MSI Press Blog

  In lieu of our regular column, we want to bring your attention to the many questions from the column that are answered in this book: Recently released - the audiobook for Publishing for Smarties by B L Ham . Having trouble getting your book published? Or are you a new author, wondering how to avoid the long wait through dozens of submissions find an author? This books is for you!  Written from the perspective of an acquisitions editor for a publishing house who has also served as a reader and adviser for acquisitions editors at presses ranging from small to large to the leading presses in her field, the author helps new writers navigate the confusing myriad choices in finding a publisher.  Typical missteps of new authors are presented, along with criteria for making decisions on choosing a publisher - and advice on how to approach the publisher. Of potentially great assistance, the author, an acquisitions editor, shares real-life stories of manuscripts she turned down -- and why.  T

  The following excerpt comes from  Practices That Work  (Thomas Garza). Introduction Are you a new or future author? Confused by all the choices  in the publishing business? Afraid of being ripped off? (It  happens all too frequently!) Not sure how to take the first step?  Not even sure how you want your “offspring” (i.e. your manuscript)  to be birthed (i.e. published)? This book is meant for  you. It is not another 500-page reference book about a little  bit of everything associated with publishing. There are enough  books like that; one more is not needed. That said, however,  you should certainly add several of those to your resource collection.  At the very least, you should read Writer’s Market   and subscribe to Writer’s Digest . (Google both; you will find  them. Writer’s Market is also available at most public libraries.) This book, unlike most of the books out there on publishing,  looks at publishing from the combined point of need of  the new author and point of view of t

  Today's fortune cookie is associated with Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher (Ham) .   Read more about B L Ham and this book HERE . Get a copy at  MSI Press webstore . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.  Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .    

Excerpt from  Publishing for Smarties  by BL Ham  Appropriate Responses  Instead of feeling and expressing resentment, there are four much more useful things that you can do. These are:  become excited; analyze the letter for educative information;  revise your manuscript, if warranted; and  find another publisher who might be interested in your book. Become Excited  Why should you become excited? Because finding a publisher is a lot like selling a product. Actually, you are selling a product: your book. Just as it usually takes about ten cold calls to sell a product or get a donation for a worthy cause, so, too, it takes many rejections (typically, dozens more than ten) before you will get a nibble from a publisher, especially if you are a first-time author. So, count each of those rejections as an indication that you are getting closer to an acceptance, just like salesmen do.  Analyze the Letter  Analyze any information at all that is in the rejection letter for any enlight