Publishing 101

Your First Publishing Moves

Need to get up to speed quickly? Here’s what you need to know about publishing a book.

• How to Get Your Book Published Publishing industry expert Jane Friedman’s fundamental guide.
• Should you self-publish or traditionally publish? A high-level view of the differences.
• Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing Versus Self-Publishing All the details you wondered about, plus a few hard realities that may help you seal your decision.
• Everything you need to know about hired help The bottom line on how to vet consultants, agencies, small and indie and hybrid publishers, and more.
• Indie Publishing Paths: What’s Your Master Plan? Choose your publishing method based on your personal goals and measures for success.
• How much money do novelists make? A handful of articles and recent data.
• Key book publishing paths A visual summary of the options, updated for 2023-2024.

Traditional publishing

• Writer’s Market The bible of where to sell your book.
• Duotrope Find publishers and agents, track submissions.
• Manuscript Wishlist Agents and acquiring editors list the kind of manuscripts they want to receive.
• Query Tracker Find agents, determine response times and reply rates, track queries.
• The Submission Grinder Publisher database.
• Query Shark Tricks and traps of writing and revising query letters so they actually work.
• Writing a Novel Synopsis Once you understand what a synopsis should accomplish, yours will be easier to write.
• The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast Insights and critique of listener query letters and opening pages with an author and not one but two literary agents.
• Should you get professional editing before you query? Figure out what’s right for your book.
• What not to say to a literary agent or publisher Gaffes and faux-pas to avoid.
• 100+ query letter examples that got authors an agent
• Record-Keeping Made Easy: Download These 6 Free Writing Trackers Save time and keep track of what you’ve sent where.
• Query & Representation Treasure Trove Nelson Literary Agency offers several dropdown menus (look on the sidebar of the Pub Rants page) stuffed with information on what makes an agent effective, the ins and outs of literary contracts, and sample pitches and query letters.
• Writing Awards and Contests Rated and Reviewed Writing awards and contests are a traditional onramp that can make you more attractive to literary agents and publishers.
• Small press submission checklist If you’re bypassing the query trenches to go straight to a press that accepts unagented work, here’s a submissions checklist for preparing to pitch without an agent.

Hybrid publishing

• Everything you’ve always wanted to know: Hybrid publishing Hybrid publishing (professionally supported self-publishing) is not the same thing as vanity publishing (publishing packages for books destined for a limited audience of friends, family, clients, or colleagues).
• Is hybrid publishing ethical? Someone has to pay for your book.
• The definitive difference between hybrid publishing and self-publishing Neither one is vanity publishing (despite the squawks of the panic-mongers).
• Hybrid publisher criteria for reputable hybrid publishing businesses, from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
• Writer Beware An industry-vetted list of publishing schemes, scams, and pitfalls.

Self-publishing

• How to Publish an Ebook: Resources for Authors Superb, updated collection of resources for self-publishing.
• Top Self-Publishing Courses A comparison of three top self-publishing courses.
• How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book? Need-to-know intel.
• Self-Publishing Checklist Everything you need to accomplish to self-publish your book, including timetables.
• 13 most common self-publishing mistakes to avoid
• Making a Production and Marketing Bible Project management techniques for self-publishers.
• ISBN 101 for Self-Publishers How to get your book’s ISBN number(s).
• Industry Standards Checklist for a Professionally Published Book Standards published in March 2017 by the Independent Book Publishers Association.
• Understanding Crowdfunding as a Self-Publishing Option How crowdfunding can help you raise the seed money to fund self-publishing.
• Author Nation Networking and educational conference.
• 20BooksTo50K Facebook group on ethical, profitable sales strategies.

Self-Publishing: Publishing services

• Draft2Digital Self-publishing support: layout, centralized publishing and distribution services (to outlets such as Kindle, Nook, Barnes & Noble, and Audible), print-on-demand paperback books, and more.
• IngramSpark Hardcover, paperback, ebooks, and global book distribution.
• ScribeCount When you’re selling “wide” (on more platforms than Amazon), track your sales activity across multiple platforms.

Self-Publishing: Cover design

• Working With Cover and Interior Designers What you need help with, why, and how to get it.
• Book Cover Redesign If at first you don’t succeed, redesign. Check out the inspiring before and after images.
• Book Cover Design Fundamentals What to consider before hiring a designer.
• Damonza Recommended cover and interior designer—hit your genre and niche cues and target your readers

Self-Publishing: Blurbs & retail page copy

• How to Write a Blurb This itty-bitty sales tool can be challenging to write. Here’s how.
• 4 Critical Edits to Make to Your Book’s Description Copy This is where e-book sales are clinched. Give readers the information they need to decide to buy your book.
• How Writers Can Optimize Their Book’s Description on Amazon Optimize your e-book’s information to help the right readers connect with your book.
• The Importance of Subcategories in Book Search Success Search algorithms don’t work by magic; they bring up your book because you’ve correctly categorized it.

Marketing & promotion basics for every author

• The 15-Tab Book Marketing Master Spreadsheet Plan and execute a coordinated marketing campaign.
• Publishing a Sequel: 8 Book Marketing Tips You Need to Know Got a series in you? Here’s what you need to know before you even finish the first book.
• Unpublished Writers: Should you have a website, and what should it say?
• Amazon Link Anatomy: What You Don’t Know Might Be Killing Your Reviews Learn how to trim the crust off your book links—and why.
• How to Get Your Book Distributed: What Self-Published Authors Need to Know It’s not necessary to pay someone to distribute your book via online retailers.
• How to get your indie book into libraries
• 7 Book Marketing Services to Question Should you pay for these services?
• Book Brush Easy marketing graphics of your book.
• 9 places to look for readers who write reviews
• How to get a Kirkus review
• NetGalley Sign up to make your book available to reader-influencers for reviews and recommendations.

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