a book similar to yours? (Include details)
-Who are the soon-to-be released authors and titles? (Include details)
-Is this a hot topic?
If no new books have been released on this topic, is it because there is little to no interest or were the books missing vital information that is of interest to most people?
Will your book offer an original idea or solution to a problem or give insight in a new and intriguing way?
Target Market
Understanding who will buy your book is also vital to your success. What is your reader’s age or sex? Where do they live and what is their income range? What are their interests and do they have children? Create your customer profile by asking yourself questions like these. Also, read industry publications to educate yourself on the industry and your market.
Who will buy these types of books? What are the characteristics of the end purchaser? (Give clearly defined demographics [selected population characteristics such as age, sex, race] and psychographics [attributes relating to personality, values, interests, opinions, etc.])
First, is there a market for your topic? Is your topic relevant, salable and does it appeal to the masses?
Who influences the decision to buy this type of book? (For instance, Oprah’s influence on any product she likes. Or the wife and mother who purchases a cookbook that promotes time saving recipes)
Are there any secondary markets that may benefit from your book or topic? What are the other markets where this information can prove valuable?
Marketing
This is the bulk of your work as an author. Marketing yourself will require almost daily tasks if you desire to make yourself or your books household names.
Marketing begins as simply as a business card, newsletter, or a web site, and escalates all the way to television commercials. Investigating what is right for you will take time and effort. Ask yourself the following questions:
-What steps will be taken to reach your targeted customers? How will you advertise and promote your goods and services?
-What media outlets will be used? (Print, Radio, Television, Internet )
-Do you plan to hire a publicist or public relations (PR) firm to assist in marketing?
-What other unconventional ways do you plan to market yourself and your book?
-Freebies, developing a news column, submitting articles to present yourself as an expert on your topic, give-a-ways [trips/prizes].
Budgeting
Here is where you develop a healthy and realistic look at your financial investment in your career. Consider all the costs for running an in-home business for a realistic figure. Plan on an annual basis and set aside a separate business account for your income and expenses. Also include a realistic amount for funding the venture. Include realistic earnings on your book deal to balance out your business venture.
-Your salary?
-Administrative costs? (i. e. telephone bills, office supplies, subscriptions etc.)
-Entertainment and travel expenses?
-Advertising and promotional fees? (Determine a percentage of gross income to spend on marketing – annually)
-Professional fees and services? (Graphic artists, typesetter, CPA, attorney etc.)
-Miscellaneous? (Insurance, utilities, rent, membership fees etc.)
If you have no desire to go to the extent of creating a business plan, then at least sit down and write down the goals you set for yourself and your career. Write out realistic, attainable goals, not pie in the sky ideals. This will keep you firmly planted on land; yet if you land in the clouds, then enjoy your success. It is better to be realistic and get surprised by the outcome than to set your goals too high and end up being disappointed.