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    Writing to Be Published...and Read
    Writing to Be Published...and Read
    Writing to Be Published...and Read
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    Writing to Be Published...and Read

    By Don Keith

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    About this ebook

    Your dream is to write a book, get it published, and then have people read what you have written. It may be a novel or a non-fiction work. But you don’t know where to start. Or doors are slammed in your face every way you turn. Publishing houses ignore you. Agents reject you without comment. You are on the verge of giving up your dream of becoming a published author.

    Stop! You can have that dream. If you have the ability to write, and if you have stories and characters or a non-fiction topic of interest, then you can find a publisher and a readership. Or if you are a public speaker, consultant, presenter or otherwise have a following or an audience, you are missing a great opportunity if you do not have a book to offer for sale at your events.

    Writing, becoming a published author, and having your book find a readership is one of the most fulfilling things most of us will ever experience, yet it can also be the most frustrating and discouraging. Now, in this straight-shooting, real-world book, award-winning and best-selling author Don Keith takes you through the steps to give your creation the best chance of finding a publisher...and, more importantly to some, having it read and appreciated.

    Keith uses his own experiences and real-world observations to help the would-be author avoid traps and scams, find a literary agent, translate a publishing contract and royalty statement, and even investigate the exciting new opportunities in self-publishing and print-on-demand (POD). Keith has been there and pulls no punches when talking about the chances for finding fame and fortune by writing and publishing books.

    In simple language, this author of more than two-dozen books—including best-sellers and works now in pre-production as major motion pictures—tells prospective writers exactly how to improve their odds of getting a book published, promoted, sold, and read.

    If you want to get your book published...and read...this work may be the best investment you will ever make in your writing career . Or if you just need that little push to get your publishing efforts out of stall mode, then this book is for you.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDon Keith
    Release dateJan 13, 2018
    ISBN9781370148226
    Writing to Be Published...and Read
    Author

    Don Keith

    Don Keith is an Alabama native and attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he received his degree in broadcast and film. He has won numerous awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for news writing and reporting, as well as Billboard Magazine's "Radio Personality of the Year" during his more than twenty years in broadcasting. His first novel, The Forever Season, won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award. Keith lives in Indian Springs Village, Alabama, with his wife, Charlene, and a black cat named Hershey.

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      Book preview

      Writing to Be Published...and Read - Don Keith

      Writing to be Published…and Read!

      By Don Keith

      Published by

      EP
      ERIN PRESS
      Indian Springs Village, Alabama

      Also by Don Keith

      The Forever Season

      Wizard of the Wind

      The Rolling Thunder Stockcar Racing Series (with Kent Wright) (8 books)

      Final Bearing (with George Wallace)

      Gallant Lady (with Ken Henry)

      In the Course of Duty

      The Bear: the Legendary Life of Coach Paul Bear Bryant

      Final Patrol

      The Ice Diaries (with Captain William R. Anderson)

      War Beneath the Waves

      We Be Big (with Rick Burgess and Bill Bubba Bussey)

      Undersea Warrior

      On the Road to Kingdom Come

      Firing Point (with George Wallace)

      Riding the Shortwaves: Exploring the Magic of Amateur Radio

      Dangerous Grounds (with George Wallace)

      Mattie C’s Boy

      The Spin

      Undersea Warrior

      Dream On: A Journey to Deliverance

      Get on the Air…Now!

      The Amateur Radio Dictionary

      The Ship that Wouldn’t Die

      Dial Dancing

      The Indestructible Man

      Writing as Jeffery Addison with Edie Hand:

      The Last Christmas Ride

      The Soldier’s Ride

      The Christmas Ride: the Miracle of the Lights

      http://www.donkeith.com

      © 2018 by Don Keith

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form other than brief excerpts for review purposes without the express written consent of the author. He is also available for speaking engagements, seminars, and other events. Contact him at don@donkeith.com

      CONTENTS

      FOREWORD: SO YOU WANT TO WRITE, BE PUBLISHED AND GET READ

      CHAPTER ONE: CALLING YOUR BABY UGLY

      CHAPTER TWO: THE TRUTH ABOUT LITERARY AGENTS, AND WHY YOU NEED ONE ANYWAY

      CHAPTER THREE: BAD APPLES AND BOOK DOCTORS

      CHAPTER FOUR: IT’S NOT JUST VANITY PUBLISHING ANYMORE

      CHAPTER FIVE: EBOOKS, P.O.D., AND GETTING MY BOOK PUBLISHED AND READ…FOR FREE

      CHAPTER SIX: REALITY CHECK

      CHAPTER SEVEN: SO LET’S TALK MONEY

      CHAPTER EIGHT: ON WRITING

      CHAPTER NINE: IF YOU ARE MEANT TO BE PUBLISHED AND READ

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      FOREWORD: SO YOU WANT TO WRITE, BE PUBLISHED AND GET READ

      When I finally lived that dream so many people have of getting a book published, one I actually wrote, something happened that I did not anticipate. One of the inevitabilities of being a published author is that there will be a number of people who want to know how to live that same dream.  Become a published author, that is. 

      Let me assure you. You and I are not the only ones!

      I published my first book, THE FOREVER SEASON, with St. Martins’ Press. Within days, the emails started, friends I had not heard from in years called me up, and people I did not even know came up to me at book signings, at work, and even at my kids’ baseball games, mostly congratulating me. But then they ultimately ended up telling me about the fiction novel they had been working on, their mom’s or dad’s story that would make a great movie, the memoir that any publisher would be excited to get, or the truly original children’s book they had written over the weekend that they knew would outsell anything Dr. Seuss ever cobbled together.

      Oh, by the way, they would continue, even without prompting, Could you tell me how you got your little book in front of that big New York publisher? Could you give me your editor’s name and phone number? Could you introduce me to your agent?

      Look, the truth is that I don’t mind getting these questions at all.  I appreciate those who answered my equally ill-informed questions and gave me much kind encouragement way back when getting published…and read…was still just a dream for me. I am also thankful to those who steered me in the right direction and, even more importantly, gave me the warning signs to look for that kept me from getting taken for a ride, or from wasting time, effort and money.

      See, back then I was so desperate to get published that I could easily have jumped all over some of those wrong steps that so many others do. It is not an easy business, as I will describe later. It takes a special will, a serious drive, to get your words published for anyone to purchase and to make your prose available to be read by total strangers, including considerable numbers of them willing to pay for the privilege.

      And another warning: even if you break through and get published, unless that book sells lots and lots of copies, be prepared to continue to have to fight for attention, advances and more royalties. There is an oft-quoted maxim in the book-writin’ business that says less than a thousand people make their sole full-time living by writing and publishing books. From my experience, that number may be high. And I doubt that those ads you might see from the self-publishing vendors about folks who cash regular six-figure royalty checks has moved the needle one iota.

      This is still a tough way to make a living.

      As I often tell writer groups and seminars, if you want to be rich and famous, forget about writing for a living. Rob a bank. You will be rich for a short while. Then, when they arrest you and your image shows up on the seven o’clock news, you will be famous!

      Discouraged yet? Good. Read on.

      Let me—before I even get deeper into the subject—make it very clear for whom this particular book is intended.

      I am going to be talking to those of you who seriously want to write and, even more importantly, those who want to be published and have their words read by more than just family and friends.

      That may seem obvious, but not everyone is cut out to be a published/read author. Some want to write so they can be rich and famous. Good luck! We have covered that already.

      Some people want to write to free their inner muse or to create art, whether anyone ever reads their prose or not. Not a thing wrong with that, but the topics in this book may or may not apply to you if that is your particular vision.

      Some simply want to capture an oral history or experiences of themselves or a family member. Nothing wrong with that one either. I actually am an advocate for capturing what I call eye-witness history. We bury the holders of wonderful human-interest stories every day before those storytellers can share their experiences with future generations, authors and historians. See my web site www.untoldmillions.net for information on making sure these untold stories are captured and archived before it is too late.

      But this book is not designed to address the needs of these particular would-be published writers.

      No, I want to talk with

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