So You Want to Publish a Book? by Anne Trubek

So You Want to Publish a Book? is well written and full of good information. While the back cover promises “concrete, witty advice” and “surprising methods that actually move books off shelves,” the text itself reads more like a textbook. It’s informational rather than interactive, with more generally stated facts than advice or guidance. There was no actionable information in this book. (Note: This isn’t to say that there was no useful information or that some of the information couldn’t be reframed as actionable, only that the book, in its current state, doesn’t contain anything I would personally describe as actionable.) If you’re interested in an academic overview of the publishing process, as told by the founder of a small, independent press, this is a great resource. Because this book contains no actionable information, I’ve outlined interesting, inspiring, and surprising information instead. It can be found on pages 42, 92, 98, 111, 112, and 129.

Page 42 reminds authors that “a proposal is a gamble, a contract is a numbers game, and publishing is an ever-shifting, profit-seeking business.” On that same page, Trubek states, “First, you do not need an agent to get a publishing contract. Many independent presses (including Belt) will read queries sent directly to them. All university presses, many with trade divisions, accept queries from authors. Self-publishing only requires you to represent yourself. Many successful writers, including most of Belt’s best-selling authors, do not have agents. If you are interested in receiving a larger-than-average advance, having someone knowledgeable negotiate contract terms on your behalf, or publishing with a conglomerate press, you will likely need an agent.”

Page 92 goes into the interior design aspect of publishing, outlining how important it is to proof your work post-design. “You can never be sure that formatting will come through in the transition between, say, a Word document and InDesign. I have to check everything. Sometimes italics don’t make it through the transition. Sometimes a block quote will mistakenly go on for thirty pages, and I have to go back and change everything. Section breaks often don’t come through. Apostrophes and quotation marks have to be checked carefully. Tabs and blank spaces have to be checked manually.”

On page 98, Trubek points out that odd trim sizes actually cost more to print. She goes on to say, “[Because of returns,] no publisher or author should ever consider any copy of a book really ‘sold’ until a year or so after an order is placed” (111). “An order is not a sale” (112). A fun, non-essential tidbit (also found on page 112) for independent authors hoping to look professional is that traditionally published books tend to come out on Tuesdays.

And finally, on page 129, “[N]ever assume a correlation between press coverage  and sales numbers.” A book being covered by a respected media source doesn’t guarantee it’ll sell well, and a book having very little coverage doesn’t mean it’ll sell poorly.

And now, as far as interesting, inspiring, and surprising information goes, you’ve read So You Want to Publish a Book? If you liked this and found it useful, please share it on your socials and with your friends. You can sign up for my newsletter by scrolling down. If you have any books you’d like to see on Too Busy for Books, you can contact me here. I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Thanks for reading,

--Jack