So You Want to Write a Book

Some of the challenges you will face

So many times you will hear someone say, “I am going to write a book.” Do they get around to it? Some do, but many do not. Everyone has a story. Some would be very interesting and beneficial for others to read about and hear. Most of the millions of books which are published, unfortunately, do not sell or sell very few copies. There are many challenges facing people who do write books. Just keep trying to overcome the challenges.

‘If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.’ ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs

If you are somebody like the President of the United States or someone who is in a position to write an expose’ about such a person or another famous person, you could probably get a book deal. That would mean that you could be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in advance even before the book is written. That advance will be against future royalties for book sales, which the publisher expects to be very lucrative. Major publishers can do that. Most writers do not get those huge advances or any at all. They would be happy with even a small advance of $100 to $20,000. Some may get them, but even those smaller advances are rare.

If you are an ordinary person trying to get a book written and published, you will probably need to be able to handle rejection. Major well-known publishers generally will reject unsolicited manuscripts. They will not accept submissions of manuscripts without an agent. Finding an agent who is willing to take a chance on a new writer may be difficult. Rejection can come not only from the publisher but also from prospective agents. The agent might be willing to take a chance on you if s/he feels that your writing is good, you have a worthy story, and it fits their needs or interest. Most agents will likely specialize in certain types of books. They generally will not charge you upfront and will take a commission only if they are able to sign you with a publisher.

You might be able to find a small publisher who is willing to take a chance on your book. They may charge you a fee. They could say it is for marketing and not for publishing, but you will be required to pay it before they will publish your book. There is always the risk that the book will not sell and you will be stuck with hundreds of copies. It works out well for some authors. Most new authors will not have a choice but to go with a smaller publisher because the major publishers will generally not even look at the work of a new author without an agent.

It used to be that there were more vanity publishers. They are smaller publishers who were willing to publish books for a fee. They were for people who wanted to publish their book and could afford to spend the money to do so on their own dime.

These days anyone can write and publish a book with self publishing being quite the thing. It is possible to get a book published yourself through various companies. It will cost you out of pocket expenses, and you must buy copies of the book from them. You will also be responsible for all the marketing in most cases.

A good source for anyone to publish a book is Kindle Direct Publishing and Amazon. You can upload your book for free (at this time anyway), and it will be listed with Amazon. They also have options for covers and other ways to help you get your ebook or print book published. For anyone who has had a manuscript rejected by a traditional publisher and who is considering self publishing, you should check it out. Maybe it will work out well for you. The author or anyone can buy books from them for one copy up to many copies.

Most books can be sold on Amazon, but that doesn’t mean that they WILL sell. You will need to get reviews for the book and possibly run ads if you want to make sales. You may get lucky and sell many books on Amazon.

Marketing is often the major cost for a new author. It will cost money for ads and exposure. If you have any friends in the media, they may be able to get you interviews to promote your book. You might be able to set up some author talks at a small bookstore or at a library. You can sell books after you talk about the book. Some people travel around to try and get people to buy their book. It takes a lot of effort plus it may not pay after spending the time and money.

Social media may help you get exposure for your book. Some people are successful with that method, but most probably do not sell many books that way unless possibly if they spend a lot of money trying it.

People may have an aversion to talking about themselves and their own books. It often sounds like bragging and trying to toot their own horn. This makes marketing your own book difficult. If you have family and friends who will talk up the book for you, that would feel more acceptable.

It is not easy to get book sales unless you are rich and famous or you have a very compelling story to tell. Lots of people are successful, and you should give it a try if you want to write a book. There is no reason why you cannot be the one to succeed. Even if you don’t sell many copies, you can have the satisfaction that you did it. You can be proud of your accomplishments but humble because of the outcome.

Since the coronavirus pandemic is still going on, you might be asked to stay home and shelter in place. This could be a good time to write your book. Maybe there is a story from your childhood waiting to be told. If it has been something you have wanted to do, why not start now? Follow your dreams. If you want to write a book, the main thing is to start — and write everyday.

YOU might be the next BIG one to really make it. Lots of people have been successful. Why not you?

“Never, never, never, never give up.” ~Winston Churchill

Thank you for reading. If you would like a free ebook of speeches and articles about the story of Japanese Americans, send an email to: [email protected].