The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, 2e

In May 2007, my first book was published entitled: The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related Disorders. Before reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, by Sheree Bykofsky & Jennifer Basye Sander I was a complete novice to the publishing world. I referred to this excellent book during the entire two-year process....from writing a book proposal to selecting a title to submitting query letters to marketing....this book has it all! I HIGHLY recommend it for any and all aspiring authors! [...]

Sheree Bykofsky and Jennifer Basye Sander want you to get your book published. They want you to understand absolutely every aspect of the business--from idea generation through book promotion--so that even though you're a beginner, you can navigate those shark-infested waters like a pro. Sometimes you might think they go into unnecessary detail, such as when they describe the ins and outs of an editor's typical day at a publishing house, but the truth is that because of a lack of this understanding many writers shoot their careers in the foot by making unnecessary mistakes. This book is aimed at anyone interested in gaining entrance to the world of publishing, whether you want to write novels, poetry, children's books, how-to books, or magazine articles. If you want to publish with the big-name pros or even self-publish, this book will help you decide what would suit you best and how to achieve it. It covers everything from idea generation through the submission process, contract negotiations, finding an agent, and participating in the publicity process. Because the public vision of the publishing industry is so vastly incorrect, there are many ways in which a writer can feel frustrated, annoyed, angry or hurt by things that really boil down to misunderstandings or a lack of comprehension. There are also so many ways in which a writer can ruin a potential career by making herself known as a high-maintenance troublemaker, when perhaps if she better understood what her editor's job was and how her editor conducted that job, she might do the right thing. In addition, although I call it "the publishing industry," there's a lot of variety out there. Without a guide to that variety (when to query, when to submit a proposal or manuscript, how long each thing should be and how it should be written, what should be included with it, how it should be mailed, when and how you should or shouldn't follow up, etc.) it's easy to make a misstep. That's where "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, Fourth Edition" comes in. This is an incredibly thorough book that will impart a very good understanding of the realities of getting published. It will help you to understand how editors, agents, and publishers view writers' actions. It will help you to make yourself an invaluable part of a publishing team, which can only serve to enhance your career opportunities.

Now in a completely updated and significantly expanded fourth edition, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Getting Published" provides the aspiring author and the novice publisher with step-by-step instructions on turning a manuscript into a published book. Enhanced with an accompanying CD-Rom enriched with dozens of document templates, lists of agents, lists of writers' conference, and publisher resources of all kinds and categories, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Getting Published" is one of the most "user friendly" how-to books on the subject of publishing available to the general public today. Along with a methodical explanatory presentation of the book publishing process, readers will learn just how to best get their particular manuscript ready for publication; how to keep track of publishing industry trends as part of determining the suitability and viability of their publishing project; effective, innovative, and tested marketing strategies, and so much more. "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Getting Published" will also enable novice writers to avoid common mistakes, understand publisher contracts, and consider the pros and cons with respect to literary agents. If you have aspirations to having your manuscript published, then do yourself the tremendous favor of giving "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Getting Published" a careful reading.

So many books about how to get your book published are really either books about writing or the disguised memoir of an acquisition editor. But a person trying to get their first book published really just needs some bare bones advice about the mechanics of publishing. When should you send a query letter instead of a proposal? When should you write the book first and when should you just spec it out. When do you need an agent and when can you go it alone. When is it OK to call somebody? What is the big deal with this SASE that everyone keeps talking about? The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published provides the nuts and bolts advice you need to get started in your search for a publisher. It is not magic. It is just hard work. And this book lays it out beautifully.

I am a freelance writer and owner of several bookshelves literally groaning with stacks of books on writing. I've devoured books on writing the way my teenage daughter digs into pizza, always hoping for some mantra that would help pave my way to publishing success. Although I am a successful magazine (Woman's Day, Cosmopolitan, etc.) and newspaper (Chicago Tribune, etc.) author, and have contributed to several anthologies, I have yet to hold a book in my hand with my name on the cover. THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED is the most practical book on publishing that I've ever read, and I've read them all! Not only is each chapter packed with advice for writers at every level of the publishing process, but the text is highly readable and even entertaining. All the sidebars and boxes keep the large volume of information from ever becoming dry or boring. And the icing on the cake is a CD-ROM with templates for pitch letters and proposals--just what every writer needs, when he's faced with the daunting task of selling himself to publishers. Thanks so much, Sheree and Jennifer!