A Book Inside / Denbow 87
A Book Inside
How to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Story
Carol Denbow
Plain & Simple Books, LLC
North Bend, Oregon
Plain & Simple Books, LLC, North Bend, Oregon
Cover design by Karen Wegfahrt
Edited by Cori Ashley
Copyright July 2008 by Carol Denbow
All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Denbow, Carol.
A book inside : how to write, publish, and sell your story / Carol Denbow.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-615-19924-5
1. Authorship. 2. Authorship--Marketing. 3. Self-publishing. 4. Books--Marketing. I. Title.
PN145 .D46 2008
808.02 22--dc22 2009904640
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to my parents
and the thousands of authors with a book inside.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 — Writing Your Story - 8
Choosing Your Subject - 8
Finding Your Audience - 9
Creating Your Writing Environment - 10
Selecting a Title and Subtitle - 11
Creating an Outline - 13
Writing Your Book - 15
Chapter 2 — The Fine Print - 17
Breaking Down a Book’s Components - 17
Determining Book Length - 23
Research, Permissions, and Copyright - 24
Cover Art and Illustrations - 27
Getting Critiqued - 27
Professional Editing - 28
Chapter 3 — The Numbers Game - 30
Obtaining an ISBN - 30
Obtaining Barcodes - 32
Obtaining a Library of Congress PCN - 32
Chapter 4 — Self-Publishing - 35
Setting up Your Publishing Company - 35
Choosing a Publication Date - 36
Designing the Front and Back Covers - 37
Designing the Interior Layout - 40
Determining Book Bindings and Printing Costs - 40
Pricing Your Book - 43
Chapter 5 — Traditional Publishing - 46
Finding a Publisher - 46
Querying a Publisher - 47
Preparing Your Manuscript - 50
Chapter 6 — Print on Demand (POD) - 53
Chapter 7 — Book Promotion - 56
How Book Sell - 56
Obtaining Reviews - 57
Using Press Releases, TV, and Radio - 58
Chapter 8 — Selling Your Book - 61
Autographing Your Book - 61
Friends and Family - 63
Finding Wholesalers and Distributors - 63
Selling in Bookstores - 64
Selling to Libraries - 66
Using Online Booksellers - 67
Creating an E-book or Audio - 68
Creating a Website and E-mail Address - 68
Placing Free Ads Online - 70
Blogging and Submitting Articles - 70
Book Clubs - 72
Visiting Book Fairs and Expos - 72
Twenty-five More Unique Ways to Sell Your Book - 72
A Final Thought - 76
Resources - 77
Introduction
Is there a book inside you? Eighty-one percent of Americans say yes.1 With so many people desiring to see their story in print, why does only a small percentage pick up the pen and write? Maybe it’s because writing and publishing a book seems like such an immeasurable task. But with proper direction, all writers have the ability to see their story in book form. A Book Inside will guide you through the process of writing and formatting your story, teach you the pros and cons of all types of publishing and how to go about the publishing process, and show you unique ways to market and sell your book.
You’re not alone in this venture. There are about 195,000 new titles published in the U.S. each year—is yours next?
Chapter 1 — Writing Your Story
Choosing Your Subject
Do you have an expertise that may benefit others? Has your imagination run wild with thrilling mysteries others may enjoy reading? Or do you simply have a story to tell? If you feel there is a book inside you, the first step to turning your idea into a book is, of course, writing it.
First and foremost, write what you know. With experience comes knowledge, and you will enjoy writing more when you are acquainted with your subject. Later, when you are promoting your book, you will need to be very familiar with the information in the book to be comfortable discussing it with potential buyers and others.
When you choose your book’s subject matter, check your resources (at the library or on the Internet) to make sure the book market is not already saturated with similar books. It’s always good to look for a niche—something that hasn’t been previously published or puts a new twist on a subject. Make yourself familiar with researching the library or Internet, especially if your choice is to write nonfiction. You will be spending many hours there.
Avoid a book idea that requires the reader to make notes in the book. Libraries and some booksellers prefer not to carry books that include work sheet pages because books lose value once written in. No one wants to check out a book from the library that already has the blanks filled in.
Finding Your Audience