Forum Index
»
Off-Topic
What's your experience with getting a book published?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I want to try and get a non-fiction book published and have some questions around that.
Do I need an agent? How much would I have to pay an agent (I'm assuming it's a percentage of what publisher pays me)? How much would I get for an advance and how much for the book? Does this increase if I use an agent? Anything else I should know? |
Anonymous
| OP here. I am assuming that if I don't use an agent, I will hire a lawyer to review the contract. |
Anonymous
|
My sister just got her first publishing deal (yay!) She had an agent because it is the agent who sends your book to the publishers. Her agent also helped her get in contact with editors prior to being sent to the publishers so that her book was as "clean" as possible before being sent out. Once a pubisher accepts your book, then you are paid an advance. 1/2 when accepted and 1/2 when published. Your royalties will pay the advance back to the publisher. Once your advance is paid off, you then get your share of the royalties and a percentage goes to the agent. I believe the agent also starts getting his percentage as you are paying off the advance - that part I do not know.
Good luck! |
Anonymous
| The standard rate is 15%. An advance can range from $1,000 to $250,000 and up. A significant advance is very unlikely for a first time author unless you have a strong platform (e.g., a cult blog). What kind of book is it and what kind of publishers are you targeting? |
Anonymous
| Not OP, but how does someone get an agent? And does the book have to be finished to start looking? |
Anonymous
You could always use a vanity press. 
|
Anonymous
It is a double-edged sword: most publishers do not accept manuscripts unless submitted by an agent and it is difficult for unpublished author to find an agent. Do you know a published author who would recommend you to their agent? If so, try this. Under no circumstances pay for a "reader" to give you advice, etc. This is a scam. Also, you need a good inquiry letter to submit to agent (make sure agent is a member of AAR) and be sure that your book is their genre. For non-fiction, often only the first three chapters need to be submitted. Also, mail yourself a copy of your manuscript and don't open. When submitting to agent or publisher include a copyright on title page of manuacript, e.g., C Nancy Jones, Title of book, and date. If published, copyright will be in your name just do the other to protect yourself. Book titles are not copyrightable. You can write "Gone With the Wind" and as long as you aren't using characters from Margaret Mitchells book, no problem. Be very careful of internet scams and internet publishing. I wish you the best of luck. Let us know what happens. One other thing, Don't get discouraged if it takes you awhile to find an agent. Never give up. |
Anonymous
| So people actually send paper copies of manuscripts? Not attachments to email? |
Anonymous
You do your research and see what the literary agency or agent wants. |
Anonymous
| If you're writing serious nonfiction, I recommend reading "Thinking Like Your Editor" by Rabiner and Forunato. I'm working on a book proposal, and found it (and many others in that section of the library) helpful in getting a bit of an understanding about the publishing field. |
Anonymous
|
To get an agent, you send a query letter and try to persuade the agent to represent you. You should research agents who represent authors and projects that are similar to yours.
There are several agents in DC. Gail Ross. Rafael Sagalyn. Check out their websites. |
Anonymous
| FYI, OP, you should also realize that the entire publishing world has been rocked by the ebook phenomenon almost as much as the bookstore industry. Which is to say that there's a lot less being published, and it's a lot harder to get an advance. I'm an academic and publish with academic presses which give no advances except in extraordinary circumstances, but my colleagues who publish under trade presses have been stunned at how much the climate has changed from their last book to the most recent one. |
Anonymous
| But aren't books still being published even if they're in electronic form? I don't understand why people are so up in arms about the phenomenon. Seems the same to me. (Only better!) |
Anonymous
| True what 18:57 says but agents are still looking for, and selling, good projects! |
Anonymous
| The challenge with the ebook phenomenon is that it pays a lot less to both the author and publisher. I saw a NYT article in the last year that said something along the line that if a book is published in e format versus hardback the return is nearly half of the other format. Even pretty established authors are getting hit hard by this shift. I find it hard to believe the current remuneration system is going to hold, but Amazon and Apple are pretty powerful. |