No path to publication is easy, and I’ve found a book that serves as a helpful guide when it comes to making such decisions. Your Path to Publication by Kim Wright is practical. The self-explanatory title delivers on its promise as it walks the aspiring author through the steps of getting their book published.
The author’s anecdotes never slide into self-indulgence or reckless plugs for her novel Love in Mid Air. Kim Wright tackles the daunting subject of seeking publication in a straight-forward manner, but she often includes delightfully humorous lines that never overshadow her book’s purpose. The conciseness of the book coupled with her strong narrative voice make it a great example of using a personal touch to enlighten a rather mysterious subject.
Page after page contains great publication information. For the first time, I no longer feel overwhelmed by the process because someone (Kim Wright) has finally written a book that address the publication process as well as the emotional factors involved. And dang it, the emotional factors are important too!
Advice abounds in terms of who and how many readers will benefit your early drafts as well as covering the roles played by agents and editors. It was also comforting to read “it never feels the way you thought it would feel.” Seeing those words in print by some other soul makes it just a little bit easier for me to keep writing. Plenty of links are also given for helpful websites.
I encountered Your Path to Publication because I moved cross-country from Idaho to North Carolina and happened to read about it in the Charlotte Observer when the newspaper announced a book by this local author. Time will only tell how well I heed the book’s advice, but having such a clear blueprint makes it easier to stay motivated.
I am more torn than ever if I should go the indie author route and self-publish or query agents and see what comes of it. The author certainly gives the reader a lot to take to heart.
Which path to publication will you or I follow?
You can connect with Kim Wright via Twitter.
For more insight, read my Book Review Criteria. Please share responsibly. Jeri Walker, 2016.
“I encountered Your Path to Publication because I moved cross-country from Idaho to North Carolina and happened to read about it in the Charlotte Observer when the newspaper announced a book by this local author.”
— The most effective marketers of their books are authors who can leverage their personal connections into sales. The role of serendipity in “discovery” (the latest term for marketing and publicity) can never be underestimated.
That’s absolutely true. You never know what crazy coincidence will put your book into the “right hands.”
Candy, that’s whey I’m looking forward to the PNWA conference in Seattle this summer. A writer never knows when they’ll meet someone who can lend a helping hand or who will take a sincere interest in their work.
Al, you always have such wise words spoken from a breadth of experience. I am patiently awaiting the day when I can speak about marketing tactics with such quiet assurance 😉
I actually looked in to publishing the traditional way. All the information I was able to find took me down a very long and expensive path. Until someone can show me a better way, I will stick with the Indie way. 🙂
Cheryl, I think both publishing routes have their pros and cons. It doesn’t cost anything to query agents, so I figure I may as well take my chance and see what comes of it!
I haven’t published a book, but I have quite a few friends that have. One has gone both routes — traditional publisher and self-publish. I think traditional publisher is getting harder and harder. They want blockbusters. That’s the economics of book publishing now. If you self-publish you’ve got to market th heck of your book, as the author points out in her roadmap.
Jeannette, and every writer likes to think they have a blockbuster on their hands 😉 I find myself trying to tone down my literary tendencies, which may or may not be a good thing. I guess I’ll wait and see what what the future has in store. Genre fiction sells better than literary fiction, and some genre fiction really irks me with how devoid it is of any true sense of style, but then again, some genre books contain literary qualities. Some people say not to sweat issues of genre, but there to ignore tastes and trends in genre is not wise when it comes to marketing. So if an when I self-publish my novel, I know it will only be successful if I can become a really good marketer as well.
This so timely. Thank you. It will save a a lot of time do the research. WOOT! WOOT! 🙂
Susan,the self-publishing chapter is pretty short, but I think she gives a good overview of the entire process regardless. I learned a lot, and the book is so concise.
My vote is for self publish. Although I will be looking at more short story markets as time moves on.
Jon, I bet you could totally get a story accepted into print. Just think how many more people would get to know your work that way. That’s why I want to query agents first for my novel. I still think that’s the best way to get the most exposure, but if it doesn’t pan out, indie publishing is always a great option as well. Or, there’s always a hybrid route 😉
This is pretty far out into my future, but it’ll be good to have this in my back pocket when needed. I think I need to continue practice my writing for a couple of years 🙂
Dan, it’s a great introductory book to the world of publishing. I hope you’ll check it out when the time comes to explore your options.
Sounds like just the thing for those looking to travel a similar road. Thanks for the share!
Gina, it really does read like the author is sitting down beside the reader and acting as a person guide. She’s very candid, but also entertaining, about the ins and outs of the publishing process.
Sounds like a great book to have if you are a writer Jeri and I bet it has helped many who have struggled with the path.
Susan, I always say that any source of mentoring can’t be beat, whether in person or book form, and this book on publishing definitely fills that spot.