How realistic is it to publish a fiction book?
jdshelton3 asked:
I am currently writing a fiction book. A couple of people have read what I’ve done so far and think it is very interesting. They are encouraging me to finish it and look into getting it published. What are the odds of that really happening, though? I’ve already written approx 200 pages and would like to finish it. However, I don’t want to spend a lot of time and energy completing the story if the possibility of ever getting it published doesn’t exist. I understand that rejection letters are part of the process. Still, there are so many dos and don’ts related to this topic, that I’m just not sure where to go or how to start, which makes it all quite discouraging. I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars either, the idea is to try to make some money. Thank you for any help
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Filed Under Books & Authors |
Tagged With Lot, Money, Rejection Letters
Comments
5 Responses to “How realistic is it to publish a fiction book?”
The thing is, you should never have to pay a publisher to publish your book. That being said, you might not make a lot of money on the deal either. Writers only make a percentage of their book profits, so unless it hits the best seller wall you will need to keep your day job (not because you’re a bad writer, but because you wont be able to live on the percentage you get)
There is a publisher for everyone. If you get nothing but rejection letters you just haven’t found the right publisher yet (if they give you notes, that’s even better).
Where you’ll make more money you’ll also spend more money. If you self publish your book you get all the money made, but you also cover the publish cost.
So, I’d say, you shouldn’t write a book to make money, you should write for the love of writing.
If you really believe in it, you can always publish it yourself. ~
Electronic publishing is cheaper than paper publishing.
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I would say your heart is not in what you’re writing, and you are writing, or so it seems, to make money. The reality is that unless one is a much published author, new authors, unless extraordinary, merely keep the publisher’s printing presses busy. Find something you can become passionate about.
Unless you’re willing to go POD (publish/print on demand, which is not free) and do all your own marketing, settling for sales of less than 100 copies, the competition for fiction publication is stiff.
But lots of authors win, getting books published with the money going toward them instead of the other direction.
First, finish your manuscript. Only when it’s done, and revised and rewritten until you can’t make it any better, should you worry about how to market it.
When that time comes, selling your novel does not involve sending out sample chapters to people who have not asked for them, or paying anyone to read it, but a one-page query letter with a self-addressed stamped envelope for reply.
“However, I don’t want to spend a lot of time and energy completing the story if the possibility of ever getting it published doesn’t exist”
Then stop writing right now. True writers write because they HAVE TO. Publication is secondary. That’s like a painter saying “I’m not going to bother finishing this painting if it is never going to hang in a museum.” The act of creation is the reward. If you don’t get that, you are not a writer. You are a wannabe.