Before You Publish - Part 5

"Before You Publish" by Tim Wourms, President of publishing for CSN Books and Legacy Line Publishing, helps authors bring their books books to the Marketplace. You can download your free copy by going to csnbooks.com.

How to Make Your book Successful
You have now finished your manuscript – CONGRATULATIONS! You are already ahead of the many “wannabe” writers of today. But do you know the next step? Some authors think it is to publish. You are close, but there are steps to take BEFORE you publish your book.
The first question to ask yourself is, "Why am I publishing this book?” Your honest answer will determine the journey your book needs to take. If your purpose was to write a book for your own satisfaction or for your family, with no further interest in marketing or selling the book, then you are ready for the next step – to prepare the book for publishing.
If you have hopes of selling your book at any time to a bookstore, conventions, or at conferences (they often use standard bookstore sellers), or if you wish to have your book reviewed, then you need to follow certain steps to ensure those possibilities can happen. These are the steps we suggest:
1. Proper Manuscript Preparation:
The manuscript MUST be presented to the public as the very best it can be. If you have any hesitation that it is not quite what you want, then finish it before you spend time and money to print something that is only “almost there”. Although your book will be professionally edited, you need to have it as near ready and free of mistakes and misspellings as possible before submission. Reviewers and buyers will scan only a few pages to determine if they will consider your book. Poor writing, or the presence of multiple mistakes, could result in an immediate rejection.
A. If your book is fiction, it needs to contain a story told through a particular viewpoint (POV) of one character. Ask yourself, Have I used the five senses to visualize my story? Are my observations and vocabulary appropriate to the character? Have I included emotion in the conflict?
B. If your book is non-fiction, ask yourself, Have I completed my research? Can I back up my facts and data? Is my message detailed in a comprehensive manner that has illustrations, examples and logical reasoning? Is there a solution or action the reader should take?
2. Careful Cover Design:
The best books start with the cover. There are seven steps to a good cover, and they include KEY items that will meet bookstore and reviewer requirements, and entice someone to pull your book off the shelf. Do not create a cover without knowing them.
1. ISBN
2. PRICE
3. SYNOPSIS
4. AUTHOR BIO
The bio is not necessary if the author wants to remain unknown, or wants to use a “pen” name.
5. ENDORSEMENTS
6. POWERFUL TITLE
7. PROFESSIONAL GRAPHICS
3. Your book must contain a clean copyright page (no explanations or other text notations) that includes certain criteria.
4. If you expect reviews, then galleys must be sent to major reviewers, publisher Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, etc. at least THREE MONTHS before the release date. A galley is a sample of your book before it is printed, and normally includes a sample cover for the reviewer as well. A favorable quote from one of these reviewers, who receive more than 200 titles every day, can make a major difference in the marketing of your book.
5. A Professional Publicist:
Once your book meets all of these requirements, you may want to hire a professional publicist who knows the playing field and how to get your book headed in the right direction. Our publicist here at CSN Books and Legacy Line publishing is award-winning, and has been in the industry for over two decades.
6. CSN Books and Legacy Line publishing can help.
How do you know where your book fits into this journey? You need to have your book evaluated by a team who has experience with all of the above, and can give you an honest evaluation of where the book stands, and how you can improve it (if needed). Towards that end, CSN Books and Legacy Line publishing offer a FREE book REVIEW, which is a basic evaluation to determine if the book is physically ready to move to print. This evaluation includes a free review of the book, with notations on the areas that need to be improved (if any), a proofing and light edit of a few pages as an example, and a firm, completed bid for your project.
CSN books and Legacy Line publishing also offer an in-depth evaluation for a set fee that includes - OVERALL OBSERVATION, editing NECESSITIES, PROBLEMS (layout, grammar-tense, photos, quotes, design), and marketing POSSIBILITES. At CSN Books and Legacy Line publishing we want your book to be one of our best, and we are ready to make that journey with you.
If you are starting to become a bit overwhelmed by all of this information, please do not panic! By the time you finish reading this book, you will have a much better understanding of what will be best for your book, and our staff stands ready to answer any of your questions.
Now, get ready for to take a publishing journey that confronts the myths and realities on the road to publishing your book.

Submitted by Dr. Michael Wourms,
Founder, CSN Books

CSN books offers all publishing services including proofing , editing , and cover design.
Our printing is high quality, and we offer marketing and distribution.