Author Resource: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published by Sheree Bykofsky and Jennifer Basye Sander

Checked out of Hardin County Public Library, North Branch, Radcliff, KY

Part 1: Great Expectations in Which You Begin to Write

This section involves all the motivation behind why a person wants to write and then deciding what you should write.

I am in the stage where I have written and self-published my first novel Adoptive Personality and I am working on my second Abduction at Home. I know what genre I am writing. My book is a psychological thriller geared towards readers 21 and older.  I know what category I am querying. I am looking for an agent that represents suspense and thrillers.

Part 2: Gone with the Wind. Submitting to Publishers

Here, you find out to submit your manuscript idea and the ways to go about doing it right. Good manuscripts can get missed if your cover/query letter isn’t intriguing. You are given instructions on writing an effective query letter. Your query and response from agents depends on whether you write fiction or nonfiction. Each has different methods. I write fiction.

Since reading this book, I have revised my query letter for Adoptive Personality. Very near in the future, I will be sending out new queries to agents, publishers, and movie professionals. I want my novels talked about like the latest gossip. In order for that to happen, I must get people talking about them.

Part 3: Romancing the Stone: Getting a Book Contract

You will discover all the different ways an agent can open doors for an author. You discover just how essential networking is. Get an agent interested, they juggle a lot of projects at a time and the more excited they are about your work, the harder they will work for you. You find out what can be expected from an agent. Learn the process you book takes from idea to physical book. There are many turns where your progress may be halted. Persevere. Don’t let this stop your momentum to be discovered as an Unknown Author. This also lets you know how to query publishers.

I will only be querying small time publishers while I try to land an agent. If a publisher turns you down, that is one less publisher your agent can pitch to. I want as many avenues as possible to mean when my agent goes shopping to publishers. A connected person can open many more doors than an Unknown. This section also introduces the author to book publishing contracts and what is behind getting one.

Part 4: War and Peace: Working with a Publisher

Contracts are important and binding. Deadlines must be met by both publisher and author. Preparing your manuscript is very important. Publishers expect a format to be followed so that the transition into their employ runs smoothly. Understanding the production process will make you better prepared when awaiting the finished product. Having a good working relationship with you agent and publisher is very important. These relationships are what sell your book. They work on your behalf to get the word out using store book buyers, catalogs, sales reps, and conferences. Publicity is needed to sell anything. If you can’t get your work seen or talked about, no one will know to seek you or it out. Authors are required to sell themselves, as well as, working with an agent and publisher. Real authors share what worked and what didn’t work in this section.

All of this information has been invaluable to me because I have self-published. Yes, I still want a big publishing contract but I don’t want to wait around for them to appear. I want to make them. I want my books to be gossiped about. When that happens they will be writing, calling, and visiting to get their hands on my work.

Part 5: My Brillant Career: Continuing Your Career as an Author

This is where the book lets you know what happens after your book hits retail stores and what to expect.

I am self-publishing and Unknown so I use this as a background of my unknown self-publishing author on my journey to be a well-known author.