How To Successfully Publish Your Book

By Delroy Constantine-Simms

Make those writing dreams a reality with this comprehensive guide of publishing secrets, which will show you how to go from staring at an empty page, to becoming a published author. Sound familiar? In all honesty, it’s never been easier or cheaper to get your book published.

Equally, there are numerous book publishing gurus selling

• Language: English
• Publisher: Think Doctor Publications
• Release date: Oct 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781945178498

Delroy Constantine-Simms

Delroy Constantine Simms C. Psychol; MSc Occupational and Organizational Psychology; BA (Hons) Social Sciences; BSc (Hons) Psychology; Constantine-Simms has previously taught sociology, psychology, at the Open University; The University of Stirling; Westminster College; and Barnet College. He is also a freelance print and photo journalist, whose work has been published in The Voice Newspaper, Black Britain, The Post, The Gleaner, Miami Times, The Amsterdam News, Pride Magazine. His photos have been distributed through photo agencies such as Demotix, Corbis and Getty images. He is a regular contributor on several radio and TV stations, including the BBC, Channel Four, BBC Radio 1, Three Counties Radio, and has been featured in the Guardian and cited in the Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Metro, Constantine-Simms has presented academic papers in Germany, South Africa, The USA, Jamaica, Gambia, and Ethiopia on a variety of psychology and sociology related topics.He is also the recipient of the 2001 Lambda Book Award for Best Anthology (The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities). Mst recently, received two Black Excellence Awards (Middle East) Best Photographer Award (2021), and Best Author Award (2021) after writing and editing two consequential books, #Take A Knee Political Awakening of Colin Kaepernick, and The Brazilian Covid Catastrophe. He currently lives in the United Arab Emirates.See https://www.betterhelp.com/delroy-constantine-simms/

Book preview

How to Successfully Publish Your Book

Delroy Constantine-Simms

INVICTUS

THINK DOCTOR PUBLICATIONS

How to Successfully Publish Your Book

By

Delroy Constantine-Simms

Produced by

THINK DOCTOR PUBLICATIONS

In Conjunction With

The Institute of Self Development

Represented by

www.heavensentconsultancy.com

EDITORS ERROR NOTICE REQUEST

If you spot any errors or omissions in this book, please free to contact the editor at [e-mail] in order that the necessary changes can be made as promptly as possible.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Copyright © 2016 D. Constantine-Simms

Copyright © 2016 Think Doctor Publications

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher If copyright material has been inadvertently used without permission, acknowledgement or credit, the editors and publisher will be more than happy to make the necessary arrangements for such concerns to be addressed at the first possible opportunity.

ISBN: 978-1-943278-40-4

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Delroy Constantine-Simms is a UK registered Counselling Psychologist and a qualified Therapeutic Career Coach. Constantine-Simms has previously edited the following books and co-edited Teachers for the Future (1995) The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities (2001) Hip Hop Had a Dream: Vol. 1 the Artful Movement (2008) Constantine-Simms is the recipient of the 2001 Lambda Award for Best Anthology for his book: The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities (2001). He is also as freelance print and photojournalist, whose work is regularly submitted and distributed by photo agencies such as Corbis Images and Demotix. His articles and images have appeared in British and international publications such as the Word (Canada) The Big Issue, The Guardian, The Voice Newspaper, Miami Times, and many other publications. He is currently pursuing part time academic study at the University of Oxford (UK), while working on a major business project in the United Arab Emirates.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Brian Jud

Brian Jud is the Executive Director of the Association of Publishers for Special Sales (APSS – www.bookapss.org – formerly SPAN). He is also the author of How to Make Real Money Selling Books. Brian offers commission-based sales of books to buyers in non-bookstore markets. Contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001-0715; [phone];

[e-mail] www.premiumbookcompany.com twitter.com/book marketing

Penny C. Sansevieri

Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor Teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Social Media/Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of twelve books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the leading guide to everything Internet. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.com.

Kelly Marone

Kelly Marone is a professional freelance writer with a 5-year writing experience. She is enthusiastic and devoted to her work. Besides, Kelly additionally makes the most of her other employment as a full-time mother of two beloved children, Kenyon and Natalie. You can contact her via Linkedin or Google+.

Hobie Hobart

For over 25 years, Hobie Hobart and his partner Kathi Dunn (known as one of the country's top book cover designers) have created success tools like bestselling book covers and information products that authors, speakers and experts use to build their brands and business empires. Hobie's company, Dunn+Associates Strategic Design and Branding for Authors and Experts, worked for six years with Tony Robbins, developing seminar promotional materials and products including Tony's legendary infomercial product, the PowerTalk series. http://www.dunn-design.com/

Devorah Ashlem

Devorah Ashlem is a Senior Project Manager at Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL). DCLoffers world-class data conversion services and software, and specializes in complex projects with expertise spanning all industries. To contact Devorah Ashlem at DCL, [e-mail]

Miral Sattar

Miral Sattar is the founder and CEO of BiblioCrunch, an award-winning author services marketplace that matches authors with quality, award-winning professionals to get new books and apps to market. She has worked in the media industry for 11 years, most recently at TIME where she launched several digital initiatives including an iPad and mobile site, mobile apps, a video and podcast channel, blogs, and SEO. Her writing has been featured in TIME, CNN, NY Daily News, among other media publications. She has a MS in Publishing (Digital + Print Media) from NYU and a BS from Columbia University in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. You can follow Miral on Twitter @bibliocrunch or @miralsattar

Sandra Poirier Smith

Sandra Poirier Smith is the president of Smith Publicity, Inc., an international book marketing company dedicated to helping authors create awareness about their books and expertise through media coverage. Smith Publicity has promoted thousands of authors/publishers since 1997—from New York Times best sellers to first time, self-published books. Sandra regularly writes and speaks at book industry events on the topic of book marketing and promotion, in addition to being a regular judge for the annual IndieReader Discovery Awards (IRDAs). [e-mail].

Joel Friendlander

Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman) is an award-winning book designer, a blogger, and the author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion: Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish. He’s been launching the careers of self-publishers since 1994 and writes TheBookDesigner.com, a popular blog on book design, book marketing and the future of the book. Joel is also the founder of the online training course, The Self-Publishing Roadmap, and the president of the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. Connect with Joel on Google+.

Steve Elizalde

Steve Elizalde is a distribution manager for Greenleaf Book Group.

PREFACE

I won my first book prize in 2001, for an anthology entitled The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities.  I’ve also edited and written more than 30 books in my own right and reviewed and edited more than 100 manuscripts for other authors.  Initially, I chose to refrain from a book writing career in my own right, because the income was simply not enough to pay a mortgage.  Worst still, the advent of the internet, made work for freelance journalists like myself harder to find. In order to keep the creditors at bay, I took a teaching job and used the funds to finance my training in occupational and counselling psychology.  If the truth be said, I had no choice because there were too many talented freelance writers out there and I simply knew I could not compete. 

However, new media, the internet, my love of books and my fascination with the book publishing industry, beckoned me out of my 15-year writing hiatus. Once I had taken the first steps out my self-imposed writing exile, it didn’t take long for me to realise, that the previously tight strangle hold traditional publishers held around the metaphorical neck of authors, had been seriously loosened, by advances in print-on-demand technology, thus making it easier for anyone who wanted to get published, to do so without having to go through the traditional publishing route. Unlike the majority of authors, who are constantly rejected by traditional publishers, I was fortunate enough to have been approached by publishers for my first two books. I’ve also been privileged enough position to reject a very lucrative deal from a world renown book publisher for my "Rice and Peas for The Soul" series of inspirational and motivational books. My logic for rejecting the deal was simple, I’d worked out, that I would be in a better fiscal position, if I self-published as opposed to committing to a traditional publisher, who in most cases, offer chicken feed royalty rates.  

As a self-published author and publisher, e-books have been very lucrative for me. I’m no fan of e-books, but realistically, I have no choice but to accept that the majority of book readers are purchasing and consuming books through their electronic devices in ever increasing numbers. The fact that my e-book sales continue to outstrip my printed books three to one, is testament to the fact that e-books are the way forward.  That doesn’t mean I’ll stop producing paperbacks, it just means I’ll have to reluctantly convert all my paperbacks into e-books, in order to maintain the currently high level of e-books sales, that I have managed to achieve.

Converting paperback books to e-books, sounds easy and very cheap. However, experience has taught me that it can be an expensive exercise, if you don’t make time to ensure the e-book looks professional.

Many self-published authors, myself included, have taken short cuts by using e-book converter programmes which invariably are, to be blunt - useless! I’ve used them and the results have been horrendous. The reviews for those books which I converted from word to an e-book were so bad, I had to remove them from every online store I could possibly find. The experience taught me that cheap and DIY e-book conversion programmes may often look enticingly cost effective, but they rarely produce the required results.  As a consequence of that disastrous experience, I’ve concluded it’s better to pay professionals to work on aspects of my books that I cannot do myself with competence. Admittedly, it’s not cheap, but it’s one of the best investment strategies in my publishing career I’ve made to date.  Prior to this book, I have always tried to offer advice to aspiring and established authors, based on my own experiences of being an author and independent publisher. Some authors have taken my advice, some don’t need my advice and others think they can do better, which is great, but sadly, many aspiring authors rarely get beyond the idea or title stage, while others simply sit on their manuscripts and do nothing.  There are also some authors that expect to be discovered without any form of marketing or contact with potential publishers and even the general reading public.

However, there are numerous authors that have succeeded because they have followed similar advice to what I am offering in this book. Let me be clear, this book will not offer you the road to riches, but it will certainly answer questions to ensure you become the successful author you are aspiring to be.

INTRODUCTION

This book is divided into 14 chapters, beginning with

Chapter 1: Advice for First Time Authors poses a series of frequently asked questions that first time authors need to consider, before submitting their manuscripts to publishers. This chapter also stresses that first time authors should familiarise themselves with each publishing houses protocol and procedures from the submission stage through to the publication stage. Chapter 2: Finding A Suitable Publisher, outlines the importance of creating a book submission system, how to get a book published. This section states the obvious, by pointing out that the more publishers you approach, the more likely you are to get published. Although sending your book manuscript to a number of publishers is likely to increase your chances of getting your book published, it also increases the chances of confusion and error on your part if a logging system is not put in place, hence the importance of creating a system of tracking, to avoid sending the same book to a publisher more than once.

Chapter 3: Professional Book Agents, there’s a discussion regarding the role of an agent and the role they can play in the authors publishing venture. Most importantly, this section of the book asks readers to ask themselves, if they really do need an agent, and if they are determined to acquire an agent, what they need to know before they employ the services of a literary agent. Moreover, there is a warning regarding the abusive practices of agents, and manuscript query and submission services.

Chapter 4: The Book Publishing Process encourages authors to gain a greater understanding of the eleven steps to print publication, such as establishing how to get a decent advance, the acceptance and negotiation of a contract, including the editorial, design and binding stage, with reference to the printing and distribution of the book. Chapter 5: Self-Publishing Made Simple looks at the history of self-publishing, the importance of ISBN Numbers including the importance of technological advances have led to the proliferation of Electronic (e-book) publishing, Print-on-demand are excellent alternatives, but one has to be aware of the pitfalls and the self-publishing. However, on a positive note the introduction does notes that there some very successful self- publishers.

Chapter 6: Book Editing, outlines the role of the book editor and why an author may require the services of a book editor. However, established and new authors are encouraged to vet editors and editing services, and other due diligence activities, by offering some criteria by which they can make an informed decision, regarding the editing services that they may or may not use.

Chapter 7: The Realities of Self-Publishing discusses, how self-publishing involves writing, developing, and selling a book without the assistance of a third party publishing company. This section explains that book authors are responsible for writing a book, editing a book, and finding a company to print the book, as well as selling the book. Self-published authors typically sell their books on their own websites or they approach retailers, both on and offline. As for whether or not self-publishing a book is the right option for you, there are some signs that you will want to look for. A few signs that self-publishing may be your best option are highlighted below for your convenience.

Chapter 8: Ebook Publishing, discusses why self-publishing in E Book format is better today, and how to prepare your books for the digital marketplace by suggesting how to clean up your content and understand the tools.

Chapter 9: The Importance of Cover Designs, asserts that if you’re actually not a cover designer, you should leave it to the professionals, while describing the mistakes that will absolutely kill your book. Interestingly, nothing detracts more from a book’s appeal than a bad back cover, whether your reader is a potential buyer, book reviewer, media professional or someone who wants to hire you for your expertise, your book’s back cover has to communicate to your target audience. Chapter 10: Book Marketing Strategies has three section on the do’s and Don’ts of marketing your book., with reference to press release and vanity radio services and closely followed by Chapter 11: Authors and Self Promotion talks about the importance of creating an online presence, and self-promotion through networking and the fifteen main advantages of advertising in print media. Most importantly, this sections warns new and established authors to be wary or fake book awards and competition and how one should assess them for authenticity. One of the most important section of this book.

Chapter 12: How To Sell More Books, offers strategies on how to get your book in Brick-and-Mortar stores, including an outline of the pros and cons of using book display services, book fair representation, with reference to the paid shelf approach, while discussing the dangers of labelling a book seller, when the reality is so much different Chapter