Writer's Relief (est. 1994) is a highly recommended author's submission service (not a literary agency or publisher). We help creative writers target their work to the best-suited agents and editors in the most professional format possible. We are...
I have a TON of written material for a novel (or series of novels), and I'm stuck as to what to do with it. I want to publish, but I just don't know what to do at this point. Do I need an agent? Should I self publish online? Help!
Asked by yarnandchocolate
It may seem like once you’ve finished writing and revising, the hard part is over—but deciding how and when to publish your work can be just as challenging! The good news is that these days, there are so many different paths you can take to get your book published…it’s just a matter of figuring out which is right for you!
First, we’d recommend taking a look at our Free Publishing Tool Kit, which contains a huge list of free articles that can help you with every step of the publishing process: from revising and editing, to writing your query letter, and even setting up an author website.
When you’re confident that your novel is completely polished and ready to be published, you’ll have to decide between querying agents or jumping right into self-publishing. Many writers choose to query agents first, hoping for a traditional publishing deal, and leave self-publishing as a back-up option. But self-publishing is quickly growing in popularity and some writers even prefer self-publishing over a traditional publishing contract, as it gives them complete control over how their book is published. Our “Is Self-Publishing Right For You?” quiz can help you figure out if you should look for an agent first, or start right off with self-publishing!
If you decide to query agents but you’re unsure about how an unpublished author will be perceived, a strategy we recommend is to submit excerpts of your novel to literary magazines first. If an excerpt from your novel is published as a short story, it shows agents that your work is marketable, interesting, and most importantly, publishable! Having a few publication credits already under your belt is a great way to set yourself apart from other writers who might also be querying the same agent.
Regardless of whether you decide to look for an agent or choose to self-publish, setting up an author website is an essential part of getting the word out about your book. Remember that when it comes to self-publishing, you’ll be doing all of the promotional work yourself, so the sooner you get a website up and running, the better!
Finally, if all that sounds like too much work and you’d rather have the experts at Writer’s Relief prepare and send out queries to agents, you can submit the first 15 pages and a short summary of your novel to our Review Board, to be considered for our Full Service client list!
Best of luck with your writing and publishing goals; we hope to see your novels out there on bookshelves one day soon!
Market Your Self-Published Book Using A Promotional Gift Basket
Who doesn’t love receiving gifts? (Answer: No one!) Publicists at major publishing houses sometimes create promotional packages for their most exciting books of the season. Why shouldn’t you do the same for the self-published book that you’re so excited to share?
Successfully self-publishing your book is no simple feat. You spend months (maybe years) crafting the perfect story. Then comes proofing, editing, formatting, book cover choices, ISBN decisions, and much more. You’ll probably drink way too much coffee and lose too much sleep before you finally have a finished book you’re proud to call your own.
So once your book is available for sale, can anyone blame you if you feel like bragging? The trick is to not be like that overly proud parent everyone tries to avoid—you know, the one who’s always gushing over junior’s latest burp, and constantly pushing photos under the noses of uninterested passersby. You need to master the fine art of bragging without being boorish!
Ever wonder why self-published books are rarely stocked in brick-and-mortar bookstores? It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the quality of the writing. Instead, it has to do with risk. When a bookseller fails to sell a book supplied by a traditional publisher, the retailer has the option of returning the book for (essentially) a refund. But with self-published books and POD books, booksellers must assume the risk of buying stock that they will be stuck with if they can’t sell it.
Click on the image to find out how you can get a bookseller to take a risk on your self-published book!
It can be difficult to find a traditional publisher interested in poetry manuscripts, so many poets decide to go the self-publishing route instead! And we have great news—not only can Self-Publishing Relief help you to publish your poetry collection, but if you order before February 5th, you can save $50 off any self-publishing package!
Your voice. Your vision. Your poetry.
You’ve carefully followed the checklist of things to do before you self-publish, and now you’re wondering: I already have an ISBN, but should I copyright my book too?
While we’re not lawyers, we can offer a brief overview about copyright to help you make the right choice before your book hits the market. If you need more details, we recommend consulting a lawyer familiar with copyright and intellectual property law.
Click the image to read on!
Check out our book trailer for Shari Busa Ortiz’s new book, The Forever 39ers!
It’s no secret that self-published books have made it big—some are even flying off bookstore shelves!
But a number of recent titles have even made their way to the big screen…with HUGE results!
Check out this list of self-published books turned into movies.
Your self-published book is fighting for sales against thousands of other books. So how do you give your book the boost it needs to stand out from the competition? An often overlooked way to help build sales and publicity is to enter contests. To savvy self-published writers, submitting their books to contests and awards is a no-brainer. And with Writer’s Relief’s up-to-date, carefully vetted, easy-to-search Classifieds, you can quickly find a contest that suits your writing style and genre! But some authors may still be shaking their heads, wondering, “Why go through all the bother?” Here’s how winning a contest can help sell your self-published book.
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You’ve decided to take full control of your writing career by self-publishing your book. Congratulations! But along with full control comes full responsibility—and self-publishing your book is a big job. In addition to actually writing the manuscript, you’ll also be involved with content editing, proofreading, graphic and cover design, electronic file formatting, distribution management, marketing, and publicity. Don’t try to go it alone and handle all of these details yourself!
Click the image to read on!
