How To Publish A Book: The Easy, Modern Way
Many talented authors have gone to the great lengths of completing their first 500-page book manuscript only to face a blank wall: how to publish a book—more importantly, their own book?
Traditional publishers are now so hard to reach. What with the sheer number of aspiring authors vis-à-vis the current market, there are so many rejected manuscripts compared with the ones that see their way to final publication. The result: so much wasted talent. Who knows that that manuscript for a novel about a super sexy diamond hunter would be the next bestseller if it just sits there in the author’s drawer, locked away due to countless rejections? How to publish a book should be easy—there should be a good way to let talent find a bridge to its readers.
With the advent of the internet, we now have so many options in publishing books. When traditionally you have to find a literary agent, who would in turn find you a publisher, now you can do away with the middleman and simply visit some online self-publishing website at little to no cost at all. Welcome to online publishing on demand: you have a manuscript, you simply visit some website, such as Lulu.com, and start working to have your book published.
However, as you are in full control here, on your shoulders rests the responsibility of marketing and promoting your own book. Publishing books in the modern internet-based way is therefore a kind of a double-edged sword: the act of publishing is easy, but you also take over certain areas that are traditionally done by the book publisher. The newbie self-publishing author may also find himself in a dilemma—you don’t have the well-established network of book reviewers and marketing contacts, leaving you at a loss as to what exactly to do. So your book might end up largely unread. There’s the rub.
If you are intent on knowing how to publish a book online, know the pitfalls, pros and cons, and the best way to do it. There are several online self-publishing services that are either free (they only get a cut from every on-demand copy sold) or charge a minimal fee. It is best to investigate their respective strengths and features and read the fine print (especially their terms regarding royalty and subsidiary copyright) before uploading your manuscript and clicking “Publish.”