self-publishing

Is Self-publishing harming authors & the publishing industry?

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Self-publishing has been growing at an impressive or alarming rate, depending on which side of the fence you are. Authors tired of waiting for the bigger publishing companies are taking the reins of writing, editing, cover designing and publishing into their own hands. Some are making money. Most are falling by the wayside.

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Can self-publishing your e-book make you a best-selling author?

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Like Darcie Chan, if you could spend 50,000 rupees to promote digital versions of your book and end up selling 400,000 copies, then the answer would be a resounding ‘Yes’. Wall Street Journal published Darcie’s amazing success story that is sure to encourage a whole lot of aspiring authors in India and across the globe to try out what she did. Even a fraction of what she’s achieved would be a big deal for many first time authors. So what exactly did Darcie do to hit it big? Read on to see if this is something you’d be willing to try out.

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Literary Agents: Beware of unprofessional and unfair agency practices

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A good literary agent can work wonders for the author’s career but it’s very tough to locate and get one interested in your work, specially in a country like India. Outside India, however, there are many good, and many more bad and ugly literary agencies that prey upon the desperation and impatience that permeates the new writer’s psyche. In a bid to get the first publishing break, many writers ignoring the research that is so important before signing up with a literary agency.

There are several things you can be aware of as you seek out representation for your work. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

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Query Letter FAQ: How literary agents and publishers will evaluate it

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So you’ve decided not to venture into the world of self-publishing yet. That brings you back to the process of wooing publishers or literary agents to represent you.

If you are aiming for the traditional publishers, chances are they would want you to get a literary agency to review your manuscript first and then forward it to them.

You know the reasons why – too many requests, paucity of time and effort (for the publishers), quality issues with the slush pile, yada yada.

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Self-publishing: Why you should (or shouldn’t) approach Vanity Publishers?

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Self-publishing and vanity publishers have existed in various forms for a very long time. Despite the contrasting views about the pros and cons of this approach, the market for vanity publishing has grown within the writing community, especially for first time authors.

And there’s a reason for that. The traditional publishing model makes it very difficult for new writers to break into the industry. In comparison self-publishing allows anyone who wants to be known as a published author an equal shot at the game.

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How to write a book and get published

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Whether you are a fiction or non-fiction writer, it helps to understand the entire life cycle for a book. If you are just getting started, here’s a short primer to set the ball rolling.

Writing the book

Your writing will fall under two broad categories – fiction and non-fiction.

In a novel (another label for fiction books) is where you create a plot (imaginary or inspired by the real world), characters (that your readers will love or hate) and bring them to life with your narration.

The sub-genre (romance, thriller, fantasy, young adult, humor, chick-lit, erotica, horror) will decide the twists and turns in your plot and the tone, style of writing.

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