On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA June-July 2016 | Page 18

BUSINESS

ROGER MARSHALL

Book publishing 101

THINKSTOCKPHOTOS.COM/ ETOILEARK

G

etting your first book published is every writer’s dream.
To reach this important milestone, you can find an agent
to present your work to traditional publishing houses, or you
can venture into the self-publishing
world using Amazon’s Kindle Direct
Publishing (KDP) CreateSpace
platform or one of the myriad book
publishers listed when you search
self-publishing online.
Either way, you’ll need to market
yourself as an author. That means
creating your own website, developing an audience and favorable
reputation, and acquiring a range
of social media skills. For authors
of nonfiction books that require
illustrations, it’s also extremely
valuable to be able to produce your
own professional-quality drawings
or high-resolution photographs.
But first, of course, you must
come up with a book idea, preferably an
idea that in some way hasn’t already been
developed. Say you want to write about
growing vegetables. You could begin by
looking at books on this subject and deciding what your niche within this field might
be. That niche can’t be too small or your
book will appeal only to a limited number
of people. On the other hand, if you find a
t