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Tips for publishing a book for retail

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Hey Lush, I have a novel that is nearing completion and i plan on publishing it by some means of a company or what have you. I've worked on this book for nearly two years and while I have done my own run through, I still feel like there is more editing to be done. The problem is, it's 89 pages on MW, which to a lot of people I know is a lot of reading. I'm not sure how many book pages it would be, but I estimated around 290-310.

I looked on Google and found a website called Lulu, but they are costly and I want some advice from someone who's familiar with how publishing works and the most secure and cost effective way to do it. I would post the story here, but it violates a number of Lush's rules, so the only way I can show people is by emailing samples, which I would be willing to do for feedback and tips.

Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you.Sx18ZgWh744Y96cf
nicola
Matriarch
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That's great Yuzar.

I believe Dancing_Doll has published her work at a few places, you might want to send her a pm, or direct her to this thread. She's really friendly and helpful.

There are many published authors on here, I am sure some will be forthcoming soon enough.

I was always under the impression lulu.com was free
Guest
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They offer some kind of packaging for formatting. It costs nearly a grand for the "Ultimate package". I don't know how Lulu works entirely, so I'm not messing with it until later.
nicola
Matriarch
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Quote by Yuzar
They offer some kind of packaging for formatting. It costs nearly a grand for the "Ultimate package". I don't know how Lulu works entirely, so I'm not messing with it until later.


Perhaps lushpublishers.com should be born and offer a free / cheap alternative...

It wouldn't take much software wise to put together a pdf of any work whatsoever. I'm not sure about the merchandising side of things though.

Take a look at Amazon too, I believe they have cheap self publishing options.
Guest
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There are some good writer's blogs out there with tips on getting your stuff published and the scams to avoid. Google "writers beware" for things to avoid. They are always posting info for writers.
Dancing_Doll
Alpha Blonde
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Hi Yuzar,

This is a great link for current calls for submission. It lists all the major erotica publishing companies and you can browse and see what fits your story best.

http://www.erotica-readers.com/ERA/G/Call_For_Submissions.htm

I have published through Xcite Books, and I know a few people that have published through Excessica. Have a look at their websites and see if your novel might fit their interests and/or how it would be categorized. Those are the ones I am most familiar with, and they are both reputable.

If they accept your submission, you will sign a contract giving them rights to publish your work, and you'll get monthly royalties with sales. You do not pay them anything. They will also advertise your work on their website and amazon.com etc. It's probably also wise to market it yourself using a blog or whatever other means of self-promotion you employ.

Some publishers will accept work that is already part of the creative commons (ie. posted online already), and others will not. You just have to do your research. And also compare royalty percentages you will get from different publishers and how much they plan to sell the book for. And, of course, any writer should be prepared for rejection letters and/or requests to rework parts of your story if necessary.

I would not pay money to have something of mine published. I totally don't understand the logic of that. You should be making money off of it, not paying for it yourself.
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It's not erotica. It fits more with the likes of Vampire Academy or Harry Potter(And I bite my tongue as I say this, Twilight). Albeit, it's more graphic than those three.

On a side note, my story, Black and White might suit their interests.
Dancing_Doll
Alpha Blonde
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Quote by Yuzar
It's not erotica. It fits more with the likes of Vampire Academy or Harry Potter(And I bite my tongue as I say this, Twilight). Albeit, it's more graphic than those three.

On a side note, my story, Black and White might suit their interests.


Hmmm... throw some sex scenes into it, and publish it as a gothic romance!

Kidding...

I think the same kind of rules apply though. Look online for publishing houses that work within that genre, and see what their submission guidelines are. I think it's good to at least get some industry feedback before you go the self-publishing route. I would use self-publishing as a last resort.
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Money always flows towards the author not away from the author.
DirtyMartini
Purveyor of Poetry & Porn
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Hey Yuzar...interesting topic, and one that I have done some research on myself in the last few months...
Lulu is a self-publishing house, or a so-called "vanity press" where you pay money to get your book on the market...there are quite a few of them out there, and you'll find that if you Google anything to do with agents and/or publishing, most of the results are for similar outfits...
I tend to agree with Ashleigh Doll, and there is a saying in the bus that "money should flow from the publisher to the author, not the other way around"...
Most of the self-publishers will charge you from $1200-1500 to put out a paperback of your work, btw...and it is rare that you actually recoup your investment. The fact that they all list your book on Amazon and B & N is no big deal...the fact is, everything with an ISBN number, which is everything that gets published gets listed there...Amazon is not really a bookstore in the traditional sense, they don't warehouse stuff normally and if you've ever bought anything from them, you are aware that their stuff often comes from small bookstores across the country...so, listing on Amazon requires no expenditure of resources on their part, which is what publishing seems to be all about...whether or not you are worth somebody's investment...
Which leads to another thing...I am assuming you are looking to get "in print" as opposed to an "e-book" which requires no investment on the part of a publisher since it is just a computer file on a server...
Their is another alternative that is not as widely known...it is something called an "author subsidized contract"...what happens here is that you pay part of the cost of publishing the book.
I had sent some of my poems to a publisher, and they wrote me back and said that poetry is risky, but they offered me an "author subsidized contract"...basically, if I put up $650, they would put out a paperback book and if it sold more than 1000 copies, I would get half the profits and subsequent books of mine would be published for free...
If you want to read the contract, send me a message with your e-mail, and I'll send it to you...they assign you an editor as well, which you can't assume with a "vanity press"...there are professional editing services on the net, but they are costly...
I think it is an attractive alternative to self-publishing, but like Doll said, it is far from what you really want...anything self-published or "author subsidized" is not going to get the publicity from the publishing house that a book would where the pub house if footing the whole bill for the cost of the book...even regularly published books by reltatively unknown authors require you to do a lot of your own publicity, which includes such things as sending copies of your book to reviewers, footing your own bills for promoting at book signings, etc.
My computer got stolen in September, so I was without a computer for three months...one of the unexpected side benefits of that was that since I was not writing, it made me think about what I could do with my existing stories and poems...and I have quite a few...
The link that Doll posted is good...I had posted it before somewhere in the forum, but most of the submission calls are for short story compilations...they do have some novel submission calls and contests, but they are fewer and far between...
Be aware also that it takes about a year before you find out if your story is going to be "in print"...I've submitted five stories in the last few months to submission calls on that link, and the earliest I'll know anything is July 2011...and follow the instructions to the letter...if they say they want a Word doc double spaced Times New Roman, they mean it...they will automatically reject your work otherwise...
I had a chance to talk to a published mystery writer who lives in my town this past October, Jeff Markowitz...besides emphasizing following publisher's instructions to the letter, his publisher won't even answer his e-mails if he doesn't use a certain form in the subject line (publishers want authors who can follow instructions) he also reaffirmed the fact that most publishing house do not accept unsoliceted manuscripts...ie, anything submitted without an agent...getting an agent is pretty much a necessity...
He told me his big break was when he joined the Myster Writers of America...here is the link...
http://www.mysterywriters.org/
He said that most business in publishing is still done face to face, and your chances of getting an agent are slim otherwise...there are various similar groups catering to writers of different genres that hold meetings where writer's can meet with agents...
I also talked with a girl who writes romance novels for Harlequin...she told me about, and is a member of this group...Liberty States Fiction Writers...
http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/
They are based in the New York metro area, where I live, but there are similar orgs in various other areas...search and ye shall find...
They have a yearly fee of $35, and hold meetings in various locations where writers get a chance to meet legitamate agents...it does work...it worked for her certainly...
I myself have yet to join or do the active agent seek thingy...I am under the belief that the more I have to offer an agent, the more likely I can get one that would actively promote my stuff...which means I'd like to see if I can sell a few stories and get myself in print first, which takes time and a bit of effort...
I had started working on a novel myself, but stopped when I realized the possibility that I may spend months writing something that nobody may read...I think sites like Lush may have spoiled me to some extent, where you can write up a story in a night, post it and get an almost immediate response..it is a whole different thing with a novel...
That said, I wish you luck...let us know how it works for you...
Cheers,
Alan.

You know you want it, you know you need it bad...get it now on Amazon.com...
Lush Erotica, an Anthology of Award Winning Sex Stories
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I found this place, http://www.publishamerica.com/ It looked decent enough anyhoot. I also have a little summary of my novel that I submitted to them.

"Aria is a proud Vindicator, vampiric warriors sworn to destroy the vile and wicked faded. She has a promising future, especially since she is to be the personal protector of her best friend, the Verdecci clan's heiress, Sierra. All of her dreams shatter when one rainy night she comes home to find her mother murdered by her own father. Consuming her mother's blood, Aria's father has become one of the evil faded and is now driven by his lust for power. Rage consuming her heart, Aria abandons her oath to the Vindicators to hunt down her father and avenge her mother's death."
DirtyMartini
Purveyor of Poetry & Porn
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Hey Yuzar...not familiar with PublishAmerica myself, but talk to Ellen (ejls)...I believe she has had something published by them...

Also, I'd like to add, if you want to talk to other published authors and get their advice go to your local library...librarians tend to be people into books, and often have been involved in publishing in some form or another...even if they have not, they know if there are any published authors in your town. Published authors like to donate their books to the local library...I spent a lot of time in my local, Somerville, NJ library in the past few months and at least once I witnessed an author come in with some book he got a story in...
Published authors tend to be pretty accessible, btw...at least the few I talked to...and just love to talk about their books...

You know you want it, you know you need it bad...get it now on Amazon.com...
Lush Erotica, an Anthology of Award Winning Sex Stories
BrindleChase
Active Ink Slinger
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If you're serious about becoming published, here's some advice. Rule #1, all money flows to the author, not the reverse. Never pay a single dime to any so-called publisher (vanity press or self published), unless you have accepted defeat and just want your story out there. I can give you a list of some free sites that will publish your book for no cost to you. However, they will not edit or format your story. You'll need to design the cover and if offering it in print, you'll need to understand the graphic design requirements. lulu.com works fairly well (unless you pay for their marketing services), but you'll get more audience with smashwords.com without spending a cent.

But if you want to be a real published author, rather, a traditionally published author, where you are paid by the publisher, they edit and work with you to revise your manuscript with a professional editor. They provide the cover artwork, from a professional artist, and market your book on their site, as well as Amazon and B&N among others... then there is a very steep learning curve and that slope gets steeper, depending on the strength of the publisher you are targeting. it is much more difficult to get signed on with Simon & Schuster, than it is to get on with XoXo Publishing (no offense to XoXo, they are a great small press)

I recommend this writing forum (link below). Lurk, read, then join in once you're comfortable... there are all levels of authors there, from NY times best sellers, to small independents and even vanity published. They discuss EVERY facet of the publishing industry, including erotica. Agents, authors, editors, publishers and even just readers visit there daily. It was the stepping stone that lifted me from the wannabe writer stage, into a paid published author...

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums

Now, my next piece of advice is give up now, unless you have very thick skin and can accept very brutal and harsh criticism well and don't mind very cold shouldered rejection. It takes oodles of patience, a saint's share of endurance and the willingness to shred your story at the whim of another's demand. This is usually what separates professional authors from amateurs who turn to self publishing... many, rather most, writer's can't understand why these highly acclaimed and veteran publishers and editors cannot see the brilliance of their work. Clearly they do not understand the story's potential... hehehe... 1 in 1000 writers has the wherewithal to transform themselves into an author. Rule #2 is get used to rejection, because it comes by the truck load.

"It's none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way."
~ Ernest Hemingway

paranormal • erotic • romance
www.forlorn-hope.net
nicola
Matriarch
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Some good advice here.

I forgot to mention a post I made a while ago on the subject. Have a read of this, it's applicable to all genres really: http://www.lushstories.com/forum/yaf_postst4568_Romance-Publishers--Advice.aspx

The Passionate Pen Romance Publisher Policy:

The Passionate Pen does not list vanity publishers or self-publishing firms.
If a publisher asks for author monetary contribution at ANY part of the publishing process, they will not be included. Money should only flow FROM the publisher TO the author.


She's absolutely correct.
Guest
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I already knew I'd get at least a dozen rejections. It's no biggie, if Stephenie Meyer could do it, then i know I can. XD

But truthfully, I did know it would be tough and not a simple cake walk. I really do appreciate the help guys.aUIOHGEgqos6D9TR
Vanessavri
Rookie Scribe
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I wouldn't use Lulu. They do have a free option for self-publishing, but their business model is geared heavily towards getting authors to pay for publication.

I've already published with Excessica, but they seem to be snowed under with submissions at the moment. Smashwords is a good alternative. You can self-publish what you want, set the price, etc. Not a gateway to fame and fortune, but better than paying somebody to do what you can actually do yourself for free.
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Rawiya71
Active Ink Slinger
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Quote by Vanessavri
I wouldn't use Lulu. They do have a free option for self-publishing, but their business model is geared heavily towards getting authors to pay for publication.

I've already published with Excessica, but they seem to be snowed under with submissions at the moment. Smashwords is a good alternative. You can self-publish what you want, set the price, etc. Not a gateway to fame and fortune, but better than paying somebody to do what you can actually do yourself for free.


I was going to say Smashwords as well. Self pub should be the absolute last route. There are so many good publishers out there. I would say also just do a search on publishers. Do small sub calls for anthologies while you are waiting for someone to take your novel.

Writing.com is also another good site where there are forums, and you can add your stories in for others to rate and comment. They have groups with contests etc. I mean, there are many avenues but you must take baby steps before going for bigger ones.

LOL to the person who said XOXO. They are one of my publishers...

"Writing M/M turns me on..."