by Richard Saare

Created on: June 11, 2008

Writing is more than the gift of the Muse, as the Greeks called it. It is a culmination of mental labor, determination, and perseverance. To write a novel, (manuscript), from beginning to end is very demanding in a dual sense. The first issue is the creation of several hundred characters, a history, personalities, needs, wants, and desires for all. There is also a symmetry in a good novel. Peaking the interest of the reader and then bringing them back to a more even flow. Making the novel read in a series of highs and lows and all the while making sure that the reader will not loose interest. Then you come to determination and perseverance. Determination to continue to the end, to finish the book. This can be quite frustrating for some would be Authors. I too have encountered the infamous writers block. Perseverance is very important, most writers will encounter negative feedback towards the unproven Author as a rule of thumb in this industry.

Once you have finished your manuscript and sent it to a dozen Agents or Publishers and received rejection after rejection you may begin to loose your faith in your own creative ability. This is where perseverance comes into play. If you believe in your ability to write and you are sure that your manuscript is worth the efforts then find an Agent. Self Publishing is fine for some, but unless you can afford the promotion fees, which can be quite expensive, ($18,000.00 from one such Self-Publisher), you are in a much better position to reach the volume of sales required for earning a living with a legitimate publisher. A legitimate or Full Service Publisher is in the business of selling books. When and if you are accepted by a full service publisher they will handle the promotional costs for a percentage of gross sales. A single add in the New York Times entertainment section is around $4,500.00 a week.

A full service Publisher puts up the finances for the promotional campaign. They will look at the manuscript and base their decision on the popularity of the genre', the quality of the work, the flow of the writing (technique), and numbers in the target market. If all these meet their criteria then they will print and promote the Novel. You will be paid in Royalties which can range from 10% to 30% of gross sales. Self Publishing means that you would need to figure out all the methods and venues of promoting and advertising a novel. For the novice this is more than a little frustrating and confusing. There are hundreds of millions of potential readers out there. And Publishers are skilled in reaching them, where the novice is not. You can waste 10's of thousands of dollars on poor judgement calls in advertising. It would not be from a lack of common sense, the cause would be the unfamiliarity with what and how to make the best use of every advertising dollar.

I have one self published book to date and I have just signed with an Agent. Agents go to the Publisher on a one on one basis. Something a Writer/Author would be very hard pressed to do. So this is how it goes, first things first. Write a manuscript, find an Agent, and make dam sure the Publisher is a full service Publisher. That is, if you want to be a Writer of more than a keep sake novel. I hope this helps anyone that is beginning the difficult path of getting read world wide and becoming a successful Writer/Author

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