As mentioned previously, I’m a compulsive writer.
By that, I mean, I love writing. I love sharing my thoughts.
Like so many others, I’ve got a lot of personal experiences and ideas to get out there.
Blogging is a wonderful way to do this, and I find this a much better venue than a message group or website.
I like it because it’s so easy to do, that even someone like me can do it with a little work.
And while I doubt this blog will ever amount to anything that makes a difference to this world, it’s still something that allows me to get my thoughts out there.
Every now and then, I get the urge to write a novel or a nonfiction book. Most aren’t worth publishing, and can only be given away (such as the Empath Guidebook) but once in a long while, I’ll create something that I think might be worth trying to publish.
When that happens, I’ll look into how to do it, but I’ve found that it’s easier said than done.
There’s a lot of information out there on how to get books published. Lots of advice. Many suggestions and links.
But really, it appears to boil down to being in the right place at the right time if you are successful or not. I believe that you have to jump through a lot of hoops in order to show if you’re serious or not. (and rightly so, as there are an abundance of authors out there who want to be the next JK Rowlings.)
Going it alone is not something that’s easily done.
In order to even be looked at, you really need an agent to represent you. Few publishing houses will accept unsolicited manuscripts nowadays, and even if they did, there are literally thousands of people trying to get their own works published that you are completing against.
Your work doesn’t have to be actually all that good, judging by some of the works that passes for literature, but it does have to be compelling on some level.
If you can’t get an agent, you can also self-publish, or use a vanity house, but your audience is likely to be very limited, no matter how good your work is as the material needs to be promoted.
Traditionally, it used to be that a publishing house would pick up your work and pay you. Now it’s the other way around. Not only do you pay them, but they expect you to have your own means of self-promotion and a list of people you can promote your book to.
Ironically, if you had those things, you’d probably wouldn’t need them in the first place. If you had a large following, people would be likely to buy your product because they already enjoy what you produce.
But do books really sell nowadays? Many bookstores are closing because of lack of demand. Are we trying to publish in a world that longer has any interest in such things?
Be interested in others opinions.
