Publishing is the act of printing and distributing writing in physical or electronic form. It may refer to the commercial publishing industry, small press, self-publishing and on-demand publishing. This tag should be used for any questions regarding the publishing process in any of these forms.
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149 views
What determines genre?
Is the "genre" a piece of fiction belongs to determined by the author, or by the editor and publishing house? Is there an established definition for each genre, or is it largely ad hoc?
I ask ...
7
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2answers
173 views
Who is responsible for copyrighted materials (publisher or writer)?
Imagine that Writer A's book includes copyrighted material created by Creator B, and Creator B sues for copyright infringement. Will Writer A be held liable, or will the book publisher?
I think the ...
7
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2answers
138 views
Journal subscription secrecy
Robert Darnton, an accomplished scholar and important name in the open access movement, has a piece in the current New York Review of Books, The Library: Three Jeremiads, where he mentions that
...
6
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3answers
531 views
Is it wise to publish a novel as an e-book, and how would I do it?
I'm considering publishing my novel as an e-book (since I'm very techy) before I take the usual "paperback" route. Is this a wise choice?
Also what would I need to do? (steps).
6
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1answer
280 views
Is it plausible to get a contract with an US/UK publisher as a foreigner?
Looking for some insight in the publishing industry.
Is it even remotely plausible to get published in with an English-language publishing house (UK/US), when you're not a national nor a resident of ...
6
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3answers
254 views
How much power does the author have over an original work?
Some background.
I recently published a book and was asked to share the first 30 pages so the publisher could edit and send it to the distributor. I complied and asked to see it. When I saw the ...
6
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2answers
309 views
How does one go about successfully getting their movie script, or screen play, into the right hands?
How does one go about successfully getting their movie script, or screen play, into the hands of top level Hollywood producers?
Does one need a literary agent?
If so where does one find one that ...
6
votes
1answer
294 views
First-time meeting with publisher & editors (What to expect)
My fiancée is a first-time children's book author. What should she expect from her first meeting with the publisher and editors? Any advice?
They've already seen some samples of her unpublished ...
6
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2answers
2k views
how many books by new authors get published every year?
I have heard figures like 100,000 - 250,000 books are published every year, but this probably includes already established authors.
Are there any numbers for how many 1st time authors books are ...
5
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3answers
310 views
How long can a writer expect to write before publishing his/her first novel?
By "How long" I'm assuming from the time they actually start trying to actively publish to the time they finally get published. For example, I've been writing since I was 10 years old - but if I ever ...
5
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3answers
1k views
Can a book be published by more than one publisher?
1) Some books are published by more than one publisher. For example, if you go to Amazon or Flipkart and search for 'The Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud, you will see many of them from ...
5
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2answers
1k views
What is the recomended word-count for a fantasy-fiction book?
By recommended I mean what is the standard for it to be not too long and not too short. I know I should write until I am finished but I want to take practicality into account as well. Mainly when the ...
5
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3answers
311 views
Why do authors usually put a reference section at the end of a book when they are not referenced throughout the entire book?
In the references list (usually at the end of a book), I've noticed that authors like to include references to other materials. However these materials are not so-called "referenced" or "linked" at ...
5
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2answers
84 views
ISBN - is it possible to have one and a title before publishing?
i am currently writing a book but would like to know if i can pre register an ISBN and Book title. I am little concerned someone might call their book the same as mine before i finish it. So i really ...
5
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2answers
159 views
Publishing a Children's Picture book — Question about an App and a Printed version
I've written and had illustrated a children's picture book.
I'm thinking of making this into an App for download from the Apple Apps store.
I'm also considering looking for a publisher to publish a ...
5
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2answers
110 views
Has anyone tried “pair writing” before and been published?
Most of the time when two people write a book, one person is doing the majority of the writing and the other is critiquing or helping with the plot or providing technical information that the real ...
5
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4answers
215 views
Least possible editing effort if a text is for multiple media?
I want to write a text with some basic styles and images. I plan to use it on a blog, maybe later in a wiki. And there should be a pdf version.
I am writing about a software. So there will be ...
5
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1answer
123 views
What printing methods and quality can I expect of POD companies?
Due to the growing popularity of POD, many small companies are coming to the market, and makes this business very competitive. However, I hardly see comments on the quality of printing (paper, ...
5
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1answer
107 views
Is there a legitimate step by step guide to getting your book published?
I want to write on a computer topic which isn't covered by many existing books out there. What is the process of getting your book published?
5
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2answers
1k views
Breaking into journalism without a degree
I am a fairly experienced writer, but I have little experience in journalistic writing and no formal education in journalism. I believe I can pick up the craft aspects of this form of writing. ...
5
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1answer
27 views
How do limited edition book pre-orders work?
Publishers occasionally publish a special limited edition.
How do they ensure that the number of pre-orders do not exceed the quantity that will be limited?
It seems a nightmare logistically, as ...
4
votes
6answers
263 views
Is it worth spending money on a subsidy publisher?
The boss owes me about $10 000, and is going to pay me in the coming months. I can live without this money for now, but I'm wondering if it is worth spending $5000 or $8000 with a subsidy publisher to ...
4
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3answers
178 views
How to summarize prolonged plot
I'm trying to write a summary of my book's plot for a query letter to literary agents, but my plot is extremely hard to summarize.
The reason is that the plot is fast-paced, erratic, and constantly ...
4
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1answer
123 views
How to get a programming book published
So I feel I'm a pretty good programmer in my area of expertise. Whats the process for writing a book about my niche and getting it published?
4
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1answer
71 views
Can a title be copyrighted?
Is there any such thing as copyrighting a title?
A title of a novel / short story is usually short, up to five words or so. The words are chosen after much thought to reflect the contents of work. ...
4
votes
3answers
230 views
Can a literary agent be hired?
I've sent my manuscript to tens of literary agents. Strangely enough, I received no positive response.
My question: Can I hire a literary agent? If yes, how much it costs?
Are there other ways ...
4
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4answers
169 views
Which traditional presses publish poetry?
I would like to publish a poetry folio through my university press. My ex-poetry professor at my alma mater says that is possible, but the university will only publish me if I already have a book ...
4
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2answers
162 views
Is where I live going to have a positive/negative effect on getting a novel published?
I live in Australia (or some place that is not the UK or the USA).
I wonder if the same percentage of QUALITY scripts get published in any place, but that in the big places, like the UK and the USA, ...
4
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5answers
297 views
How can I make a collection of essays / arguments more attractive to publishers?
I've written several essays and am still working on some that I would like to eventually get published.
The issues I cover are on a wide range of topics ranging from Scientology to Piracy to ...
4
votes
2answers
105 views
The best publishing platform for a business “vanity” book?
I have a client who has written a (well done) synopsis of his core business proposition that reads like a great little book, but is only 15,000 words. Is this a good candidate for Amazon's Singles? ...
4
votes
3answers
521 views
Best markup language for a little story?
I'm writing a story in plain text using Vim text editor. It doesn't contain big tables, images. However, there will be short listings of source code in several programming languages and syntax ...
4
votes
3answers
731 views
How to sell novel excerpts as short stories
Occasionally I've seen novel excerpts published in short story venues. They're usually sections of a recent or forthcoming novel that also hold together as a self-contained story. Alternately, ...
4
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2answers
74 views
How to find an agent for a children's picture book?
I have written (and self-edited) a book, and need to figure out how to expose it to the "right" agents. I'm a little overwhelmed (and I'm sure I'm not the first), but I do think it is a unique story ...
4
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2answers
81 views
What are effective ways of working with a nonfiction editor?
How do you defend the integrity of your work while maintaining a cooperative and friendly rapport? Specifically, how can one work with an editor who is perhaps a bit overzealous?
4
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1answer
129 views
What is the new Google Author markup?
What is the new Google Author markup, and how can I use it to build up a reputation as an online writer?
How could it possibly work? Using self-declared information has been tried before and of ...
4
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2answers
95 views
ePublishing Conference Proceedings
We have an annual conference, and as part of this conference we have a curated collection of papers published. Circulation is pretty minimal, so we are working on getting out of dead tree land and ...
4
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2answers
153 views
How do I create a book on iBookstore without having a Mac?
I use Linux, and I'd like to format a book for the iBookstore. When I go to signup to iTunes Connect to upload my books, it
says:
3. Download iTunes Producer
Download our delivery ...
4
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1answer
763 views
How would I find a publisher who is accepting unsolicited manuscripts from authors?
This question on finding an agent has an answer linking to this post which really tears into literary agents. I'm not sure if it is justified or not, but it got me thinking about a the alternate ...
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4answers
387 views
How do you convince your publisher that your story is good?
Any suggestions on how to convince your publisher that your story is good, and that it would be a good idea to publish it?
3
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3answers
436 views
Cheap ways a young person can get paper books printed/bound from their manuscript? (Please incl sample costs)
Some budding authors (school aged young people) want to see their creative works in print, as books. I'm prepared to do some of the pubisher's tasks (eg, get some ISBN's for each book, if required; ...
3
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2answers
114 views
Offer to publish - should you accept or wait?
We have received an offer from a US-based publisher (new company, good concept, good marketing strategy, good royalties, no fees) to publish a novel in print, eBook, and audio format. We (the author ...
3
votes
1answer
84 views
Must one have a book cover designed before to publisher?
I have finished a fantasy novel I have been writing for the past few years and I am now in the process of meeting with representatives from publishing companies toward the goal of publishing my book.
...
3
votes
2answers
73 views
Does submitting multiple pieces to professional magazines (and being turned down) hurt chances of later stories that may be better-written?
When I first started focusing on short stories, I submitted to a range of top professional magazines (Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, etc.). I wasn't surprised to be rejected, but now I wonder if ...
3
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1answer
129 views
How does one go about writing “official” fanfiction?
There are tons of "official" fanifction books out there for a lot of popular TV shows and movies. I've seen Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Criminal Minds, The Unit, and probably a ...
3
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2answers
144 views
UK laws broken by piracy of novels
I'm preparing some briefing notes on various open licences and I'm looking for some clarification on legal aspects of standard practice in the UK. (If there is a better SE site for this question feel ...
3
votes
1answer
68 views
Self/vanity publishing a game manual
I'm writing a player's handbook for a game I'm producing. The game is fully open source, and the manual itself will be online. However, I would like to offer a hardcopy version of the manual for those ...
3
votes
1answer
194 views
What is the process for publishing academic papers?
While studying in my first term as EPIR student I had to prepare several papers. I gave those to my family and friends, to read and comment upon. I was surprised when they advised me to publish them. ...
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2answers
302 views
How can I put something in book format without “publishing” it?
I have a friend who has written a series of great nursery rhymes. I would like to put these rhymes into a book as a gift for my friend, but I don't want to give up my friend's first publication ...
3
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2answers
112 views
How should we go from Stack Exchange Q/A to publishable PDF with the least hassle?
Over on another site we're talking about taking some of our content (on a particular theme) and re-packaging it as a printable PDF. (The primary use case is paper.) This wouldn't be a straight dump ...
3
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1answer
184 views
How can a Russian writer get his work translated into English?
There is a famous Russian writer named Yuriy Mukhin. He writes books about Stalin and about alternative economic system. All his books are in Russian and have never been translated into other ...
