Abouts Books

By Scotie Keithlow

Your efforts do not stop after you have taken to write your "pride and joy" book or novel. In fact, formatting it up to the standards of different publishers and finding the right publisher needs an equally great effort and research if you wish to avoid a stack of rejection slips.

Although there are hundreds of them, the best place to look for book publishers is the Writer's Market, a book published once a year incorporating information on book publishers, magazines publishers, and any other imaginable writing market.

It gives you the most up-to-date information about the specialization of each publisher, whom to contact, and how to format your manuscript to meet their specifications. For more current information Writer's Market is available online too.

There is a lot of guidance available online which gives tips on how to approach book publishers as well as how to attract the attention of an editor with a well-drafted cover letter. Paying attention to small nuances like these may result in someone reading your submission instead of it being tossed in the rejected pile unread.

Agents are skilled in selling books and can be of great help in getting some attention to your manuscript as they have contacts and favors owed to them by publishers. Though they offer no guarantees but provide useful counsel and can contribute a lot to your objective, especially if you are a first timer. As book publishers are often flooded with submissions, a good agent can get the right person to look at your book.

If you are struck with traditional book publishers, you may try to publish on your own. Before venturing out on this route, it is advisable to consider your skills in the area of marketing and distribution because that will be your responsibility and you may use some publishing companies that help only with the printing of your book. Before you sign up with any self-publishing company, do extensive research before you commit to anything. Beware of scams, as there are some companies that will take your money and do little else.

To find more about writing and book publishers visit http://advice-books.com