I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Nina R. Shluntz who’s stopping by the Back Porch to chat about her new book Kale’s Paroxysm and offer readers a chance to participate in a giveaway.

Thanks for joining us Nina!

How can I get published?

One of the most commonly asked questions I get as an author is: How can I get published?

It seems there are a lot of writer’s out there who are still struggling to find a way to get their manuscript made into a real book. And since I’ve done it, I must know the secret. The process is an ever-changing one and these days there are a lot of options. There’s also a lot of people trying to take advantage of people who want to see their writing in print.

Writer’s Market: So back when I first started out, in the 2001-2005 years, the book I loved and still recommend to people today is the “Writer’s Market.” I would go to the library, and look at the current edition. (It’ll be in the reference section) This book is a one-stop shop for everything. It has all the big name publishers—no Vanity, Self-publishers, or other Presses who are going to ask you for money before they publish your book. (I could be wrong on this, but if they are in there, they will be labeled as such.)

The book will even have guides to help you write a query letter. It’ll tell you who the current editor is, so you’ll know who to address in your query letter.

The book has updated for the modern days and now have a website. (http://www.writersmarket.com/) but to use it, you’ll need to pay a few $$ after the trial period. Hence, the library is still your freebie option.

For the novice, I suggest looking at this book. It’ll help you know what to do, and help you avoid the publishers who are trying to feed off the novice who doesn’t know what they are doing.

Publisher Options: 

Vanity Publishers:  are the ones who usually charge you $30,000 or more to publish your book. Yes, you’ll end up with a good quality book, or so I would hope with that kind of investment, but most of us don’t have that kind of spare money laying around. They are good if you don’t have the time to do anything yourself, and you do have the money to invest.

Self-Publishing: Here, you have two options. There are publishers who will charge you a smaller fee, in the $500-5,000 range to do all the work and publish your book. These companies get most of their income from you the author and their pocketbooks don’t really care if the book sells or if it’s of good quality. Whether your book is or isn’t of good quality, it’ll still have that publisher’s name attached to it and the stigma associated to it. Author House and Llumina Press are both publishers I have used, who fall into this category. If you want your book published, you don’t care how many books you sell, and you don’t want to put in the time to do all the formatting, editing, ect, yourself, then these are good companies to use. It’s good for the author who is unsure what to do. These people will guide you for a fee that won’t break your piggy bank.

Now if you have plenty of time, but no spare money, Createspace (paperback) and KDP (the ebook/kindle) are the ways to go. These avenues will publish your book on Amazon, where the masses can buy them at a price you set. You’ll have to do a bit of research to figure out how to format your book properly, possibly even download a few (free) programs to help you along the way, but you can publish a book on both of these forums for free. And there are plenty of bloggers who have free websites that will walk you through the process. You just have to be willing to put in the time. If you don’t want to, then do a search for the part you don’t want to do, and trust me, there is a person out there who will help you—for a fee.

Traditional publishing: Now aside from getting the “Writer’s Market” you can search for a publisher just by doing a google search for the genre you write in. This is a good way to find the smaller presses and boutique publishers who are more likely to work with a new or unknown author. Just be wary of any that ask you to pay them. A traditional publisher will pay for your editing, and cover art. If you have to pay for any of this, then you are probably on a self-publisher’s website.

Marketing and Editing:

Marketing your book is pretty much on you these days. Regardless of who your publisher is, so don’t think that publishing with someone will necessarily help you sell more books.

Editing, the more the better. It’s good to hire an editor to look over your script before you send it to anyone. There are several ways to find one, but one of the sources for freelance editors I’ve found is Inspiration for Writers (http://www.inspirationforwriters.com/) Anyone can call themselves an editor, but on the Inspiration for writers website, they list their credentials, so you know the person working on your book actually has some college or experience to back them up.

Well, that’s my two cents on publishing. None of these methods are better than any other. They all serve a different purpose. I’ve used both methods of self-publishing, and I’ve published with smaller traditional publishers. I haven’t done the Vanity publishing, because I’ve never had the spare money around to do it, but I imagine with that kind of investment, you’d get a higher quality book.

Publishing your book all comes down to one question you need to ask yourself: Which do you have more of? Time or Money?

Blurb:

Kale has spent years in a volatile relationship with his ex, Martin. Convinced he will come back, even after a conflict that results in Kale being incarcerated and suspended from his law firm, Kale begins a no-strings-attached relationship with the man he meets in jail.

Eli has always kept his romances with men temporary. He hasn’t always been honest about being gay and he prefers to keep the secrets of his past hidden. Kale’s obsessive nature makes it difficult though, and soon their relationship is edging toward something more. Kale’s possessiveness appears to have no limits, nor do his fits of rage, and Eli worries, as Kale’s affection shifts from Martin to Eli, that he may become Kale’s next victim rather than his lover.

Stats:

Purchase Links:

Amazon | MLR Books

About the Author:

Giveaway:

The author is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card during her tour!

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