Publishing a book with a publisher – tips& instruction

Publishing a book is quite simple in itself: according to the Duden dictionary, a book is a "larger, bound printed work", and at the same time also a "literary, scientific or scholarly work published in book form".a. Text". So if you write a text, have it bound and published, you can call yourself a book author. Accordingly, tens of thousands of books are published in Germany every year. Publishing a book – that’s what many people do!

How can I publish my book?

Each book is a work in itself. Accordingly, there is not ONE form of publication that is right if you want to write a Writing a book and want to publish. Since the introduction of Kindle Direct Publishing in 2011, it has finally dawned on established publishers that Kindle books published in the Self-publishing can make it onto the bestseller lists just like books published and marketed by publishers. These books then often go through a professional instead of editing in the publishing house book editing or novel editing.

However, this point of view is especially relevant if you are dedicated to fiction / creative writing and, for example, want to write a Writing a novel. Non-fiction books are often published by publishing houses. This can have several reasons, for example, in the case of scientific books. One reason is that publishers, with their professional editors, also vouch for an author’s reputation and thus, to some extent, for the accuracy and reliability of content. On the other hand, in Writing a non-fiction book, for example, for cookbooks or lifestyle books, an elaborate illustration and design very much in demand. The market today still demands books that you can touch

But non-fiction books are also becoming increasingly popular as e-books. This is especially true if they are published on current topics that cannot be offered by publishers in a timely manner. In these cases it is worthwhile Writing an eBook often more. In addition, they are indispensable because younger people tend to consume more and more content via e-books (cf. Krommer, 2016).

Editing& proofreading for

Proofreading for foreign languages

Publishing a book with a publisher in 6 steps

Do you want to Becoming an author, you will have to decide for yourself what best suits your book type, genre, and the objective you are pursuing with your book. If you decide to look for a publisher to publish your book, it’s best to take it step by step.

Table 1: The 6 steps to publishing your book at a glance

Find a publisher

Many authors despair while they are looking for a publisher for their book. At the same time, it is absolutely common to receive a rejection letter or no message at all from the publisher. Even globally successful authors such as J. K. Rowling make such an experience: for the first Harry Potter volume, Rowling received a number of rejections, but after the publisher Bloomsbury "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" was published, the book sold over 450.000.000 times, and the trend is rising (source: South German Newspaper). But how can you improve your own chances of success in finding a publisher??

Also the Publishing a dissertation usually works through publishers linked to the university, such as the Potsdam University Press or about Hamburg State and University Library.

Submit manuscript

First, you should consider which publisher to submit the manuscript to for book publishing. Different publishers have different publishing programs – accordingly, if you are doing a Writing a children’s book If you want to publish your book, you should probably contact a different publisher than the one you used for your book Writing crime fiction or Writing a biography. You should therefore ask yourself whether your book fits in with the respective publisher and its program – the editor will also ask this question!

The publisher’s editor, in turn, is the person with whom books end up every day, even though he or she has very little space in the program. Its task is to pass judgment on the quality and assess the chances for the work in the existing market (cf. Schonstedt, 1999). Editors are thus vital to book publishers and largely determine growth (Cf. Draksal, 2005). New authors therefore have only a small chance of receiving an offer from the publisher for a collaboration to publish the book. The work you submit should therefore be written flawlessly and convey from the very first pages why one should definitely read on.

Alternatively, many authors use the services of a frahlingen. He has the necessary connections to the publishing house editors, selects the right publisher and contacts him independently. This can save you a lot of effort as an author and you will reach your goal more easily. Publishing house editors can at least rely on the fact that they have made a preliminary selection – this saves the publishing houses time.

Services around the book

Your job in the field of text services

Book contract: What to look out for?

If a publisher finally bites and wants to publish your book, he offers the author a book contract. In the field of fiction, this usually includes a fee and royalties. The royalty is paid in any case, but the royalties are a percentage of the profit over and above the royalty. In the case of non-fiction books, there are some publishers who even require a printing subsidy – where you have to pay instead of getting paid. The author only earns money from his or her own book through the royalty.

This is not uncommon in this field, however, since scientific textbooks, for example, are only printed in small editions and for a very manageable audience. It is therefore almost impossible to make a profit as a publisher without printing subsidies. Large scientific publishers get by without subsidies in part by cross-financing their publishing offerings. This is also very necessary, because quite a few books make almost no money at all in the publisher’s coffers (Cf. Hagener, 2015).

In addition to the profit on the book, you should also pay attention to other points when signing a book contract. For example, many authors feel it is very important to have a say in the book cover and the book title. But this right of co-determination is not always part of the contract. Pay attention to when the rights to the book revert to the author and how the exploitation rights to the book are regulated, for example, for an adaptation of the book as a screenplay. It’s a good idea to read a book contract carefully – as you would any contract!

Fix the cover and blurb

Depending on the book contract, the author may be involved in choosing a cover and may also sign off on the book’s blurb. Often the choice of the cover comes before the revision of the book text, because the publishing programs need a lot of lead time and the cover and the blurb are to be used early for marketing purposes. Publishers often know very well which covers are suitable for the genre or target audience of a book. If you don’t like the layout of your book at all, if it raises expectations that the book cannot fulfill, or if the cover is dubious from a technical point of view (in the case of a technical book, this would be a great misfortune), you should protest in any case.

Of course, this also applies to the title of the book. Many authors get hung up on the title they gave their book and have a hard time coming up with a new title for their book. In addition, there is always a fine line between an exciting and a lurid title. Especially as the author of a non-fiction book, this balancing act is difficult for many authors. A relationship of trust with the publisher’s editor and good communication between publisher and author are the most important factors for the success of this venture.

Text editing by the publisher

After the book contract has been signed and sealed, the book is then edited. In the process, the editor and the author devote themselves once again to the book text. That is, the editor goes through the book sentence by sentence and discusses with the author where he sees a need for revision. In the case of fiction books, this often concerns the drawing of characters in the book, the logical sequence of events in the plot, or the dramaturgical composition of the material. In the case of non-fiction books, however, the publisher’s editor is usually less strict with the book text. In this case, the information value comes first and comprehensibility and accuracy are the focus of the revisions.

Once the publisher’s editor and the author of a book have finished checking and revising the text, a proofreader also comes into play. He then checks the text. However, the focus is not on the linguistic style or the content of the text, but on the Spelling, Grammar and punctuation. He is familiar with the new German spelling and also corrects all typing errors. Often, he or she only gets involved after the flag has been created, since word duplications, etc., also occur during the typesetting of the book. can arise. However, it is also possible to commission the book before and after it has been published.

Marketing when publishing a book

Once a publisher has determined the cover, blurb, book text, typesetting, typography (often dependent on the series in which a book is being created), and price of a book, the work is printed. By this time, the publisher’s marketing machinery has long since kicked into gear.

The publisher has included the book, even before it is ready, in its publishing program. The work is now available to booksellers, newspaper editors, the public, and competition juries. Review copies will be sent out, perhaps a reading tour will be planned, and press appointments will be made with the author to introduce him or her to the public. So now, after the writing in private and the work on the book with the publisher’s editor, the third part of the road to book success begins: the marketing.

Many authors find this part of their job the most exhausting and are happy if the publisher largely takes the marketing of their book off their hands. More and more often, however, authors have to participate in marketing themselves. The writer is expected to be available for interviews and readings (online and offline). If the marketing budget is rather small, the author should also draw attention to his work through various social media channels and be in touch with the community and his audience. After all, the publisher and the author are pulling in the same direction and are equally interested in making the book a success.

Fig. 2: Production pyramid in book publishing (Source: Draksal, 2005)

We hope we have not discouraged you from publishing a book. But you should be aware of the circumstances that await you if you want to be included in the circle of authors. If you still want to pursue your dream, you should internalize this guide as much as possible to be prepared for the endeavor. We wish you good luck!