2023 / 02 - HOW DO YOU GET A BOOK PUBLISHED?

Note: For the purposes of clarity, the content of this issue will refer to the publishing of fiction works (mostly novels, short story anthologies, and comics). For publication of non-fiction works, poetry, or others not mentioned here, I would advise you to try another article that caters specifically to the genre or medium you are looking for.

The reason for the above-mentioned question is simple - getting a book published can be done in many ways. What’s important here, however, is that you find a way that is best suited for you.

Do you already have an audience, a well-edited draft, skills in putting a book together, an interest in personal branding and marketing, as well as a plan on how you would like your book to go from concept to launch? You can consider self-publishing.

Do you have a fully-fleshed draft but you want to reach a larger audience than what you have? Does the idea of administrative and marketing coordination get you really stressed? You might want to consider the more traditional route of publishing - be it through an agent or publisher directly.

Or are you in between? Have a draft that you feel does not fit into the ‘commercial’ side of publishing but do not have confidence or an audience to support your self-publishing efforts? Perhaps, you can try looking at independent publishing houses as well.

You want something more simple and straightforward? The answer is this - You create, you format, you print.

That’s it.

Alright, now that’s done, here’s diving into the process of how each route may look like.

Note: Am adding another caveat over here because this process is not the be-all and end-all of publishing. Different cultures, places, and sides of the industry may have different practices or details. Therefore, this is just a broad overview of how publishing works in general.

The Process of Publishing - Self-Publishing

This process is an extension of: You create, you format, you print, but with a bit of what happens after.

Note: This is a VERY simplistic view of the process. However, it’s the most straightforward we can put it for the moment.

Creating your work is the most straightforward - do what you need to do to complete your comic, novel, poetry collection. The crafting of this includes writing, drawing, putting your story together, sourcing for editors, editing, revising. In short, putting the best manuscript you have together.

Formatting is an extension of creating your work - placing your manuscript into the needed format for easy consumption, i.e. in novel / comic / zine form. This is where you format your creation in the way you would like to see it printed. Among self-publishers, Kindle Direct Publishing is a popular choice. Personally, I use Affinity Publisher (some of you might use InDesign) and format my pieces into PDF.

THEN ONWARDS TO PRINTING! Either yourself or with the assistance of a printer. Do shop around and get quotes to get a good deal for yourself. Do take note - printing a high amount may yield a lower printing cost per unit. However, you will need to take care of storage yourself!

The Process of Publishing - Traditional Publishing & Agents

One of the biggest misconceptions of this process is that it’s easier or more straightforward. Or that it would lead you to the road of a career where all you need to do is write.

Let’s put it this way - Even Neil Gaiman has to come out and do his own publicity.

And like with self-publishing, content is important.

Personally, I am embarking on the journey to go through the traditional publishing / literary agent process as closely as I can this year, so I will be the first to admit that I have a lot to learn from this as well.

This is because content is what you use to pitch your story to a publisher or publishing agent. There is no secret formula, and the number of followers you have on Instagram will cease to matter if you are difficult to work with, or if you have no idea what you’re writing about.

With that aside, here’s a general overview of the process of traditional publishing:

Note: This is a VERY simplistic view of the process. However, it’s the most straightforward we can put it for the moment.

The biggest difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing is the presence of parties that are likely more experienced with the market and the industry than you may be. This is especially so if you are a one-person operation with limited exposure to your local community.

Traditional publishers, depending on where you are, may need literary agents before they consider your manuscript. This means that you’ll be searching for the right agent and pitching to a plethora of agents should you want to reach certain publishers or audiences.

We will dive deeper into this in future issues.

The Process of Publishing - In Between

Yes, you can do both. And yes, you can decide how you go about it.

Note: Definitions here are highly important. Therefore, it is imperative that you keep an open mind and definition of how each aspect is seen.

This is the section where I talk about the similar aspects between traditional and independent publishing. And while we dive deeper into the hybrid process of a career as a published writer / author in a future issue, this is what you will be expecting as a working author / creator regardless of the route you take:

• Not knowing how to talk about your book is to your detriment - audiences and agents / publishers are more likely to listen to you if they can see that you know what your book is about / the core message of your book.

• No amount of marketing can save an unpolished manuscript - editing, revision, and development editors / editorial agents are going to be important aspects of maintaining and enhancing your craft. Good writers can write. Great writers understand the necessity of good editing.

• Most importantly - you will need to know or stand by why you need to have your book published. And that’s where we dive into our Mindsets.

But Jo, you might say, Mindset has nothing to do with my level of success. The reality is that I have no supporters or readers!

With that in mind…

Mindset Considerations

Regardless of the route you take, the following is quite obvious:

Publishing moves at a slow pace, and you will be in it for the long haul.

Therefore, it is up to us to come up with management strategies and processes to keep us practising during the ‘lower’ days. While we will touch on this in detail in a future issue, here are some considerations to think about as you enter the arena of publishing:

•  External validation - audience applause, great sales, amazing reviews - definitely boost your day-to-day. However, what happens on ‘low’ days? And does external validation directly and majorly impact your practice and motivation? We will be talking about this in our next issue.

• Your manuscript will change (and drastically) for its own good - There will always be plot holes and blind spots that needs to be addressed in the prose. At the same time, your work will be your baby. However, if you want to be a good parent to your work, does this mean you will be protecting your drafts, come what may?

• Internal Motivations - The road to publication is long and slow. What is going to get you up and running, writing and revising your work, day-in and day-out? Are these motivations and encouragements within your control and can be done via your own choices and actions? Like External Validation, we will be talking about this in our next issue.

• You Will Be Rejected - According to the podcast, “The Shit They Don’t Tell You About Writing”, you are not really a writer until your work has been widely rejected. This is not to say that you should not care about improving your craft, but to paint a realistic picture of how publishing can be. Sometimes, rejection is due to saturation, wrong place wrong time, lack of revision, and a plethora of reasons not in our control. However, what matters is that we learn to process and take it in our stride without resentment (at least, gradually).

Definitions to Take Note of

Note: These are not be-all and end-all definitions. However, these are definitions that these newsletter issues and topics will be based on, and defined by practical experience and industry involvement. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a comment or message!

• Editing: The act of revising the manuscript as a whole. Which includes: Grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, localisation, plot development, character development, plot holes, inconsistencies in descriptions, unanswered questions that should be answered in the book, character motivations, plot logic & believability, and other aspects of the manuscript that need revision.

Regardless of how good a writer you are, you WILL be edited. Regardless of how good you believe your manuscript to be, it WILL need changes. Editing is a complex process that needs an issue of its own, but for now, this is a good overview.

What Can I Do as an Individual Practitioner?

Now that you are generally aware of how both self / indie and traditional publishing works, what can you do in a system that depends on the whims and fancies of another party?

While I cannot guarantee or significantly increase your chances of being accepted for publication (or self-publishing), there are a few things we can look at as practising authors to better our practice and experience in this industry. Namely:

• Work towards a more generous timeline for your writing career - Publishing moves very slowly because quality work takes time. Learning to cultivate patience as you go through the processes of your writing day-in day-out will be an important aspect in maintaining your practice.

• Find ways to better cope and manage rejection - Rejection will always be part and parcel of the process. Even if you submit the best story ever, or just something that needs improvement, it can still be rejected for a number of reasons. Instead of mulling and blaming, why not focus on something you can control and continue improving your craft as you want?

• Understand that publishing (self / indie / trad) is a system on its own - Does it have a long way to go? Yes. There are still many flaws that need to be smoothed out. However, our day-to-day life still has to go on. How can we practise so that we can work with the system, while aiding in change? Instead of ramming against brick walls? Any brick wall?

I hope you will be able to glean something helpful from my reflections moving forward as well!

Thank You!

And that’s it from me this round! If you like what you’re seeing, have any questions about publishing that you would like me to look at, or just want to say hi, do drop me a comment or send me a message. I would definitely like to hear from you.

Keep the pages turning!