PUBLISHING ur own BOOK

[kuyaberts]

I'm also planning to write a book.

[donnerwetter]

well, also know bout yer rights as a writer, i guess. though not really book publishing, i'm designing tarot decks at the moment, and, well, want them published as well. of course, there are the intricacies to the my "ownership" of the work that i do not know, copyrights et al. methinks the same goes for books. of course we are presented with 3 options: self-publishing, goin to the small-time publishing houses, or go big time with them big publishers (in my case, US Game Systems, or Llywellynn, to name a few). each path has its own advantages and disadvantages.

[sentiments]

hi Awasha_Nadine ....

actually im just helping a friend na may balak mag-publish ng book.....

may alam na kaming publishing house (the same nung ke bob ong) pero di namin alam kung sino ia-approach dun kasi feeling namin printing press lang *** andun .......

tsaka di rin namin alam kung buong book na ba *** ipe-present nya sa publisher o partial lang..... takot kasi sya na baka i-reject book nya pero un pala na-copy na nila *** buong contents ng book nya tapos iba *** magke-claim na author...... kaya ayun....

baka naman may makakapag-bigay ng ibang insights jan.....

[kuyaberts]

I'm not sure about the publishing business in the Philippines but in the US there are people who are called literary agents who work as the bridge between the authors and the publishers. Publishers seldom accept manuscripts coming from the authors themselves. Publishers usually want it to come from the agents. But for those who don't use agents, the authors usually write a query letter to the publishers containing a synopsis of their work and a few sample chapters usually three. Sometimes publishers even require the resume of the author to check the writing background of the author. It's very rare for publishers to publish the works of first time authors unless he or she has a good writing background or unless the manuscript is really excellent. But don't let this discourage you because all the famous authors were first time authors, too. And don't be afraid of rejections because that's a natural thing. JK Rowling's manuscript of Harry Potter was said to have been rejected by three publishers before a publisher finally took it in. Authors must always have their manuscripts copyrighted so that it can't be claimed as a work of a different person by the publisher. I'm not sure if some of it is the same as in the Philippines but I hope it helps.

[Awasha_Nadine]

well, i am in fact in the US now kuyaberts. but I don't know if it'll be easier here. sabi ngisang friend ko dito na may pinoy publishers/agents daw dito. but i don't know any personally. it'd be good if you can hook me up

the thing with the book, though, is I patterned it after some books published by the publisher of cosmo philippines. it's in the philippine setting kasi. so i'm thinking mas ok kung pag-uwi ko sa pians chaka na lang ako maghanap ng publisher.

any thoughts?

[Saikee]

Originally posted by Awasha_Nadine
well, i am in fact in the US now kuyaberts. but I don't know if it'll be easier here. sabi ngisang friend ko dito na may pinoy publishers/agents daw dito. but i don't know any personally. it'd be good if you can hook me up

the thing with the book, though, is I patterned it after some books published by the publisher of cosmo philippines. it's in the philippine setting kasi. so i'm thinking mas ok kung pag-uwi ko sa pians chaka na lang ako maghanap ng publisher.

any thoughts?

u mean the books by summit publishing, like drama queen, etc.?

[Awasha_Nadine]

you hit it right on the head saikee!!! yun nga nag-inspire sa akin in fact. that book by abbey aquino. astig!

[kuyaberts]

Yup, there's a better chance of acceptance in the Philippines if it is in Filipino Setting.... but you can still try the publishers in the US because you never know... Ano bang genre ng book mo? Maybe I can suggest some publishers who take works from first time authors.

[Andie Anderson]

get yourself an agent first.
it's like getting a 'manager', he'll be the one doing all the dirty jobs of introducing you to his connections, promoting your work and looking for a good publisher.


goodluck!

[Awasha_Nadine]

well, the book's working title is recently single. and it's about a woman being in her 20's and single in manila. that simple, in on sentence. hahaha.

[MoonStruck]

yeah. publishing a book is something like a dream. some day i will too.

[Awasha_Nadine]

I'm actually getting a bit anxious about the whole thing. as a result, my hopes are getting a bit dampered on the thought of getting it published.... which is a sad thing, because i think it'sapretty okay book. plus i know a lot of women out there will eb able to relate to it, and then some men...maybe. hahaha.

for now, i've tried to vent my frustrations by creating my own blog, which i think no one is reading anyway. just nice to know that it's out there, and maybe someone will come across it, by some miracle, and think my writing is pretty good. that's enough recognition for me. yeah, that'll do it for me, i'm sure. :-D...for now.

[Awasha_Nadine]

hmm....that's a good idea. but i have a few small probs:
1. don't have any writer friends
2. don't have time to find them and/or collaborate with them.
3. don't really have saved money to use for publishing (and know nothing about self-publishing) --- baka magoyo lang ako ng magpupublish
4. scared someone might pirate my work if i post excerpts in a website....

besides, mas ok na may publisher than self-publishing for me ha...

[anawim]

life will be easier if you're hooked to the academe, especially if you're already a faculty member of a university that has its own printing press. it will be likewise easy if you're a part of a writer's guild *if you're into creative writing, or an academic-professional organization *if you're into academic/social research.
i suggest you contribute first to journals and anthologies before publishing your own book. that's really the most modest way to begin.

[Awasha_Nadine]

hmmm....looks like i need to change profession for that....or at least change my usual scheds to fit that it......need to sit on that suggestion for a few days....

[Slamm27]

I wonder how Christopher Paolini got "Eragon" published. If he can do it, so can I! Hehe!

Sana...

[maris_blaise]

i'm putting up a publishing company next month. it's still in the planning process right now. sobrang excited na nga ako eh. so far i have two writers already.

getting published is really tough. it's definitely an advantage if you have connections in the industry. to avoid getting ripped off, you have to have a contract before sending them your whole manuscript. and make sure to read the fine print.

[Awasha_Nadine]

maris_blaise, interested ako...how can i get a hold of you? or how can i have you see some things that i've written? i just wanna get some work published..... pede ba? may interview ba? hehehe. na-excite ako bigla :-D send me a message, will ya? thanks.

[kuyaberts]

Originally posted by Slamm27
I wonder how Christopher Paolini got "Eragon" published. If he can do it, so can I! Hehe!

Sana...

Christopher Paolini said he self-published the book first and that's because his parents have a publishing company, but not a big one though. It paid off well because Paolini also vigorously promoted the book by visiting schools. It became so successful that it caught the eye of the Knopf Publishing Group and has bought the book from Paolini.

[^the_tenth]

I'm trying to write a book too. But I always end up with a dead end. Its about a family... three generations of it which starts with the father of the grandmother getting jailed for murder. The father happened to be the former Alcalde Mayor, son of a Gobernadorcillo. He killed his former runner who worked for the new Alcalde Mayor. So it starts there then the grandmother of the third generation kid tells her story, the implications of what had happened to her father on her and her brother...
The grandmother, because of what happened became bitter. When she has her first daughter, the apple of her husband's eye, she finds it difficult to express her love. She is sometimes jealous, often threatened. But she loved her first daughter dearly, but was at the same time distant from her.
Then her daughter grows up and becomes a doctor who takes care of dying people. She was famous and was very kind but because of her job, one that requires a lot of time, one of her daughters grow distant from her. The story of the mother and the grand mother is told from the grand mother's point of view but the story of the daughter is done ala diary entry...
The daughter becomes a passionate athlete with a lot of problems that she resolves by herself. She is popular in school but very indifferent to people. She then joins a leftist group...

there...
you think I have a shot?
Its for the Filipino audience...