Are you the next great budding novelist among us? What story have you written that you can't wait to tell? Are you passionate about a hobby and want to share your knowledge with fellow enthusiasts? As a writer, you share one thing in common among each other: the pursuit of a means to get your written works out to the general public. When large publishing houses once dominated the book market, a literary agent was needed to promote your works. This needed to be established before an editor would consider your writings. Due in part to the popularity of the Internet and affordable desktop publishing software, today's marketplace is much more open and broad. Today's writer has many reliable resources for publishing their compositions and marketing their own material.

Resources for Publishing Your Own Work By Celine Vorster, Copyright May, 2005

Are you the next great budding novelist among us? What story have you written that you can't wait to tell? Are you passionate about a hobby and want to share your knowledge with fellow enthusiasts? As a writer, you share one thing in common among each other: the pursuit of a means to get your written works out to the general public. When large publishing houses once dominated the book market, a literary agent was needed to promote your works. This needed to be established before an editor would consider your writings. Due in part to the popularity of the Internet and affordable desktop publishing software, today's marketplace is much more open and broad. Today's writer has many reliable resources for publishing their compositions and marketing their own material. One resource for those interested in self-publishing or locating a small publishing company is the Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN). This independent not-for-profit trade association is comprised of authors and small publishing houses who are interested in promoting their books. One of the goals of SPAN is to keep the entrepreneurial spirit of independent publishers alive and vibrant. According to their web site at http://spannet.org, "SPAN's mission has always been to help small publishers sell more books, increase profits, and create more successful businesses." The association's conference will convene in Denver in October, 2005 and will focus on marketing and public relations issues relevant to small publishing. Another resource for locating a small independent publishing house is PMA, a trade association comprised of independent publishers. PMA boasts over 3,900 members and this trade association focuses on marketing and education for its members. The PMA web site at http://pma-online.org contains a listing of all publishing houses that are members. The search capability of this database allows anyone to locate an independent publisher in their state or a publisher that may specialize in a particular topic. According to conventional advice, you should never pay anyone to publish your book. Why pay for this yourself when a publisher should bare the risk of producing and promoting the book? When the publisher sets the parameters to follow ~ such a mandatory length or rewriting for portions of the book, the author then is at the mercy of the publisher. However, an author who's willing to stick his neck out on the line and publish the book independently can total invest in his book and wording, even if the author also has to incur self-publishing expenses. This freedom allows the author to remain in total creative control. The processing of publishing a book doesn't end once the book is printed; the book must then be marketed. Some small publishers also offer marketing and advertising venues for the author. In a way, these publishers are supplying a market for the published works. A wise first-time author should look for a publishing house with these comprehensive marketing services. The popularity of e-books is blossoming. This method of publishing may fulfill many authors~ needs. A large number of websites are hosted by companies that are willing to publish your e-book are easy to find through a simple search on the Internet. Copyright 2005 Celine Vorster. All rights reserved. Celine Vorster is the owner of FP Publishing a premiere resource for information on publishing on the Internet. For further details, visit Celine's article archive at: http://www.fppublishing.com/ Keywords: self publishing, self-publishing, independant publishers, publishing, publishers, publishing house, desktop publishing Online Advertising Provided By Ads-On-Q.com