Table of Contents
Foreword 11
Introduction 15
How to Use This Guide 18
Chapter 1 Get Ready 23
Considerations on the Writing Life 23
Can you handle rejection? 24
Why your manuscript may get rejected 26
Can you handle success? 27
Can you take constructive criticism? 29
Do you have the skills to write-or can you learn? 29
Can you stick to a writing routine? 31
Can you meet deadlines? 32
Can you keep writing in the face of adversity? 33
Do you need a dedicated workspace? 34
How Will You Publish? 35
Chapter 2 Get Set 37
Choosing Your Genre 38
Fiction 38
Romance 38
Horror 39
Thriller/Suspense 39
Science Fiction 40
Fantasy 41
Mystery/Crime 41
Action-Adventure 42
Historical 42
Young Adult 43
Nonfiction 46
How-to 48
Self-Help 48
Travel Guides 49
Cooking and Food 49
Humor 50
Creative Nonfiction 51
Adventure 51
Travelogues 51
Biography 51
Memoir 52
True Crime 53
Essays 53
Sharpening Your Writing Skills 54
Writing Classes & Workshops 54
Writing Groups 56
How to evaluate a writing group 58
Keeping a Writer's Notebook or Journal 60
Dealing with Writer's Block 65
Writing Resources 68
Where do I get ideas? 69
Writing software 71
Should you join a professional writing association? 71
National novel writing month (NaNoWriMo) young writers program 72
Writing partners 74
First readers 75
Choosing a Title 76
Dipping Your Feet in the Writing Pool Before Jumping In 80
Blogging 80
Freelancing 82
Contests 84
Copyright and Legal Issues 85
Editing and Revising 86
Revision tips 86
Chapter 3 Go 91
How Traditional Publishing Works 91
What Happens After You Get a Publishing Deal? 94
Contract Basics 95
21st Century Publishing 97
The Big Five 98
Other Publishing Options 100
Why self-publish? 106
CreateSpace 108
Lulu 110
A word of caution about vanity presses 112
Should You Hire a Freelance Editor? 114
Chapter 4 Publishing an E-book 117
Why E-Publish? 117
Identifying Your Audience 123
E-Publishing Options 125
Upload directly to an online retailer 125
Through an independent e-book distributor 127
Sell directly from your website 129
E-Readers 130
Formatting 131
Creating content for e-readers 132
Protection from Copyright Infringement and Electronic Theft 134
Digital Rights Management (DRM) software 134
Pricing Your E-book 137
Chapter 5 Literary Agents 141
What Does a Literary Agent Do? 141
Do I Need a Literary Agent? 142
Am I Ready for an Agent? 144
How to Land a Literary Agent 146
Where Do I find a Literary Agent? 149
How to Decide if an Agent is Right for You 152
I Have an Agent Now What? 157
Chapter 6 Putting Together Your Pitch Package 161
The Submission Process 161
The Pitch Package 162
The query letter 163
Parts of a query letter 165
Synopsis 167
Proposals 169
Chapter 7 Your Author Platform 177
Branding 178
Creating a Website 180
What should your website include? 181
Where to get design ideas 182
Social Networking 184
Podcasts 184
The Big Two: Facebook and Twitter 185
Online Chats 186
Book trailers 187
Creating your YouTube channel 188
Book Signings, Readings, and Tours 189
Planning your event 189
Unusual venues 196
How to give a good reading even if you are terrified 198
Author Pages 200
Goodreads author program 200
Amazon author central 202
Conclusion 205
Appendix A Additional Resources 207
Books on Writing 207
Websites 209
Contests & Awards 209
Writing Conferences/Workshops/Classes 211
Professional Organizations 212
Glossary 213
Bibliography 217
Index 225
About the Author 229
