subject: A Few Guidelines On How To Publish A Book [print this page] Writing a book is definitely not a piece of cake; it requires passion, dedication and commitment. And these very qualities will come in handy when you get on the journey to get your work published! There are no rules set in stone on how to publish a book, and each authors journey differs from the next, but there are definitely a few basic guidelines and aspects you need to educate yourself on.
Firstly, there are a couple of main routes you can take when in question on how to publish your book. One way which seems to be popular nowadays, is self publishing. In self publishing an author will have to approach a company that publishes any manuscript as long as it is paid for on a demand basis. This is definitely feels like the easier route it would seem; but keep in mind companies that do this do not have stringent guidelines about what they publish or the quality of the work and subsequently very rarely if ever do these works get the attention they deserve or are distributed out in the major bookstores.
Traditional publishing although a more difficult path, would be much better for you if you truly have a great manuscript. Traditional publishing houses are more discerning and also take the effort to carefully study manuscripts and once on board get their skilled staff to edit and polish up your work if need be. A good publishing house will always have the right retail distribution network and marketing strategies to provide the marketing and promotional work that is so important. This ensures that not only is your book marketed well, but also reaches the right places for sale and the is the best version it can be, as deemed fit by the publishers.
When it comes to traditional publishing you have to keep a few things in mind. The first thing that is imperative to know is that getting a book published is usually a lengthy process. Not only will you have to figure out which publishing companies you should approach for your manuscript, but the process also involves sending manuscripts to multiple places and then waiting for a response. Those looking for a speedy process will be sorely disappointed. Also know that different book publishing houses have different manuscript submission processes so make sure you follow the particular guidelines to actually get your foot in the door.
To even get to a point where you need to decide how to publish a book, you need to be prepared to put in the work. Read other works of literature in your genre; see what other books are at the bookstores and where you fit in. Lastly, make sure you edit your manuscript to best of your abilities or hire someone to do so. A messy manuscript is never a good candidate.
