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.
40
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13answers
1k views
What are good places to post your work where it will be read by others?
Seeing this site and reading some of my ridiculous stories that I wrote a while ago makes me want to start writing again. I know I'll be more enthusiastic if I have people reading my work and ...
30
votes
6answers
980 views
I have written my first novel and I think it's ready. What next?
I've completed my first novel and done as much editing as I think I can as the author. What should I do next in order to get this out there?
26
votes
6answers
877 views
Why do hardcover books retail for more than three times the cost of softcover books?
One thing I've noticed while browsing bookstores is that hardcover books tend to cost more than softcover ones.
Oftentimes a hardcover book that's five times the price of a paperback doesn't have ...
20
votes
7answers
2k views
Do most novels not get published?
If a person writes a novel, grammar alright, decent story, word count, etc. everything okay,
Is it a crap shoot for that person to get published? Is it just like the lottery or maybe better ...
20
votes
4answers
286 views
How do I find an agent?
I finished my novel, and everyone I've talked to says I need an agent. How do I find one?
19
votes
5answers
485 views
Publishing for Kindle
I am very keen to get into writing, and have come up with several outline plots for short stories, novels and even trilogies. However, one hurdle, which I expect is not uncommon for most new authors, ...
17
votes
2answers
193 views
Warning signs that a publisher may be shady?
Are there any specific signs (singular or groups of) that I should pay attention to when it comes to publishers?
I have read about publishing houses that charge their authors quite large amounts of ...
13
votes
5answers
557 views
Can I shop an unfinished novel?
I've been writing a novel that addresses some very current themes. My belief is that if I can get it out there quickly, it will succeed well. I'm working on it frantically, but will agents consider ...
13
votes
3answers
356 views
When publishing a Fantasy novel, do I look for a specific Fantasy-only publisher, editor, and/or agent?
When attempting to publish a fantasy book, how will I go about selecting a publisher? Is it possible to find a list of publishers that publish specifically fantasy books?
Similar to publishers being ...
13
votes
3answers
227 views
How do I write a synopsis?
I have to write a synopsis to submit to an agent. Are there any guidelines for writing a good synopsis?
13
votes
2answers
277 views
Are agents too busy for new clients? What should I do next?
As a first time writer, most publishers insist that you approach via a literary agent. However, all the literary agents I have contacted claim to be too busy to take on new clients, as they receive ...
12
votes
8answers
351 views
How much leeway can be expected from an editor regarding my preference for nonstandard punctuation?
As I hope to present a unique style to the world, as I am not especially tolerant of being told I'm doing things "wrong" when that's a subjective statement related to writing style, and as I've never ...
12
votes
5answers
431 views
Can I self-publish, and how much would it cost?
With the barrier to having a publisher sign a new author seemingly high, especially without prior success or experience, are there any good author-funded alternatives out there to the repeated mailing ...
12
votes
2answers
57 views
Notes Placement
Why is it standard for a book's notes to be placed at the very end of the book—book endnotes—while only a small minority of books place each chapter's notes at the end of each respective ...
12
votes
2answers
96 views
Are already privately bound books a deterent for publishing houses?
I've read somewhere that putting your story, or a piece of it, on the internet would make it difficult (not to say impossible in some cases) to find a publisher wanting to publish your script. Would I ...
11
votes
2answers
321 views
Do authors get paid for quotes and attributions used on book covers?
I think I know the answer to this, and my guess is "No", but I don't have a definitive reason what that guess is.
When you see on the cover of a book, not from a newspaper or reviewer, but from ...
11
votes
3answers
265 views
At what point does an author deal with an editor?
I'm just wondering: at which point do you have to deal with the editor, and what are the (possible) consequences? That is, when is the editor's involvement greatest? After or before a deal?
I'd ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
How to handle taxes for a self-published book
I'm thinking of publishing a book on kindle, but I don't currently have a business set up. Do you need a business to publish a book? I'm curious as to how to handle US taxes for the royalties. I ...
10
votes
6answers
411 views
Will blogging my fiction limit its ability to be traditionally published later?
Somewhere, don't ask me where, I picked up the idea that publishers don't like works that the public has already been able to access. When a family member suggested I post short pieces of fiction to a ...
9
votes
10answers
619 views
How much sex is allowed in a non-romance novel?
Exactly how much sex would would most publishers allow to be in a today's novel? Does it vary from publisher to a publisher? I'm not talking about romance novels where apparently everything goes. I ...
9
votes
5answers
292 views
Why do ebooks often mimic the layout of the printed page?
I was recently editing a novel destined to be published primarily in e-book form, and made a list of pre-press instructions, to be followed when the final text is agreed upon. Some of these ...
9
votes
2answers
242 views
Is being paid by the word/page making American books longer?
I buy quite a lot of literature, mostly of academic nature. One thing I have noticed is that books by American authors always tend to be more explicit and contain more examples, regarding whatever ...
9
votes
5answers
319 views
Will e-books prevent books from going out of print (and rights from reverting)?
In the old days, books went out of print shortly after it stopped being profitable for the publisher to print new runs. My understanding is that good contracts had clauses that caused the rights to ...
9
votes
2answers
273 views
What is the requirement for a book to be a NYT Bestseller?
I've seen "New York Times Bestseller" written across the top of more books than I can count. It seems every other book I look at has this advertisement, so much so that I discount it as a meaningful ...
9
votes
1answer
240 views
Royalties - how to calculate author's take from the end-price?
Supposedly I'm offered 16% royalty rate and the book store-price is 15$. How much would that be in royalty amount per sold copy?
Would that be just 16% out of 15$, or is 16% out of (15$ - reseller ...
9
votes
3answers
190 views
What to include in agreement with a Ghost Writer. . .
I am exploring engaging a Ghost writer to partner with me on the development of a non-fiction (well, mostly) business book.
What are the critical elements of the agreement that need to be included?
...
9
votes
2answers
176 views
What exactly do I do to get published?
I'm interested to know what the publishing process exactly entails for future reference. I'm in my last year of school and I recently finished my first substantial piece of creative writing (a subject ...
9
votes
1answer
207 views
How long can I expect to wait between accepting an offer and signing?
I accepted an offer from a publisher recently on a non-fiction title. It's my first book and naturally I'm excited. My agent negotiated a good deal since which time the publisher has not been in ...
9
votes
5answers
5k views
How does one go about publishing erotica, and how far is too far?
I write erotica, it started out as an amusement to see how far I could go, but it became a real passion after three or four stories. I have even published a few online and those stories have become ...
9
votes
3answers
105 views
Do publishers really need to translate between UK and US English?
Is there really a need for a book to be translated from UK to US English? I'm nearing completion on my own great work, and just want to know if it is truly worth doing a British and an American ...
9
votes
3answers
162 views
What do publishers do for me?
I'm writing a book, and it's my first one. It seems to me that the following things need to happen to publish my book:
Finish the book
Design cover (a friend is helping)
Edit manuscript (help of ...
9
votes
1answer
88 views
Where to find comparative information about publishers?
Is there any reference for comparing publishers (or at least major ones)? Writers choose a publisher based on fame or by chance, but is there any system for rank of publishers? Or providing ...
8
votes
5answers
653 views
Do you have to be good at grammar to get published?
I am not very good at grammar. Is there someone who would go through and correct your grammatical mistakes, even if you are not good at grammar? Who would this person be?
8
votes
5answers
786 views
If you get an advance do you ever have to give it back?
Do publishers give you an advance as some sort of earnest money for your manuscript? If your work doesn't sell very well do you have to give the advance back to them?
Do they ever just buy your work ...
8
votes
5answers
428 views
Is it really so “impossible” to get published by a traditional publisher?
I was an avid reader in my early years (as in hard copy - books), and I still am (just now via computer)... and I never got wind of such difficulties in publishing, until now.
Is it like going up ...
8
votes
3answers
167 views
What are the benefits of being a slush reader?
I've heard a few people recommend doing time volunteering as a slush reader (for a small press magazine, say), as the experience can be helpful for your own writing. What benefits do you get out of ...
8
votes
2answers
148 views
In writing a cover letter accompanying a submission to a literary journal, is listing publications in less well-regarded journals detrimental?
Mostly, I've heard that having previous publication credits to your name is beneficial, but I wonder if listing many publications in journals that aren't particularly well-known or impressive might ...
8
votes
2answers
605 views
Kindle self-publishing, automatically update
I have a couple of small ebooks available on Amazon via Kindle direct publishing - I've just found a mistake in one of them so I fixed it and have reuploaded the file. I'm assuming that everyone who ...
8
votes
3answers
96 views
How can you submit your writings internationally?
I live in Argentina, and I've always wondered if (given the case of having something worthy) I'd be able to submit it to publishers in, for example, the USA. Of course the writing would be in English.
...
7
votes
6answers
801 views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital rights management for self-published authors?
DRM (digital rights management) is being used in just about every electronic format, including files used in electronic readers. My question is whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for writers, ...
7
votes
5answers
276 views
Write multiple trilogies or make a saga?
So I am currently writing a fantasy story that tends to be long.
This question is related to the following question: related
The main difference resides in that it is certain that the story will be ...
7
votes
3answers
288 views
Pros and Cons of different styles of publishing
I was reading on the meta site that someone thinks we're hostile to self-publishing, and I read over some old questions looking for evidence. I didn't really find signs of hostility, but I certainly ...
7
votes
4answers
436 views
Should I care if my short story has the same title as someone else's book?
It appears to be a pretty obscure book. It's on Amazon, but there are no descriptions or reviews. From the cover, I'd say it was a kids book, which would put it in a different market.
Let's assume ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
Where can I find sales numbers for books?
I'm a writer, working on a non-fiction book proposal. Finding public, free sales numbers for comparable titles is nearly impossible. BookScan is a subscriber service run by Nielsen. "Above the ...
7
votes
2answers
183 views
Which free licence to choose for my book (manual)?
I wrote a 50 page manual that I plan to release for free. I do not mind if the book is copied, translated, printed, shared, ... I just want two things:
I am the only person who can sell a copy of ...
7
votes
2answers
281 views
Who pays for lyrics or quotes?
Occasionally, novels will include song lyrics in the story, or start out chapters with songs or quotes. In many cases, these lyrics or quotes are from copyrighted materials and would presumably ...
7
votes
3answers
271 views
What rights are OK to give up for publishing?
I'm thinking of submitting a short story to a small (and probably not well-known) serial anthology publication.
For an author who's never been published in any way, shape, or form, should I be wary ...
7
votes
3answers
121 views
What are the challenges of converting blog content to a publishable work?
I have been actively participating in the "blogging world" and have developed a substantial portfolio of 25-75 word "rants" on a variety of topics related to my specialty.
I would like to know how ...
7
votes
3answers
167 views
Is there a Market for Poetry with a Fixed Verse Form
I find that when I structure my poetry according to an accepted form such as a villanelle, sestina, or sonnet I am able to think more clearly because of the boundaries of the form, and believe my best ...
7
votes
2answers
159 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 ...
