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Publishing Manuals
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FROM PUBLISHING TRENDS (APRIL 2007)

DIY Publishing:

Dan Poynter’s Self Publishing Manual. Para Publishing, California, 1979-2006. 
The fact that this best-seller has been printed 19 times in 27 years and is currently on its 15th revision literally speaks volumes about the quality of Dan Poynter’s advice. The author, who has written over 120 books and worked in publishing since 1969, knows what he’s talking about and cuts straight to the point - how to make more money, get to press sooner and keep complete artistic control - without omitting crucial details that can make or break a career. A concise, professional but nonetheless engaging read with endless credentials.  

Be Your Own Literary Agent, by Martin P. Levin. Ten Speed Press, California, 1995. 
Levin presents the perks of representing oneself in the publishing world simply and clearly, addressing everything from how to write a book proposal or pitch letter, to what to keep in mind when signing a literary contract. He gives an 8-step program for succeeding in the search for a good editor and publishing deal, with encouraging advice based on the experiences of other first-time and independent authors. Examples of cover letters, bios and writing samples are included, as well as important legal and financial statistics every writer needs to know. 

Putting Your Passion Into Print by Arielle Eckstut & David Henry Sterry. Workman Publishing Company, New York, 2005. 
After just one look at literary agent Arielle Ecksut and her novelist husband David Henry Sterry’s manual, it becomes clear that their professed “passion” is but an understatement - their optimism is simply astounding. From the praise-adorned cover, through the ample alliterations and inspirational quotations that decorate every other page, to the photograph of the smiling Californian couple on the back, Putting Your Passion Into Print is the motivational speaker of D.I.Y publishing. They leave no question unanswered and approach each in a perky, friendly and decidedly West-Coast manner; in fact, its tone (comparable to self-help manuals) makes it an engaging and even entertaining read. This book certainly stands out as one of the more ebullient ones of its genre, and the authors even run a seminar of the same name at Stanford in case you just can’t get enough. 

Reference:

Get Your First Book Published And Make It A Success by Jason Shinder. Career Press, New Jersey, 2001. 
Jason Shinder is a poet and editor of several poetry and non-fiction anthologies. He also teaches at Bennington College and the New School. His reference book is full of useful information regarding writing contests and grants, the contact information of publishers who favor first-time authors, and writers’ organizations all over the country. He includes advice for writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry and spends a great deal of time on book publicizing tips. Get Your First Book Published is primarily a well-informed reference tool, with inspiration and encouragement taking a less important, but not too shabby second and third place. 

Proposals and Pitches:

The Art of the Book Proposal, by Eric Maisel, PhD. Tarcher/Penguin, New York, 2004. 
Maisel, a psychotherapist and non-fiction author,  knows how to address the tortured artist within. He talks struggling non-fiction writers through their writer’s block  and self-discipline issues with tips and exercises, relating these to scenarios involving rejections and objections to a proposal. His approach is holistic and encourages introspection, but avoids fluffy New-Age lingo in favor of a more practical, hands-on tone. Maisel’s analysis of various proposals is particularly insightful: often, a summary appears quite compelling, until the successful author rips it apart and reveals its flaws and inconsistencies. This shouldn’t exclusively be used as a last resort when all else fails, but rather, as a positive start to the creative process. 

From Pitch to Publication, by Carole Blake. Macmillan, London, 1999. 
Carol Blake is an important literary agent based on London. Her 30 year career and widespread authority comes through in her lengthy account of how to get a novel published. While Blake is not as user-friendly and casual as her American counterparts, she gives solid, sound advice and a realistic outlook (there is a section on how to deal with rejection.) Her no-frills approach will appeal to serious and determined authors who are willing to tackle publishing from every angle and leave nothing up to other people. It must be noted, however, that the appendices and a great deal of the legal and financial details are based on the way publishing works in the U.K, and may not be entirely relevant in the United States.  

Publicity:

From Book Signing to Best-Seller by Jo Condrill and John B. Slack. Goal Minds, California, 2001. 
Condrill and Slack take on a very specific aspect of book publicity by outlining just how much of an impact a book signing tour can make. They include checklists, sample budgets, planning schedules and industry information to help emerging authors make the most of their tours while spending the least amount of money. Their preoccupation with interpersonal relations - presenting oneself as someone whose book an audience would enjoy - is undoubtedly relevant and likely very useful, but their techniques tend to rely on bribery and deception. This manual is a go-getter’s bible, but for the less opportunistic, it may come off as aggressive.  

The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publishing by Lissa Warren. Carroll & Graff Publishers, New York, 2004. 
Lissa Warren has worked as a book publicist at David R. Godine, Houghton Mifflin and Perseus publishing, and as Senior Director of Publicity at Da Capo Press. Her book covers the essentials of book publicity (with or without the help of a publicist,) and gives advice on what to do if publicists don’t produce results. Warren details the way specific authors made it to the top, paying attention to the audience and media that their work targeted. She also gives ample examples of situations that went wrong, and explains why. It is clear from her writing that she has had lots of experience, and her valuable advice is not to be ignored. 

Plug Your Book by Steve Weber. Weber Books, Virginia, 2007. 
Plug Your Book promises aspiring writers “massive exposure,” and it is no surprise that in the modern age, this translates to learning how to exploit the Internet for all it’s worth. This is no easy task, as computers intimidate more often than not, but Weber’s advice is relatively simple provided one acquires a grasp of Internet blogs, chatrooms, social networking sites and discussion boards. For  popular, widespread and user-friendly Internet promotional tactics, this is the book to turn to; however, it lacks insight on traditional methods and advice on how to deal with publishers, publicists and literary agents offline. If you have a lot of time and limited resources, this book is for you. 

Idiots:

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel by Tom Montelone. Alpha Press, Indianapolis, 2004. 
In an ideal world, nothing would compel an idiot to write a novel, but since this is not the case, he might as well get it right. Tom Montelone’s vaguely tongue-in-cheek overview of literary genres is based on generalities and fiction archetypes; his bare-bones advice is a good starting point, though utterly uninspiring if one begins without a clue in the first place. The chapters on publishing are a friendly introduction to the daunting industry, and the book’s light tone prevents it from sounding too didactic. Credit must be given to Montelone for addressing much-overlooked problems regarding correct spelling and syntax, fact-checking, and style - because everybody knows that there’s nothing worse than a grammatically incorrect idiot.  

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Book by Harold D. Undertown. Alpha Press, Indianapolis, 2004. 
Considerably less general than its introductory cohorts, Harold Undertown’s guide to publishing children’s literature goes into important detail when addressing kid-specific issues such as finding the right illustrator, picking a target publisher and what vocabulary to use. Like all Idiot’s Guides, the book is accessible, easy to read and full of fun facts. The list of resources is also complete - the author is, after all, an editor for the children’s divisions at Orchard and Macmillan, works in editorial consulting, and runs a children’s publishing website. 

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing, 2nd Edition by Laurie E. Rozakis, Ph.D. Alpha Press, Indianapolis, 2006. 
Anyone humble enough to describe themselves as a “complete idiot” will find lots of useful information in this simple, readable guide to creative writing: many of the exercises resemble elementary-school level workshops, and there are even complete explanations of what fiction is. For a more literate audience, it serves primarily as a refresher course in what they may be forgetting when putting pen to paper - for example, eliminating unneeded adverbs, applying correct form when writing drama, or considering a character’s background. The section on getting published can’t really compare to more specialized reference tools, but gives a simple outline of the process nonetheless. A solid guide for those who have been out of school for too long. 

Academic Writing:

Getting It Published by William Germano. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and New York, 2001. 
William Germano, a publishing veteran and vice president at Routledge, writes about “serious” books. This gives him a niche audience who will undoubtedly appreciate his lively manner which is much less academic than the work it encourages. This is not a do-it-yourself manual, but rather, a text intended to help writers understand the way academic writing works, and how to best break into the system. Particularly compelling is Germano’s chapter on “Quotations, Pictures and Other Headaches” - issues that may not occur to all academics, but that ultimately could make a big difference. A valuable source of information. 
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Read other articles from this issue (April 2007):

What I Learned On The Other Side

Bookview 04/07

International Bestsellers: The Addams Family Meets Sister Act

Industry Ink Slingers

Hey Old Media, What Are You Doing?

Edu-Update

©2007 Publishing Trends