Writing A Book Manuscript
Writing Is A Lifestyle Preference
Author: Karen Cole
We run a small S-Corp I currently call Rainbow Writing, Inc. We handle projects ourselves – and also we farm them out to what I call my cattle pen, the Rainbow Writing, Inc. Outsource Team. I hire good, capable people to work in the freelance writers field, and it helps them with their careers.
To be a ghost writer is definitely a way of life. This article is about how freelance writing is a developable field. Most people seem to think it is solely about hiding “ghost writers,” making money, or otherwise pushing around extremely talented writers. Seriously, it is about taking the work up for overburdened people at low prices so they can afford to be our clients. They thus manage to keep the field of literature going in the face of “vanity publishing.” It’s really only self publishing.
On the other hand, there’s something to keeping your byline. I don’t take other people’s byline, or credit to their name, when they are considered to be a book author and I am only rewriting or otherwise writing their stuff; they get their bylines instead, and I might be credited somehow. When I write my own books, I use other names called pseudonyms due to various technical issues, but I’m currently working on the first book I ever have put out with my own name on it.
Writing is something you can just rattle off. It’s something you can make a coffee table book from too. But if you go for only money, chances are, you only host celebrities. Paris Hilton is not the only lifestyle in all of existence.
The thing to do mostly is to cram down as many books and as much writing enters your consciousness as humanly possible. But when you take up your pen, in whatever form it may take, it needs to hit “paper” and go somewhere lately. I made it there; you will make it somewhere else.
This is especially so when you’ve started to break into the field and you’re a ghost writer — or ghostwriter — who has never really ghosted a book for someone else before. You’re probably thinking big bucks, major book contracts, large amounts of cash advances from publishers and huge percentages from the books you will be anonymously writing for big time authors. You may need to slow down and reorder your priorities.
I make enough money at my regular writing projects to support my habit of preferring to work with the first time author crowd. Some of those people’s books do sell well over time, and it’s worth it to me to put the time and effort into ghost writing or editing them that it takes to really polish their work to a gleaming shine and make it productive and meaningful as timeless literature or educational material.
This means more to me than a large check paid for the type of book I truly hate to see my name associated with, and I feel very proud to have more of the first timers’ works on my record than those. I guess in the end it’s a tradeoff: timeless creation of worthy literature versus timely production of flashy, self-gratifying stuff that may not make me feel good to write it. Not that I don’t regularly take on that kind of project. I need those books to get by and make money. But it always gladdens me when I can write something that really makes the author feel like he or she has produced a very fine book, and which is something that will truly lend credit and greater credence to my professional name and career as a writer.
People like that don’t need to face down what looks like to them to be a million dollar price tag – when what they are looking for is describable as a cheap ghost writer. They want an actual inexpensive ghost writer or ghostwriter who understands their needs, both budgetary and otherwise. Someone capable needs to be able to sit down with them and negotiate a fairly low amount of money to be paid out by them, so they can figure on at least getting some kind of returns from their own books.
These potential authors are not Presidents of the United States or famous movie actors, whose books are “guaranteed” to sell. Many of them find themselves “stuck” with what used to be called vanity publishing, and which is nowadays called self publishing. They won’t necessarily find a commercial publisher who wants to take a chance on huge returns from their books in today’s multifaceted but still challenging world of publishing. However, they still have a lot of hope to be read and heard from due to the millions of resources available to them through the ever growing and ever popular World Wide Web, otherwise known as the Internet. There is always hope to have your writing heard from. If you need to hire a freelance writer, a ghost writer, a copy editor, a proof reader, or all of the above to help you express your ideas and complete a book manuscript, that world is readily available to you through the auspices of my company, and many others.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/writing-is-a-lifestyle-preference-278413.html
About the Author
Executive Director and President of Rainbow Writing, Inc., Karen Cole writes. RWI at http://www.rainbowriting.com is a renowned inexpensive and affordable professional freelance writers, book authors, ghost writers, copy editors, proof readers, coauthors, manuscript rewriters, graphics and CAD, digital and other photographers, publishing assistance and screenplay writers, editors, developers and analysts service.
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Conventional publishing in the US is controlled by one of three multi-national conglomerates. Publishing is far different today than it was even 12 or 15 years ago. Previously, publishers were on the lookout for beautiful literature and well written, informative non-fiction. Today they are interested in whatever crap will sell.
This is why the Breadloaf Prize winner can’t get published, but Madonna can get a contract to write a series of moronic books for children when she has no writing credits and no crediblity of any kind with respect literature, early childhood development, etc. She is a celebrity and Americans will buy her books for that simple reason.
Further, publishing companies are quite limited today in what they can publish each year. Even the big houses may allow for 30 titles in a given year. Mark out a dozen of these for dimwit celebrity rehab/sex abuse/domestic violence/post-partum depression memoirs and child-rearing advice by Britney Spear’s mother. The competition for the other slots is fierce.
I assume you are considering a non-fiction work. You state that there is not a lot of information out there about this topic. Could this be because there is no audience for this information? How would you present this information to make it appealing to the mainstream? Or is it more or less a niche market?
Because publishing today is so tight, in order to publish a non-fiction work, you must come to the table with a perfect manuscript (publishers no longer have the budgets they once did for editorial services) as well as a detailed, fool-proof marketing platform (ditto the marketing budgets).
This is how Dr. Phil gets published. He is a PhD psychologist and specializes in relationships. He is an authority. He is on television. He is also pals with Oprah. There is lots to promote him.
So if you are a bonafide expert in your field, give lectures, publish a column/blog, consult, work in academia, etc. that would go a long way in qualifying you as the person to write this book. Simply proclaiming your passion may not be enough.
What I suggest is that you create an outline for the entire book. Then write the first three or four chapters. Then query a few publishers that handle what you’re writing and see where it goes from there.
The Writer’s Market is an excellent resource for targeting specific publishers that might be a good fit. The reference desk at the library should have a copy of the Writer’s Market, though it is likely to be the 2008 edition.
The Writer’s Market is divided into categories and cross-referenced. It contains all sorts of info about submissions, requirements for representation, contact info, etc.
If you feel passionate about your subject, nothing should stand in the way of your writing. Perhaps once you get started, you might try to arrange a few speaking engagements or submit an article to a magazine (info also in Writer’s Market). These things would go a long way to establishing your credibility.
I have assumed several things to respond your question. If you have other questions or need other info, email me.
A manuscript is simply a book that is in possession by the author, is going through changes, has not been published, and is not finished yet.
If you want to write a book, just write it the way you see published books written with chapters etc…
After you are done writing, you need to edit, edit, EDIT!!!!!!!!!!! Edit it yourself until you want to throw it against the wall, then give it to a trusted adult like relatives or a teacher and have them edit it. Put it away for 2-3 months, and edit it again. When you finally feel it’s close to done, send out query letters to agents.
You will probably get rejected a number of times before you are accepted. If you manage to find an agent they will work with you on getting the manuscript to the publisher, which, I might add, will take a while because you will probably get rejected many times.
The key to all of this is to never give up, but right now, I would suggest you don’t worry about getting it published and just write.
I think you should discuss the addition of photos after your manuscript is accepted.
If the photos absolutely have to be included, make color copies of them if necessary.
Sure, it’s been done many times. The biggest challenge is coming up with a theme or a plot through-line to tie the collected stories into a cohesive whole.
It should be the page number of the manuscript.
When writing a book, how do you include photos in the manuscript?
What format do publishers want to receive photos in? How do you get rights to use other peoples photos? Any info on including photos in a book manuscript for a first time writer would be appreciated. This if for a non-fiction book.
writing a book manuscript help!!?
Hey so after the first “title” page …not exactly, but that is what I am going to call it the following pages are suppose to have for example: Matson/The Giant/6 (Last name, book title, page number), does the page number refer to the actual page number in the book, or just saying that is page number 6 in the manuscript?? Thanks
Hey so after the first “title” page …not exactly, but that is what I am going to call it the following pages are suppose to have for example: Matson/The Giant/6 (Last name, book title, page number), does the page number refer to the actual page number in the book, or just saying that is page number 6 in the manuscript?? Thanks.
extra info: ok let me do an example straight up..and title page is requested
———————————–
leah matson word count
address
phone number
book title
by
leah matson
(centered both ways but you get the point)
——————————————————–
Matson/book title/1
all the text follow will be double spaced
like this = ]
—————————————
matson/book title/2
fjdklafjs;ldjf;kjdskaf
fdkaslfjljd
———————————-
is this all correct??
Manuscript Writing/Book Publishing?
How hard is it to actually get a book published? If your manuscript is well-written and submitted correctly, what are the chances that it will actually be published? I really want to write a book about a subject that I am extremely dedicated to and not a lot of information exists about it, but I’m afraid it would be a waste of time. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks much!
how do i write a novel first book manuscript?
Guys I was thinking of writing a novel as I have lots of free time .Do I write a manuscript before I actually write a book What stuff do I need to know to get published , etc.???
Considering writing a Book Manuscript?
I’v been writing a series of short stories for a friend. Each one is about ten pages. She wants so much detail about the characters. She wants past experiences and what the future holds for them. I figured if I was going to do that then I might as well write a book. Do you think it’s possible to combine a bunch of short stories and be able to create a book out of it