sensasi: Re: [Self-Publishing] To PDF or to Publish?

Senin, 25 Februari 2008

Re: [Self-Publishing] To PDF or to Publish?

On Feb 25, 2008, at 7:26 AM, Robert Steibel wrote:

> Re: To PDF or to Publish?
>
> Okay, I do have one more question, and again my thanks to everyone
> for being so generous with their time. :-)
>
> If I form a small business, purchase a block of 10 ISBNs,
> and "publish" (1) my novel, (2) my collection of short stories, as
> well as (3) my thesis, all as PDF files, and make the material
> available as a download on a website such as Amazon.com -- would
> this make it more difficult for me to actually get a legitimate
> print publisher?

A traditional publisher would be less interested in material that has
been previously published, unless that previous publication has shown
a considerable market interest. It has been said that sales of 5000
to 10000 copies of a book that appears to have broad appeal might be
"interesting" to a larger traditional publisher.

The short answer, probably yes, unless you sell a _lot_ of copies
this way.

Note that a thesis may have some copyright ties to the university
that is sponsoring your advanced degree. Check with the institution's
administration or review the written instructions regarding the
thesis project.

>
> In other words, would I be wise to send out the manuscripts double-
> spaced and in courier via snail-mail to various magazines, journals,
> agents, and publishers first -- so that they have exclusive rights
> to the material -- or would I be better off simply putting the work
> out their electronically as a PDF file so that I have some presence
> in the marketplace and can begin the process of publicizing my work.
>

Well, no... first you need to use Literary Marketplace (available at
most libraries) to narrow down the list of potential literary agents
or publishers -- there's no point in sending your proposal to agents/
publishers who are unlikely to be interested in your type of
material. Note that larger publishers encourage use of literary
agents rather than direct submission of proposals. Medium and smaller
publishers may be willing to accept submissions directly. Always
verify the potential reception by checking the web site of the
publishers or agents. (Some agents or publishers may limit the
acceptance of unrequested proposals. There is a reason that such
proposals are often called "the slush pile" -- and such are usually
assigned to the most junior staff editorial assistant to reveiw.)

Then you need to send out book _proposals_ with a sample chapter or
two. Here is a link from a literary agency that describes a book
proposal. There are also books on writing book proposals that you can
obtain. (I don't necessarily recommend this literary agency, but it
seemed to have a fairly decent description of what's expected in a
book proposal.)
<http://www.shepardagency.com/writing_proposals.html> (this is
focused on a non-fiction book proposal.) There are some links at the
bottom of the page that might be of further interest.

This link is a little better as it has further links to both non-
fiction and fiction book proposal instructions: <http://
www.manuscriptediting.com/proposals.htm>. It includes this link to
instructions for a fiction proposal:
<http://www.junecotner.com/Apr2003PTM.htm>

Disclaimer: At first glance, these referenced links seem to have
relevant information for the question asked, but I can't guarantee
that their instructions are universally acceptable. You should always
check the web sites of potential literary agents or publishers for
submission guidelines.

===============================================
Pete Masterson, Author of
Book Design and Production: A Guide for Authors and Publishers
Aeonix1@Mac.com
Aeonix Publishing Group http://www.aeonix.com
===============================================

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