How to Get Your Business Book Published – Marketing Sherpa

Now there’s a practical step-by-step handbook to help you make your dream come true. Authors: How to Get Your Business Book Published tells you:

• How much money you’ll really make
• How to get an agent to represent you
• How to write a book proposal that impresses major publishers (and avoid the dreaded “slush” pile)
• How to negotiate your contract

Every single word and piece of advice in Authors is based on the hard-won experiences of more than a dozen published authors, agents and publishers. You’ll get the facts and the hands-on tools to be able to get your book published.

First, find out if it’s really a good idea for you to write a business book

Want to know how much money (or fame) to expect from your book?Authors reveals typical author advances and royalties. Plus you’ll get tips on whether you should self-publish or go with a traditional book publisher.

Once you’ve established whether a published book can help you achieve your goals, you’ll also learn how to line up and work with a ghost-writer or co-author if you don’t have the time or ability to write every word of your book yourself.

Learn all about agents – do you really need one and how do you get one?

Having an agent represent you can make a huge difference as to whether your book gets published at all, and how much money you get for it.

Authors gives you practical advice on:

• How to find an agent who specializes in business books
• How to write a query letter that will impress an agent
• Details behind a formal author/agent agreement

For your convenience, Authors also includes samples of a real-life author’s query letter that won him an agent, and an actual agent’s formal agreement so you can see how the terms are stated. (Note: It’s extremely rare to get a look at either of these documents if you are not already represented by an agent.)

All about the major book publishers – who they are, what types of books they are looking for, and how they work with authors:

If you’re going to do business with a publisher, it’s best if you know a bit about how the business of publishing works — especially in terms of publisher/potential-author relationships.Authors tells you:

• What’s the infamous “slush pile” and how to avoid it
• The 9 reality-based dos and don’ts of publishing
• The basics of author copyright decisions
• How much will the publisher’s editor change your words
• What publishers are looking for in a book proposal

You’ll also get a quick list of the eight leading business book publishers that you can contact with your proposal, as well as the complete texts of four actual proposals that real-life authors used to win contracts with major publishers. Steal formatting and style ideas from these sample proposals to write your own much more easily.

Before you sign anything: here’s what you really need to know about author/publisher negotiations and contracts

It’s so exciting to hear that somebody wants to publish your book, that sometimes authors don’t negotiate as hard as they should on the specific terms of their contract. In clear non-legalese language, Authors explains to you:

• How to decide which points to negotiate on
• Should you decline an advance?
• Do you have any control over the final title of your book? (Or your cover art?)
• What happens if you can’t finish writing your book on time?

Last of all you’ll get lots of links to useful resources in the business publishing world so you can learn more about marketing your book, what book topics are selling best right now, and how other authors have succeeded.