This week, Bruce Wands, author of Art of the Digital Age (Thames & Hudson) and Digital Creativity (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), offers us some of his advice on getting published for the first time.
1. Do some research on publishers that release books like the one you are planning. They generally have a section of their website for prospective authors and how to submit a proposal. Follow their directions exactly. You’ll generally need to submit some sample chapters, a bio or CV, who the target audience is and who your competition will be. You may need to rewrite the proposal a few times before the publisher accepts your project, too.
2. Position your book for the widest possible audience. Publishers want sales and having a topic that speaks to a small audience won’t go over well when you propose it.
3. Take a long hard look at your writing style. Academic thesis papers are often written differently than books for the general public. Make sure your writing style speaks to your target audience.
4. Give some thought about turning your thesis into a textbook. One of the biggest markets for books is the college audience. You’ll need to structure it to fit into the typical fifteen-week semester.
5. Consider an eBook. eBooks on Amazon.com sell more copies than traditional books. Also, set up a personal website. You can use it to promote your book and provide some downloads and updates, i.e. syllabi for using it as a textbook, additional material and links. Having a decent number of website hits will go over well with the publisher, too.
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