Standard book publishers receive far more manuscript submissions than they could possibly print, so considerably more proposals are rejected than accepted. Most publishing houses focus the majority of their promotional efforts on previously published authors who already have an established fan base. This makes sense–after all, publishing is their business and they need to make […]

In the past, writers who couldn’t get their books commercially published paid companies to print their manuscripts. These printers came to be known as “vanity presses.” Because they did little if any screening of manuscripts, much less editing or proofreading, these companies (and the books they printed) garnered a reputation for a severe lack of […]

With true self-publishing, the author takes responsibility for the entire process of publication, either performing the steps personally or hiring someone to do them. These steps include: 1. Writing the complete manuscript (or hiring a ghostwriter/collaborator)2. Editing the manuscript (or hiring a freelance editor)3. Proofreading (or hiring a proofreader)4. Cover design (or hiring a designer)5. Getting an ISBN/barcode for […]

Most copy shops (like Kinko’s) and many office-supply stores (like Staples) offer various book-binding services. Alternately, you could purchase binders or report covers at an office supply store and fill them with three-hole-punched sheets of paper. If clear-front covers are used, you can design an attractive cover page using either a color printer or specialty […]

Maybe you simply want to get out the message God has given you, and you don’t care whether it gets into printed form. Many authors publish their writings on their own websites, e-newsletters, and/or blogs. An e-book publisher will take a Word or WordPerfect file, design an electronic cover for it, format it to look […]