10 Tips

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CHEF'S CHOICE

10 TIPS

They say that everyone has a book in them, but I don’t believe that. I think that everyone has several books in them.

If you are an expert in a particularly area, you could write about that, either as a tips book, a how--to book or workbook, perhaps?

If you are a professional speaker you can write a book or booklet based on each of your keynotes or seminars. You might find, as I do, that at least 25% of the audience buys from you every time!

If you have experienced something challenging and survived, then your own story will inspire others. So if you have survived redundancy, bought a house in France or learned to swim at 60, for example, your story could become a book.

Self-publishing is always an option, and thanks to Print on Demand technology, it can be relatively inexpensive to do it yourself. After all, if you are the publisher, you can write exactly what you want how you want.

But if you want to interest a mainstream publisher and take advantage of a sizeable marketing budget, overseas and translation rights and having someone else to do the design, editing, printing, marketing and distribution for you, then finding a publisher may be the way forward for you.

Publishing secrets

Many agents and publishers will agree that 90% of the manuscripts and proposals they receive do not pass the first post. What follows are ten tips to help you pique the interest of a publisher:

Read a book, such as ‘How to Get Published and Make a Lot of Money,’ by Susan Page, and learn from the experts how to prepare your synopsis and attract an agent.
Go to bookshops to see who is your competition – and learn from those authors. Make notes. Decide whom you want to emulate and which books are rubbish compared to yours!
Research to find out which publishers are already producing books similar to yours then contact them to ask for their full list catalogues so you can get an overview of everything they are printing right now.
Prove to publishers what gives you the authority to write on your subject. Maybe you have professional or personal experience, or have conducted extensive research?
Explain how your own business will have a massive impact on your book sales. And how you expect your own work will impact the sale of a few thousand copies every year.
Find someone well-known who has already agreed to write your foreword and tell the publisher about it.
Give the readers added value. A great appendix for example, or further reading on a website.
Ensure you book has something unique, a touch of wow.
Know what you are creating and be able to describe it. What size, format or style will it have and where would you find it in a bookshop or library? Is it an illustrated parable for self-development or a pocket-sized, business management ‘how to’ book?
Tailor each proposal to the publisher you approach. If their management books are mostly in a series called ‘Learn something in a Week’ then you might offer you write your book for this

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