Publishing A Book - Advice?

[no one]

My son has just about completed a book. He tells me he has 200 pages. He read the first chapter to me over the phone and I was amazed, spellbound. It was truly excellent. The writing is like Hemingway with a touch of  Gen X. Of course I am not unbiased, but honestly, I never thought he could write. I know because I was there trying to help him get better than a C in English class all the way through high school.

 

The genre appears to be a very thoughtful, keenly psychological, yet straight from the heart, somewhat impressionistic, story of a young man's graduation from college and RTOC during a time of war and what follows. It may be the quintessential war novel/memoir of our age (ok, I'm definitely biased - but I'm telling you, I was really blown away by chapter 1. I found myself hungry for more).

 

At any rate, I was thinking that there may be folks on this board that could offer some advice as to publishing. I know Matt has a book out there. Someone else too, I think.

 

My son - Nick - was telling me today that he is exploring ways of self publishing. My thoughts were that there are probably as many hazards involved in publishing as there are in race horses or any other business. I know a couple of guys that wrote songs. Both got ripped off by producers and record labels. So I'm kind of worried that he could get into a bad situation. I imagine that there is probably a balance that needs to be struck between being able to get the novel published at all, getting it published in a manner that maximizes exposure and marketability and, hopefully, capturing some reasonable level of profits all while maintain rights and artistic control.

 

Ughhh........sounds like a rough thing to do right.

 

All experienced advice greatly appreciated!!!!

 

 

[Steve Echard Musgrave]

First your son should go through the process.That is get writers  market look for an agent . Or go to writers conventions. Fiction is something that you should try to sell to a publisher first before you go the self publish route.If you get going like Michael has then you have a platform of a successful following,the average self published book sells about 10 copies. I worked for Charles Scribner's sons for several years as an acquisitions editor in the 80's. Non fiction.only. Because of uerologicla problems brought on by a rare endocrine cancer ,I can no longer write without making ten thousand mistakes. None the less I have published little ebooks for fun. 

Steve

[no one]

Thanks, Steve.

 

One though, it's non-fiction. He is an Army officer, veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Bruce Siegel]

No one, congratulations on your son's accomplishment!  Sounds like you have good reason to be excited. (Even though the book is not yet finished.)

I don't know a thing about publishing a book like your son's, so I can't offer much advice.

On the other hand, I can now say that I'm a successful self-publisher: more and more, my piano course is bringing in a significant portion of my income, while providing a real service to those who are using it. 

And though its format is far removed from what your son is doing--a subscription website with videos as opposed to a book--I HAVE been getting a taste of what the internet can do for authors in general.

Do you get the feeling that your son is serious about being a writer? 

Because for me, that's the key--finding something you love to do and settling in for the long haul. It's taken me a long time (I'm now 66) to finally begin supporting my self through my creative efforts. And boy, does it feel good.

And I'm grateful for the internet because, as someone who's fiercely independent (probably TOO independent), being able to make something and then market it on my own, is a godsend.

Anyway, not much advice (as I said), but I did want to chime in with some random thoughts, a bit of bragging, and my moral support, for what it's worth. 

I will say that a taste of success makes it easier for me to enjoy the good fortunes of others, and to share in the excitement that you and your son must be feeling.

[Michael Prescott]

It's probably a good idea for him to try the traditional route first, as Steve says - if only to get a taste of it. Writer's Market does indeed list agents, and he can probably find some of the same info online. 

This website offers advice on which publishers are trustworthy and which are unscrupulous: 

http://pred-ed.com

One thing I would suggest is that he hire a good copy-editor to go over the MS. before he submits it anywhere. This may cost a little money, but if it makes the submission look more professional, it's worth it. 

I don't think it's still true that the average self-published book sells 10 copies, though that was the case in the past. These days, it's perfectly possible for an ebook written by an unknown author to take off and sell like crazy. There have been many success stories. The stigma attached to self-publishing is rapidly vanishing. But what the heck, try the big New York houses first. One of them may offer a six-figure advance! 

[no one]

Thanks Michael and Bruce!

 

That link, Michael, is exactly the kind of information I was looking for.  There is so much out on the net regarding becoming a writer, publishing, etc., but now that I know a successful writer endorses a resource I feel better about passing it on to Nick. He seems to have become quite the perfectionist since his military officer experience. I am sure he will see the value of having the manuscript professionally reviewed and edited.

 

Bruce, congrats on your success as well! I always feel happy for people that can make a living doing what they love to do.

 

I don't know if Nick sees himself becoming a professional writer or if the book is a one off achievement. He started writing it when he was in Iraq. I remember him mentioning it then. I didn't take it seriously at all. Then, when he was in Afghanistan, I guess it really started taking shape. Since his return to the states, he has been working on it ceaselessly. He stays up all night writing sometimes. I think, at least in part, it's been his way of handling all that he has seen and done over the past three or four years. So maybe once it's out and dealt with he moves onto other things - or maybe he writes about his next adventure in life. I don't know and I'd wager he doesn't either at this point. I think all he knows right now is that the muse is compelling him to write.

[Matt Rouge]

I researched publishing my non-fic book the traditional way, and I was extremely discouraged. It's a huge pain and then you don't make much money, even if you have a best-seller. For example, I read that, even if your book is successful, you can expect to sell around 5,000 copies. Advances are usually no more than $10,000. Plus, the publisher controls everything, it takes a year for the book to come out, and they offer very little to zero editing and creative support. Oh wait, you also need to sell yourself to an agent. Oh wait, you also need to write a huge book proposal. It's a mess.

Have your son take a look at this:

http://www.salon.com/2013/04/04/hugh_howey_self_publishing_is_the_future_and_great_for_writers/

Personally, I hate the very notion of gatekeepers and don't like ceding control on anything. As for other personality types, your mileage may vary (YMMV).

I have had a good experience self-publishing through createspace.com, which is an Amazon company. They put your book automatically up on Amazon when you upload it. You can then turn your print book into an ebook pretty easily and upload *that* on Amazon (separate process to make it available on Kindle, although CreateSpace can do that for you too for more money) and Barnes & Noble (Nook).

I agree that he will need someone to edit it for him. It's just too hard to edit your own stuff, although you should make it as good as possible before handing it over to a copy editor!

I wish your son the best on his project!

[no one]

Thanks Matt!

 

Nick had done some research before he told me about the project. I get the idea that he had arrived at a conclusion similar to what you expressed. I'll pass your perspective along with the rest.