Over the last one month, it was the season of New Year resolutions, and there’s one resolution which seems to be getting more popular: to write a book (only a handful of folks, but that’s substantial already!). A colleague on Wall Street wants to write a book on Scuba Diving Adventures. And others want to write about better Business Practices, Internet Security, ERP implementation tips, etc. The topics are varied, but the point is – people want to express themselves to a larger circle – very much like a blog works in the online space.
And here’s a question that was asked earlier today by a VP of Technology Solutions, which prompted this post.
My son is near completion of his first book, I’m prejudiced because he’s my son but it is very good for a first novel. Just an opinion of a reader and a father :) What is the best way for him to go about getting noticed by publishers? This is completely new ground for him and I have no experience in this area so knowledgeable experience is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Book publishing is easier today than ever before. Thanks to the Internet, and extensive communication infrastructure, Print on Demand (PoD) is a very viable and low-cost way to have your book published.
Based on my experience of publishing two books — an EBook and a Paperback that’s WIP, and helping a family member in publishing a printed hard-bound book — I strongly believe that the old-style publishing of seeking an agent/publisher and the run-chase is not necessary anymore. The agents/traditional publishers are risk-averse and typically accept people with established credentials. So don’t waste time in writing and posting manuscript/ sample pages to an agent/publisher.
Things have moved beyond, and you should make full use of the POD (Print on Demand) capabilities of the following two publishers – they are the two best options for your case:
Book Surge (An Amazon Company): http://www.booksurge.com
Lulu: http://www.lulu.com
I have personally used the services of both of them, and spoken with their managers – these folks are very good, and can do any type of book – in 10% the time it will take in the traditional approach. Even when you publish with Lulu.com, you can get your book available on Amazon and other online/offline bookstores by paying about $100 dollars.
And once the book is published, you can use the Internet to promote the book’s web page on Lulu or Amazon – if you are unsure how to do – just let us know using the Contact page. This is something we do N times every day!
Good Luck!
Shankar