February 19, 2011

Publishing Books Online: The Literature of a New Generation

As an aspiring author or writer of any sort, the feeling of having one of your pieces of literature published - either through conventional means as a printed piece of work, or as an E-book over the Internet  - is one of the most fulfilling and inspiring moments that you will likely come across. The process of writing a book or piece of literature of any sort is daunting enough by itself; finding a means to have that finished piece published can often times be more difficult than the initial writing process itself. Through the recent release of E-books and other online publishing services, having your book published is something within the grasp of any talented writer in the world, so if you find yourselves asking questions like "How hard is it to publish a book?" or "How long does it take to publish a book?", you might find that some of those achievements are not as difficult to reach as you think.

A printed and bound publishing of your literature is one of the most direct steps any author can take towards success. Although there will be additional issues that need to be addressed in terms of distributors and other aspects of printed literature, the potential recognition and profits that an author might receive post print are virtually limitless. 

If you are interested in having your book printed, there are quite a few outlets that you can pursue. Online publishing options are becoming some of the most prominent sources used by independent and published authors alike. Online publishing and print on demand (POD) publishing will rarely limit its clients to a specific genre or style, so it doesn't matter if you want to publish a lengthy novel, children's book, or even a personal family picture album.
Trade Publishing
Choosing to independently publish your book can be a very costly investment - the best deals require large orders that might end up costing more than you can afford, and if you buy in small amounts the price per print will leave you with little to no opportunity for profit through sales. Furthermore, the time that it will  take an independently published book to show any return on investment could be years. By choosing to work directly with a trade publisher, any author can bypass every single one of these setbacks entirely.

With a trade publisher, all publishing costs are entirely taken care of. In addition to the fact that you wont have to spend a dime, the author will also usually be given an advance on their book sales as soon as printing begins. Distribution is done by your trade publisher as well, giving the writer complete freedom to begin work on another piece of literature or even take some time off.

Landing a contract with a trade publisher might be difficult if this is your first publishing. Being prepared with past achievements and education might help, but the marketability and quality of your title will ultimately be the deciding factor. Before you begin contacting trade publishers, find a publishing agent that can assist you legally to ensure a fair contract between you and your publisher. Without an agent or extensive knowledge, you are very likely to enter yourself into a contract that you will be very unhappy with in the future.
Print-On-Demand Publishing
Aside from the more traditional methods that are followed by trade publishers, POD publishing can prove to be a very wise financial investment in the long run. Instead of all costs being covered by your trade publisher in exchange for a portion of your profits, with POD publishing you will pay for all printing and distribution costs. Authors who choose to pay for their own publishing through Print-On-Demand businesses online will receive absolute control over their revenues and marketing techniques, so some level of knowledge in these fields will prove quite valuable to any independent author.

As with trade publishing, A writer who chooses to pay for print-on-demand publishing should still seek out a legitimate publishing agent that can assist you in various distribution deals. With the help of your publishing agent, there is no limit to the amount of stores you can convince to carry your book. Once you start to see your book sales rising, larger distributors such as Wal-Mart and many other stores will likely be more than willing to carry your title.
E-Books
If you are unable to come up with the initial investment money to have your book printed and released, choosing to go the digital route and selling your book through various E-book services might be the perfect choice for you. With an E-book, the printing cost is non-existent, and you will only have to pay a small fee (or portion of your profits in some cases) to whatever platform you decide to sell your E-book through.

Although printed copies of your work possesses a certain special value to any writer, E-books are often times used as a huge stepping stone towards further literary success. Even authors who have already independently published a title in printed copies will sometimes decide to re-release their book as an E-book. Likewise, writers who find success in their E-book sales might suddenly find a number of great writing opportunities open to them which previously were not.

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