Publish Your Novel
How To Write, Publish And Sell A Manual From Information You
Already Know
Author: Andy Ballentine And Merlin-publishing.com
Today, there are hundreds of enterprising men and women who
write simple research papers (known in the self-publishing
industry as MANUALS) and sell them by mail.
In the article that follows, I’ll show you how you can do the
same. I’ll show you how to select a subject, how to research it,
how to write it, how to get it printed, and how to sell it.
I’ll show you the four ways to sell it.
If you are new to manual selling, I’ll show you which of the
four ways is the best for you. That said, I hope you will read
what follows very carefully and very thoroughly.
There are no catches. I have nothing more to sell to you (unless
you want to read some of the other manuals which I have written).
I hope the information which follows can be of real benefit to
you.
That is why I have written it!
Exactly what is a manual?
A manual can be called a booklet, a pamphlet, a report, a
newsletter, a guide, an instruction manual, a plan, a
manuscript, etc.
A manual is simply an easy-to-understand report which shows the
reader “How To” do something that he does not already know.
Most manuals show the reader … How to start or expand a hobby;
How to develop new abilities or qualities; How to start a new
business or expand an old one; How to prepare for a new career;
How to make or save money; How to solve personal problems; How
to spend leisure time.
A well written manual is authoritative, factual, and helpful. It
should be written in simple, easily understood language.
It can be anything from a brief two-page photocopied report to a
professionally printed book bound in a hardback cover.
People who purchase manuals by mail are interested in the
information they contain. Seldom do they care what brand of
paper the information is printed on.
What kinds of manuals are now being sold by mail?
Pick up almost any magazine at a news stand that carries
classified advertising and you will find ads written by people
who are selling their manuals by mail.
Here are sample ads from magazines lying on the desk.
“Be secure, confident, successful! Learn the secret of personal
power. .00”
“Secrets of the Spirit World! Only .00 Post-paid!”
“Traffic Tickets? Beat them, step by step method. .95”.
“Fluorescent Tubes Rejuvenated at no cost. Instructions .00”
“Why grow old and die? Li Chung Yun lived 256 years. You could
too”.
“Guide to Witches Covens – .00”
“Learning Bridge? Send .95 for 20 page guide.”
“Learn the secret of making every dress you sew fit perfectly.
Only .00”.
“10 Wonder Working Prayers. Enrich, Strengthen Your Life. .50”.
“Home Made Cheese. Hard, soft and cottage. Make it yourself!
Complete instructions, recipes, .00”
“Peterborough Area Job Opportunities .00”
“Ship in Bottle. Instructions. Drawings. .00”
If you can produce a “How To” manual that is novel, interesting
and genuinely helpful, you can do what the advertisers above
have done. You can print it yourself and sell it by mail!
What should you write about?
You should write:
* only on subjects that really interest you, and * on subjects
that you already know something about.
For example, if you just love to cook, write a manual on cooking.
If people like the first manual they buy from you, they will buy
other manuals in the future, as long as they are on the same
basic subject.
If you write on a subject that really does not interest you very
much, you will be bored to death by the time you get to your
third manual.
Ask yourself – what do I do with my spare time? Write a manual
about that!
How do you research the manual?
Make yourself an expert on the subject!
Talk to friends and neighbors. Ask questions. Read books,
newspapers, and magazines on the subject. Ask your librarian for
suggestions. As you read, keep notes on everything. When you
have read everything you could lay your hands on, sit down and
study your notes. Read them over slowly and carefully. Then lay
the notes aside and think about the whole subject for a day or
two. You will be amazed at what your mind will do with the
subject if you have researched it thoroughly. How do you write
it?
Here is a tip from a professional writer.
Sit down and pretend that you are a person who knows absolutely
nothing about the subject.
Write down fifteen questions that such a person might ask you.
Then write out, in your own words, the answers to the fifteen
questions.
Do not try to be literary!
When you are finished, lay it aside for a day or two. Then
re-read it with a red pencil, crossing out all unnecessary words
and sentences, inserting a new point here and there.
Rewrite the whole thing, and you will be amazed to discover that
your manual is ready to be published!
How do you get it printed?
Type it as neatly as possible onto A4 white typing paper. Single
space it, leaving two lines between each paragraph.
Take it to a local copy/print shop, who will make you however
many copies of it, very reasonably, within 24 hours usually.
If you have more than four pages, have it printed on both sides
of the paper. It will lower your printing costs slightly, and
save you extra postage in the future.
To give your manual a professional touch, have it printed on
canary yellow, pink, or light green paper.
How do you sell it?
1. Direct from ads in magazines and tabloid papers.
If economically possible, sell it for .00 or .00 per copy.
Write a brief, eye catching classified ad, asking those
interested to send their orders directly to you.
If your ad is novel, believable, and of genuine interest, you
will be surprised at how many people will do this.
If your manual is about stamp collecting, advertise it in the
stamp collecting papers.
If it is about astrology, advertise it in the Astrology
magazines- to do otherwise is fatal.
Be sure to run your ad in at least three issues. If you have
never sold manuals by mail, I sincerely suggest you use this
method.
2. Advertise for Inquiries.
If your manual is quite elaborate, and must be sold for .00 or
more, use this method. Write a brief, tempting ad describing
your manual, and offer free details. Then mail literature
describing the manual to those who answer the ads. Don’t expect
more than one enquiry in ten to buy it from you.
Here are recent ads placed by manual writers who use this method:
“Never Won Anything? Anyone can win sweepstakes contests! Free
details”.
“Troubled? God can help! Free information.”
“Overweight? I lost 53 pounds. Easily – Permanently. New Method.
Information Free”.
“Make money clipping newspapers at home in spare time. Details
free.”
3. Direct Mail.
If you have written a manual showing how to get your inventions
patented, you could purchase a list of amateur inventors, and
mail your sales literature to each individual on the list.
If you are lucky, you’ll sell your manual to about one person in
every twenty-five.
Direct mail can be very effective for experienced mail order
operators, but it is usually far too costly for the beginner.
It can easily cost you over two hundred and fifty dollars for
each one thousand letters you mail.
4. Selling through agents.
If you are willing to sell your manual in small wholesale
quantities, or if you are willing to drop ship manuals for mail
dealers, then you might find this the most effective way to
market your manuals.
Below are some ads placed by manual writers.
“Sell Health Books Mail Order! Write”
“Sell Books By Mail. Complete Dealer Set Up .00”
“Sell Books by Mail! 400% Profit”
“Free Newsletter! Sell Books by Mail. We wholesale/dropship”
Some of the above ads have been running for over ten years,
indicating that this could be a very successful way to market
your manuals.
Good Luck
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/publishing-articles/how-to-write-publish-and-sell-a-manual-from-information-you-already-know-2219.html
About the Author
Ever wondered how to get published? Self-publishing is
quicker and more profitable than dealing with publishers. Free
guide shows how to publish your own book. Copyright © 2005 Andy
Ballentine and Merlin-Publishing.com. All Rights Reserved.
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Usually the first step is to get an agent. You don’t absolutely need one to get published, but it ups your chances. Study the market. You can use a lot of writing directories (such as writersdigest.com or agentquery.com) to see which agents represent your genre, style, and type of novel. Choose a handful of agents and send out query letters (you can find a lot of articles on how to write query letters on agentquery.com too). If you don’t get one on the first try, don’t worry, just try again. First novels are tough to sell. If an agent is interested, he or she will want to see more of your novel.
When you snag yourself an agent, he or she will go out and promote your book to publishing houses. But always remember, it’s you and you alone that has the greatest vested interest in whether your novel succeeds or fails.
First of all, I wouldn’t recommend using a literary agent. Why pay someone to do something you could do yourself? Unless you are trying on only getting published by a big publishing company I wouldn’t bother. I’m fourteen and my book was published when I was twelve. If I can do it so can you. Here’s how I would go about the publishing process. Go online, find a publisher you like and submit your manuscript. Remember, it takes most authors lots of tries submitting their manuscript to different publishers. Let’s say you have a publisher that likes your book and gives you a contract to print your book. Now you go through editing which doesn’t take a lot on your part. Next (if your book requires this) is illustration. Most of the time the publisher has hired illustrators to work on your book. That step is easy unless you choose to hire someone separately or draw them yourself. Now your book starts the printing process. This is your time to start the hardest part in publishing a book…MARKETING. Most people who dive blindly into publishing a book don’t get. Unless you are a famous author YOU the author are expected to do most of the marketing for your book. That means getting a website, contacting book stores, contacting media, and a lot more! This is very hard work. If you a prepared to give up a significant amount of time to promote your book, this is fine. If you expect to sit on your couch and wait for your first paycheck you are sadly mistaken. Put the effort in and it will pay off. I hope I answered your question and If you would like some more specific questions answered about writing and/or publishing please feel free to contact me through my website http://www.tomatoturtle.com then click “contact”. Good luck!
Thomas Strock
Author
Tomato Turtle: A Trip to the Park
http://www.tomatoturtle.com
I tried to look up Amanda “Binky” Urban on writers.net and nothing came up. Binky Urban is a superstar agent in the literary world. If she can’t be found on the list then I don’t know that writers.net is the place that you should be looking. I’m not saying that you should try to submit to the biggest agents out there, I’m just saying that a writer resource site that doesn’t list the big shots might be in some need of some updating. I also tried to look up Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown, Ltd. and nothing showed up. On the other hand I was able to find Jessica Faust and Jonathan Lyons.
Here’s the deal. If your at the stage where you are ready to start querying agents you need to purchase a copy of Writer’s Market 2008. It contains the listings of agents and publishers across the US. It also contains some very valuable information about writing great query letters, book proposals and more. It only costs $20 on amazon.com.
I go into more detail at this link: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgoSzptLFR81.fQXx0HL2EYAAAAA;_ylv=3?qid=20080402114359AAFB5Ye
Hint: Nathan Bransford normally responds to queries on the same day: http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/ Be SURE to read “The Essentials” links in the right hand column BEFORE you submit. If you really want to up your chances read through his blog archives so that you can really get a feel for what he is like and what he likes. He also has links to other agents/agencies in the right hand column. You could submit to them as well. Remember that every agent has their own specific submissions guidelines that they expect you to follow exactly.
it’s true… the intellectual property belongs to the original creators, so getting a motion picture studio to develop and produce our fan fiction, would only ever happen if said studio had a licensing agreement with the original properties owner.
but even before that ever comes up, you’ll have to write a screenplay from your fan fiction.
this is a lofty dream, with many factors outside of your control. but that doesn’t have to stop you! if you stay to it, who knows.
and who says you have to wait for the big leagues? you could always shoot the picture yourself. online media streams like the YouTube’s of the world, have kicked open the door for fan films of every fashion. some even blow up to find mainstream treatments.
so get out there and be your own director, producer, etc. and don’t forget to get your fiction on related fan sites. you’ll find the input gained from others like you, invaluable as you grow your craft.
break a leg! meow.
Learn the correct terminology or else you’ll come off as a rank amateur when you query agents, and many agents don’t like dealing with amateurs who didn’t bother to research. Research is your best friend. It’s not “fiction novel” because all novels are fiction, so it’s redundant. Make sure it’s completely polished and that you’ve gotten feedback from experienced writers who are better than average. What you prefer doesn’t matter. A publisher needs to think 1) it’s well written enough to be published and 2) it’s commercially viable before they’ll buy the novel. Your novel needs to have very few mistakes in it and need very little editing. IF you have plot flaws, bad grammar or you can’t develop your characters or plots well then forget about it until you work on improving those things because rejection will be inevitable. We all wish our work could be published, but that’s not going to happen for most of us. Secondly, look for an agent. If you’re work is any good then an agent will take you seriously. Thirdly, your agent will work with your from there. Either way, most people fail at writing a publish-worthy novel. Don’t let your hopes get down if you get more rejections than you can stand. If you’ve been rejected by everyone in the industry, then trunk that novel and focus on a new one. The more you improve your writing skill the better chances you’ll have with a future novel. Most authors have to write several practice novels before they even stand a chance at getting published. Also, most people spend years honing their writing skill. Make sure you’ve research how to write a novel before you send anything off, because amateur mistakes will get you rejected; writing a novel is not common sense, so research is needed. If you’re serious then you’ll do your own research. Good luck.
copyright it and you wont have to worry about someone stealing your work 9maybe your idea) and biuld your own site (free ones at wix.com and link your facebook page or w/e to it)
or you can publish with kindle and get money (if someone buys it and doesnt return it with their money back)
good luck, let me know how it works out.
Stay away from ‘vanity publishers’ who often end up short changing you and your book. Your local printer — and an able graphic artist — are all you need to turn your edited story into a self-published novel.
Use the internet and social media for promoting your novel. Join your local book club and reserve an evening to talk about your story. Make it stand out, make it exciting and appealing.
Address the people who are the intended audience for your book. That’s a sure way of garnering readership and sales.
Along with self-publishing, explore print-on-demand books and ebooks (lower costs, faster reach). There’s also the booming market for audio books.
Send it to a top-line publisher, have them pay millions for the rights to publish it, have them select it for as a feature hard-back, and finally get them to invest large sums of marketing money.
It’s the best way; wish it was easy to accomplish.
There are three common types of book publishers: two of them have respectable reputations; one of them is notorious for publishing low-quality results. To best understand your three options, I recommend reading this online article: http://bookpublishing.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_publish_a_book_in_canada
This article focuses on the Canadian marketplace, but the information could be easily applied to the American marketplace as well. We’re both pretty much the same. Reading the above article will help you to pick the best publisher for you.
Please click on the below links to be redirected to even more helpful information on book publishing, copyright protection, sales & marketing, etc… Whatever questions you have will be answered here.
I would buy a current copy of Writer’s magazine. I bet you’ll find something in there, or you can buy two issues, wait for next month if you don’t find it in first issue. Also contact writers’ workshops near you. If you live in a major city, there must be some good ones. Look them up on the web or just Yahoo yellow pages. They will give you advice either free or you have one private paid session or a whole class. Pick your advisor well as one having experience in marketing the type of writing you have. If you can’t find a workshop, contact you nearest university with offering degrees in creative writing. Also, be open about this search. Talk to people in bookshops, especially the small independent bookshops. Sales people there are professional reading and writing lovers.
By the way, Writer’s Market does work, yes. It’s just so much to go through…
what is the best way to publish your novel?
What would you recommend to read in order to find and agent and publish your own novel?
Book titles etc. I know there is the Writer’s Market…but has it really worked for anyone?
Sorry about the typo in the question.
What does it take to publish your first novel?
If you have already written your first novel and you have the faith that there is something worth publishing, how do you get started? Who do you show it to? What publishing houses do pitch it to? Do you try self-publishing? Or do you take a chance with the “Big Time”?
how does one find a literary agent who is ready to help you publish your novel?
i have been trying to contact the agents who are there on the list of writers.net but unfortunately haven’t heard from any. i have got a couple of novels ready with me.
How can you publish your fanfic novel that is really good into an actual movie?
Im a preteen and Im writing this fanfic novel that is really good and its always been my dream to see it into a movie!!! Its based off naruto anime and its a good novel! Do you have to publish it into a book first! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEAAASSSE!!! XD
Self Published Authors – Any Tips on How to Self Publish your Novel?
How do you publish your novel?
I wrote a book, how can I go about finding a publisher.
What are the steps to take if you want to publish your own novel?
I’ve been reading novels since 2002 and began to write my own. I’m on chapter 17 as of now and was wondering, when I’m done with my book, what are the steps to take to find a legit publisher. It’s in the category like Michael Baisden, Zane, Kayla Perrin, Terry McMillian, etc.
How to publish your novel online free without risks.?
how do you copyright?
How do you publish your own novel or get it published by a publisher?
I’m 16, and I have written a fiction novel.
I don’t have the money to self publish it, and frankly i would prefer to have it published.