Thinking About Publishing a Book?

If you're thinking of writing the great American novel but haven't a clue of where to even begin to think of getting it published-- pick up Publishing Confidential by Paul B. Brown.

I came across this publishing guide while searching for a book by another Paul Brown. When the librarian handed the book to me, my first instinct was to decline it, but the subtitle really grabbed my eye: "The Insider's Guide to What it Really Takes to Land a Nonfiction Book Deal."

How timely.

I had just started on chapter one of my own book.

I knew I was going to immediately like this book when I read further down on the front cover:
"With Snide Editorial Comments by Ellen Kadin, AMACOM Books."

I like sassy authors. I like authors that take the world with a grain of salt and write with a light touch. Paul B. Brown takes this approach in his book and peppers his writing with humor.

My kind of guy.

Frankly, I learned more about publishing from this book than anything I had previously read about publishing. His most valuable piece of advice: Don't write the whole book. That is, unless you plan to self-publish it.

So if you're looking for that cool, ten-thousand-dollar advance on your very first book, you'll need to pay attention to stuff like agents, the role of editors, market tests, and how to make contact with publishers. Because if you don't, you'll end up spending a fortune on a manuscript that ends up on an intern's desk or is tossed in the garbage.

So going back to the idea of writing a book and getting it published by a traditional publisher, Paul B. Brown has this to say: Write the first three dynamic chapters and submit a proposal instead. Once you've secured a deal and a contract, then you can spend your days happily typing away.

In nine short chapters, Paul B. Brown takes you on a tour guide of the publishing world and shares his own experiences as an author and ghostwriter of more than twenty books. He includes a sample proposal and offers negotiating advice.

There is a short chapter on the pros and cons of self-publishing and the advice is simple: If you are serving a niche market or plan to sell a small number of books, then self-publishing is the way to go.

The snide remarks by the editor are often funny, but sometimes a bit annoying. Fortunately, they're kept to a minimum. What makes the book hard to read are the footnotes inserted at the bottom-- it would have been a much more seamless read had Brown found a way to incorporate those additions into the actual text. I found myself playing ping-pong with the reading while trying to match the stuff on the bottom with the numbers in the body of the page. This made the book a difficult read at times.

Despite the eye exercises, I found this book quite helpful and will be using the tips in the book as I begin to write my own.

Who knows, maybe this accidental discovery at the library will end up helping me get my own name printed on a book.