My book “Heal & Forgive – Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse” was published by Blue Dolphin Publishing, Inc (Nevada City, CA) and like many new authors, I learned about the publishing process through trial and error and which undertakings were more important, such as:

• Write a "winning" query letter and book proposal:

A well-written proposal helps you define what you want to convey in your text.  Publishers are most interested in sales; therefore they will want to know,  “Who is your audience?”  “Why is this book needed?”  “What makes this book unique?”  “What is the sales potential?”  “How will you reach your audience?”  Aside from the important fundamentals of "pitching" your manuscript, I learned that the most critical aspect of a proposal is to convey a clear market.  One valuable tip I learned was that I needed an "angle" because there are many books written on the subject of abuse and my work needed to stand out as unique.  A publisher wants to know that your book offers something new, important and needed.

• Use a professional editor:

I submitted my manuscript to several publishing houses before I learned that most publishers recommend having your manuscript edited by a professional prior to submission

• Start writing articles for publication:

If you have some publishing experience, a publisher is more apt to look at you.

• Patience and perseverance are required to bring a manuscript to publication with a traditional publisher.  I queried over 300 publishers and agents before a publisher finally accepted my manuscript.  Although I believe patience, perseverance and preparing yourself for constant rejection are required, I could have saved myself a lot of time and heartache if I had known of the above-mentioned points.

Although most publishers put together a standard marketing package – press release, catalogs, distribution and placement on Amazon etc – the onus for the arduous task of marketing falls on the author.  Nonetheless, reaching those who can benefit from our stories is a very gratifying.

Overall, my publishing experience was good.  Blue Dolphin Publishing is a traditional house that offers a royalty at 10% of net sales.  The publisher was a kind and genuine person who permitted me to have creative license with respect to the title, text and cover and was very easy to work with.  It takes most traditional publishers a year to bring a book from contract to press, and mine was no exception.   Still, I can't describe the thrill of finally seeing my book in print.

Whether you choose to pursue traditional publication or self-publishing, I would encourage you to educate yourself about the process as much as possible. These stories need to be told!

Warm regards,
Nancy Richards

Check out "Heal & Forgive – Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse" by Nancy Richards