Learn how to master the book publishing business.
How they work and what you can do to get published. see from their point of view.
What is the golden rule for all new writers? Never submit your dream novel as your first novel. Why? Because as a first-time writer you’re more than likely will be asked to make changes, either minor or major.
Now you have a problem, do you make those changes to your dream novel to see it published, or do you say no?
In this blog, we will learn how to master the book publishing business…
LEARN HOW TO MASTER THE BOOK PUBLISHING BUSINESS
Table of Contents
Every new writer has a dream novel in their heart they’d love to see published. The problem is you’re holding your dream novel too closer to your heart as a newbie writer.
It doesn’t matter if you’re new in the business you’re not famous. You’re not the exception to the rule. You might see yourself as the greatest writer of all time in your mind. But that doesn’t make you one in real life. You cannot go throwing your weight around in the book-publishing world. Demanding your book be published untouched. If you do, they’ll show you the door.
YOU HAVE TO PLAY BY THEIR RULES
When you start out you have to play by their rules. Is it possible to have your dream novel published your way? Yes, but you have to understand the inner workings of the book publishing company.
It cost money to publish a book. And no publishing company is made of unlimited money. They make money from books selling. The money they make from a successful book is put towards other new books coming out. If the published books do not sell they’ll have no money for yours.
ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS MONEY
Everyone gets mad at publishers saying all they care about is profit. But the truth is they have to care or they’ll go under. It happens all the time in the book-publishing world. There have been countless successful publishers over the past few decades who have gone under. Why? Because they made a few bad investments in books that did not sell. That’s all it takes, just a few bad decisions, and the company is gone.
There’s a reason why it’s difficult for new writers to get noticed when self-publishing. It’s all about advertising. People have to know who you are. What your book is about. They can’t do that out of the blue. This is where advertising comes into play. Promoting you and your book.
THEY NEED THEIR MONEY BACK
However, advertising costs money. Most new writers don’t have a ton of money for advertising. That’s where the publishers come in. They can get your name out there, but it’s costing them money to do so. They need that money back somehow or they will close down.
When a publishing house signs you they’re taking a risk on you. They have to invest money into your book and not see a return until a long time later If the publishing house invests in too many writers whose books do not sell the publishing house can go under and all the employees will lose their jobs.
THEY HAVE TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS
The boss of the publishing house understands this; they have to make the right decisions to keep everyone’s job. Book publishing is about making money, but also not going bankrupt.
Too many authors complain that publishers only care about money. This is true because they have to stay in business. It doesn’t matter how successful a company was in the past, sales today is what matters. They could’ve sold a ton of books ten years ago but if the books they’re publishing now do not sell then they’re in trouble.
REMEMBER YOU ARE A NEW WRITER
If your literary agent submits your dream novel they might take a risk in publishing it. (And remember it is a risk because you’re a new writer. The general public usually buys books from established authors. It’s difficult to get your first book on the top ten list, simply because you’re new.)
But they might want parts of it changed to meet their idea. This means you have to make changes you do not want made. Now you’re stuck. Do you make changes to your novel or do you walk away from the publishers not having your book published? No one will ever see it or read it. Some readers are OK with this, but are you?
STEPHEN KING HAD TO CHANGE “CARRIE”
Even the great Stephen King was asked to make changes to the ending of “Carrie” his first published book. He didn’t mind making changes because he didn’t really care for Carrie to start with. If he had said no the book would not have been published at all. We would never know Stephen King as we do today. He wasn’t famous at that point to have any power to say yes or no had nave them listen.
But there’s another way you can have your dream novel published. By playing “the game.” What does that mean? It means you do not go throwing your weight around at the start. Don’t fight to have your dream novel published, in fact, don’t submit it. Instead, start off writing commercialized books at first to get your foot in the door. Avoid writing books that are difficult to sell.
LET THEM COME TO YOU
Once you start making the company money they’ll come to you. In the beginning, you had to go to them to get noticed, now they’ll come to you, because you’re a moneymaker. This will give you power. With that power, you can start calling your shots.
It cost money to publish a book. The longer the novel the more it cost the publisher. If the book does not sell their money is lost. The company can go under. This is why you shouldn’t write a thousand-page book for your first novel. You should be writing around 250 pages for your first.
BUT IT’S NOT RECOMMENDED AT FIRST
Can you write a thousand-page book and have it published? Sure, one day you can. But it’s not recommended at first. They’ll ask you to cut the book down in size. Now you will be forced to make a choice about editing it or not publishing it.
When Stephen King wrote his first novel Carrie it had 199 pages, pretty short by his standards. But when he wrote “It” it had 1,138 pages. Realize he could not have had it published as his first novel. They would’ve told him to shorten it. But at that point in his career, he was a moneymaker for them. Therefore the publishing house had no problem publishing his 1,138-page book. They knew it would sell because of his name. They were going to get their money back.
HE HAD TO CUT DOWN THE SIZE
In fact when he first wrote the novel “The Stand” it had 1,152 pages. The publishers needed it cut down. Stephen King could’ve said no and not had it published. But he had it cut down to 823. A few years later after he became really famous they released the book again with the full 1,152 pages, the full-uncut version.
Not too many people in the publishing world can do such a thing. But he played the game and won. Instead of freaking out and yelling about wanting the whole thing published he had a shorter version released, made money, obtained power, and released the true version having it sell just as much.
THEY KNOW THEY’LL BE GETTING THEIR MONEY BACK
There are two types of books published, commercialized and non-commercialized. The publishers love books that are commercialized because they know they’ll be getting their money back. It’s a risk to publish literature. It’s wonderful to read, but will it sell enough to cover the costs? Book publishers have to wonder about this.
It’s important for a writer to understand a publisher’s world. They’re risking the company every time they release a book. Too many failures will bring an end to them. Once you see things their way things will change for you.
YOUR FIRST BOOK ISN’T CLOSE TO YOUR HEART
If you are willing in the beginning to write a book that’s not close to your heart where if you’re asked to make changes you can, things can go your way. You start off writing a commercialized book with interesting characters and twisting plot lines, high tension, making a time sensitize novel where there’s a “bomb” ticking down. (Doesn’t have to be a bomb, but some type of time sensitize problem with high stakes.) Having characters with conflicting views, characters with intent and obstacles. Having interesting characters arcs. The type of page-turner that appeals to a large crowd.
This will work for you. It means you’ll attract publishers. Then down the road, you can slip them your dream novel and they’ll look at it with interest. They’ll want to keep you at their publishing house. Your name will sell the novel.
NOW YOU HAVE THE POWER
Now you have power. The other way as a stranger you submit your dream novel in which they might look it over and if they do they could make huge changes. Now you have to question if you want your dream novel published or not.
Why put yourself in that position when you don’t have to. Why not play their game at first and end up winning at the end.
SEEING EVERYTHING FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW
In order to truly understand you have to see it from their point of view. Imagine you’re the head of a book publishing company. And you have many employees working for you. If you make the wrong choice in what books to publish that year they’ll lose their jobs. You don’t want to lose your job either. Now imagine literary agents sending you new books to conceder. Keep in mind every book you accept is money spent on printing and promoting. The only way you’re getting money back is if they sell. And the checks do not arrive every day, you have to wait months for them to come in. Your company only has enough money to print a few books a year. Now it’s up to you to decide what gets published and what doesn’t.
Now you can see how difficult it is being a publishing company. They can’t publish everything sent to them. Make the wrong choices and you’re unemployed by the end of the year. Make the right choices and you keep your job along with all the employees who work with you.
THERE’S TOO MUCH ON THE LINE
Chances are you’ll be choosing books that have a great chance at being sellable. Too much is on the line to think differently.
All the complaints you have about publishers caring only for money mean something different now. Once you’re in charge you realize it’s not so easy publishing non-marketable books. You’ll want to find the ones that sell. Fear and stress will influence your decisions making more than anything.
GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR
As a writer, you can work this to your advantage by starting off writing a novel publishers would love. Once you win them over and prove you can make them money. In a book, if you’re asked to change the ending you can say yes. A book that is meant to get your foot in the door. That if you have to change everything about it you’ll be OK with it. Then down the road, they’ll listen to what you have to say about your dream novel. Knowing your name will help sell the book.
Meaning in the end you get your book published, without having to make any changes. You won the game. Now you can walk into a bookstore and see your dream novel, the one that means so much to you on the shelves without any changes. Seeing countless book fans all over the world reading a novel that came from your heart. Unedited from start to finish.
you might be interested in these blogs…
THE RISKY SIDE OF SELF-PUBLISHING YOUR NOVEL
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MIX GENRES WHEN STARTING OUT
THE GREATEST TIP ON HOW TO BE A GREAT WRITER
