First time author needing direction on two different things

Mad1920

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Hello, just to introduce myself, I just finished writing my first book ever. Iam not at all someone who thrives on writing and writing is not my background. The idea for writing this book was because of my "story"...after hearing people who lived through my life with me for the past 5 years saying you really need to write a book because it is remarkable how you are still alive or not in a mental instution due to the things you went through that hit you back to back...is remarkable and then I turned things around and made myself a success story...it is amazing how I turned things around and the success I have achieved since. So I wrote the book and made it fictional, changed things, locations, etc drastically and hired an editor to fine tune everything. So the manuscript is completed, proofed and I have someone working on the cover of my book and I submited to the copy right office this week which they are telling me they are backed up to 6 months now. Here are the two things I am struggling with now.

1. I figured my first approach to publishing this book would be to self publish since this is my first time but I am having a hard time making a decision as to who to go with. I have peopel recommending authorhouse, pubit, createspace, kindle, smashwords but when I go to these websites, I am having trouble getting a listing of their packages to see what would be best for me.

  • Once I am able to get someone to contact me (any suggestions on how to do that) what are some questions and comparisons should I look for to see what is best for me based on the phase i am...i.e. I would like to have a live person walk me through the process that I can have access to if i need help and not just posting through the computer where there is room for errror, who is most user friendly, who will give me most exposure and what are the vehicles, i.e. amazon, barnes and nobles, do they offer e-books in the packages, do they format the manuscript to fit book, how is payment distribute, will they do the table of contents etc... what are the questions I need to ask?
2 The 2nd thing I am confused about is marketing and getting word out about my book.I really need help with branding, social media, book reviews, book readings, speaking events, virtual book tours and really someone to help me come up with an interesting story angle to grab the attention of the media..getting me on radio shows, news, etc.

I really want my book to touch a lot of people who went and are going through what I did so I want to target huge churches, colleges, etc....

Any suggestions of an agent that can help with this.. I thought the best thing would be to self publish and then start getting the buzz out there with these type of events/activites and then also simultaneously see if a traditional publisher would be willing to consider the book.

Is my thought process at least on the right track and any guidance you can give will be most appreciated.
 

HannahLovely

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Hello! Congratulations on finishing your novel! And especially for using your own experiences to write it. It's always nice to hear those kinds of success stories :)

Unfortunately I have absolutely no publishing experience, but there are tons of people here to help you out! You've come to the right place :)
 

suki

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Hi. And welcome to AW. I see you have posted pretty much the same message in several different forums. That really isn't how we do things ;)

I encourage you to take some time, read a lot of threads in different forums, and learn about publishing through a professional trade publisher versus self-publishing. Because I think you aren't quite ready to make any decisions regarding your book.

You will need to educate yourself. While self-publishing may be the best route for you, it is not usually the best route to attract a professional trade publisher. The best route to do that is to find a literary agent. And to do that, you will need to query literary agents who represent your genre. Once you self-publish, it is less likely an agent or trade publisher will be interested in the book unless you have good sales through self-publishing. So, you will want to consider all avenues before you do anything.

Spend some time here reading threads, interacting with people, seeing what is available. Then, when you have reached 50 posts, you can post in Share Your Work to get critique of your book, if you like, or of your query, if you choose to seek an agent.

If you are interested in self-publishing, spend some time in the self-publishing forum reading the existing threads and resources.

You will best help yourself by reading what is already here, and then, after you have educated yourself, asking questions. :)

AW is a lively forum, with many people happy to talk about all kinds of writing and publishing. But you will need to do your part by reading the information that is available, and beginning to educate yourself. :)

Welcome! :)

~suki
 

regdog

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hello.gif



Take some time and read the Newbie Guide and the Stickies found
at the top of Forum pages. They are your best guide to learning about
Absolute Write.

Don’t forget to read the FAQ regarding posting pictures at AW.


Members who want to start a thread in Share Your Work to have work critiqued need
50 posts. Don’t make a mad dash to reach your 50 posts. Take some time to greet fellow newbies,
critique other members’ works, or join a discussion.



Suki has given you excellent advice. Remember only one thread on a subject is needed.
 

willowrose

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Hi and welcome!

I have a question now though. Does one really have to submit their story to the copyright office? Once the story is in print it should already be copyrighted, especially if the story isn't being shared all over the internet before publication of some sort. I mean right? I'll take this question to the question forum but I just wanted to mention that part in case anyone else reads this and wonders about it too.
 

RedHat

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Welcome :)

Just out of curiosity, what type of things in your life happened? Or will I need to buy the book to find out? Ha!

Again, welcome and enjoy your stay! Hopefully you will find it as rewarding as I have so far!
 

Ketzel

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Welcome to Mad1920!

willowrose - There is a very comprehensive and useful sticky on copyright, written by the knowledgeable and thorough Medievalist, to be found in the FAQs.
 

CACTUSWENDY

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Welcome to AW. Hope you enjoy your stay with us.
How do you like your popcorn?

If you go to the bottom of the page to the 'forum jump' you can scroll down and find all the areas of this place. After you post 50 posts you can use the SYW areas to get help there. The password for some of the areas is…..vista. A word to the wise, it would be a good idea to participate first in helping others before you think about posting your own work. After you have been around here for awhile, then post something of your own for help. Good luck.

Note: You do not need to copyright it. We have threads on that in AW. It's done when you publish it.
 

Mad1920

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I would like to thank all of you for your guidance on my next steps. I truly appreciate it and will proceed accordingly.
 

Billtrumpet25

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Hi and welcome!

I have a question now though. Does one really have to submit their story to the copyright office? Once the story is in print it should already be copyrighted, especially if the story isn't being shared all over the internet before publication of some sort. I mean right? I'll take this question to the question forum but I just wanted to mention that part in case anyone else reads this and wonders about it too.

No, you do not need to register. According to copyright law, a copyright is established the moment a work is created. Without a copyright regisration, however, you cannot sue for damages or any of that ilk. That much was made perfectly clear to me when I inquired about getting a copyright. You can issue take-down notices, etc. without the registration, though.
 

BeThatAsItMay

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No, you do not need to register. According to copyright law, a copyright is established the moment a work is created. Without a copyright regisration, however, you cannot sue for damages or any of that ilk. That much was made perfectly clear to me when I inquired about getting a copyright. You can issue take-down notices, etc. without the registration, though.


Does that apply to our posts as well?
 

Billtrumpet25

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Whats the gray area in fact?



p.s
Werlcome Mad

The gray area is whether or not posts can still retain copyright protection. Using the rules under the copyright laws, technically, yes, they are protected. However, when it actually comes to policing it, claiming infringement of copyright for a post would not hold up in court. Also, quoting a post most of the time falls under the Fair Use clauses, provided you don't take someone else's thoughts/ideas and claim that they're your own.

For example, taking a one line post and forwarding it, or copying it could fit under Fair Use. Now if I were to go to, say, someone who posted a part of their book in a post, and took the contents of that post and claimed it as my own, then that would be infringing on copyright. If the material wasn't registered, the owner could tell me to stop and issue various notices, but he/she would ultimately be unable to sue me for "damages incurred".

I hope that answers your question about the gray area (and perhaps a little more).