How to Be Published: 7 Things to Consider

There is so much information on how to be published that it can be overwhelming, especially to creative people who just want to write. Getting published can take a lot of work and determination, but here are 7 ways to start making your dreams come true today by publishing a book about your passion or interests.

Writing for a living is a passion of mine. I chose the path of content publishing. This path provides a good living for myself and my family and is a strategy I developed because I found something I loved to do.

If you are interested in making money with online writing it is a good way to go. Just be careful of all the people that say success happens overnight, because it doesn’t. But is does happen with effort and sustained passion. These 7 steps below will help you determine what kind of publisher you want to be; whether it be online, novel or book:

  1. Decide what your goals are: Many writers have vague ideas of what “getting published” means. So get clear about it: What does it mean to you to get your book published? Having a clear idea of where you want to go will help you get published that much sooner.
  2. Decide whether you want an agent: Many writers that write for money cannot imagine how to be published without an agent, but you might not need one. Many publishers will not accepted manuscripts without agents, but a lot of smaller and online publishers will take a look at your work without one. You may decide you want to handle everything yourself, but before you do definitely talk to a few agents to get an idea of what you can expect from them. Book Publishing isn’t a secret art, but if you are just learning how to publish a book there are a number of different strategies and process you need to employ.
  3. Research, research, research: This is the cornerstone key success factor in how to be published. You might think it’s a good idea to send your work everywhere. But the best idea is to target agents and publishers who publish work like yours. Having an agent doesn’t let you off the hook here. You want to know as much as you can about the business side of your work as you do the writing.
  4. Query properly: Another of the key steps in how to publish a book is to approach the gatekeeper in the right way. The gatekeeper in this case may be the website owner, the magazine editor, the agent’s assistant, or the book editor. You want to make sure you have approached the right person in the company; what their query/submission process is like; and how to properly craft a proposal or a query and have investigated how to do so.
  5. Publicize yourself: Start a website about you or your work. Offer free chapters to agents. Join up with other writers on Twitter, as well as agents. Join forums for writers, which will allow you to bounce ideas off people who are in the same position you are.
  6. Publish yourself: Many writers get tired of thinking about and working the process of publishing a book and opt to do it themselves. Many, many respectable writers started out this way, including Edgar Allan Poe and Margaret Atwood. There are many possibilities in this area today, from eBooks to online POD (print-on-demand) publishers to traditional small printing presses. There are many advantages and disadvantages to doing it yourself, but you might find that it’s an avenue you’d like to take.
  7. Never give up: JK Rowling. James Joyce. Elie Weisel. Agatha Christie. Those are just a few of the authors who were rejected for a long time before they made it. No matter how tough it seems, hold tight to your dream. Keep working.

As I am sure you realize by now, when learning the art of how to be published it isn’t a simple step-by-step process. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment from the writer. These 7 tips provide a framework in which to begin what can be a challenging but ultimately highly rewarding process.

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