Category Archives: Publishing Books

Self publishing has become a beacon of hope for millions of aspiring authors. It is seen by many as the only way to write a novel the way it should be written. But is this view accurate? Many authors who have gone through the main stream publishing route see self publishing as beneath them and anyone who self publishes as less than authentic. I see this attitude as blatant snobbery. Lets face it, looking down the nose at people because they choose to self publish for whatever reason is the equivalent of playground taunting.

For some people the very fact that a publisher is not interested in your book means that you will never succeed. But let me ask you this – Would we have light bulbs today if Edison had given up on the incandescent light bulb? Would America be the country it is today if Columbus had decided to turn around and go home? Would air travel be possible today if the Wright Brothers and so many pioneers like them, listened to their detractors? No. Of course it wouldn’t.

Advancement often comes in the face of adversity. So many people succeed because they defy the odds, because they run in the face of criticism, because they believe in themselves.

The simple fact is that not everyone is born equal. There are many books in print that are to my taste, awful, both books produced by large publishing houses and through Indie publishing. There are many reasons why a book might not get published and it does not always have anything to do with the quality of the writing. Thousands of good stories get thrown out every year along with the bad.

The Writing Dream

Thousands of would be authors, dream of seeing their story in print. For the vast majority, that is all it will ever be, a dream. It will remain a vague inclination, something to talk about with friends over coffee or as an innocent pastime, a hobby to be done when the kids have gone to bed or at the weekends. They do not truly have the desire to see their work in print and they certainly don’t want to work at it.

For a few it becomes an obsession, a hopeless cause bereft of an ending that does not include despair. Lack of writing talent, drive or the ability to take criticism and rejection become stumbling blocks to success. They take the same tired manuscript and re write and twist plots and dialogue and send it to any agent whose address they can find. But they refuse to listen to criticism when it is offered. They don’t seem to learn anything from what they are doing. They don’t evolve, they simply are!

And finally you have the minority group of writers. These are the survivors, those hardy souls who have learned to pen a tight and punchy synopsis, they have a finished manuscript that is rich with passion, powerful metaphors and an A-bomb climax. The story is original, the characters fresh and they present with a professional attitude to their agent and publisher.

Two things happen.

• They get an agent and end up with a publishing contract
• They get an agent but the story is not a good fit or if it is non-fiction perhaps does not have enough mass appeal to make it worth the risk

And let us not forget that publishers are all about risk and profits. It’s hard enough to make a living these days without taking undue risk. But…and I think this is important – why should a writer with the talent and the scope, more importantly, with the desire to succeed – having failed to open the door, simply give up? What is wrong with taking his book and publishing it himself? Is this not another way to prove his worth and desire? Is this a reason to look down at his efforts?

For many of these talented authors, self publishing is a sensible means of developing a following and proving, once and for all, that they have the ability to make it in the industry. Self publishing is fast becoming the means by which aspiring authors seek to promote themselves. Authors like Cory Doctorow and Kit Berry have shown a unique and innovative talent for self promotion and are an example to all writers on how to make a success online and off.

Let Darwin Decide

I think we have a lot of thanks to offer all those self published authors who have gone before us. They have opened up a realm of opportunity for writers. It is not inconceivable that self publishing will become the first choice for many writers in the not so distant future. The advent of the Kindle and other electronic book readers has provided many aspiring writers with the means to sell their books online. As with any Darwinian process, some make it and some don’t. Just don’t knock them for trying.

For more information on self publishing check out our writing and publishing resources.

Author: Edward G Gordon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There once was a time when magazines only came in physical form. Today, however, due to the push of paperless environments, digital magazines are growing in popularity. Prior to this transformation to having everything online, individuals used to thumb through these glossy pages in the doctor’s office, on a plain, or while sitting around passing time in the living room. However, a time has come that is making print publications a thing of the past. Many companies out there have included a digital edition to their arsenal of products and some have even gone 100% digital; either way, all companies are considering this new alternative to print.

One of the reasons that digital magazines are becoming so popular is due to the economy and the price for printing. Many publishers are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to survive without moving most of their media to the digital format. The reason for this is the expense of paper, printing, and distribution; because fewer people are spending money, fewer people are actually buying magazines. However, these same magazines that people once bought and loved to read are becoming available online in a digital format. These digital magazines cost a substantial amount less for subscriptions because the publisher does not have to pay for printing.

A stumbling block to this need to go digital is the fact that some people do not find it especially comfortable to read a magazine from their computer. However, many individuals either have a laptop or a media-friendly cell phone that make viewing digital magazines a bit more comfortable. Another newly developed technology that is helping this process along is the digital e-books offered by Amazon (Kindle) and Sony (Sony Reader Device).

A digital magazine does in fact have more benefits and features than a glossy. Today, many companies who have converted their magazines to a digital format have employed Flash technology to allow for more functionality. Many of these magazines offer interactivity, include hyperlinks to explore topics further, and include other technology components such as music, audio downloads, animations, movie clips, and even TV commercials. These added functions make a digital magazine more attractive to individuals who want to get more out of the reading experience.

Many magazine publishers are struggling to just stay alive and pay bills. The thought of converting to digital media for magazines has many worried about the cost to convert and the overall hit to sales because of the conversion. Magazines publishers are hard at work crunching numbers to see if this conversion will work and if it will be necessary to keep them in business. Publishers cannot just flip a switch and transform their business into a digital one. There are many factors involved in this conversion; the whole design of the magazine must be converted so that it keeps its flair, is easy to read and navigate, and contains all the same advertisements and articles that it did when it was in print. However, many pieces of software are available today to make this possible and sources say that they are very user-friendly. Also, technology has stayed current with the introduction of e-books to allow for readers that keep formats the same as they were in print.

Martin Alan enjoys writing on subjects such as literature, online publishing, digital magazines and digital magazine software. He also enjoys keeping up-to-date with the latest developments and innovations in technology and online marketing.

For more information on online publishing click here; http://www.yudu.com.

Author: Martin Alan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Congratulations! You have finished writing your nonfiction book. Now, it is time to have it published. Publishing makes your book “real.” Yet, this is the part of the process that so often derails even the most passionate and determined author. For a novice author, it may seem mysterious and confusing, but a book coach can help dispel the mystery by clarifying available publishing options. Here are five ways to publish:

1. Conventional or traditional

There are two choices here. (1) You submit a proposal to a recognized publishing company. and it is accepted; (2) The publisher assigns the book to you as a writer for hire and pays you a set fee. In both cases, the publisher assumes all publishing responsibilities. Publishers are in business to make money, and they look at your book as a commodity. They ask one question: will it sell?

2. Self-publishing

You take on these responsibilities by forming your own publishing company. For detailed advice on self-publishing, check out Dan Poynter’s website http://www.parapublishing.com, and his book, The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Book. As a self-publisher, you are responsible for printing, warehousing, marketing, and distributing your books.

3. Independent publishers

These are generally small houses that handle from ten to twenty titles a year, usually in few selected genres, such as African American literature, spirituality, inspiration, and religion. An “indy” publisher must put out at least ten ISBNs a year in order to be accepted by a major distributor, such as Ingram or Baker & Taylor. This a growing segment of the publishing world. Most independent publishers belong to the Independent Publishers Association (PMA).

4. Electronic

Your book is published as an electronic or eBOOK through an e-publisher, on your own website, or on CD-ROMs. Or, it can be self-published and distributed through other appropriate websites, listserves, or social networking sites. E-publishing languished for a while; but, due to new technology and renewed interest, it is making a comeback.

5. Print on demand (POD)

POD publishers use digital technology to print anywhere from one to 1,000 books at a time. The rest of the time your book is stored as a digital file on a large server. This eliminates the need for large press runs and storage space. POD printing companies and/or publishers may be found on line at Google or any search engine. The best-known POD publishers include AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Infinitypublishing.com, Xlibrus, and Lightning Source.

Publishing is a big step, but remember that you have choices, depending on your needs and circumstances. Your book writing coach will not only help you make the most informed and appropriate choice but can also guide you through the entire publishing process.

Bobbi Linkemer is a ghostwriter, book-writing coach, and editor. She is also the author of 14 books. Bobbi has been a professional writer for 40 years, a magazine editor and journalist, and a book-writing teacher. Her clients range from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurs who want to enhance their credibility and build their businesses. Her articles on writing regularly appear on EzineArticles.com and other top online article sites. Visit her Website at: http://www.WriteANonfictionBook.com

Author: Bobbi Linkemer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Publishers with back-catalogs of print-based content are looking for convenient ways to publish their content onto the growing digital platforms. Often times, the digital format they have been comfortable with has been the PDF. However, when producing content in the form of eBooks or digital magazines, there are a lot of things that people have to take into account that aren’t as simple as exporting a PDF.

PDF was developed for a specific output in mind: print. It has a fixed page size. While this worked for print, in the digital age your “page” is the computer screen. With tablets, smartphones, laptops, etc., there is no standardization of a screen size. You may have a 4:3 ratio on an iPad, but you may have a 16:10 screen size on a Motorola Xoom tablet, or 16:9 on a computer screen. What’s more, the physical size of these devices plays a massive role in legibility. It is important for content to be able to adapt to these different devices. Because PDFs are fixed size, this means something that may be intended for one device may be cropped or scaled on another device, which is far from ideal reading experience.

Design for Print Isn’t Design for Digital

When you look at print magazines or books, much of the design was based on a variety of factors including economics and production limitations. The size of body type may have been chosen to optimize the amount of content that will fit on a finite amount of page space or a cost limitation of color or substrates. In addition, print products are designed as “one size fits all” because there is no personalization to the reader. These limitations don’t apply to digital.

On platforms such as eBooks, text can be resized, reflowed, and repaginated to adapt to the size of of the device and the ability to read certain type sizes. Digital publishing platforms like Adobe Digital Publishing Suite encourages users to create custom layouts for device size and orientations. Someone who is 20 may have an easier time reading small print on a device as opposed to someone perhaps middle-aged. Users of digital devices have become accustomed to their devices personalizing content to their needs. Simply creating a PDF that people may need to pinch to zoom in doesn’t give an ideal user experience to your readership, and if you are producing publications that have competition, consumers will opt for the more intuitive experience.

Interactivity

Over the years, Adobe has extended PDF to be able to have interactive elements such as hyperlinks, videos, and even animation. The issues with this are often these interactive elements are dependent on Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash to read these animations. While mobile platforms like Apple iPad and Android are able to natively read PDFs, they often do not natively read the proprietary extensions Adobe has made to the PDF platform. What’s more, because Adobe has chosen to abandon Flash for mobile, the viability of interactive PDFs within the growing mobile market becomes questionable.

Interoperability

PDF is a dead-end format. What I mean by this is that the nature of the format mimics what it was intended for: print. Once ink hits the page, the code behind it that created it becomes irrelevant because the content was not intended to move from the printed page to another system, print is the end product.

Many of the platforms that are used in digital publishing today are based on technologies like HTML in order to allow the maximum flexibility between different platforms. Storing content in such a universal way also gives the maximum flexibility for future platforms. As digital publishing is rapidly changing as is the nature of the digital space, locking content into a single dead-end format like PDF only restricts your business opportunities moving forward.

Building a Foundation

When first examining the digital publishing, large companies rush to market based on the current print products that they offer. Because digital publishing is rapidly changing, it is a better investment to create a foundational platform that your digital offerings can grow from, rather than having to constantly patch new “hacks” to your current print workflow.

In the past, publishing has been controlled and powered by larger organizations because of the high initial investments for print. Now, smaller companies that have more flexibility are able to take risks on newer platforms and have the opportunity to develop their organizations in an adaptable way. If large organizations do not do this than they risk forever following behind the industry, rather than defining it.

Posted By Ben Vanderberg
http://www.databasepublish.com

Author: Benjamin Vanderberg
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Independent publishing, also called self-publishing or indie publishing, is a broad term generally used to distinguish publishing activities not performed by a commercial publisher. Generally print runs in this sector are small or even non-existent as some independent publishers choose to release their offerings solely in electronic formats (ebook, Amazon Kindle etc.).

There are exceptions to this assumption though. Some independent publishers have managed to sell substantial quantities of their independently produced books and many commercial publishers are reducing the size of their print runs as they struggle with book sales. Many people have predicted and continue to predict the demise of the commercial publisher, to be replaced by an army of independent publishers. This is an extreme view but one thing is for certain – the publishing world is changing, often moving in new and exciting directions.

With tools and services now available it is possible foranybody with advanced computer skills and some knowledge of how book publishing works to put together a professional looking product on their personal computer. Specialised services that may be required like cover design or professional editing can be contracted in. There are many people with specialist skills working on a freelance basis all over the world. Service providers will print the book, list it on their website & facilitate sales – including processing payments.

How does this affect the ordinary person considering independent publishing? While it is not impossible and has happened before, the odds of an independently published, marketed and distributed novel or other book going on to outsell those produced by large commercial publishers are slim. The real value of independent publishing is that it gives a voice to those who would otherwise be able to get into print. Independent publishing should not be used to market sub-standard work. A bad book is a bad book regardless of how it is produced.

There are, though, some types of subject matter that lend themselves to independent publishing and would be unlikely to be accepted and produced by a commercial publisher. Some examples of this would be:

• Personal memoirs or a life story being produced for a small group of family, friends etc.
• Material of a highly technical or specific nature that is of interest in a particular industry or business but not of much use outside of that sphere.
• History of an organisation or person, e.g. business, club, society or movement and/or the founder or leader of such an organisation.
• Material produced by a trainer, motivational speaker or religious personality.

These types of material often have the advantage of a ready and easily accessible market, for example a motivational speaker having a pile of his books available at the back of the room after a presentation. This type of selling can overcome the single biggest challenge independent publishers face – marketing.

Darrell Cuthbert is a South African freelance writer, blogger, social media enthusiast and general life addict.

He writes both fiction and non-fiction, the latter focused on combining his writing skills with his 17 years of experience as a manager in global corporates to provide innovative solutions for his clients.

Visit his websites to find out more:

http://www.wordtiffie.com (Commercial Writing)

Darrell is based in Durban, South Africa.

Author: Darrell Cuthbert
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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