Books You Really Must Have If You Are . . .
An Author | A Self-Publisher | An Editor | A Publicist
Before you make books, you should read books – on publishing. You'll undoubtedly want many more books than these, including many reviewed elsewhere on this site. These, however, are my minimal recommendations for a "starter set."
All title links take you to the book's Amazon page.
- Fern Reiss' Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days
- Pat Walsh's 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published & 14 Reasons Why It Just Might
- Steve Weber's Plug Your Book: Online Book Marketing for Authors
- at least 2 more from the Book Marketing Page
Some of these books will show you what you most need to know about publishing, and about how to show publishers why your book will be a success for them. Other books will help you find ways to tell your readers about your book and why they might want to buy it. Publishers will do some marketing for you, but your book will do better if you get involved, heavily involved.
- An overview of the process: Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual, 16th edition
- Step-by-step instructions to publish and then to market your book: Fern Reiss's The Publishing Game: Publish A Book in 30 Days and The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days
- Basic operating instructions for your new business: Thomas Woll's Publishing for Profit
- Basic design and production skills, so your new book looks good and your budget does, too: Pete Masterson's Book Design and Production
- Two basic publicity books:
- Steve Weber's Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors
- Jacqueline Deval's Publicize Your Book!
- How your company works:Thomas Woll's Publishing for Profit
- How the production department makes the books: Pete Masterson's Book Design and Production
- Interesting take on the editorial process: Thomas McCormack's The Fiction Editor, The Novel, and The Novelist
- 2 books from the Marketing Page
- For a basic understanding of who does what, how and why: Thomas Woll's Publishing for Profit
- Three good primers on marketing to readers, with ideas and tips that even seasoned professionals find useful:
- Fern Reiss' The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days
- Jacqueline Deval's Publicize Your Book!
- Steve Weber's Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors
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