Different Ways of Getting Your Book Published
I have been asked by several people about the process of getting a book published and the different ways it is possible.
Publishing in any form is a lot of work. If you select traditional publishing you must find a publisher who publishes the type of book you are working on. These days many traditional publishers are not accepting unsolicited manuscripts.
Publishing in any form is a lot of work. If you select traditional publishing you must find a publisher who publishes the type of book you are working on. These days many traditional publishers are not accepting unsolicited manuscripts.
I choose to go with Print on Demand because I wanted to both write and illustrate my book. Traditional publishers are not likely to accept an unknown author and an unknown illustrator. After all publishing is a business and they need to feel some assurance that the public will buy the finished product. If they have either the author or the illustrator as a known entity they have a better chance of sales.
I choose Trafford Publishing because when I was working on my first book they were the only publisher who handled full color through out the book. Others offered a full color cover but only black and white on the inside pages. Children's picture books today must offer full color. I was pleased with the quality of work that Trafford did. The company has since been sold and so I can not not make any comments as to how the new owners are handling things.
Although I was a classroom teacher I also had experience as a graphic designer. I not only did the illustrations but designed my books. That means I selected the font size, style and placement on each page. I had to indicated the exact placement on the pages in the book dummy I sent to the printer. I had to have my books proof read since that is not included in the package I selected from Trafford. They did no editing. They send you a printers proof for a final check. My first book was just as I planned it. The second needed three adjustments. I was not happy with the colors; too much black. I had forgotten to tell them I needed the text bold since it runs over the illustrations. The final correction was a typo that had not been noticed by the at least 9 people who proofread the book.
One you get your books you need to get them into the public's eye so that they are sold. It helps to have a wide network of friends who suggest venues for you to meet the public.
I joined a writer's group. Many libraries have writers groups affiliated with them. Check out your library. Since I write children's books I joined The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Through out the year there are workshops that offer guidance.
I hope this helps even a little. If you have other questions please contact me again.
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