Publishing 101: A First-Time Author's Guide to Getting Published, Marketing and Promoting Your Book, and Building a Successful Career

Whether you’ve finished a manuscript or just have the seeds of an idea, learn how to smartly approach editors and agents with your work, while avoiding the pitfalls of first-time authorship.

Experienced editor and publisher Jane Friedman offers insights from more than 15 years of working on both sides of the desk, and offers step-by-step advice on:

• evaluating the commercial potential for your work
• finding and approaching editors and agents professionally
• preparing query letters and book proposal materials
• marketing and promoting your work effectively
• protecting your rights and avoid infringing on others’ rights, and
• understanding the self-publishing and ebook market—and if it’s the right path for you.

PUBLISHING 101 describes the dramatic changes underway in the publishing industry, as ebook sales increase and physical bookstores decrease in number. These changes affect how authors get book deals—meaning you need to be prepared to adapt to a risk-averse industry during a time of uncertainty.

Avoid frustration—don’t embark on the submission process without being fully educated about how the industry works. You’ll better focus your time and energy, increase your chances of success, and learn to decipher the language of industry professionals.

Jane Friedman has more than 20 years of experience in the book and magazine publishing industry, with expertise in digital media. Her insights into the future of authorship and publishing have been featured on NPR, PBS, and Publishers Weekly, and she has served as a grant panelist in literature for the National Endowment for the Arts as well as the Creative Work Fund in San Francisco. As the former publisher of Writer's Digest, Jane specializes in educating authors about the publishing industry and how to build successful careers during a time of rapid change. She has spoken at hundreds of writing conferences and industry events, including BookExpo America, Frankfurt Book Fair, SXW, and The Muse and The Marketplace.Jane holds a BFA in creative writing from the University of Evansville and an MA in English from Xavier University. Her blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com has won multiple awards and enjoys more than 180,000 visitors every month. Find out more at JaneFriedman.com.