Publishing
Publishing routes: control, cost and responsibility
Compare who makes decisions, who pays for the work and how readers will obtain the book before choosing a route.
The subject index / 30 articles
Publishing
Prepare submissions, compare routes and organise the decisions between a manuscript and a published book.
Publishing
What a query letter needs to communicate
A query introduces the book, establishes its fit and gives the recipient a clear reason to read the requested material.
Publishing
A synopsis needs the ending
A synopsis reveals how the story develops and ends, with enough cause and consequence to make the shape intelligible.
Publishing
Read submission guidelines before preparing the file
Treat submission instructions as a specification for this recipient, then check the actual package against it.
Publishing
Build a literary-agent shortlist around your book
A shortlist should connect each agent’s stated interests with the book you have written and the stage it has reached.
Publishing
Keep a submission record you can maintain
A small record of what you sent, when you sent it and what happened next is enough to prevent most submission confusion.
Publishing
Choose a next step after a rejection
The kind of response you received determines what it can tell you—and what it cannot.
Publishing
Prepare the manuscript after a full request
A full request calls for the requested manuscript, a clean handover and an accurate record of any conditions attached to it.
Publishing
What goes into a nonfiction book proposal
A proposal explains the book’s idea, audience, structure and evidence, while sample writing demonstrates how that plan will become a readable work.
Publishing
Choose comparable books for a proposal
Comparable books help explain readership, approach and position when the comparison is specific and based on reading.
Publishing
Write an author biography using relevant facts
A short biography works when each fact helps a reader understand the author’s connection to the work.
Publishing
Plan a self-publishing project in stages
Organise a self-publishing project around dependencies, so each stage receives the decisions and files it needs.
Publishing
What belongs in a book-production budget
A useful budget names the work, defines what each quotation includes and shows when cash will be needed.
Publishing
A publication date the production plan can support
A publication date should follow the production dependencies and the date readers need to obtain the book.
Publishing
What an ISBN identifies
An ISBN identifies a particular publication product, so format and edition decisions matter when assigning one.
Publishing
Choosing an imprint name for a publishing project
An imprint name should be easy to use consistently across the book, publication records and future titles.
Publishing
Book metadata before upload day
Keep one approved record of the information that describes each edition, then check every upload and listing against it.
Publishing
Choose book categories and keywords that fit
Use categories and keywords to describe the book a reader will actually receive.
Publishing
Write a book description that tells readers what to expect
A description should help the right reader recognise the book’s central promise without turning into a synopsis or a list of claims.
Publishing
What print on demand does
Print on demand changes when copies are manufactured; the book still needs prepared files, a checked proof and a route to readers.
Publishing
Questions to ask before ordering a print run
A print quotation needs more than a quantity. Make the specification, delivery arrangements and approval process clear before comparing offers.
Publishing
Check a physical proof copy before approval
A proof copy is a chance to inspect the book as an object as well as a text. Work through it with the approved files and a clear correction record.
Publishing
Prepare an ebook upload without last-minute guessing
Prepare the book file, cover and listing information as one release. Preview the converted result before treating an accepted upload as a finished ebook.
Publishing
Distribution and promotion solve different problems
A distribution route makes ordering possible. Promotion gives a particular reader, bookseller or librarian a reason to consider the book.
Publishing
Prepare before approaching a bookshop
A bookseller needs enough information to assess the book and understand how to obtain it. Prepare that information before making a short, relevant enquiry.
Publishing
Prepare information for a library enquiry
Make a library enquiry about the book’s relevance and availability. Start with the library’s own acquisition process, and keep event proposals separate.
Publishing
Questions to clarify when a publishing offer arrives
An offer is the start of a detailed conversation. Gather the full terms, identify what you do not understand and have the actual agreement reviewed before signing.
Publishing
Keep a record of the rights you have licensed
A rights record helps you locate the agreement behind a use of your work. Keep it factual, linked to documents and clear about unresolved questions.
Publishing
Decide whether a revision is a new edition
A changed file is not always the same thing as a new edition. Describe the revision first, then check the identifier and listing requirements that apply.
Publishing
Keep a publication record for each format
Paperback, hardback and ebook releases can drift apart. A format-by-format publication record makes it easier to check listings and manage later corrections.