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market for it.
152 / CREATI VE WRI TI NG
Finding a gap in the market
The majority of successful self-published books are non-fic-
tion and invariably fill a gap in the market.
For example, your business may involve travelling around the
country but asyou work for yourself, your budget may be very
tight. Perhaps you have built up a personal directoryof B & B
establishments offering exceptionally good value for money.
So many of your colleagues ask to borrow your directory that
you realise it has potential as a saleable commodity. You
obtain quotes from local printers and choose the one
which will give you the best result at a realistic price.
The advent of desk-top publishing has helped to bring pro-
duction costs down, so this may not be too prohibitive, but
distributioncanstillbeaproblem.Retailoutletsareunenthu-
siastic about taking self-published books, so you should
consider setting up a mail order operation. Advertise in
theappropriate tradepress andonthe Internet andproviding
you do not expect the project to make you either rich or
famous, it can prove to be a very satisfying exercise.
Selling your idea
Before you embark on the expense of publishing your own
non-fiction book, however, it is worth trying a professional
publishing house.
Publishing made easy
It is worth noting that the combination of desk-top publish-
ing and the Internet has brought about a major change to the
image of self-publishing.
Rather than cope with organising the production and mar-
keting of your book yourself, you may be tempted by the
SENDI NG YOUR WORK TO A PUBLI SHER / 153
many advertisements for self-publishing companies in the
writing press and on the Internet.
In addition to publishing, the services on offer range from
critiquing, editing, design and publicity to marketing and
Internet sales through their own online bookshops. Some
even offer advice on arranging book launches and bookshop
signings and guarantee you distribution through online
bookstores such as amazon.com. Book lists and resume´ s
of their existing authors may be readily available on their
websites, together with submission guidelines for would-be
authors.
However, if you are considering  self-publishing your manu-
script through one of these companies, it is imperative that
you check their credentials carefully to ensure that they are
not simply vanity publishers in an updated, online form.
If your idea is good enough and you are convinced that there
is a market niche for it, then your first step should always be to
contact a suitable publisher. Market research is essential in
order to help you familiarise yourself with the structure and
length of similar books. Try to find a series into which your
topic will fit, then write a chapter-by-chapter outline along
the lines illustrated in Figure 10.
When you are sure that you have sufficient material to sell
your idea, make a list of suitable publishers and telephone or
write an initial enquiry letter asking if they would be prepared
to consider your proposal.
The Salesman s B & B Directory
INTRODUCTION
CHAP 1: CHEAPAND CHEERFUL ACCOMMODATION
Under »25 per night
O¡-road parking
Near town centre
Close to motorway
CHAP 2: THREE STAR AND OVER
En suite rooms
Full English breakfast
Special deals
Extra facilities
CHAP 3: LONG-HAUL STOPOVERS
Lesser-known routes
Farmhouses
Warm welcomes
Value for money
CHAPTER 4 ONWARDS: continue in this format until the last
chapter which, for this type of book, would be along the
following lines:
COSTS AND RECORD-KEEPING
Comparison of costs and services
Expenses, record-keeping, tax implications
Maps
Useful addresses
Glossary
Index
Fig. 10. Sample outline for non-fiction book.
154
ADDRESS,Tel/Fax/Email
date. . . . . . . . . .
ASmith
Publisher
LondonW1
Dear Mr Smith
Following our telephone conversation in January this year, as
requested I submitted an outline forTHE SALESMAN S B & B
DIRECTORY.
It is now three months since I heard from you and I would be
grateful if you could let me know whether you are interested in
publishing the book. If not, I would appreciate its prompt
return so that I may submit it elsewhere.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Yours sincerely
AWriter
Fig. 11. Sample chase-up letter.
155
156 / CREATI VE WRI TI NG
If the idea is strong enough, you will be asked to submit your
written outline based on the publisher s house style. Repu-
table publishers will usually respond quite quickly, probably
within 4 6 weeks. Any longer than three months and you
shouldchasethemupandifnecessary,requestthattheoutline
be returned to you (see Figure 11).
WRITING A SYNOPSIS
Asynopsisof anovel isaresume´ of the book s story. Leading
literary agent, Blake Friedmann, issues clear guidelines to
authors on how towrite a treatment or synopsis. They recom-
mend that it is broken down into four sections:
1. Introduction  a brief selling statement about the book.
2. Character biographies  short biographies of all of the
major characters.
3. Statement of intent  why youwantedtowrite the novel
and whether it is based on a factual event.
4. Synopsis or treatment  a step-by-step storyline of the
novel.
The guidelines explain that the synopsis conveys the emotion,
not just the plot, by making it clear what motivates your
characters and the impact of events on them.
Whilst all of the above information should be included, it is
imperative that you keep your synopsis as brief as possible.
Remember, its purpose is to capture a publisher s attention
and hold it right through to the end.
SENDI NG YOUR WORK TO A PUBLI SHER / 157
Giving away the ending
One recurring error that irritates publishers and agents
beyond belief is the synopsis which promises wonderful
things but finishes with something like:
 If you want to know what happens next, you ll have to
read the book!!!!
Sadly, they won t. They ll probably just heave a sigh and send
your manuscript back in the next available post.
Your synopsis is your sales pitch and should contain all your
manuscript s strongest points, including details of a satis-
factory ending.
PRESENTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT
There is no absolute rule about what you should send to either
a book publisher or an agent but unless stated otherwise, it is
generally a synopsis and three chapters.
Submitting user-friendly manuscripts
One of the first questions students on my creative writing
courses ask is  Do I have to type my manuscript?
Handwritten manuscripts are almost always returned unread
so, if you want to be published, your manuscript must be
typewritten in double-line spacing on one side only of A4-
sized white paper. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]