There are many people out there whose dream is to become a published author. There is a lot of debate about self publishing and how that is not true publishing, while others seem to think that is the best way to go nowadays. Who is right? That is the question.

If you ask me, I think that there is a lot of TRUE talent but not enough resources to discover these new authors. Nowadays, Agents are bombarded with thousands of unsolicited manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts are not even the type these Agents are looking for. I also think that because of these many unsolicited manuscripts, chances of getting discovered have been diminished for the TRUE emerging talent. The cold hearted truth is that Agents do not want to see anything they did not request, so why waste time, effort and money sending a manuscript to someone who’s not even going to return it but just toss it in a trash can?

Have you ever browsed the internet looking for a book on a specific genre? Or, have you ever gone to a book store and found yourself reading the cover or synopsis in a book and then thought what the heck is this? It’s happened to me several times. Publishing a good book is the same as finding a great song to play on the radio that thousands of people will hear. Haven’t you ever heard a song that’s made you think, and that’s music? How can people call that music? That shouldn’t even be played on the radio? It is exactly the same as with a book. Some books should never be published, and many times it is because of those bad books that good chances are ruined for the GREAT books.

The other day I was putting together my Authonomy. According to their FAQs, this is a “writers community helping writers get published.” How true this is I do not know yet. I did, however, create an account so I could access some of the manuscripts that people have posted and read the comments that other writers give each other. It looks decent and like a true community. I personally have a few stories I’d like to post to see what other writers have to say about mine. If you are looking to become published, perhaps that is another avenue to look at. A warning I must give you though is to ensure you have copyrighted your material. I have copyrighted mine, you know just in case. Authonomy looks like a promising site, they do not promise you anything but it is a good way of learning by other writers and readers how good a writer you are. I know, personally I am curious about my own writing.

Going back to my earlier comment, I really think that the old fashioned way is the best way to go if you want to become a published author. Let an Agent discover you, because that means you are a TRUE talent.

I’m a working mom. During the day I’m a Sr. Project Manager for a large corporation, and by night I try to be a mom and wife. Any free time I get away from work, kids and husband, I use for writing anything that comes to mind, and try out my Home Staging and Re-Designing talents. Yeah! I am also a professional home stager. But that is more a hobby than anything else.

To create a well-structured book, you need to be a well-structured author. Almost every new author is surprised by how many little things have to get done in order to write and publish a book. The idea that writing a book just means sitting at your laptop and punching away at the keyboard until a manuscript comes falling out is pure fantasy. There is a lot of other work that requires just as much attention to detail as the words you use in your writing. Many large publishers and experienced authors break each facet of a new book into separate timetables. You can make certain your project will move along swiftly by adhering to the time allotted to each of the major phases in your book’s production.

Here are six major phases of book production. Each phase can be broken down into many smaller subcategories. But consider each of these larger phases when building a timetable for completing your manuscript.

Research. Roll up your sleeves and dig in. You can continue to research until the day your book goes to the printer, but the bulk of your information gathering should be done before you begin writing in depth. The amount of time you dedicate to research is entirely up to you and the needs of your book, but you should expect to spend at least as much time gathering information as you do writing. Most professional books require at least four to six weeks worth of research.

Writing. One of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is falling too far behind schedule. If you’ve done the proper amount of research, your writing will basically consist of filtering the information you’ve gathered into the chapters you’ve outlined. Many writers fall into the trap of just sitting down and thinking their imagination will churn out a book. But you will have no trouble meeting your deadlines if you’ve done your homework. Writing could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few years depending upon the project and your available time to complete it.

Editing. Every professional book goes through two stages of editing, copyediting and proofreading. Copyediting consists of examining for grammatical and spelling mistakes as well as factual errors. Proofreading means to check the actual proofs of the book after the printer creates them. It entails making certain word breaks are correct and verifying that all editorial changes have been made. Allow yourself at least a few weeks for editing whether you do it yourself or higher a professional.

Layout and Design. Your book should look professional. You might be able to save some time and money if you are able to design your own book using computer programs like Quark or Adobe InDesign. However, you should consider hiring a professional designer if you can afford it, especially regarding the cover of the book. Most designers can complete these types of projects in two to four weeks depending on the size of the book and the details of the design.

Printing. Unless you own a printing press or know someone who does, you will not be printing your own book. Most digital printers take only a mater of days to start manufacturing your book. Different offset printers will require various lengths of times to print your book. If you decide to use an offset printer, which is likely to give you better print quality, you can expect at least six to eight weeks for the order to be completed.
Marketing/Sales. Your sales and marketing timetable is the easiest one to set. It begins right now and ends the day you no longer want to make money from your book. The main things to include in your marketing timetable are plenty of reminders that your marketing effort will get stale if you don’t take time to update your Website, change your fliers and spread the word about your book as much as possible. Try not to let a week go by without updating your marketing strategy.

Get loads of FREE tips and modern ideas on writing, designing, marketing, editing and self-publishing your next book from author Danny Stooksbury and other publishing consultants at www.higherlevelpublishing.com. Visit www.higherlevelpublishing.com to sign up for the FREE monthly ezine Modern Niche Publisher and get publishing secrets sent right to your email inbox.