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What To Know About Manuscript Publishing

By Elinor Tran


Manuscript publishing has always relied on a very select and narrow group of agents, editors, and popular publishers. But with print-on-demand and digital printing, authors can take their books into their own hands. When thinking about self-publishing, consider the following.

Professional book agents are always looking for new talent, and publishers are eager to find the next big author. However, they are so inundated with unsolicited proposals and queries on a daily basis that it is extremely difficult to get noticed. Even novels or proposals that interest the agent or editor can take months to get around to, and the waiting time is lengthy, even if they buy the book.

By using print-on-demand and digital printing services, authors can bypass this tiresome system altogether. Though big companies are able to spend more money to promote books, authors can do a lot to make sure their novel gets the attention of its prospective audience. It takes investment and creativity, but it can be done.

Many novels are rejected by mainstream firms due to lousy editing, grammatical errors, and generally sloppy writing. Be sure to use a professional editor or the eyes of a writer's group to comb through the final draft for errors. In this way, the book will be on par with professionally edited and published books.

There are several other considerations. Aspiring authors may need to pay a professional artist to produce cover art, though many print-on-demand and digital printing services offer artist consultation and illustration services along with printing. Just be sure to have all the pieces together before you turn over the draft.

Consider how many copies would be appropriate based on the existing audience, website traffic, or even presales. Put a plan in place to market the product with writer appearances, book signings, and other appropriate promotions. The cost of all of the above should be calculated ahead of time so as not to end up with too many copies, but no way to sell them.




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