Proposals and Getting Started

April 6, 2009 | Written by admin

I've got a backlog of questions to work through, so let's jump right in…

Bethany wrote to ask, "Since publishers are struggling in this bad economy, is it better to submit a completed manuscript with your proposal, rather than a proposal, outline, and sample chapter?"

In my opinion, it is always better to tell the publisher your manuscript is complete. That reveals to the publisher that you're serious about this business, and it means they have less risk — they don't have to wonder if you're going to hit your deadline, or if you're up to the task of completing the book. Of course, I don't particularly like the fact that you could spend months crafting a manuscript that won't sell, and it may not be fair to you as the author… but there's no question that having a manuscript completed makes it easier to sell. (And, of course, if you're writing a novel, you pretty much HAVE to have your manuscript complete.)

Deonne asked, "What with these hard economic times, and publishers cutting the number of titles they are doing, wouldn't it make sense that an author seriously consider self-publishing?"

The short answer: It only makes sense to self-publish if you know how to sell the book. So, yeah, you can go ahead and self-pub your title. It will cost you a lot of money to get it edited, jacketed, designed, printed, and shipped. Then you've got to warehouse the copies somewhere and THEN you've got to spend money to market and sell it. But if you have the money, and you know how to reach your readership, then you might find this pays off. (In fact, for people who know how to market and sell their books, they find they make much more money than those who sell books through a regular royalty-paying publishing house.) Still, most people who self-pub lose money because once the book is printed, they don't actually know how to market and sell it. So that's the litmus test. I've found the people who do best with self-pubbing are the speaker types who have a speciality niche. They print their books, go around and speak at conferences, then sell them in the back of the room. Or they are well known in their field, and know how to market the books through magazines and websites. But aside from those scenarios, I think an author will find it very hard to sell enough copies of their book to make it financially viable. This is especially true for novelists — I'd be willing to bet more than 90% of self-pubbed novelists lose money. (And yes, the author of The Shack is the exception to the rule. He self-published his novel and made money. But that's a fascinating story because he succeeded when most people fail, and he spent money on advertising through e-zines.)

Jeanette wrote this: "An author friend spoke with an editor at a writers' conference. The editor asked my friend to send in her manuscript. She seems to think that it's now a done deal — that she's about to get a contract. I've tried to tell her that's not true. What do you think?"

I think your friend needs to sit down and take her reality tablets. Editors ask for proposals at conferences because (1) they don't have time to actually read stuff in the fifteen minute appointments authors are given, (2) they are fatigued and it's easier to say "no thanks" later in an email than to say it face-to-face, or (3) they are weenies. (And there is #4 option: that the author misunderstood. I regularly have authors tell me things like "the editor at Random House insisted I send this to her," when in fact the editor from Random House had said something like, "I don't know, and I'm racing off to teach my workshop, but it you want to send it, go ahead.") So no, having an editor ask to have a proposal sent them is NOT a sure sign that a contract is coming. Even if the editor says something cool like, "I think this has merit — why don't you send it to me and I'll take a closer look," that doesn't mean she is going to like it enough to make an offer, or that the rest of the pub team is going to endorse the idea. Don't get me wrong — I think having an editor ask you to send your proposal is better than having an editor tell you to drop dead or go away or consider giving up writing for a career in dry cleaning (ESAD, as we used to say in the business). But no, it's not tantamount to receiving a contract offer.

Beverly asked, "Do agents write the proposal for an author, or does the author write it and the agent tweaks it and sends it?"

You're the author. You're the expert. It's going to be your book. So YOU write the proposal. Sure, you can expect me to tweak it, and make it fit a house's preferences, and sprinkle my fairy dust on it so that it really stands out. But the author is the one who does the hard work of creating the proposal. If you need a good resource to help you with that, take a look at Terry Whalin's Book Proposals that Sell, a really well done handbook for writers. You can also see some sample book proposals on my business website.

Stan said this: "I've had a couple agents turn down my proposal, but offer to help me rewrite it (or introduce me to their editor who will rewrite it) for a fee. Should I take them up on their offer?"

No, you should get up and walk away. Then you should turn them in to Writer Beware and Predators and Editors. As I noted in my previous post, any agent who tries to cross-sell you his editorial services is in violation of the agent's Code of Conduct. They aren't trying to help you sell your book and make money, they are simply trying to make money off of you. No legitimate agent does this. Stay away.

Darice wrote to say, "A friend of mine posted chapters of her novel on her blog. Do you think that will hurt her chances of landing a deal with a publisher?"

 I doubt it will hurt her chances, Darice. There's some evidence that giving away chapters to increase your readership will actually help you. And while there are still some houses that frown on this sort of thing (they're afraid readers will feel as though the book is already out there on the web), for the most part I'd say your friend won't hurt her chances too much if she posts a couple chapters, garners some attention, and can say to a publisher, "Hey — I've already had 25,000 people stop by and read the first two chapters of my novel!"

Daniel asked, "What do you know about www.christianmanuscriptsubmissions.com?"

That's the big electronic slushpile put together by ECPA publishers to help writers get their manuscripts in front of editors. You pay $99 and submit an overview, table of contents, and sample chapter. It goes into a database that editors at religious publishing houses can peruse. On the one hand, you could argue that it's one of those "by any means necessary" tactics for authors. On the other hand, it could be $99 wasted, since most editors already have plenty of submissions flowing onto their desks from agents. I'm afraid of looking like I'm defending agents by bashing the competition, and I really want to be fair here, so let me just say I see VERY few deals coming out of this service. Editors have plenty of submission to look at, so asking them to spend a few hours wandering around a huge electronic slushpile — well, it just doesn't seem terribly effective. One man's opinion.

Jocelyn sent me this: "I'm not sure if you're familiar with bookendslitagency.blogspot.com, but they just opened up their blog to allow writers to say everything that drives them crazy about agents. (This came after they opened it up for agents to complain about what drives them crazy about proposals.) Have you checked out what authors had to say?"

The folks at Bookends Literary have a wonderful blog for authors, and they sometimes have something fun like this. I was a bit disappointed in the reactions of writers, to tell you the truth. There was a ton of negativity, and it reflected a bit on the fact that some writers seem to think an agent is obligated to respond to them. As an agent, I try to be polite to people, and to respond to serious queries. But… look, I get some really stupid stuff sent to me. I put on my business website (www.MacGregorLiterary.com) that I generally represent established authors, yet I'm regularly beseiged with unpublished wannabes who haven't even given a cursory glance to my site. I don't represent pornographic novels, or children's books, or science fiction stuff, and I say that clearly on my site, yet every month I can count on somebody sending me a proposal that is a pornographic children's sci-fi novel. (Okay, not really, but you get the idea.) Where is it written that I need to give these people my time and energy?

I've had some people write in to say that I'm not being fair, that I shouldn't reveal bad proposal ideas sent me, since it makes it look like I'm picking on certain ones. Um… I am. I don't poke fun at the legitimate projects I am sent to review — not even if I reject them. But the fact is, if somebody sends me something unsolicited that is truly awful, I don't owe them anything. If somebody can barely write, or blindly sends in a project that is outrageously bad, or has spent no time figuring out how to do a good proposal, that means they aren't really serious about this business. They haven't gone to a conference, or read books, or researched this stuff on the internet, or even read this (and many other good) blogs. Frankly, it's hard for me to treat that sort of person as a professional. I wouldn't show up at an investment guy's office and say, "You need to listen to me, because I had a brainstorm — I insist you invest all your money into Enron stocks!" I'd be tossed out of the building. So why am I expected to take everybody who sends in a crappy idea seriously?

If you haven't read this before, I like to use a bakery analogy. If I ran a bakery, I might occasionally bring you into the back room, show you how things work, and give you a tour of the bakery. I'd answer your questions. If you were obviously knowledgable about my industry, I'd be happy to talk about the business. And who knows — I might even invite you to work with me in some capacity. But my full-time job is running a bakery, not giving bakery tours, or listening to all the crazy recipe ideas people have ("Have you considered salmon-flavored muffins?"). So at some point I just say, "Enough. I've got a business to run. I don't owe every person who wants to know about bakeries an interview."

Understand me — I don't revel in being rude, and as much as possible, I try to be respectful of peole who are trying to learn this craft and grow and maybe get something published. But there's a feeling of entitlement that comes across in the responses on that Bookends blog that rubs me the wrong way. It seems to assume that an agent OWES an author a response; that an agent MUST reply to every query sent them. Sorry, but I don't agree with that thinking at all. I won't show up at your job and tell you how to do it, and insist you give me a bunch of your time — so I just expect the same courtesy, I guess.

Please feel free to comment on this topic. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how people respond. And if you've got a publishing, question, feel free to send it in. I'll do my best to answer it.

Posted in Proposals

  • http://cherylbarker.blogspot.com/ Cheryl Barker

    I can understand, Chip, that agents can’t respond to every query they receive, and as long as that’s stated up front in submission guidelines (as it is in yours), we writers need to be satisfied with that. I do think the guidelines need to include a time period (again, yours included that) that an author might expect to receive a reply if there is interest — that way we know when to move on. The way I see it, your guidelines provide the response if you’re not interested.

  • http://www.ashleyweis.com Ashley

    I Just wanna know if you are selling that fairy dust!

  • http://MaryRSnyder.com Mary

    Chip,
    Great topic. Reminds me of the people who say they want to be writers and ask for my help.
    I created a list for them it includes several books, including Terry Whalin’s proposal book (one of my favorites) and a list of things to do. The things include investing in writers’ workshops, attending conferences, getting involved in writers’ groups and reading writing / publishing blogs.
    I tell them to think of this time as writing college. Spend the next four to five years educating yourself on the craft and working on it.
    This is usually the time the blank stare happens. I rarely hear from them again.
    Agents are professionals. And as with any industry, there are good ones and not so good ones. Do the research, query carefully, and choose wisely. This is your career.

  • http://keriwyattkent.com/soul/ Keri Wyatt Kent

    Amen! I think people don’t realize that writing (and getting published) is a job, that takes hard work. And you certainly don’t have to mentor everyone who sends you a goofy idea (which seems to be what they are asking for).

  • Robbie Iobst

    Seven years ago I decided I would meet one of my life long goals and write a novel. After months of work I finished. Talk about proud! Friends and family read it and used words like “masterpiece” and “astonishing!” I knew it was only a matter of months, nay weeks, before I was famous.
    I feel my experience is not uncommon. It is based on pure ignorance of the literary business. After a few weeks, nay months, of hearing nothing from the lucky editors/agents of whom I had bequeathed my entire manuscript, (proposal? What’s a proposal?) I decided that I should begin researching. I joined a writers group and attended a conference. Then and only then did I begin the journey of understanding that writing is a craft, and that publication is the proverbial cherry, while writing itself is the ice cream sundae.
    I tell you this, Chip, because
    1)I understand those poor souls who ignorantly think that THEIR idea is the ONLY idea and
    2)I always giggle when you share the bad proposal ideas sent to you.
    I wouldn’t be surprised if I was the topic of a conversation eight years ago. But I have lived and learned. And now I laugh!

  • http://www.timothyfish.net Timothy Fish

    “I was a bit disappointed in the reactions of writers, to tell you the truth.”
    That makes me wonder; just what kind of reaction would you have been satisfied with, given that the authors were complaining about the things they don’t like about agents?

  • http://profile.typepad.com/dmspreach Darin Shaw

    I read all the queryfail stuff a month ago, and chuckled at a lot of it. I sympathized with the agents who received that stuff. I read the agentfail stuff last week, and I was shocked at how petty (and nasty) much of it was. AND, I’m one of the wannabe writers.
    Chip, thanks for spelling this out again–as you’ve done it here, and other agents have done it on their blogs.
    Angry writers, there is probably a group you can join, no?

  • http://www.mortgage-helper.com Carolyn Warren

    Good agents are busy agents, and if a good agent had to personally respond to every unsolicited submission, I imagine he/she would spend all day and all night doing nothing else; and therefore have no time left to actually meet with editors, sell proposals, and negotiate contracts.
    It astounds me how so many people think the world owes them free information, free coaching, free just about everything.
    I spent many years becoming educated about my particular niche, and I offer an e-book for a reasonable sum ($17.95), but every so often I receive an email ranting and screaming curses over the fact that they can’t get it for free. Why do I owe complete strangers my many hours of research and hard work for free?
    It seems to me there is a segment of our society who have been taught, “the world is yours, darling” and “you can be whatever you want to be” (regardless of talent or I.Q.)
    I think these parents have done a grave disservice to their children who now have no grasp on reality in the professional world.
    By the same token, I wish more agents would make it clear what they want and don’t want. So many agent websites say something like, “I take compelling fiction.” Or, “literary fiction only.”
    The problem is, the majority of people don’t understand what is compelling or literary.
    Agents would save themselves a lot of time and grief if they would make a bullet list of what they do and do not want. Even some specifics would give people a clue.
    Why can’t they include things like:
    – No hurricane disaster stories.
    – No stories that open with someone waking up to a ringing phone or to bright, sunny skies. No wake up scenes in the first paragraph at all.
    – Etc.
    That’s what I would do if I were an agent. Then I would have an auto-response email that said something like, “Thank you for your submission. If you don’t hear back from me in 6 weeks, it means I’ve decided to pass on your proposal, because it is not a match for me. Don’t take this personally, as it may well be a match for someone else. I’d love to respond to you specifically, but unfortunately, my body requires me to take some time out of the day to eat, exercise, and sleep. God bless you in your writing.”
    Just my two cents, as the cliche goes.

  • http://www.teridawnsmith.com Teri D. Smith

    I wanted some fairy dust too until I realized you’re already giving some to us in your blogs.
    Thanks!

  • Holly Schurter

    I’m one of those writers you’ve turned down, and while I was (crushed, heartbroken, devastated) disappointed, I appreciated your honesty.

  • http://www.leaschizas.com Lea Schizas

    Chip, I think writers need a timeline to work with when submitting their manuscripts. If they know within a month if no response comes their way then they can sub it elsewhere. I think some of the agents guidelines where: we’ll respond only if we like your work–doesn’t help them know how long they should wait before they can move on.
    And as for guidelines, that’s my pet peeve, too. When you state no more than 1000 words for a flash fiction and you get the: it’s 1500 words but it’s really good–you scratch your head and wonder where in the guidelines do I state I might consider longer works “if it’s really good?”
    Chip, you’re one of those agents you want to give a bear hug to and say THANK YOU for your patience and awesome blog postings.

  • http://robert.epictales.org Robert Treskillard

    Chip, the previous commenter wrote as if we should be submitting exclusively to one agent at a time.
    What’s your thoughts on that vs. simultaneous submissions?

  • http://paraklesis.com/an_observation sally apokedak

    Darin is right. Angry writers are all over the place. Instead of saying “going postal” we could say “going wannabe novelist” I think. It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but that feeling of entitlement Chip mentioned is frightening.
    I used to think some writers were like the obnoxious salesman that stuck his foot in the door, but now they are looking more and more like Parisian peasants shouting, “Off with their heads!”

  • http://sharonlavy.blogspot.com/ Sharon A Lavy

    Thank you for another chance to say thank you. I learn so much from Agent blogs. And I always come away with a benefit even though the blogger is not MY agent.
    I’ve only met one nasty agent in my life so maybe I have been sheltered but I really don’t get most of #agentfail.

  • http://www.chipmacgregor.com chip

    Thanks for all the nice comments. Notes:
    1. We’re having a sale on Fairy Dust. Stop by and pick up a pound or two.
    2. Timothy, great question: I was expecting more authors would express an understanding of the industry, I guess. But you’re right — that might have been silly on my part, given the circumstance.
    3. Simultaneous submissions: I think it happens anyway, so my being “for” or “against” it doesn’t really matter.
    4. Carolyn, it probably isn’t realistic to think agents will regularly be posting what the interest of the moment is. Things are always happening and changing in this business, so most of us take a more general approach (e.g., “We don’t represent westerns” or “we’re open to seeing historical romances”).

  • http://www.WritingCareerCoach.com Tiffany Colter

    I think that agents are FAR more accessible now than they even were when I was really starting to be full time. That was 7 years ago. The internet was just beginning to explode and blogs were still explained [web logs]. Most publishers required a query and an SASE. You sent it off to a black hole and waited 6 months to get a piece of photocopied paper that said “No thank you”.
    Now we have agents, authors, editors and publicists posting regularly how to make it in this industry. No, we can’t give away all of our “Secrets” but that is because my “Secrets” came from hundreds of hours of reading books on craft, business and marketing books, listening to sales tapes, and a few major mistakes.
    The fact that we can now email an agent and ask them to answer our questions [like Chip does here] is something today’s best selling authors would have given their right arm for when they were starting out.
    As a writing career coach what I find most often is it is simply the process that is frustrating. Success takes time. That having been said, the only way to speed it up is to work harder. The reason it takes time is we all have a lot to learn.
    Having worked with Chip I know what a super busy guy he is and the fact that he takes so much time to offer us the benefit of his inside wisdom shows what a good guy he is too.
    But I do have a question, what is the story with you and fried bologna sandwiches???

  • http://www.brandtdodson.com Brandt Dodson

    I agree with the notion that you don’t owe a response to every query.
    Writing is art, but publishing is business. It is just as important to learn how to work within the framework of this business as it is to develop the craft of writing. No lesson, regardless of how harsh it may seem at the time, is without value if the writer is truly committed to a writing and publishing career.

  • http://www.publishinganswers.com Cheryl Pickett

    I saw the announcement for this yesterday and I think it’s a great idea. I believe it will be quite eye-opening for many if they actually make it all the way through. Maybe it should be a requirement of all new authors-to-be?
    http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2009/04/announcing-be-agent-for-day-contest.html

  • http://danicafavorite.blogspot.com Danica

    ooh, fairy dust is on sale! Time to stock up!
    As far as the agentfail stuff, I read a few comments before I had to stop. We live in an entitlement society. Everyone thinks everyone else owes them something in every other aspect of life, so why wouldn’t people think agents owe them something too?

  • http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/stevierey/ Stevie Rey

    Hi Chip,
    Well in the past I’d probably be the first person to bash agents. I have a disease called pride and I’m just ate up with it way too much of the time. It kills me to NEED anyone. But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned by now, it’s that I need a good agent, and preferably one that’s at least as much of a smarta** rebel as me. Who else would represent this book! So, I’ll be polishing up the old query letter here soon and hawkin’ my hillbilly wares. I guess somebody I’ll find that special smarta**.

  • http://www.courtneywalsh.typepad.com Courtney Walsh

    I was going to say exactly what Danica said… this society is full of people who feel entitled to your knowlege/time/expertise. It’s funny, it doesn’t just happen to agents, it happens to writers… when my first book came out (a scrapbooking idea book) I had several people at church asking me how to get their “end times novel” published or how to “make money scrapbooking.”
    It’s a little difficult not to be annoyed when I had to do a lot of legwork and research to get those books written, designed and published… it’s like they’re saying, “Oh, you have the shortcut that will save me from having to do any work!”
    If only they knew it’s in doing the work that they actually learn enough to be successful.
    Everyone’s looking for a shortcut, I guess.

  • http://www.BellaOnline.com/Quotations Paula Grant-LeClaire

    Chip –
    Excellent blog as usual and I really liked your comment about the “sense of entitlement” that many unpubbed writers seem to carry around. I used to go so many conventions a year but now only go to three because of this.
    I just got sick and tired of all those writers asking me below-the-basement basic questions that they were too lazy to research for themselves such as “How do I get an agent?” or “How do I get published?”.
    Like Mary said “I tell them to think of this time as writing college. Spend the next four to five years educating yourself on the craft and working on it. This is usually the time the blank stare happens. I rarely hear from them again.”
    Amen Mary. When I was coming up I actually did research on agents and getting published and did not simply ask anyone to spoon-feed me the knowledge. I know this sounds harsh but after 25 years … well, you get it.

  • http://www.sandirog.com Sandi

    I had a brief stint with an agent. I waited for over seven months after sending him a requested FULL. I played by the rules and didn’t send out any queries during that time. When I finally heard back from him, he didn’t like my beginning. I offered to fix it, and he was cool about it. So, I sent it back. Then he said he didn’t like my dialogue but didn’t have time to explain what was wrong with it. I “fixed” what I could and sent it back. Then he got irritated because I wasn’t “getting it.” He then gave an example of what he didn’t like. What it came down to was he wanted POV hops all over the place! I couldn’t believe it. On top of that, he turned my dialogue into clichéd tripe. I replied back, thanking him for his time and explained to him that if I went with his suggestions I’d be jumping POV. Instead of admitting to his mistake, he got on his high horse and said this is why he either “accepts or rejects.”
    Yes, agents are busy, and I greatly appreciate the agents who say how and when they’ll respond to queries, if at all. It’s nice to know what to expect. But this was the first time I actually felt angry with an agent, despite his efforts in “helping” me “improve” the craft. He definitely helped me realize my beginning needed a better hook, but I also wasted over half a year of my time that could have been spent sending out more queries and making more contacts.
    What have I learned from this lesson? To be thankful for the improvements I was able to make because of his time, and to send out simultaneous submissions—whether that’s “allowed” or not. I may waste fifteen minutes of an agent’s time, assuming more than one are interested, but the chances of that are slim. I also learned that the “gatekeepers” don’t know everything, and if I have to compromise the craft to please them just to get my foot in the door, it’s not gonna happen. I’d rather self-publish if it came down to that.

  • Ellen

    Once upon a time I asked a very successful writer how to get published. His advice: Join a writers group, read tons of books on writing, write every day, and go to writers conferences. Pretty much all the same stuff Chip says to do.
    At my first writers conference I researched all the faculty and workshops. I selected my fifteen minute appointments very carefully. After spending months on my proposal, I presented it to Chip. Who basically said it sucked. And it did.
    I left that conference smarter and more determined than ever. I kept writing every day and going to my writers group. I read even more books on writing.
    At my next conference, I again met with Chip. Only this time, I had a proposal for the book I should have presented at the first conference. Chip liked it and agreed to represent it.
    I am proof that if you are talented, have a great story, and work very hard, people will notice. (Who said that? ….oh yea, Chip MacGregor)
    What really bugs me though, is how people think that because God gave them a talent, they don’t have to work at it. I equate lazy authors to a symphony of talented musicians who can’t be bothered to practice. I’m sorry, but don’t invite me to come listen. I don’t care if they all feel called by God to play.
    I’m just a wanna be writer and I’m tired of the collective whine of Christian artists looking for the next hand out. I can’t imagine what it’s like for agents and publishers.

  • http://www.pamhalter.info Pam Halter

    I write and edit children’s books. What I find more often than not are people who want to go the “easy” route and write a picture book and make money.
    HA!
    And ha ha!
    I also notice most people don’t want to put in the hard work and the years it takes to learn the craft and network and read and attend conferences. Writing is NOT easy!
    But I remember when I was totally raw. I attended my first writer’s conference in 1997 and left thinking, wow, these people are fanatics! :) And I got published anyway! But then I didn’t. For years. I wondered if it was a fluke. Was I a two-book wonder? No. I simply had a ton of stuff to learn. And I’m still learning. But I am getting closer and with each devo or article I publish, I feel encouraged to keep going on my fantasy novels.
    Which means I’ll be getting some of that fairydust, too. How appropriate!

  • http://www.teridawnsmith.com Teri D. Smith

    I have a question about agent appointments at conferences. At the ACFW conference last year, one agent said he prefers a quick pitch and then let him see a sample of the writing and give him a chance to read it. Another agent on the ACFW loop disagreed and said reading part of the manuscript wastes time bonding or getting to know each other. I’m just wondering if you have a take on this. How do you like the appointment to proceed? Do you like a one-pager or does that really matter? I apologize if you’ve answered this a thousand times. I’m a newbie to the blogging world.

  • http://alexanderfield.blogspot.com Alexander Field

    Chip, it’s great to see your insightful answers to the questions you get from readers. This is what makes your blog so great – glad I discovered it. As for not responding to every request, I can relate and agree with you wholeheartedly. I cannot respond to every manuscript/proposal query either, and if I did, I wouldn’t have any time for anything else!

  • http://www.biblicalservanthood.com Nate

    “The short answer: It only makes sense to self-publish if you know how to sell the book. So, yeah, you can go ahead and self-pub your title. It will cost you a lot of money to get it edited, jacketed, designed, printed, and shipped. Then you’ve got to warehouse the copies somewhere and THEN you’ve got to spend money to market and sell it. But if you have the money, and you know how to reach your readership, then you might find this pays off. ”
    Actually, self-publishing is not so expensive anymore and unsold inventories a thing of the past. I wrote my book and self published with createspace.com a division of amazon. No money down, no inventory. They simply take a cut when its printed – on demand usually 24 hrs after ordered. Bascially they determine how much they need per book and you set the price about that for your profit. Since its by amazon its listed on amazon.com for free.
    Also look at bookcoverpro software (about $150 and great to use) for cover design and marketing tools. Then download Book Design Wizard which is a macro for Word to get the formating correct. Bamm in business, this way spend all your money on a good editor. Plus Createspace allows you – without charge and a 1 weekd delay – to change anything about your book. In other words, you control the copy and the design and can change it anytime you want – for free.
    I found this works great, because most people that are willing to review my book and help me are more apt to do so with an actual book and not 170 pages stapled together.
    This works great because I see my book as a life-time work in process. I have no shot with the big publishers so this is the best way…

  • http://www.best-refinancing.com/ Andrew

    Is hard work to write and get published, everyone has to understand this. I appreciate your honesty.