In my years in publishing I’ve concluded that one of the most dangerous phrases we can utter to a friend or foe is “Hey! You should write a book!” It’s not that writing a book is a bad idea, of course. Everyone has a story (or two or three) in them. It’s just that in today’s world of self-publishing, where technology has made what was once called “vanity” publishing much more competitive with traditional publishing, everyone is jumping on the publishing bandwagon. Trouble is, most have no idea what they are doing. Those people who never made English or Comparative literature their area of study, or those who got through high school English on a prayer, think that writing a book is as simple as putting down all one’s thoughts on paper, using whatever font one wants, with whatever punctuation (and spelling) looks right, and then sending it off in a Word file to some self-publisher with the idea that “they’ll fix all that stuff I can’t do and make me look like Kurt Vonnegut.” Then, after you purchase a package that some sales rep in some unknown country told you was “all-inclusive,”—you are suddenly hit with the truth: “What? Oh, you want a professional, polished, edited book! Well, that costs extra….” And there you are: stuck. You get quoted some astronomical fee for editing, which at times can cost twice what it costs to simply publish the book, which in turn becomes more work for you in the event you don’t understand the editorial process, and what’s more, you don’t get to talk to your editor. You pay your money, and in a few weeks you get your manuscript. Questions for your editor? Fuggedaboudit. And most of the time, self-publishing authors aren’t even getting the proper edit needed for their manuscript, based on its condition and the author’s writing experience or background. Self-publishing companies can be “book mills” that simply want to crank out your book as fast as they can, and in the end don’t really care if your book sells or not—because they don’t own the rights. Most first-time writers don’t understand the difference between the self-and traditional publishing models at all.
Authors of all levels of ability, all backgrounds, all types of publishing goals, hear what I say: The proverbial buck, or book, as it were, stops here. Get the facts about your manuscript, or potential book idea, and get the proper help BEFORE you publish. I can assist you with targeted, professional editing and get you ready for the publishing stage. Not only that, but I’m a phone call away when you have questions. What’s more, I’ve got the experience to save you thousands (yes, thousands) of dollars that you might spend unwittingly, in the end wishing you would have instead taken a vacation to Aruba. Don’t be a self-publishing sap. Get the facts with my consultations, and get lean and mean with a qualified, prescriptive edit. You’ll be happier, and richer, in the end. I don’t guarantee Pulitzers, but I do guarantee my work based on what you bring to the table. Finally, I myself write, so I’m the first one to empathize. Contact me whether you’re writing a memoir, need to have a consultation, have a manuscript at the ready, need an evaluation, need a ghostwriter or editor, or you just need to vent about some previous publishing experience. And, if you ARE previously published, traditional or otherwise, I’d love to hear from you. I’ve never met a manuscript I didn’t like, even the ones that were 80K words and all one paragraph—but try not to do that!