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Being an author...

PowerFullMac

PowerFullMac

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 16, 2006
4,000
2
Hey, I am working on a fiction 1984-type book which I hope to get published once its done, how easy will it be to get it published? How much will I make from each book sold?

Bear in mind I am in the UK, just in case things work differently in different part of the world.
 
First thing is to use good grammar.

You've used the wrong article in your title. It's: Being "an" (not "a") author. Being an author... Little things matter oh so much, they really do. Look after the words and the book will take care of itself.
 
melrose said:
First thing is to use good grammar.

You've used the wrong article in your title. It's: Being "an" (not "a") author. Being an author... Little things matter oh so much, they really do. Look after the words and the book will take care of itself.
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Thats exactly what I put, an author, I have no idea what your on about! :p
 
its not always easy to get published. and it takes a lot more work to write a good book that will get published, than one that is mediocre and you have to fight for, and then won't see much money from due to no advertising/poor distribution etc.

you'll need someone who is a very good editor to read it over too. :p
 
PowerFullMac said:
Thats exactly what I put, an author, I have no idea what your on about! :p
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That's exactly what I put, an author, I have no idea what you're on about

If you are planning on writing as a way of making money, forget about it immediately. If you are compelled to write and can't exist without writing then write.
 
a456 said:
That's exactly what I put, an author, I have no idea what you're on about

If you are planning on writing as a way of making money, forget about it immediately. If you are compelled to write and can't exist without writing then write.
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forgot to mention this as well, but it is worth repeating.

if its not something you're passionate about, don't even try.
 
PowerFullMac said:
Hey, I am working on a fiction 1984-type book which I hope to get published once its done, how easy will it be to get it published? How much will I make from each book sold?

Bear in mind I am in the UK, just in case things work differently in different part of the world.
Click to expand...

It will be very, very hard to get published, even if you are a very, very good writer.

Lots of SF writers and editors have blogs where they explain a lot about the process. Here are a couple good ones:

http://scalzi.com/whatever
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/
 
Read THIS by Steven King. Like him or not, he is a great author, and an amazing story teller. He really puts things into perspective for an aspiring author, and eve gives you a lot of advice.


I read it in my freshmen english class, and I actually enjoyed reading it.

a456 said:
That's exactly what I put, an author, I have no idea what you're on about

If you are planning on writing as a way of making money, forget about it immediately. If you are compelled to write and can't exist without writing then write.
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Now see if you guys really want to be rude, you are off. Do not use contractions in professional writing!
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
PowerFullMac said:
Hey, I am working on a fiction 1984-type book which I hope to get published once its done, how easy will it be to get it published? How much will I make from each book sold?

Bear in mind I am in the UK, just in case things work differently in different part of the world.
Click to expand...

First: You really need an editor. ;)

How easy?
Pretty damn difficult. You need an agent and to get an agent you need to smooze about and make contacts.
There is very little hope of getting published if you end up in the "slush pile" — with an introduction you have a better chance.
Also consider getting a foot on the ladder by writing magazine articles/stories. They need those to pad out the ads. :D ;)

How much?
Consider a typical UK£20 book in the shop…
The retailer makes £11.
Publisher makes £3.50
Author ± £2 (Top dollar)
etc…

Average "wage" for a British writer is around £4,000 per year — and that is optimistic.
 
I think I gave the wrong impression in my first post.

I do enjoy writing and I am in the top English class at school (although I like to relax a bit on forums, especially when I just got out of school!) and I am very creative so I do think I may be good at it.

However, money would be a great bonus as I need to save about 20 grand by the time I am 18! :eek:
 
try this publisher. They are an up and coming publisher and is eager for new talent. www.sapphirebluepublishing.com that's if you have a something to give already.

The best bet is to look for a local writing chapter and join them, they can give a lot of help and knowledge in how to get a book published and critics to make your book shine.

Try looking for that writers chapter to answer your immediate questions.

Peace:cool:
 
Thanks, jonbravo77, but that publisher site you linked to goes on about America, so it looks like its obviously a American publisher! Kinda useless in the UK! :rolleyes:
 
PowerFullMac said:
Thanks, jonbravo77, but that publisher site you linked to goes on about America, so it looks like its obviously a American publisher! Kinda useless in the UK! :rolleyes:
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Not useless if you read about the publisher. they are an e-Book (electronic-book) publisher which is available for download worldwide. Something you may want to consider because it is extremely hard to get a book published from a first time author.

Peace:cool:
 
jonbravo77 said:
Not useless if you read about the publisher. they are an e-Book (electronic-book) publisher which is available for download worldwide. Something you may want to consider because it is extremely hard to get a book published from a first time author.

Peace:cool:
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Ahh, OK, yeah I should really pay more attention! :eek:

Thanks!
 
Depending on the kind of book you're doing it might be possible to self publish. You'll need to front the money though. I'm planning on doing this for an art book when I release my game. As well as bundling it with the retail copy of my game I'm also going to sell it from a couple of small book shops and online.

It's not too hard to self publish. Just find a good creative printer (in my case) and find some outlets who'll stock your product.
 
raggedjimmi said:
Depending on the kind of book you're doing it might be possible to self publish. You'll need to front the money though. I'm planning on doing this for an art book when I release my game. As well as bundling it with the retail copy of my game I'm also going to sell it from a couple of small book shops and online.

It's not too hard to self publish. Just find a good creative printer (in my case) and find some outlets who'll stock your product.
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Well, like I said, I am working on a fictional 1984-type book.

How much will I be expecting to cough up for the self-publishing?
 
PowerFullMac said:
How much will I be expecting to cough up for the self-publishing?
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Depends. You'll need to estimate how many books you'll initially be selling and take that figure to a printers. Print off a few (most printers will have a "finishing off" area for binding, applying matte etc) and go round to bookshops and get them to buy them off you, or simply sign a contract (bookshop depending) with them where you'll each get a certain %age of the profit.
Then get some books printed and shipped.

Also sell online. Set up a website and have a paypal shop, wouldn't hurt to sell them on eBay too.
 
These days a lot of authors do a lot of self-publicity before they get a book deal. Perhaps the biggest way authors make themselves known is through blogs and listserves. If this is the first book you've ever written, chances are it will never be published. Writing is a craft that requires a lot of practice and what better way to practice than on a blog that, if successful, generates readers. Not only that, but you get the added benefit of instant reader critique. Keep writing, but ease of the book deal dreams...
 
Much Ado said:
Avoid the apostrophe at your peril ;)
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Hey shush, this "top of the class" English student likes to relax in forums because using proper grammar is exhausting enough during school hours!

to the OP: Three words... print on demand.
 
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