| Most people would agree that you have not | | | | review your work but also take it through the |
| become an author until you have sold at least one | | | | complete stages of the creation of the book and |
| piece of writing. However having built up the | | | | cover and printing of the first copies. They will |
| motivation and dedication to complete your first | | | | then help you market the book by providing it to |
| novel you may then be phased by the task of | | | | well known online book stores. Some will then |
| getting it published. | | | | provide it to real street book shops but this is |
| Publishing your new book is actually extremely | | | | where they usually begin to provide a very |
| easy. There are numerous ways ranging from | | | | different level of service. |
| completely free to costing a fortune. | | | | Printing books is an expensive thing to do and so |
| Of course you have to decide whether your aim | | | | there are few publishers who will do this in the |
| is simply to publish or to make an income. Are | | | | hope of sales. The big publishers will only have |
| you looking to have your work in print on your | | | | accepted the very best work and so are |
| bookshelf and as a gift to your friends and | | | | gambling on their skill of selection. The small ones |
| family? Or are you trying for a best seller on the | | | | usually do not have the resources to do this and |
| bookshelves of millions? | | | | only provide hardback or paperbacks when they |
| The only type of publishing that is most | | | | are ordered from the bookstore. This service is |
| commonly advised against is that called 'vanity | | | | called 'Print on Demand'. |
| publishing'. These companies are basically only | | | | Self Publishing |
| there to take advantage of a desire to get | | | | A much more common way of publishing your |
| published with no serious service to do anything | | | | book is to do it yourself. This might sound an |
| but provide you with copies of your own book at | | | | impossible task but is a lot easier than you may |
| a high price. | | | | think - and is a lot of fun. |
| Even if this is your only aim there are much | | | | Having created your novel (or any other type of |
| better ways to design and print your book. | | | | book) you can upload it to some excellent online |
| Classic Method | | | | services where you can create a book for free in |
| The classic method is to send your manuscript to | | | | any format using some very simple tools. You |
| the big name publishers. They will review your | | | | then have a choice of either just making it |
| work and give you an honest opinion of its quality | | | | available to your friends and family or using the |
| and whether they want to put their weight behind | | | | many services (not many of these are free) to |
| marketing it. However, these organisations will | | | | publish the book into the online book stores and |
| usually only accept your work if it comes through | | | | possibly street book shops too. |
| a literary agent. I imagine they do not have the | | | | The new eBook revolution |
| time to sift through thousands of badly written | | | | However you decide to publish your book there is |
| scripts to find the ones to consider seriously. An | | | | now only one format which you cannot ignore - |
| agent will filter the submissions down to those | | | | that of the eBook. Every online bookstore is |
| that they feel will have a chance of being | | | | reporting a fast growing market for books in a |
| accepted. | | | | format that can be read on hand-held computers |
| Smaller publishers | | | | like the Kindle or simply on laptops. |
| There are hundreds of smaller publishers who you | | | | With the sale of your first book you can then say |
| can send your work to directly. They will not only | | | | that you have become an author. |