The Busy Writer's Book of Checklists by Marg McAlister Read Free Book Online Page A

ways.
    #  Decide whether you need face-to-face
contact with writers on a regular basis. If you do, join a nearby group or
start your own.
    #  Join GoodReads. Here you can
interact with authors, keep an eye on what people are reading, promote your own
books and have your own page.
    #  Join LinkedIn. (Same as above for
GoodReads. Another good networking site.)
    #  Join professional groups connected
with your genre (e.g. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators,
Romance Writers, Mystery Writers.)

Section 7 – Getting Published
    The face of publishing has changed
dramatically in the past few years. Once, writers had to go through the process
of researching publishers, acquainting themselves with each individual
publisher’s requirements, sending a query letter and perhaps a partial, waiting
to hear whether they’d been successful – and then going through the whole
process again if they were not.
    Now it’s different. Writers can choose to
self-publish, and it’s finally accepted that it’s not only ‘okay’ to take
matters into their own hands – it’s often the smart choice.
    The following three checklists cover
researching publishers in general, writing a query and synopsis, and publishing
on Amazon Kindle.
    There are other options such as CreateSpace
and Smashwords, but all have excellent ‘help’ pages to walk you through the
process of formatting and uploading your work. Use the Kindle checklist as a
model for creating your own checklist for other publishers.
    If you do this, then each time you upload a
book, you’ll be sure to complete every step.

Checklist 21 – Researching
Publishers
    These days the field is wide open for
authors. Once, writers used to make a list of possible (traditional)  publishers
for their manuscript, and work through them, hoping someone would say 'yes'.
These days you have far more choice: you can query traditional publishers, use
a POD (Print on Demand) publisher, or become your own publisher on sites like
Amazon Kindle, CreateSpace, Lulu and Smashwords. Here are some tips on how to
find a publisher that’s right for you.
    #  Go to a library or an online
bookstore and start making a list of publishers of your preferred genre (or
genres).
    #  Subscribe to well-known publishing
newsletters that tell you what publishers are buying.
    #  Consider signing up for a
subscription to a Writer’s Marketplace. (There are various options in different
countries.)
    #  Spend time on writing and publishing
forums to find out what people are saying about various publishers. Also try
social networking sites like LinkedIn and GoodReads.
    # Check out both traditional publishers
and e-publishers online. Note submission requirements. Note the names of
editors who take submissions.
    #  Check to see if the publisher has a
downloadable publishing guide.
    #  Note which publishers will take
submissions only from agents.
    #  Check out the options for
independent publishing online. (Some well-known platforms are Amazon Kindle,
CreateSpace, Smashwords, Lulu and a few others. There are many smaller ones. Do
a search for 'independent publishers' and similar terms.)
    #  Ascertain your rights as an author.
(Can you publish somewhere else if it doesn't work out? Do you retain digital
rights? Will you have input into the cover design?)
    #  Check out options for marketing,
distributing and selling your book. (Will the publisher do all the work? Are
you expected to help with promotion - or to do ALL the promotion?)
    #  Decide whether you want to submit
your manuscript to a traditional publisher or an e-publisher that handles
formatting and distribution, or whether you want to go it alone as an indie
(independent) author.
    #  Research costs carefully. A
traditional publisher pays and advance plus royalties but doesn't ask for money
upfront. A co-publishing venture may ask you to share upfront costs. As an
independent publisher you pay any NECESSARY costs yourself. If you are