Has anybody successfully written and published a book ?

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Parker

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Hello ,

Ive finished writing the outline of a book and although I searched the internet and found websites and publishing houses their very skant on info.Before I approach a publisher id like to hear from anybody who has or from prev posts I noticed some people where heading this way aswell.How did you get on ?

Any advise is greatly appreciated.
 
LOL......Believe me Ive already spent 3 days spell checking about 200 pages.......Should have paid attention in skool!
 
I once started to write a novel but gave up after about 30k words. That is, about 1/3 of the way through, and that doesn't count all the discarded drafts. It's harder work than you'd think.

I did a bit of research into the publishing world and it seems there's a different process for fiction vs non-fiction works. For non-fiction (e.g. popular science or travel books), you send a cover letter containing a brief outline of the book's contents, your credentials for writing it, and other relevant information. You can do this before you've finished writing the book itself.

For fiction (and memoirs) you finish the book first. Send the final draft together with a cover letter providing an outline of the plot. Credentials are not so important for fiction - the prose should sell itself, particularly the first 1k words.

Not to sound discouraging, but publishers receive a lot of submissions so be prepared for rejection. Good luck.
 
Thanks Autumnleaf,

Im probably 40% through the book , alot of the sequences and plots are designed but have yet to be written.As you probably know yourself , Ive been chopping and changing constantly.......Im aware of the possiblity of being rejected and have felt comfort in knowing that several bestselling authors have been rejecting on more than one occassion before being accepted.

Thanks for your insight.
 
My Dad has written a few local history type books. He has always paid for the publishing himself and then used the money earned from book sales to pay it back. The number of books though would be quite low.
I think if you start looking into publishing books you'll find that different publishers go for different types of books - they have their own markets.
 
I rememeber hearing an article on the radio about this topic. They suggested targeting publishers who pubish books of your particular 'genre' ... like Harper Collins for chic-lit or Poolbeg for books with an irish-slant. Good luck
 
you might find this book useful

http://www.shopireland.ie/books/detail/1405041544/The-Writer's-Handbook-2006-/

A lot of publishing houses won't accept work if you are not prepresented by an agent(mainly for popular fiction). This book lists all the agents and publishers and is a great place to start

This site is more for 'chick-lit' but you might find some useful info on the forums
http://www.writeon-irishgirls.com/

I am writing too....they say only 1% of novels submitted get published but there is no reason why you and I can't be in that one percent...:)
 
Hello Parker, I believe that Trafford Publishing in Drogheda do small lots and reprint whatever number you want no matter how few! Their contact number is 041-9831262 or e-mail info.EU@trafford .com
 
Thanks for the info ICE and guys , anything will help.My plan is to finish the book and then approach a publisher but now im thinking will I need an agent for my first book ?

Is it a known general rule that publishers wont accept work if the author is not represented by an agent......this was something I searched for on publishing websites for the "how to get a book published route" and didnt find anything that would suggest I need an agent.....fair enough if im releasing a book every year but on my first attempt ?

I might go have a look at the agent book ICE...thanks
 
I am a commissioning editor in an Irish publishing house so hopefully I can help with this.

New authors do not automatically require an agent, most Irish publishers will accept unsolicited manuscripts directly, however it's advisable to give them a ring first and check how they wold like it submitted, and more importantly whether or not they publish your type of book. They will probably ask for a few sample chapters, a synopsis and a cover letter.

There are three agents in Ireland; Faith O'Grady, Jonathan Williams and Marianne Gunne-O'Connor. They all have offices in Dublin. Obviously Irish authors are also represented by UK agents,but I don't have details for them. Try The Writer's and Author's Yearbook.

In Ireland the main fiction publishers are The Lilliput Press (literary fiction), Mercier Press (general fiction) New Island Books (general fiction, some poetry) and Poolbeg (they publish a lot of chick-lit type stuff). You should check www.publishingireland.com for a complete litst of Irish publishers and links to all the websites. The Irish Writer's Centre also have a website which gives you a guide to contracts and how to deal with publishers (we can be a tricky bunch!)

Do bear in mind that fiction is one of the hardest types of writing to get published, and 99% of submissions from unknown authors are rejected, mainly because of bad writing. When submitting your sample chapters and outline include a cover letter giving details of any other writing you have had published (e.g.short stories in magazines, literary journals, etc).

An average work of fiction sells about 2000-5000 copies in Ireland, so if you find a publisher don't expect to make your fortune through writing. You will probably we offered a very low advance initially (€1000 maybe) and then a royalty deal (10-15% of publisher's receipts (in other words a percentage of what they get from the bookshops. Bear in mind they sell the books to the bookshops at approx 40-52% discount, so if the book costs €12.99 in the shops, the publisher gets about €7 and the author about 80c).

I'm sorry this all sounds so negative, but I'm afraid that's the reality. If yo have any more questions I'd be happy to help.
 
I am a commissioning editor in an Irish publishing house so hopefully I can help with this.

New authors do not automatically require an agent, most Irish publishers will accept unsolicited manuscripts directly, however it's advisable to give them a ring first and check how they wold like it submitted, and more importantly whether or not they publish your type of book. They will probably ask for a few sample chapters, a synopsis and a cover letter.

There are three agents in Ireland; Faith O'Grady, Jonathan Williams and Marianne Gunne-O'Connor. They all have offices in Dublin. Obviously Irish authors are also represented by UK agents, but I don't have details for them. Try The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook.

In Ireland the main fiction publishers are The Lilliput Press (literary fiction), Mercier Press (general fiction) New Island Books (general fiction, some poetry) and Poolbeg (they publish a lot of chick-lit type stuff). You should check www.publishingireland.com for a complete litst of Irish publishers and links to all the websites. The Irish Writer's Centre also have a website that gives you a guide to contracts and how to deal with publishers (we can be a tricky bunch!).

Do bear in mind that fiction is one of the hardest types of writing to get published, and 99% of submissions from unknown authors are rejected, mainly because of bad writing. When submitting your sample chapters and outline include a cover letter giving details of any other writing you have had published (e.g.short stories in magazines, literary journals, etc).

An average work of fiction sells about 2000-5000 copies in Ireland, so if you find a publisher don't expect to make your fortune through writing. You will probably be offered a very low advance initially (€1000 maybe) and then a royalty deal (10-15% of publisher's receipts (in other words a percentage of what they get from the bookshops. Bear in mind they sell the books to the bookshops at approx 40-52% discount, so if the book costs €12.99 in the shops, the publisher gets about €7 and the author about 80c).

I'm sorry this all sounds so negative, but I'm afraid that's the reality. If you have any more questions I'd be happy to help.
 
Hi Sar ,


Dont worry about sounding negative.I started this knowing that there is 100% possibilty that it will be a waste of time , but I have to try and its an enjoyable journey.Ive looked at some of the publishers websites and criteria concerning new authors and seem happy with what I have to present in the end.

Thanks for all your help and comments.
 
Parker said:
Hi Sar ,


Dont worry about sounding negative.I started this knowing that there is 100% possibilty that it will be a waste of time , but I have to try and its an enjoyable journey.Ive looked at some of the publishers websites and criteria concerning new authors and seem happy with what I have to present in the end.

Thanks for all your help and comments.
Click to expand...

Is a 100% possibility a certainty?
 
Parker said:
Im aware of the possiblity of being rejected and have felt comfort in knowing that several bestselling authors have been rejecting on more than one occassion before being accepted.
Click to expand...

There's a great book by Stephen King called 'On Writing' which is part autobiography and part 'how-to-write' book. He used to keep a paper spike on his desk and each time he got a rejection letter from a publisher he'd spike it and then use the mounting pile of rejection slips as a reminder to keep going! There's a great tip he passes on, which he got from his first editor, which is that after each draft the manuscript should be 10% shorter. And you should do at least three drafts before thinking about sending it out!

God knows how long his original draft of 'The Stand' was!

Best of luck with it.
 
Am I the only one who found the thread title funny, I was expectting Clubman to be in with something like "Yeah, loads. Go down to your local library & see for yourself...."
 
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