Have you already written your book?  Looking to get published?

Getting published is very easy these days.  Basically, there are three main methods of getting published.  You can self-publish on the web for a very small investment.  Or you could find a designer and a printer and organize the whole project yourself.  Clients often ask us how they can get published with a 'proper' publisher.  We call those traditional publishers.  And then there are the cooperative publishers.  All in all, there are thousands of options; you need to find an appropriate publishing solution for you. 

Traditional Publishers

These companies publish a limited number of books each year and take care of all the cost and the risk.  They tend to be household names.  If you want to be published by a traditional publisher, you need to follow their process, which normally involves finding an agent, sending a proposal, getting into a commercial discussion before arriving at a book deal.  Traditional publishers sometimes pay an advance to the author, which is simply an advance payment based on projected future royalties.  In general, the author signs over all rights to the book to the publisher for the duration of the contract.

Self-Publishing

This is where the author organizes the entire publishing project, finding a designer and a company to print the books.  You need to get an ISBN number, register the book with the British Library, Library of Congress and/or other libraries, wholesalers and other sales channels.  The author retains all rights and control of the entire project, including final book design and cover design, sales and marketing strategies and everything else to do with the book.

Cooperative Publishing

Approximately fifteen years old, the cooperative publishing industry came about around the same time as the Internet became popular.  Publishing companies who work in this way take a fee from the author, organize the design, print, registration and distribution of the book and sometimes marketing.  They tend to print books only as needed (print on demand) which keeps the investment lower than a print run.

For more information on all of these, including examples and different scenarios, get a copy of the Publishing Options CD, containing the popular ebook "Don't Publish Your Book - Until you Understand your Options" and an mp3 explaining all the factors you need to consider to help you make a decision. 

If you think you would like to work with a cooperative publisher, I can recommend the best one for your particular book.  If you have written a business or personal development book, we would like to consider it at Ecademy Press, the publishing company I founded with Andy Coote.  We offer a very personal service and produce very high quality books primarily for business owners and entrepreneurs.  Do get in touch if you would like to discuss this option.